Chapter10:The Imposter

Wednesday, 7 AM, Julie arrives at Julie LUXURY LOFT with iced coffee, extra shot, plus extra extra shot because she stayed up until 2 AM sewing 10 more black hoop dresses for Net-A-Porter sample, hands cramping, eyes red, but happy because $10k order means she can pay Keisha and Amira full-time, $20/hour now, plus health insurance she is figuring out how to get as small business, because luxury without suffering means your employees also have luxury without suffering.

Sign at the front door says OPEN, but door locked. She unlocks, and sees disaster.

Someone broke in overnight. Not broke glass, broke lock, professional, Avi would say Mossad-style, but not Avi, because Avi is her family now, not enemy. Racks emptied. Not all racks, only her original designs: 10 black hoop dresses, plus red bodycon gown art piece, plus Leo's painting, plus cash register, $200 cash left overnight by mistake, gone, plus Net-A-Porter card, gone.

Total loss: $6,500 inventory + painting priceless + $200 cash.

She calls police, Newark PD, they say, File report online, we will come in 3-5 business days, because Newark PD has bigger crimes than boutique theft, they have shootings, they don't care about dresses.

She calls Avi, not police, because Avi is faster than Newark PD.

Avi arrives in 20 minutes with Tommy, both in sweats, no Maybach, Uber, because it’s an emergency.

Avi checks lock, camera, he says this is Professional, not a random junkie, a random junkie would take thrifted Chanel too, this person took only your designs, only new stuff, plus painting, means targeted, means someone who knows fashion value, means competitor, means... he looks at Lisa's Luxury Closet two doors down, which is closed today, which is weird because Lisa opens 9 AM every day, today closed, shades down.

Tommy says, You have camera? Julie says, Yes, $30  camera, but memory full, didn't record last night, because she forgot to pay $5/month cloud storage, because small business owner forgets small things.

Mark arrives with coffee for everyone, plus Eleni, who arrived in her own Maybach, fur coat, even though it’s September, even though it’s 70 degrees, because Eleni wears fur when she is angry, and she is angry now.

Who touches my daughter's store, she says in Greek accent, loud enough for whole block to hear, I will call Stavros's lawyer, I will call everyone, this is family business now, Asher family protects family business.

Julie is crying, not because of loss, because of violation, because the store was a safe space, now not safe, because she worked so hard for $450 dresses and someone took them like they were nothing.

At 11 AM, while Avi is checking Lisa's store (closed, lights off, but car outside), a girl walks in, not customer, influencer, 100k followers, name is @NewarkBaddieLuxury, known for stealing designs, known for copying small boutiques and selling on I*******m as her own.

She says, Hi, are you Julie? I saw your black hoop dress on I*******m, I love it, I made similar, want to collab? And shows phone: Her I*******m, today, 8 AM post, black dress with gold hoops sewn on, identical to Julie's design, caption: NEW DROP, NEWARK LUXURY DUPE, $150, DM TO BUY, plus she is wearing Julie's actual red gown art piece in photo, the one stolen last night, plus Leo's painting in background of her photo, in her apartment, timestamp 2 AM.

Julie sees red. Not red dress. Red anger. Newark anger. Avon Avenue anger. The anger that says you can take many things from Newark girl, but you cannot take her design and her painting and her red gown that represents her journey from contract wife to owner and sell it for $150 dupe.

You stole from me, Julie says, voice low, not yelling, low is scarier in Newark than yelling.

Influencer says, No, inspiration, not stealing, fashion is inspiration, plus you can't prove it's yours, you have no trademark, you are small boutique, I'm bigger, I have 100k followers, you have 5k, who will believe you?

Tommy steps forward, CEO mode, cold, billionaire mode he uses for board meetings.

You have 100k followers, he says, showing phone, I have 4.7 billion dollars, I have lawyer Miriam Klein who represented a man who married his dog's psychic and won, and I have ex-Mossad security chief who knows where you live because you posted your address on I*******m story yesterday when you showed off new apartment with my sister's painting in background, so you will return everything in 2 hours, plus delete post, plus post apology tagging @Julieluxuryloft as original designer, or we file police report plus civil suit plus I*******m takedown plus call your brand deals, how many brand deals you have, @NewarkBaddieLuxury, how many will stay when they know you steal from small Black-owned business in Newark?

The Girl turns pale, pale like cheap foundation, not luxury foundation.

She says, It was Lisa, Lisa from next door gave me, she said you were moving, closing, she said you abandoned inventory, she said I could have it, she said...

Eleni says, Lisa? Lisa from Lisa's Luxury Closet? The woman who complained to city? That Lisa?

Girl nods, crying now, not baddie now, just girl.

Avi walks in from outside, says, Lisa's car is gone, store closed, but I found this in trash behind her store, and holds up trash bag: Julie's 10 black dresses, wrinkled, but intact, plus cash register, $200 still inside, because Lisa stole them but didn't know how to sell, so she gave them to the influencer to sell fast.

Julie calls Lisa, no answer. Calls again, no answer. Texts: I know you took my designs, I have proof, return painting and red gown now or I call police and T****k and everyone.

Lisa replies in 5 minutes: It was business, not personal, you have a line, I have no line, you have billionaire ex-husband, I have no ex-husband, you have Tribeca, I have Halsey, I was jealous, sorry,your painting and gown are at my apartment, come get, please don't call police, I have kids.

Julie, Tommy, Avi, Eleni go to Lisa's apartment, three blocks away, small apartment, kids toys everywhere, Lisa crying, holding red gown and painting, says, I didn't mean, I just wanted a line too, I wanted to be luxury too, I wanted...

Julie could call the police. Could sue. Could destroy her, like a billionaire would, like Tommy could with one call.

Instead, she says, You want a line? I will give you a line. Come work for me, Saturdays, $20/hour, learn how to make line, learn how to make luxury without stealing, learn how to be Newark luxury, not hater luxury. But you return everything now, post apology, and never complain to city again.

Lisa nods, sobbing, hugs Julie, says, Thank you, thank you, I have two kids, I was desperate, rent $2,800, sales down...

Eleni, who has soft heart under fur coat, says, My daughter is kind like me, kind is luxury too, come Sunday dinner, bring kids, pastitsio for kids.

Day ends, inventory returned, dresses steamed, painting rehung, red gown rehung as art, not for sale, ever, because it is symbol.

Julie posts T****k at 9 PM: @Julieluxuryloft — Day 122, got robbed, got designs stolen by hater next door + influencer with 100k followers, got it all back because my ex-husband is billionaire with ex-Mossad security and my ex-mother-in-law wears fur when angry, plus I hired my hater as employee because luxury without suffering means we lift as we climb, not steal as we climb. Waitlist for black hoop dress now 89 girls, Net-A-Porter order raised to $275 wholesale because I asked, $13,750 order now, not $10k. Plus new hire Lisa, former hater, now team. Newark drama is free, luxury is $450.

The Video gets 500k views overnight, because robbery + comeback + billionaire ex-husband + forgiveness + hiring hater is most catchy, but real life.

Net-A-Porter Vivian emails: Saw your T****k, love the comeback story, raising order to 100 pieces, $27,500 total.

Julie faints, for real, on floor of store, among racks, among empire that started with contract marriage and now is real business with real haters turned employees and real $27k order.

Tommy texts: My sister made $27k while being robbed, iconic, Eleni says you should trademark black hoop dress.

Julie replies :I will Trademark tomorrow, today i will sleep, plus tell Eleni I hired Lisa.

Eleni replies: Good, my daughter is boss, not just luxury, boss luxury.