Chapter 1

Chloe was excited to start her first day as an intern at Visual Voyage, a prestigious graphic design company in London. Part of her university studies required her to get a practical placement in her second year. This was her first job outside of France, and she couldn't wait to start practicing her English. The office was in a large modern office block. She had dressed smartly and with the hope of attracting the right kind of attention. She wore a white blouse and flared skirt to show off her figure while remaining classy and to emphasise this she was wearing a pair of black oxfords and had a cute satchel to carry her IPad Pro. She was waiting in a meeting room with two other interns, James and Sasha.
They were joined by Virginia, who would be managing them for the year.

"Hello everyone, we're so excited that you decided to intern with us. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop your skills and understand what is involved at every level of the company. You will even have the opportunity to apply and interview for a job at the end of your internship." She enthusiastically told them.

They were introduced to different heads of departments by Virginia, and she was sure they would forget her as soon as she moved on to the next manager, with the possible exception of Charles, the head of sales. Her hand felt tiny in his firm handshake and his grey eyes seemed to take in her whole body in a few seconds and she felt them linger on her stomach and hips. She had never managed to shift the weight she had gained in her first months at university. Her small belly was barely noticeable except that she had a rather large breakfast that morning. She blushed and thought his smile widened just a little.

Virginia seemed a little irked at the exchange. "I didn't expect you to be here, Charles?" She said, "I thought you were supposed to be on annual leave this week?"

Charles grinned, "Oh I will, I just needed to call in to meet the new interns. I'll see you all in a few weeks."

The first week was more of a struggle than Chloe anticipated. The hours were demanding; she was struggling with the language barrier and was feeling isolated living in a new country by herself. She could message and FaceTime, but it just wasn't the same. Chloe could of found a more positive solution to deal with the stress and isolation. She could have started exercising, meditation, or made more of an effort to connect with people at work. It is easy to do this when you are thinking rationally, and Chloe was not, so she turned to the easiest outlet for her frustrations and started comfort eating.

Chloe had taken advantage of the free canteen at work for breakfast and lunch, which allowed her to overindulge at dinner when she got home. London had so many different cultures and she was overwhelmed by the choice of food and would try something different every night while scrolling through TikTok and bringing Korean dramas and anime on Netflix and her first weekend she barely left her apartment.

After four weeks, all her outfits were too tight and felt like they were going to burst, but she had to wait until the end of July for payday, which was just a couple of days away. She was working late on a project that Virginia had assigned her weeks ago, which she had not finished; it was nearly nine O'clock. She had just returned to her seat after getting a coffee, and she heard a tearing sound.

Gingerly, she felt the back of her pants and could feel soft flesh, and her panties where the seat of her pants ripped. It was all too much, and she started sobbing. She wasn't sure how long she was crying for when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey, what's the matter Chloe?" The voice said.

She turned around; it was Charles

"Nothing...it's nothing." She sobbed.

"It doesn't look like nothing." He said authoritatively. "Tell me."

Her accent became more pronounced with emotion "It is so so hard. I cannot do anything right with this job. And I have gotten so fat." She sobbed.

He smiled at her and crouched down so they were at eye level "Chloe, you're tiny. There's barely anything to you." He consoled her.

"That is not true! I have put on weight!" She choked back another sob and looked at her feet. "My pants have ripped." She whispered.

If she had been looking closer, she might have noticed his eyes widening with pleasure and a small intake of breath.

"Chloe, the first thing we're going to do is get you to my car. There's no one about at this time, so no one will know what happened. We can call at my place before going back to yours. My ex left a few things before leaving. She was about your size, and I am sure some of them are bound to fit you."
He said this firmly and grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair.

"But...but I need to finish... Virginia asked me...." She was half way between a sob and a stammer.

"But nothing, you'll do as you're told. I'll speak to Virginia." He realised he had spoke quite harshly.

He tried to soothe her, "Listen, I know you're upset. Don't talk, just take some deep breaths and try and collect yourself, ok?

She nodded, and he led her obediently to his car.

When they arrived, he went into a gorgeous townhouse that took Chloe's mind off her troubles briefly. She would have loved to live there. He went in briefly and came in with a large bag of clothes.

"There's bound to be something in here. Listen, it seems like things aren't going so well with your current project. Why don't I speak to Virginia and see if you can intern for me? I could use a personal assistant, and you might find sales a better fit." He said.

Chloe seemed unsure of herself, "I do not know. Virginia might not like it."

He waved away her concerns, "I'll handle Virginia."
"Why are you being so nice?" She asked suspiciously.

He looked at her sincerely, "It's always hard starting a new job, and I can't imagine what it must be like starting a new job in a new country away from your family and friends."

"It is hard." She gave him a small smile. "Thank you Charles, goodnight."

When she got to her apartment, she tried on the clothes. Some were too small, others a size too big; finally, she found some that were just right and quite stylish too. His ex had good taste. At the bottom of the bag, she found a set of pink satin pajamas. Unlike the other clothes, they were plus size. She tried the top on; it was so baggy and comfy she decided to wear it to bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered who it had belonged to.