Chapter 1
Sienna's POV
The world decided to fall apart while I was hunched over my workbench, but I didn't know it yet. The heat gun in my right hand sent waves of scorching air across the ostrich leather, reshaping the curve of the sneaker's upper panel for the third time that afternoon. Not perfect. Never fucking perfect enough.
"Boss, you've been at this for ten hours straight."
Reina's voice cut through the Lo-fi Hip Hop bleeding from my speakers. I didn't look up. My wrist was screaming—that familiar burn of tendonitis flaring hot beneath the meteor-shaped scar on my hand, the one I got from a heat gun mishap nine years ago when I was still learning not to be careless. The irony wasn't lost on me. I was still careless, just in different ways now.
"These shoes are due to Professor Marcus on Friday," I said, adjusting the temperature dial. "Late delivery kills reputation."
She set a cherry Coke on the edge of my workstation, condensation already beading on the glass. She knew my survival fuel by heart—had been my right hand since I scraped together enough cash to hire someone two years ago. Twenty-three, whip-smart, and the only reason K&C's social media didn't look like a dumpster fire.
"Your reputation won't matter if you collapse," she muttered, but she was already walking away, her work boots heavy on the concrete floor.
I took a sip. The carbonation burned my throat. Good. I needed to feel something other than the ache radiating from my wrist up through my forearm. The studio smelled like it always did—leather, industrial adhesive, heat-softened rubber. The walls were plastered with design sketches and a few framed awards I'd won back when I still believed talent mattered more than capital. The light was dying outside the tall windows, casting long shadows across the workbenches.
I bent back over the sneaker. The curve still wasn't right.
My phone buzzed. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And again.
"Sienna."
Reina's voice had changed. I looked up.
She was standing in the doorway to the office area, tablet clutched in both hands. Her face had gone pale under her brown skin, and I felt my stomach drop before she even opened her mouth.
"We've got a problem."
I set down the heat gun. Carefully.
"How bad?"
She crossed the space between us and thrust the tablet at me. Email. Subject line: Re: Partnership Proposal - Status Update.
I read it twice. The words didn't change.
After careful internal evaluation, we have decided to pause partnership discussions with Kicks & Canvas. We appreciate your creative vision and hope to explore collaboration opportunities in the future.
"Pause," I said. My voice sounded flat. "Or done?"
Reina's jaw tightened. "Industry translation? Don't wait by the phone."
I handed the tablet back and walked to the window. Outside, the Rust Arts District was settling into its evening rhythm—artists packing up, food trucks rolling in, the distant rumble of the freeway. Everything normal. Everything the same as it had been this morning when I'd believed I had a future.
"Pull up the finances," I said.
Two minutes later we were staring at numbers that confirmed what I already knew. Three months of operating capital. Maybe four if we stretched. Rent, salaries, materials—it all added up to a countdown I couldn't stop.
"If we don't land a major contract—" Reina started.
"We won't make it past Christmas." I finished the sentence she couldn't. "I know."
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "I don't get it. Why would they choose a factory over us? Their designs are soulless mass-produced garbage."
I leaned against the windowsill, arms crossed. The logical part of my brain was already running calculations, but I forced myself to answer her question. She deserved that much.
"Because they have 3D printers and injection molds. They can produce a pair for a tenth of our cost and deliver in a fifth of the time." I gestured at the half-finished sneaker on my workbench. "We do hand-deconstructed, hand-rebuilt bespoke work. Clients might appreciate the artistry, but the money people care about efficiency and margins."
"That's bullshit," Reina said, and I heard the frustration crack through her professional veneer. "This is art. What they do is fast fashion with a sports logo slapped on."
"Art doesn't pay invoices." My voice came out harder than I meant it to. I softened. Slightly. "This is the reality for independent creators in a capital-driven market. We're too expensive, too slow, too risky. Our value gets quantified and found wanting."
José appeared from the workshop, still wearing his apron, a half-finished sneaker in his weathered hands. He'd been doing this for thirty years—longer than I'd been alive. He'd watched the industry evolve, or devolve, depending on how you looked at it.
"Sienna," he said, his accent thick, his expression grim. "I've been in this game long enough to see the culture die. It used to be pure, the bespoke shoe culture in Aetheria. People paid for craftsmanship. Now?" He shook his head. "Hype culture killed it. Those influencer-pushed limited drops? Factory line products. Real handmade work gets called 'not trendy enough' or 'no celebrity co-sign.' The market's been hijacked by capital and clout."
I felt something sharp twist in my chest. He was right. We all knew it.
"I won't compromise," I said, and it sounded like a vow and a death sentence all at once. "If we give up on real bespoke work, who's left to remember what it means? But—"
I looked at the red numbers on the screen. Reality had teeth.
"Ideals need funding. I can't ask you all to starve for my principles."
Reina cleared her throat. "Boss, there's another issue. That Italian crocodile leather you wanted? Supplier said big brand designers get priority. We're waitlisted. And they're charging us thirty percent more."
I laughed. It wasn't a happy sound.
"Of course they are. Big players monopolize premium materials. Independent studios get scraps and markup." I rubbed my temples. The headache was building, the kind that came from too much coffee and not enough sleep. "We're not just competing on design. We're competing with one hand tied behind our backs and half our tools locked away."
The studio fell quiet except for the hum of the ventilation system. José went back to his bench. Reina stood there, tablet hanging loose in her grip, looking at me like she was waiting for me to pull a miracle out of thin air.
I didn't have one.
"Give me time," I said finally. "I'll figure something out."
She nodded, but neither of us believed it.
---
By the time I got home, it was past eight. My apartment was a shitty fourth-floor walk-up with peeling wallpaper and a radiator that clanked like a dying animal.
I dropped my bag by the door and collapsed into the chair at my desk. My laptop was already open, email tab glowing. Another message had come in while I was commuting.
Subject: Oakridge Prep Anniversary Gala Invitation.
I stared at it. My finger hovered over the trackpad. I didn't click.
My phone rang.
Payton's name flashed on the screen. I considered letting it go to voicemail. I answered instead.
"Sienna! Did you see the email? Oakridge is doing a huge reunion thing!"
Her voice was too loud, too bright. I pulled the phone away from my ear.
"I saw it."
"And? Are you going?" she said excitedly.
"No."
Pause. Then, sharp and knowing: "Because of Hayes."
I didn't answer. That was answer enough.
"Sienna," she said, and I could hear her shifting gears into Serious Best Friend Mode. "It's been six years. Six. You need to move on."
"I have moved on." My voice was steady. I was good at steady. "I just don't see the point in walking into an awkward situation when I've got enough problems."
"Bullshit." Payton never pulled punches. "You're scared. You're scared you'll see him and feel something, and that terrifies you more than losing your studio."
"I'm not—"
"You are. And you know what? That's fine. But listen." Her tone shifted, pragmatic now. "I know the studio's in trouble. This gala is going to be crawling with successful alumni. Rich people who throw money at causes and hobbies. You're a fucking genius bespoke shoemaker, Sienna. This is a networking goldmine."
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the water-stained ceiling. She wasn't wrong. She was rarely wrong, which was infuriating.
"What if he's there?" I asked quietly.
"Then he's there. So what? You're both adults. You smile, you nod, you move on. You don't owe him anything." She paused. "And I'll be with you the whole time. We'll go together. If it gets weird, we bail. But you can't let one guy keep you from opportunities."
I closed my eyes. My wrist throbbed. My bank account was hemorrhaging. My landlord was a bastard.
"Okay," I said. "I'll go."
Payton squealed. "Yes! This is going to be great, I promise. We'll get you in front of some investors, maybe land a couple commissions."
After we hung up, I sat in the dark for a long time. Outside, a siren wailed past. A dog barked. The city hummed its endless, indifferent song.
I opened my laptop and clicked on the invitation. Confirmed attendance. It felt like signing a contract with the devil, but I was out of options.
The golden hour was over. The storm was coming.
I just didn't know how close it already was.