002: Six Years Later

 

"Mommy!"

A little boy's laughter echoed through the fashion studio.

Evelyn looked up just in time to see him sprinting straight toward her, his tiny backpack bouncing against his shoulders.

"Leon," she laughed, setting down the sketch she'd been working on. "Slow down."

"But I have news!"

He threw himself into her arms with all the excitement a five-year-old could possibly have.

Evelyn caught him effortlessly. "What happened?"

"My teacher said my drawing was the best in class!"

"Really?"

He nodded so hard his hair flopped into his eyes.

"And she put it on the wall!"

Evelyn smiled. To the world, Leon was the son of a powerful designer.

But to Evelyn, he was her everything.

Her reason to survive those six painful years.

Her reason to keep moving forward.

She smiled, "Well... I guess I'll have to hire you as LUXE's newest designer."

Leon gasped dramatically.

"I get paid?" Evelyn looked at her boy, he was five years old and already had a personality. He had her eyes too.

She laughed.

"We'll discuss your salary."

The entire studio burst into laughter and Leon grinned proudly as though he'd already signed the contract.

Zara, her personal assistant and bestfriend, appeared in the doorway holding two copies of the magazine. She was grinning in the wide, slightly smug way of someone who was really impressed.

"Have you seen this?" Zara said.

"I was there for the photo shoot, Zara." Evelyn laughed and rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point. The point is that it's on every newsstand in Europe and women are posting photos of it and tagging us and we have had over four hundred new inquiries in the inbox since midnight." She placed both copies on the table. "So I need you to at least pretend to be excited, Eve."

Evelyn looked at the cover for a moment. At her own face looking back at her; calm, poise and unafraid.

Even though she tried not to, but she immediately remembered a different face, then, standing outside a hotel parking lot crying.

The memory stung her immediately.

"I'm excited," she said, as she walked to her working desk. "But let's focus on the spring line because we're three weeks behind."

Zara shook her head but she was still smiling.

"Oh, I almost forgot. AS Tech called again," Zara said.

Evelyn did not look up from her laptop. "Oh, have they agreed to our terms?."

"They want a face-to-face. The acquisitions team is serious about the partnership, apparently the CEO is personally involved now."

"Of course, it's their loss if the partnership doesn't work, not mine.”

"Evelyn."

"We've been through three rounds of preliminary talks, Zara. If AS Tech wants to partner with LUXE, they will accept our terms. If they don’t accept our terms, there are six other offers on the table."

"I know. I'm just saying, the CEO personally coming to Milan is not a standard acquisition move. Whoever this man is, he wants the meeting to happen."

Evelyn paused briefly. "Zara, I don't think the CEO would personally come all the way to Milan. But Ok just set it up. Wednesday, here. And make sure the conference room has good lighting. I want them to see every stitch on the new autumn line before we talk numbers."

Zara made a note, satisfied. She was halfway to the door when she stopped. "Daniel called too. He wants to know if you're free for dinner Friday."

Something in Evelyn's expression softened and complicated itself at the same time.

Daniel Marsh had appeared in her life three years ago through a mutual friend, and had eventually become quietly and consistently present in her life. Even she found it alarming at first but , ended up being comfortable. He was a good man.

He was kind to Leon which mattered more than anything else. But she did not love him the way he wanted to be loved.

She had been honest with herself about this for a long time.

"Tell him yes," she said. "I have time on Friday. And Zara, please back to work, we have the Valentino fitting running late."

"Okay, Eve. Already planned," Zara said, and left.

Leon came running back in with a paper airplane flying from his tiny hand. He let in fly and it crashed into a mannequin.

"Oh no." he said.

Leon hurried over, carefully picked it up and looked around like he'd committed a serious crime.

Evelyn watched from her desk. "Baby, you've just attacked my newest collection."

Leon gasped dramatically.

"I didn't mean to." He pouted.

"It's ok, baby. It's just a paper, nothing happened."

He smiled.

"Whew." He ran towards her, opening the paper and handing it over to her. It was a drawing of both of them, holding hands.

Above them was a large building with the words LUXE Fashion House written at the top.

“It’s beautiful,” she said gently.

Leon beamed. "You," she said, "are going to be a very good designer."

"Just like mommy?"

"Maybe better." she booped his nose.

He smiled, satisfied and ran away, leaving Evelyn to go back to work.

Leon had grown up in this fashion house. He knew every corner of it, every person in it and every new staff even. LUXE was as much his as it was hers.

That was something nobody could take from them, at least.

Zara returned soon. " Ma'am, AS Tech is in Milan, the whole team."

Evelyn raised her brows, surprised. “So soon? The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. That’s in two days” she said.

Leon overheard this since he was nearby. "What's AS Tech, mommy?"

"Some technology company," Evelyn said.

"What kind?"

"The kind that makes other things work."

"Like zippers?"

"Zippers?"

"Yeah. Dresses don't work properly without them."

Evelyn laughed.

"Something like that."

Leon nodded and went back to his book.

Zara watched this exchange with a warm, slightly amused expression. She continued, "One more thing,"

"Ok?" Evelyn listened.

"Their CEO did come with them."

Evelyn was taken aback a bit. "Thats new. What's his name?"

Zara looked down at her tablet.

"...Aidan Smith."