Chapter9:The Viral Dress

Monday after NYFW Newark, at 9 AM. Julie opens up Julie LUXURY LOFT with iced coffee from a Portuguese bakery on Ferry Street, $4, extra shot, because she is the boss now but still Ironbound girl who knows cheap coffee is better than $8 Tribeca coffee. She unlocks, turns sign to OPEN, and sees line.

Line? In Newark? On Halsey Street? On Monday morning?

Six girls. All with phones out. One says, Are you Julie? The Julie from T****k? The one who turned down a London billionaire?

Julie nods, cautious, because Newark girls can be fans or can be fighters, you never know which until they speak.

We saw your NYFW show on T****k, the girl in front says, wearing Shein but trying to make it luxury, holding phone showing Julie's video at 102k views overnight. We want the red dress. The one with Timberlands,

The Newark Luxury look

Red bodycon gown? Julie asked because she has one, the original, from first cover, hanging in back as art, not for sale, $0 price, because it represents her journey from contract wife to owner.

No, they say, the new one. The one Leo painted? The one in your window? The black dress with gold hoops painted on it?

Julie looks at window. Leo's painting of her in red gown is in window, but behind it, she had hung new design she made at 2 AM after Elias left — black bodycon dress, $45 fabric from Mood Fabrics, but she had sewn gold hoop earrings directly onto dress as embellishment, like jewelry sewn into fabric, crazy idea, 3 AM idea, idea that only girl who shops beauty supply for earrings would think of. She priced it $450, thinking no one would buy, just art

I want it, girl says. I have $450 cash, from my tax refund, I don't want Shein, I want luxury that is Newark.

Julie sells it in 10 minutes. $450 cash, first real design sale, not thrifted Chanel, her own design. She cries in back room, texts Tommy: I sold my own design for $450 cash, not $50k/month, $450 mine.

He replies instantly: That's more valuable than $50k/month, because it's yours, not mine. Mark says raise price to $650 next time, you undercharged.

At noon, A woman walks in, not Newark girl. Tribeca woman. Linen dress, $800 look like Elise, her old stylist from penthouse days, but older, sharper, with assistant carrying garment bag.

Julie Davenport? she asks, looking around store like she is inspecting health code, not fashion. I'm Vivian Park, buying director at Net-A-Porter. My assistant saw your T****k. We saw your NYFW show. Your black dress with hoops sewn on — that's... interesting. Very... street luxury. We want to talk wholesale. 50 pieces for our new Emerging Newark Luxury edit. $450 retail, we offer $200 wholesale, 50 pieces, $10k order.

Julie's hands shake. $10k order. That's more than first month sales. That's Net-A-Porter. That's real.

Can I have 24 hours? she says, remembering Tommy taught her: Never say yes immediately to money, even when you want to scream yes, say you need to review with team. She has no team, just Keisha and Amira and mother, but she says team anyway.

Vivian leaves card, thick, embossed like Elias's but different: NET-A-PORTER.

At 3 PM,A City inspector walks in, clipboard, no smile.

Ms. Davenport, 125 Halsey, we have complaint, he says, reading. Anonymous complaint says you are running a commercial building operating without updated commercial occupancy permit since renovation, plus rooftop event NYFW had 80 people without event permit, plus noise complaint from neighbor. Fine $2,500 plus you must close 48 hours until inspection passes.

Julie feels blood leave her face. $2,500? She has $4k profit total. Closing 48 hours means missing $10k order deadline.

Who complained? she asks, knowing the answer already because only one person had motive — a boutique owner two doors down, Lisa's Luxury Closet, who had been there 5 years and saw Julie as threat because Julie has T****k and Lisa doesn't, because Julie has Maybach friends and Lisa doesn't.

Inspector says, Anonymous.

Keisha whispers, It's Lisa, I saw her on the phone yesterday with city number, she mad you have line.

Julie calls Tommy, not because she needs money, but because she needs Avi's guy.

Avi answers, not Tommy, because Tommy said call Avi for everything: Mrs. Asher, problem?

City inspector, fine, 48-hour closure, she says, voice shaking but trying to be strong

Avi says, Stay there, don't pay any fine yet, don't sign anything, my guy is coming in 30 minutes, he knows the city guy, he will handle, and also, congratulations on $10k Net-A-Porter order, Mr. Asher saw Vivian Park's assistant post about your store on I*******m, he is very proud, he said tell you to ask $275 wholesale, not $200, because your design is worth more.

30 minutes later, Avi's guy arrives, not city guy, lawyer guy, Greek guy, knows inspector by first name, speaks Greek, offers coffee, shows permit that was actually filed but city lost paperwork — because Newark city loses paperwork always — and fine reduced to $0, warning only, no closure, just file event permit next time for $150.

Inspector leaves, Lisa's Luxury Closet owner watches from window, face sour.

Julie sells three more dresses that afternoon, all black with hoops, all $450, all cash, all to girls who saw T****k. Day ends $1,800 revenue, best day yet, not including Net-A-Porter order.

She posts T****k at 9 PM: @Julieluxuryloft — Day 121, had line outside my Newark store, sold my own design for $450, got $10k wholesale offer from Net-A-Porter, got hit with $2,500 fake fine from hater next door, beat it with my ex-husband's ex-Mossad security guy's lawyer guy. Luxury without suffering? More like luxury with Newark drama. But we still open. We still luxury. Link in bio for waitlist, 47 girls waiting for black hoop dress.

Video gets 250k views overnight, because drama + luxury + comeback + Newark + billionaire ex-husband's security guy is catchy.

Tommy comments with his private account: My sister is a CEO now, not Mrs. Asher. Proud.

Eleni comments: My daughter's dress sold out? I want one, size medium, in green, not black, make green for your mother.