"How are things at work and with Zac?” Zeke inquired of his best friend. Alyona was two years younger than Zeke. Since middle school, they've been best friends. They dated for a couple of years in high school and then in college, but they had to call it quits when things didn't work out.
Nobody but him and Ida were aware of her new job as a stylist. She was content to keep it that way for a while before informing the others.
“Work is going well, and I haven't seen Zac in a few days.” She turned to face him, her head raised. He had lovely blue eyes and a sensual smile.
Unfortunately, our emotions faded. He's more mature now, and he's everything I want in a man, but I have no feelings for him. And, to top it all off, he has a lovely girlfriend, and that makes me happy for him. She gave him a friendly grin.
“What's going on inside your pretty little head? And are you certain that you and Zac are on good terms? You seemed relieved that you wouldn't see him for a few days.
“Is it wrong to say that I'm relieved I haven't seen him in a long time?”
They'd shared many wonderful experiences and memories, but his issue was that he wasn't proud of what she was doing. He was always trying to persuade her to stop doing what she loved because it wasn't a well-paying job, and she was sick of it. She needed a man who would cheer her on and tell her she was doing a fantastic job.
A man who would cheer her up when she was down. A man who would tell her he admired her and was proud of her accomplishments. Zac Hawkins, however, was not that man. He'd never done it before, and she wasn't going to see him do it any time soon, so she was skeptical about how well things would go between them.
“Why?” Zeke inquired, taking a sip of her coffee.
“He's a nice guy, no doubt, but...”
“ Is he not supportive? Is he not proud of the work you do?” Zeke asked her.
He had known Alyona his entire life; she was driven by a desire to launch her own make-up line and become a makeup artist to realize her dream. It's all she's wanted.
So why isn't he proud that she's trying to make her own money and not relying on her parents' success?
“ Aly, if he continues to act in this manner, it will be his greatest loss. You're a determined young lady, and I admire that about you. You've had this dream since you were a child, and seeing you live it makes you the most successful and strong woman I've ever met. I am proud of you, and if your friends and family find out, they will be as well. It's his loss, and I hope he realizes his error before it's too late,” Zeke concluded.
“ Thank you for believing in me, Zeke. It means a lot to hear from you.”
“The pleasure is entirely mine, love.”
~
The photos of Giada and Brynn from the fashion show were going viral, and they were getting calls from major fashion houses asking them to model for them. Brynn's parents were completely behind her; the only issue was Kai. Xara was fine with Giada pursuing a career in fashion if she truly desired it.
“Are you sure that's what you want to do with your life?” To pursue a career as a model by majoring in fashion." For the umpteenth time, Kai inquired of his daughter.
“Yes, dad, I've been debating what I want to study in college, and after this opportunity, this is exactly what I want,” she replied, her fingers crossed.
“ If that's what you want, I'm completely on board,” Kai affirmed.
Thank you, Dad, for everything; you're the best, and I love you.” She gave him a big hug.
“I love you, sweetheart, but do you and Brynn have a manager?” Perhaps you girls could speak with Aly for assistance; she may know a few people.” Kai made a suggestion.
“King says he knows someone,” Giada replied, “but I'll talk to Aly about makeup and see what she says.”
Gia dashed to her room to inform her friend. She was ecstatic that she had discovered what she truly wanted to do in college. Her twin had already applied to colleges to study business administration. As soon as his father retired, he planned to assist Elon in managing the rest of his father's businesses.
“Come in!" Gia summoned. Jax walked into her room and jumped onto her bed.
"What's up, Jax?" she asked casually.
“I overheard you, mom, and dad talking about you going into modeling. “Is that true?” he inquired.
“It's 100 percent true, aside from the fact that Brynn would be here any minute now so we could look up and apply to colleges that offer fashion as a major,” she explained.
“I'm delighted for you,” he said sincerely.
“Thank you, Jax; that means a lot coming from you,” she said with a smile.
“ You're very welcome. And, by the way, would you and Brynn like to join us later today? "When you're finished with the fashion thingy?" He inquired about her.
“ We'd love to, but where are we going?” Brynn inquired, standing by the door.
“To the movies to see ‘He's all that,'” Jax replied nervously. He's had a crush on Brynn since sophomore year but hasn't dared to tell her how he truly felt. Brynn was aware of his feelings for her, but she simply wanted him to express them.
“OK, we'll let you know when we're done here,” she said as he walked towards his room.
Giada dialed Aly's phone number and waited for her to answer. Before they made any decisions, they wanted to hear from her.
Aly answered the phone and said, "Hey, baby."
“Hey Aly, I hope I'm not bothering you at work, but Brynn and I have a couple of questions for you if that's okay with you,” she began.
“ All right, shoot.”
“I'm not sure if you've seen both of our pictures trending on the internet on a fashion runway, but we've been getting calls from fashion houses asking us to be their models, and Mom and Dad have agreed, but the problem is that we don't have a makeup artist, hairstylist, or hairstylist; we've hired a costume designer. As a result, we would like to know if you could recommend any hairstylists, managers, or makeup artists. “Thank you in advance.” Giada threw in her two cents' worth.
“First and foremost, I'm incredibly proud of you girls, and I've seen your photos. And if you're interested in working for a fashion house, they have their own hair and makeup artists, so that's taken care of. Given that you have a costume designer, all you need is a manager. Could you please send me a list of fashion houses that have contacted you? If you don't mind, I could assist you and possibly serve as your manager and make-up artist. If you want your own personal makeup artist, that is.” Aly made a recommendation.
“Thank you, Aly; I'll do that, as well as send you King's phone number so you can collaborate. We'd also like to have you as our stylist.”
“ It's entirely my pleasure. I'll be waiting for you, and please accept my heartfelt congratulations. Tell Brynn that I said congrats to her, Giada. “I'll contact you later.” She hung up the phone.
Giada broke the news to her friend, and they forwarded the necessary details to Aly. They began searching for colleges and universities that offered fashion-related courses to apply to.
“Lorenzo? Kenzie?” Xara was taken aback when she noticed them on her doorstep. She hadn't seen them in years. She let Lorenzo go to start his own life after moving back in with her husband, though it was a difficult decision for her to make. It was past time for him to start his own family. “Hey, Xara,” Lorenzo said, hugging her. “Pardon my manners; come in,” she said as she ushered people in. She was the only one at home at the time. Giada and Jax had gone to see a movie with their friends, and Kai had gone out for drinks with his friends. “How have you been?” She invited them to take a seat and placed a bottle of wine on the table in front of them while she waited for an answer. “We've been good, just trying to figure out how to be good parents.” Kenzie sipped from her glass. “Ah, teenagers and their problems. Don't be too hard on yourself; you'll get the hang of it. And how's the family business going, or have you both retired?" He was referring to the Mafia. After parting ways
“Hey, it's been a while since I last heard from you,” Ida answered. “I've been busy with work; how are you, by the way?” he inquired. “I've been better; just a few meetings here and there. So tell me, Mr-secret-admirer, what have you been up to besides admiring me?” She asked as there was a knock on her door. Her secretary entered the office and dropped off a bouquet of money—yeah, you read right—a bouquet of money instead of the normal flowers. That wasn't all; there was red velvet cake, a box of M&M's, and the latest iPhone 13 Pro Max. There was a small note pinned to the package, which read: “Hope you enjoy your surprise." From: Your Secret Admirer. He waited at the end of the line as she asked him to do while she unboxed her present. She was lost for words. No one had ever surprised her that way, and it wasn't even her birthday or an occasion worth celebrating. “Cat got your tongue?” Mr. A asked, sipping from his coffee mug. “I'm just overwhelmed; thank you so much for thi
Giada and Brynn had begun their modeling career with one of the biggest fashion houses in Brooklyn. King was their costume designer and had an assistant to fill in for him each time he was caught up with school. Aly was their manager and styled them as well, since that was the same fashion house she was employed at. Balancing both jobs was hectic, but she had the hang of it and was doing a great job. Both girls were getting the hype both on social media and at school as well. “That's a wrap,” their photographer added after the photoshoot. Giada was done with her session and was waiting for Brynn in their trailer. “ That's it for today; we will see you on Friday,” Helen told them as Brynn and Alyona walked towards their trailer. It had been a stressful day for all of them. All they wanted was to get some food and rest. “ Is that all for today?" Giada asked her sister as she walked into the trailer with her friend. “ Yes, it is,” Brynn answered, gulping down a bottle of water. Alyona
“ So how's your love life going? Have you found whom you're looking for?” Elon asked Ida over lunch. “ I'm still searching, though I've been talking to someone,” she blushed while sipping her juice. “ Tell me more. Who's the lucky guy?" He winked at her. He loved the way her eyes lit up while she spoke about her secret admirer. At a point in time, he just wanted to blurt out that he was her secret admirer, but, hey, where was the fun in that? “ Seems like a great guy. He's lucky to have a wonderful woman like you. It's good he found what he wanted and went for it, unlike me, who didn't cherish love and lost it," he confessed. “ I-um, so what about you? Anyone yet?” She asked, trying to change the topic at hand. “ The woman I want wants another man, as usual, but I'd be fine and hope to find another.” “ You will; you're a nice person with a great sense of humor. Not forgetting a wonderful personality. Your partner is out there somewhere. Don't stop searching.” she advised. “ I w
“ So why are you still with her?” Raelyn turned on her side to face Zac. He had been cheating on Alyona with Raelyn for the past month, with the excuse that she rarely had time for him. “ I just need some time to finally break things off with her; just a little more time, babe,” he said to her. “ Whatever you say,” she shrugged. So far as she was getting the money and some d*ck, she was fine for now. Zac stopped trying to get in contact with Alyona. He claimed she had changed and become too arrogant because she was now managing models. Instead of managing her dad's company, she decided to manage models?! How pathetic! He thought to himself. “ Babe, I need some money,” she said, running her hands over his chest. “ Rae, what happened to the $2000 I gave you last week?” he asked, getting irritated by her constant demand for money. With the way she's going, I'm going to be bankrupt in a few months. I need to abort this mission and find someone who can get me some more money, perh
You don't look good; what's going on?” Jaxon asked casually, walking to his big sister's room. She had spent almost two weeks at her parent's house with the excuse that she missed them, and they all knew it was a lie because she always came home when something was bothering her. “ I'm fine, Jax," she said, trying to dry her eyes. "Aly, I know you more than anyone else in this family. What did Zac do this time around? Does he need some ass-whooping?” Jaxon clenched his fists. “ We broke things off; I left him.” She swallowed hard, recalling how messy the conversation between herself and Zac went and the harsh words he used on her. How did I end up with someone like that? “ That's good news, Aly; he didn't deserve you; he doesn't deserve you, and he will never deserve you. It was best that you ended things before the verbal abuse turned physical.” He consoled her. “ Jax I loved him, and I think I still do," she trailed off. “ I know you do, but Aly, you've got to move on. I'll be
"You're still crying over spilled milk?" Zeke asked, barging into her room, putting a bag of junk food in front of her. Aly had moved back to her apartment a few days ago. She still had lots of work to do and couldn't let that go because she was heartbroken. Man's got to eat. " Hello to you too; I see Ida filled you on everything," she asked, opening the bag to see the goodies he had brought for her. " She did, and believe it or not, we are happy you finally dumped his ass. He never did care about you; all he wanted was your family's wealth and nothing more, and when he found out you wanted something else, he couldn't cope and had to find other ways to rid you," he told the gospel truth. " He might not have cared, but I did. I loved him despite everything. In the end, I got heartbroken. RIP my mental health, yaay." She tried holding in a sob. " Enough of him; I brought your favorites, and don't dare say you're not hungry; otherwise, it's war." He fake threatened. " On the contrary
“ So what time and when do we meet?” Ida asked Mr. A on the phone. They had been talking for a while now, and she suggested they meet in person. Certainly, Elon couldn't go as himself, so he hired someone else to go in his stead. Had he thought about the consequences? Of course, he had. But he was willing to go through what he had started until the end. What if she fell for the guy who posed as her secret admirer? What if the guy falls for her and starts pursuing her? What if? Just what if? Amidst all these questions and doubts, he had made up his mind and was going to stick by it. " I was thinking tomorrow night." He asked. Initially, she had made plans with Elon to meet tomorrow night with Aly and Zeke, and there was no way she was bailing on them because of him. " Sorry, but tomorrow night doesn't cut it; how about Saturday night?" She also suggested "Do you have other plans tomorrow?" " Yeah, and sorry, but I can't bail on them. So Saturday?" she asked as he went mute on