CHAPTER ONE

Present day

Valerie p.o.v

Today is going to be a good day, I can feel it. The weather is perfect, the sun is not too heavy and I’m signing the biggest deal of my entire career today. It’s practically a done deal and the investing company just needs to sign on the dotted line and I will have enough funding to officially break into the fashion industry.

It’s been hard trying to do this especially as a single mother but my son has been the biggest inspiration, his birth gave me a purpose to live for and since then it’s been two of us.

About three years ago, I graduated fashion school and have gone on to successfully create a good brand. My work gained popularity almost immediately, and since then it has been a really good time and I have sold my work anonymously with my identity being a mystery.

Truly anonymity has helped to build my brand especially as I dabble in eccentric pieces. But now is the time for me to step into the limelight. It helps that I am nominated for a prestigious award in the upcoming fashion celebration in Milan, Italy.

The other companies nominated are very much in the limelight and if I want to win that award I need to tweak my approach to the fashion game and this is why for the first time I am opening my doors to allow other companies to participate in the production process and hopefully become successful in my desire to try a new method of business for my company.

When I put out word that I was going to collaborate with financial industries, I was awed by the amount of companies that wanted to work with me. The most astonishing one was the Sullivan group.

They are arguably the biggest company and they offer their expertise as well as funding to the companies that they worked with and while I wasn’t exactly broke, additional funding would be ideal.

And I definitely wouldn’t say no to the chance to work with Arabella Sullivan. She is the head of the fashion subsidiary of the Sullivan group and is the pinnacle of success in the fashion industry, she is a king maker and it is said that once she wears any of your outfits, it becomes an internet sensation and gets sold out repeatedly, I mean I would know because she has worn my clothes exactly three times.

I accepted the deal with the Sullivan group and I met with Arabella, we had settled the conditions needed to finalize the deal and today, we will sign the contract and I will be represented by the Sullivan group.

That alone is perfect news for me and even better news for my employees, I cannot wait to see their reactions once the news hit the internet. I grab a pink jacket and grab the matching heels.

Satisfied with my outfit, I go downstairs and when I find the coffee machine already on, I know that Janet is already awake and my guess is confirmed when I see her and an overly excited George coming down the stairs and as soon as my baby boy sees me, he runs down the remaining steps and he embraces me with all his might. I lift him up and kiss his cheeks.

He smiles at me and mumbles “good morning mummy” and I hug him tighter as Janet walks around the counter and gives me a hug while muttering her own greetings.

Shifting my son to one hand, I pour in some coffee and add sugar and creamer and offer it to her, she quickly takes a huge sip and I move out of the way before she can do anything weird like propose or something along those lines.

After a few more sips she opens her eyes and when she looks at me she zeroes in on my pink jacket and she smiles at me and nods to George who nods his head too and I’m lost in this exchange so I ask her about it and she smiles and says that George had told her that I would wear my lucky jacket today and she had struck a bet with him and now she owes him 50 dollars and I can’t help it, I burst into laughter.

Janet throws me a look of false irritation as I finish the last of my coffee and accept good luck kisses from both of them.

I get into my car and drive to our meeting point, we agreed to meet on neutral territory so we picked a restaurant in East Village and I get there before Arabella and her lawyer.

I order a glass of wine and I am showed into the private room booked for today’s meeting. The waiter brings my wine and I sip it while reviewing catalogues from my last fashion show.

About 20 minutes later, the door opens and Arabella comes in followed by the lawyer. She apologizes for being late and after she places her order we start reviewing some documents.

Some minutes into the meeting a knock sounds on the door and Arabella checks her wristwatch and smiles then she talks to the lawyer and she finally looks at me and murmurs apologetically,

“That’s my brother, he insisted on sitting in the meeting. Do you have a problem with “No I don’t”, I replied.

She stood up and went to open the door and she steps outside for a bit. I look at the lawyer and mouth “what’s going on”? and he shakes his head.

The door opens and Arabella steps in, I start to ask her what the problem is and if her brother couldn’t make it until a man steps in after her and the moment he looks up all the air leaves my lungs, my whole body goes numb and blood rushes to my ears as I come face to face with the one person I never thought I would see again.