Jade held the posh dress in her hands. This garment alone was worth more than a few months of her government salary.
My government salary, she thought wryly. The only government salary she would ever receive now would be whatever they paid convicts to work in the prison laundry.
She tore open the package and put on the thigh-high stockings, smoothing the nylon up her legs. They made her feel better. She slipped on the rest of the underwear, telling herself not to think about the future, only the present. She strapped on the high heels, and then she began styling her hair.
The cabinet under the sink was loaded with fine cosmetics - Kanebo, Estee Lauder, Shiseido. She spent a few minutes applying makeup, laying it on thicker than usual.
She did not look at herself in the full-length mirr
