Emily Cooper stepped into Le Pure Café in the 11th arrondissement, her Louboutin heels clicking on the tile floor. She had a lot on her plate today: a client meeting, an Instagram post to coordinate, and an unexpected appointment with Jessica Davis. Sylvie had insisted this meeting was "essential for brand synergy," which Emily was convinced was code for please deal with this annoying woman so I don't have to.

Jessica was already seated in the corner, arms crossed, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked like she had a permanent scowl etched onto her face, which wasn't far from the truth. Emily offered her brightest, most insincere smile as she approached.

"Jessica?" Emily chirped, sliding into the chair across from her. "I'm Emily. It's so nice to finally meet you!"

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay. Let's just get this over with. I don't have all day."

Emily blinked. This wasn't the first time she'd dealt with difficult clients, but Jessica's dismissive tone rubbed her the wrong way. It's fine, she told herself. Kill her with kindness.

"So, I've been looking at your brand, and I think there's so much potential for growth!" Emily said, clasping her hands together. "With the right social media strategy, we can really amplify your voice."

Jessica snorted. "My voice? Do you even know what I do?"

Emily's smile faltered slightly. "Of course! You're a...a social activist and motivational speaker."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "That's what they call it now? Motivational speaker? Yeah, sure, let's go with that."

Emily's patience was thinning. "Well, whatever you call it, I think there's room to expand your reach and—"

"I'm not interested in some half-assed influencer campaign," Jessica interrupted, leaning forward. "I don't need to be on TikTok dancing to the latest viral sound."

Emily bit back a retort. "It's not about dancing. It's about connecting with your audience in a meaningful way."

Jessica leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms again. "And you're the expert on meaningful connections? You're just some corporate shill who slaps a French filter on her life and calls it culture."

Emily's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Jessica said. "You're like...what's the word? Oh, yeah—basic. You're basic."

Emily bristled. "You don't even know me."

Jessica shrugged. "I don't need to. I can smell the desperation from here."

For a moment, Emily was stunned into silence. Then, she leaned forward, her voice low and dangerously sweet. "Listen, Jessica, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm here to help you. And maybe if you dropped the 'too-cool-for-this' attitude, you'd actually get something done."

Jessica smirked. "And maybe if you stopped pretending your life was a Pinterest board, people would take you seriously."

Emily felt her face flush. "You're unbelievable."

"Thanks," Jessica said with a mock salute. "I aim to please."

Taking a deep breath, Emily forced herself to change tactics. "Look, I get it. You've had a rough past—"

Jessica's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Emily said carefully, "that I understand you've been through a lot. But that doesn't give you the right to be so...so…"

"Spit it out, Cooper."

"So insensitive!" Emily snapped. "You're an insensitive cunt!"

The café went silent. Several heads turned in their direction, and a waiter dropped a plate of croissants. Jessica's jaw tightened, and for a moment, Emily thought she might throw her coffee in her face.

Instead, Jessica let out a laugh. It wasn't a kind laugh—it was the kind of laugh that said I'm about to ruin your day.

"Well," Jessica said, standing up. "This was fun. Let me know when you're ready to stop playing dress-up and actually do some work."

Emily stood too, her cheeks burning. "Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure this project is a success—with or without your cooperation."

Jessica smirked. "Good luck with that, Pinterest."

With that, Jessica turned on her heel and walked out of the café, leaving Emily fuming. As the door swung shut behind her, Emily slumped back into her chair, burying her face in her hands.

Back at the office, Emily recounted the story to Mindy over a glass of wine. "Can you believe her?" Emily said, gesturing wildly. "She called me basic. Basic!"

Mindy sipped her wine. "I mean, you do post a lot of latte art."

"That's not the point!" Emily exclaimed. "She was rude, dismissive, and—what did I call her?"

Mindy raised an eyebrow. "A...cunt?"

Emily groaned. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you probably shouldn't have," Mindy agreed. "But it sounds like she deserved it."

Emily sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I overreacted."

"Or maybe," Mindy said, "she's just a bitch."

Emily laughed despite herself. "Maybe."

Across town, Jessica was telling her side of the story to Ani Achola over beers. "And then she called me insensitive," Jessica said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Like, hello? I'm the insensitive one?"

Ani raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you did call her basic."

"She is basic," Jessica insisted. "She probably wakes up every morning and asks herself, 'What would Carrie Bradshaw do?'"

Ani snorted. "Okay, but did you have to antagonize her?"

Jessica shrugged. "She needed to be knocked down a peg. Someone had to do it."

"You're impossible," Ani said, shaking her head. "But honestly? I'd pay to see a rematch."

The feud between Emily Cooper and Jessica Davis became the talk of Parisian gossip circles. Everywhere they went, people whispered about the clash of the two titans. Emily tried to focus on her work, but every encounter with Jessica felt like a ticking time bomb. And Jessica, for all her bravado, couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction every time she got under Emily's skin.

In the end, neither of them won the fight. But one thing was clear: Paris was too small for the both of them.