Chapter 27: Fashion Designer

I stretched my body before going to bed. It was a tiring day, and I was exhausted. I enjoyed those adorable kids in the school, but they also gave me a hard time. I yawned and set my phone on the nightstand. But before I could lie down, my phone buzzed out and jolted me. I glanced at the clock; it was eleven at night and I was wondering who had called me this late night.

I glanced at the screen and Sarah's number popped on it. Without a second thought, I picked up.

"Um…A-Alice…w-where…a-are you?" Panic hit me hard in my chest when I heard her stuttering voice.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" I said, worried.

"I…need…your…help…" She swallowed. "Come…to…the city club."

"Sarah…!" Before I could ask anything else, she disconnected the phone and left me panicked.

I quickly got off the bed and changed my pajamas into a pair of jeans and a top. I grabbed my jacket and headed out of the house. First, I thought not to bother Joseph, but if I went alone, Henry would get mad at me. I called him.

After a couple of minutes, he arrived, with the car. I rushed inside and said, "At the city club." He nodded and followed my order.

After a while, we arrived at the club. He pulled the car into the parking lot and I got out.

"Alice, I'm coming with you," he said when I headed towards the club. I didn't say no to him because I knew I needed his help. The doorman asked nothing while we passed through the door.

We entered the club; the music was so loud that I could feel the vibration through the floor and the sweaty, alcoholic, and musky smell everywhere. Many couples were jumping, dancing, and crushing with each other. I had never gone to the club because I was never into dancing and partying.

I looked around to find Sarah, but in this crowded place, it would be very difficult to find her. Eventually, I spotted a girl in a skin-tight red dress crouching at the bar and her head rested against the bar counter. I sighed with relief when I recognized her.

I approached her. "So you are here," I said, and she lifted her eyes at me. Disappointment washed over me when I glimpsed her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, her mascara and lipstick smeared everywhere on her face. She looked scary as hell.

"God, Sarah…"

"Um, A-Alice…" She couldn't even form two words properly. I was wondering how much she had drunk.

"What happened to you, Sarah?" I helped her to sit properly.

"A-Alice." She quickly pulled me into a tight hug like a little girl and sobbed harder. "He broke up with me." She whispered and my heart wrenched. "He broke my heart, he broke my soul, and he broke me all."

I said nothing and rubbed her back.

She pulled herself back and stared into my eyes. "That son of a bitch broke up with me!" she gritted out. I could see how much she was angry at that guy, how much she hated him for breaking her heart, and it was proof that how much she loved him. I had never met her boyfriend because she had never told me anything about him.

I wiped her tears away. "I'm sure he'll regret it," I persuaded her, but she didn't pay attention to my words because she was lost in her world. She looked incredibly vulnerable.

I helped her to stand up. Joseph helped me and carried her in his arms before we walked out of the club. He sat her in the car and I sat beside her. She was so drunk that she couldn't even sit properly. I leaned her over me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"He broke up with me," she mumbled and tears continuously streamed down her cheeks. I was feeling terrible about her. I could feel her pain. After all, I was also a woman. I had never seen her so lost. She was a bold and proud woman, but now she looked so broken.

After fifteen minutes, Joseph pulled up and parked the car in the garage. He helped me to take Sarah to my room. He lay her down on my bed. "Thank you, Joseph," I said with a smile.

"It was my duty." He nodded and walked out of the room.

I reached for Sarah, and she was half asleep, mumbling something. "Sarah." I caressed her cheeks and wiped away dirt and makeup with the help of a paper towel.

She wore a tight dress, and she couldn't fall asleep wearing this dress. I changed her dress into my pajamas and covered her body. I sat down in the chair next to the bed for a few minutes and studied her carefully. She always seemed so strong and never cried in front of anyone, but today she looked terribly sad.

I stood up when she fell asleep, but suddenly she grasped my hand and stopped me. "Alice, don't leave me alone. Please, stay here for a while," she mumbled, her eyes still closed.

I smiled and sat down, stroking her hair. "I'm here," I whispered.

*****

I felt something hard like marble beneath my fingertips; I was wondering why my soft pillow turned into hard. I brushed away the thought and hugged my pillow. But it had a different structure. I moved my hands further; I felt something soft.

"Stop you dammit!" I opened my eyes when I heard a masculine voice. My heart slammed against my chest when I found my husband hovering over me. His body didn't touch mine because he was holding his weight on his arms.

He breathed hard. "You were touching every inch of my body like you want me to fuck you hard right on my bed," he rasped and my eyes widened. I was blushing hard.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Um, h-how…" My throat dried. I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to look at his beautiful face. I was attracted to him. He was half-naked and looked sexy as hell.

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and confronted him. "W-where is my couch?" shit! "I mean I was sleeping on the couch last night."

His lips curled in a smile. "When I returned from my work, I saw a little cat was sleeping on the floor so I brought her here to my room."

He was calling me a little cat; I turned my head to the side. "I'm not a little cat," I snapped. I heard him chuckle. He was still holding me down on the bed. It was too intimate. "Will you get off me?"

He came even closer to me so I could hear his heartbeat against his chest. "If I don't," he whispered sexily, challenging me. I looked up at him. He was already gazing at me. His eyes were dark with desire, and his breath was rapid. His eyes fixed on my lips like he wanted to kiss me. I felt something unpleasant in my stomach in anticipation.

"Let me go." I quickly sat up, ignoring his disappointment. I heard him growling in frustration. I quickly stood up and was ready to leave his room.

"Wait," he said and I stopped but did not turn to him.

"I want you to come to my office right at 10," he ordered. I turned around to face him.

"Why?"

"You will know," he said and disappeared into the bathroom.

*****

I looked up and studied the huge twenty-story building with ROBINSON FASHION HOUSE in the middle. My first and last dream. How many sacrifices had I made to achieve my dream? But I ended up marrying the owner of this fashion house, Mr. Henry Robinson.

I entered the building, and the guards didn't ask me for my identity, probably they would have recognized me. I checked my reflection in the glass; I had put on a blue blouse with a white knee-length skirt and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I had tried to give myself a professional look. After all, I was going to meet my husband in his office. I didn't know why he wanted me in his office.

I glanced at my watch checking the time. "Hello, ma'am, good morning," a blond girl greeted me with her perfect smile.

"Hello, good morning," I replied with the same smile.

"I am Neena, the personal secretary of Mr. Robinson." She pushed her hand forward for a handshake.

"Alice." We shook hands.

"Nice to meet you," she said and I nodded. "Sir wants to see you in his conference hall. Please, follow me." I followed her. He wanted to meet me in his office but it had changed to his conference. What's the matter? I wondered.

She led me down the hallway before guiding me to a huge glass door. "Here you go, ma'am." She smiled softly nodding towards the door.

Nervous overtook me as I stepped towards it. I pushed the door open and stumbled to my feet, falling right onto the harsh floor.

"Are you alright?" I heard my husband's deep voice. I looked up and gave him a nod. He held out his hand. I placed my palm on him and he helped me to get up. I fixed my dress before looking around me. My jaw dropped when I saw the conference hall stuffed with twelve people. They were watching my every movement.

"Are you okay, dear?" Daniel asked who was sitting in the front. I nodded with a smile.

"Take your seat," Henry said, nodding an empty seat next to Sarah.

I sat next to her and glanced at her. She looked sad. I squeezed her hand and in return, she gave me a brief smile.

"Hey." I gasped when Vivian whispered in my ear. What the hell was he doing here? "Never expect you here."

"But sadly I'm here."

"Harley might have been missing you in school," he said, and gloominess crawled my chest.

"I'm missing her."

I looked across the hall, looking at the people. Some faces were familiar and some were unknown, but they all were incredibly elegant and classic. I looked so inferior.

"So let's have a start. We all know that our next fashion show is going to be in Spain and I'm expecting something different this time. KELVIN is approaching success day by day and we get thousands of customers every day. Our brand is available in over fifty countries across the world." Henry glanced around the hall.

"And this time I want my brand at the top." His body language, eye contact, and facial expressions carried him with confidence and powerfulness. He expressed every word like he was worth it. I was listening to him and observing his every movement. He was presenting his brand performance graphically. Kelvin was the sixth-largest fashion brand in America.

I was listening to his every word but something fell on the floor and interrupted me. I looked down and found a pen on my legs. I was about to bend down to fetch it but Vivian stopped me and threw his long arm to pick it up.

After a second, he straightened back and leaned over me. "Haven't you shaved your legs?"

"What!" I blurted and quickly scanned my legs. I rubbed my leg to feel my hair, but it was clean and shaved. "What the hell are…?" before I could finish, Henry interrupted us.

"Do you have any problems?" He narrowed his eyes. I looked around all the gazes fixed on me like I had committed the crime.

I cleared my throat, burning with humiliation. "Um, no."

I heard Vivian chuckle.

Asshole!

Suddenly, someone's phone buzzed out in the quiet room.

"Dad, shut your damn phone!" Sarah hissed to a man in a brown suit and shaved head. I had never met her father before.

"Baby, this is your mother's," he said and adjusted his tie nervously.

Henry crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes. "Mr. Cameron, will you please switch off your damn phone?"

"This is your aunt's phone. If I do not pick it up then she won't let me in our bedroom for a week," Mr. Cameron said.

And the entire hall erupted into a laugh.

"Dad…!" Sarah hissed again.

Henry ran his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated. "Then go pick up and do not come back," he snapped at him and returned to his presentation.

"Henry, how could you not let me pick my wife's phone? You're the one who has brought your wife here." He nodded to me and made my cheeks red.

"Mr. Cameron." He gritted. "She is here not for romance or to please me. She is a new fashion designer at KELVIN Group."

My eyes widened in shock the second he announced this. "Today I'm going to introduce the new fashion designer of the KELVIN group. This is my wife, Mrs. Alice Robinson." He said and an applaud broke out in the hall.

I couldn't believe it! I was going to design clothes for the next fashion show. It was my dream. I had been dreaming of it since childhood. I had always dreamed of organizing my own fashion show. And now my husband is going to make my dream come true. It was so overwhelming that tears of joy broke through my eyes.