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Chapter 9 Spark of fire
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2025-06-09 14:29:39
Latest chapter
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 9 Spark of fire
Jennifer I always felt a thrill stepping in front of the crowd. The flash from cameras. The rustle of purses and champagne flutes. Tonight was no different. Lucian stood behind me, arms folded, suit like armor. The launch was going well, I could feel the momentum. I’d said we’d only drop an edit of what I’d done before, a refined version, something with less grit. People bought it. Devoured it. But I knew the real victory was still coming. Eloise’s indie dream was unraveling. Her fruit-of-the-soil magic wouldn’t last long. I knew how to manipulate attention. How to control a narrative. … The next morning, I met with Kristen Tully, fashion editor at Vogue Noir, at Rise & Grind Café. She’d been calling me for days, squealing about my line’s emotional depth. Perfect! I parted the vinyl-black curtains, catching Kristen’s eye. She waved, coffee in hand. “Jennifer, love,” she said softly when I sat, “everyone’s talking about your new direction. Emotional resonance, storytelling… but
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 28 Flicker of fame
Eloise The night before the launch, I couldn’t sleep. I sat by the window in my small apartment, legs curled under me, nursing a mug of chamomile tea that had long since gone cold. The quiet sound of the city below did little to ease my nerves. My dress form stood in the corner, clothed in one of my favorites, textured linen stitched with raw seams, the lines purposeful, almost confessional. It was the kind of piece you could only make after you’ve fallen apart a few times and stitched yourself back together. Max was asleep in the next room, finally, after asking one too many questions about his father again. I’d deflected with vague answers, promises I didn’t know if I could keep, Maybe soon. We’ll see. Let’s talk about it later, honey. But later always felt like a threat. Tomorrow was supposed to be my rebirth. Quiet, yes, an indie event located in a forgotten wing of the city’s old garment district. But it was mine. My story. My designs. My voice. So when my phone buzzed at 6 a
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 27 Father’s game
Lucian The numbers looked good. Better than good, actually. But behind the figures, behind the thin smiles and the forced champagne toasts, something kept crawling under my skin like a splinter. Eloise. It was laughable, really. After everything, she was still clawing her way back,quietly, subtly. I knew she’d never launch another line under her name again. Too much shame, too much baggage. But her signature? That part of her that bled into every jewel she ever crafted? It was unmistakable. And now it was back. Not in the form of precious stones or sleek gold bands, but in rawer, unpredictable fabrics, draped and chaotic, almost like grief woven into silk. I caught wind of the buzz through a fashion scout over lunch. He was sipping gin and muttering about some underground designer with “guts” and “grit,” someone whose fabric sketches were popping up on indie mood boards, worn by mid-tier influencers. I didn’t even need to ask the name. It reeked of her. I clenched my jaw and n
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 26 Sabotage in satin
Mike I didn’t want to be right. When Eloise confided in me about Jennifer possibly copying her new designs, again, I told her I’d look into it just to calm her down. I figured maybe it was coincidence, maybe a stylist with a big mouth, or hell, maybe Jennifer was just that good at stealing from the past. But the way Eloise’s hands trembled the first time Jennifer stood her designs, the way her voice cracked when she said, “I just wanted to start fresh,” I knew I couldn’t write it off. I made a few calls. Quiet ones. The kind that don’t leave digital footprints or blow back to Eloise. The atelier she was working with was a modest one located into a narrow building on Rue Saint-Honoré. It was a normal underground building, exactly the kind of place that made it easy for someone like Jennifer to get their hooks into. My gut told me where to start, and sure enough, it didn’t take long to find the loose thread. Her name was Elise, one of the interns. She looked harmless enough. Big br
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 25 The first thread
Eloise The fabric samples were spread across my dining table, chaotic but beautiful. Layers of chiffon, velvet, silk blends with textured patterns, each one holding a story I hadn’t told yet. I ran my fingers across a swatch dyed deep plum. It reminded me of how I’d felt the day Jennifer’s first stolen collection debuted, wounded but still surviving. This wasn’t jewelry. Not entirely. I had taken a risk and followed a different thread, literally. Sketches that once started as necklace pendants grew into abstract patterns, evolving into textiles, eventually blooming into a capsule collection of garments. The irony wasn’t lost on me; I wasn’t just dressing women anymore, I was dressing their pain, their resilience, their rebirths. My name wasn’t attached to the collection. That was the first rule I made with Tami, the owner of the atelier in Brooklyn who’d agreed to help me produce it. “It’ll be our secret,” she said that first day in her cozy backroom studio, her curls piled high
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 24 Beneath the glitter
JenniferThe camera flashbulbs were dizzying. A soft buzz of admiration followed me as I stepped onto the platform, wearing the limited-edition sapphire choker from my “Blue Flame” line, crafted, of course, with no real artistry of my own. But the press didn’t know that. Hell, Lucian didn’t even care.They wanted the image. And I was damn good at wearing it.A reporter leaned forward, voice syrupy-sweet. “Jennifer, how does it feel knowing your collection has outsold every luxury brand in the quarter?”I offered the practiced smile I’d honed in the mirror a hundred times. “It’s humbling,” I said, lacing my fingers over my lap. “We didn’t set out to compete, we just wanted to create pieces that tell a story.”What a joke. The only story I’d told was Eloise’s, repackaged under my name, bathed in neon lights and sold back to the world like it had never belonged to her.Behind the press seats, Lucian stood near the edge of the stage, arms folded. He looked so proud. His nod told me I’d hi
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