Chapter 58

Chapter 58
Bella furrowed her brows. Why is he asking about her boyfriend?
"Does he mind?" Jordan added.
"I don't have one," Bella answered. "And thank you for the ride."
The car had stopped now. Bella did not wait for him to say anything before waving to him and heading inside the house.
Jordan waited until she had entered the house before driving off.
Bella pulled off her shoes and sat down.
What's wrong with Jordan today? He wasn't the usually composed Jordan that she knew. Did something happen?
Bella wished she could ask Jade what was going on, but she knew that wasn't a good idea. Instead, she headed to her room, dropped her bags and shoes, and then went ahead to clean off her makeup.
A message popped up on her phone. It was Jordan, apologizing for how he acted during dinner.
Bella dropped her phone, pulled off her clothes, and lay down on the bed. She was tired, and her brain couldn't come up with a reply she could give to him.
Her phone began to ring. Bella thought he was the one calling, so she ignored him.
She wanted them to give each other a break. They aren't even in a relationship and cannot define what they really are now.
Friends? Acquaintances? Or each other's fling?
Her phone rang again. Bella stood up from the bed to pick it up. It was Charlotte calling.
"Hello," Bella said.
"You must be tired?" Charlotte said. "Your voice."
"I am," Bella answered. "And I have to go back to work. April's dress has to be ready for fitting before she comes tomorrow. I promised her."
"I know, but you need to take things easy,". Charlotte said. "I don't want you to get sick."
Bella nodded. "I won't."
"Did you meet with Jordan today? How was it?"
"It didn't go well, Charlotte, and I don't want to talk about it."
"It's fine. When are you going back to work?"
Bella stared at the wall clock; it was past nine.
"Eleven," she answered. "I need to sleep before I go back. You know I'm going to work all through the night."
"Let me leave you to rest. Take care of yourself for me, okay?" Charlotte said.
"I will," Bella replied.
"I will come over tomorrow to see how I can help out."
"You don't have to," Bella said.
"I want to," Charlotte replied. "I know there aren't many people to help. You will have to do more of the work. Right now, you need every help you can get. I won't let you burn yourself out. There isn't much to do at the company this week. With Stella and Gina on deck, I don't need to worry about the company. So, Mia, Jade, and I will join you tomorrow."
Bella smiled. "Thank you, Charlotte. I do appreciate this."
"Get some rest. And please drink plenty of water while you work. The weather is a bit warm today."
"I will. Thank you."
"Bye. See you tomorrow."
"Bye," Bella mumbled.
Charlotte ended the call. Bella lay down on the bed after placing the phone on the table. No call came in after that; she was able to sleep well.
By the time she was awake, it was a few minutes to eleven. Bella took a quick shower, got dressed, and rushed out of the house. She entered her car and drove off; it was working perfectly now.
Bella got to work a few minutes past eleven. She called for a quick meeting.
"Audrey, please display the design for everyone to see."
Audrey displayed it, and Bella went on to explain the situation at hand, although she had explained it briefly in the email that was sent out.
Bella asked if there was anyone who didn't want to get involved or if their health wouldn't permit it; she always does that for every work they do.
"You need to be healthy to be able to work well," she always tells them. "If you're not in a good mood, your craft will show it."
"We are going to work all night today and maybe tomorrow," she told them.
No one raised their hands. They were all okay with working overtime.
"If at anytime, you can't go on, please let me know," Bella told them. "You can take a break."
"Yes, ma'am," They chorused.
With that settled, Bella went on to talk about the design and how they would go about it. She divided them into groups; each group had work to do.
"Most of the materials are ready," she told them. "So we can start working. She's coming in for the first fitting tomorrow. I want us all to put in our best."
"Yes, ma'am," they answered.
Bella asked Audrey to share the available materials with the group based on what their job is, and Audrey did.
Bella told them food and drinks had been provided, and also reminded them that they could take a break when they couldn't go on.
"Let's get to work," she said.
They ended the meeting, and work began. Everyone put in their best. Questions were asked when there was confusion.
Bella was the busiest. Not only did she have to work on the part she assigned to herself, but she also had to go around checking others' work, correcting and encouraging them.
By three, work was still going on. Some of them had gone to sleep. Some had just woken up to continue their work, so others could rest too. Most of the dress had been joined, with a few crystals added to it, to form the shape of what the crystals will be like when it's done.
"We can't add all the crystals yet," Bella said to one of the workers, who had asked her. "We still need to sew some parts. "You need to add a few to this place, though." She pointed.
"You should get some rest, ma'am," Audrey told her for the umpteenth time.
"I can't do that," Bella replied. "Not until the dress is ready."
"We are almost done with the first half of the dress. Which is more than okay for a first fitting."
Bella shook her head. She needed to assure April that her dream wedding dress would be ready on time. And to do that, the dress must already be looking like what she wants when she comes to see it later today.
Audrey knew there was no way she would be able to convince Bella; she said nothing afterwards.
By six, the dress was more than half ready, and Bella loved it. She stared at the dress with admiration. It had come out better than she had imagined, and the speed at which they worked baffled her.
"You must be happy," Audrey said.
Bella nodded. "I'm already imagining April's reaction when she sees the dress."
Audrey smiled. "She will be more than happy. I bet she won't be expecting this result."
Bella nodded. She also did not expect it.
"Would you get some rest now?" Audrey asked.
Bella yawned. "Of course I can. Please let everyone return home to get some rest. We still have to work tonight."
Audrey nodded. "I will."