Leila glanced at Rui who was warmly holding her hand. She was about to grace the runway with Rui and her other models to formally close her show.
She’s feeling a little nervous because even though she’s hearing positive reactions from earlier, she’s still unsure about the other guests.
Rui massaged her hand and gently whispered, “Don’t worry, they loved your designs…”
“How did you know?”
“Well, because I saw it in their eyes.”
Leila smiled. “It’s because you’re beautiful…”
Rui giggled. “I am.”
“But they paid more attention to your meticulous craftsmanship than all of the beautiful women who wore them.”
“It’s all on you, dear. It’s your talent.”
Leila bit her lips. She’s feeling a little more emotional now that she has to wrap up her show.
Rui saw the break of emotion on Leila’s face. “Ah! Don’t you dare cry! Phyllis is going to lose it if you ruin your makeup!”
Leila fanned her face with her hand and looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m not! I won’t cry!”
“Guys! Stop dawdling around, you’re next!”
Phyllis pointed to the arrow in front, indicating that they were the next model.
“Come on girls!” she shouted to encourage them.
Leila shook her head with a silly smile. “She just can’t keep her mouth shut…”
Rui squeezed her hand. “That’s because she’s nervous as well!” she said to defend Phyllis.
“I know, I know!”
Leila chuckled and looked ahead to see the guests watching the models who went out first.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
The girls both walked down the stairs and sauntered on the brick pathway.
The cold night breeze gave her goosebumps. She felt a little conscious now that all eyes were on her.
Curious stares and whispers on the side made her extremely anxious.
Fashion shows like this are not new for Leila. She’s been attending fashion shows since she was a kid. Growing up, she followed her mother who owns and manages a massive manufacturing company for famous fast fashion brands. Even when she went to France to study fashion, she always attended fashion shows. The only difference now is that she’s the one hosting this event. She grew up looking at pretty clothes and was inspired to create a brand of her own. Perhaps that is the reason why she’s feeling a little anxious and pressured.
Leila’s talent was widely recognized by fashion designers and researchers alike. She made a name for herself when her work when she was a student was worn by a famous supermodel. And one time, her dress was featured on a blog by a fashion blogger.
From then on, her work started gaining momentum overseas. A lot of people liked her dreamy feminine style. Many people saw her works on her Ninstagram account. She often posts her clients wearing her dresses on her social media accounts.
With only a few years of experience in the industry, she managed to cement her name and make it known worldwide.
So now, she wanted to show everyone the work she had done at her lowest point in life. She dedicated the dresses to her best friends who did not leave her side. Rui and Phyllis lifted her up from an awful art block. The friends who kept on supporting her.
And to them, she would forever be grateful.
…
The show wrapped up in a blink and she immediately invited her guests to the afterparty in a bar across from her atelier.
Famous personalities all flock to Leila to congratulate her for a successful show. Leila’s circle of connections is huge. From the country’s top socialites down to the honorable wives of government officials. She knows them. Sometimes, Phyllis likes to call her ‘Miss Congeniality’ because of her friendly personality.
Of course, she’s not just connected with the top women in the country…
“Congratulations, Miss Leila. Your talent is unmatched.”
A gentleman toasted his wine glass to Leila’s glass. A small smile was painted on his handsome face.
Leila smiled at him. The anxiousness that she was feeling earlier at the show all dissipated after drinking a glass of Chardonnay.
‘Tall… Handsome…’
She looked at his thin lips and back at his olive-green eyes.
‘But… Not cute…’
Her red lips gently curled. “Thank you, Sir…”
The gentleman rushedly pulled out a business card from his wallet before handing it to Leila.
‘CEO of a wine company, huh? Too bad I’m not an alcoholic…’
“You can directly call me if you want to know more about wines. Or… If you’re up for dinner…”
Leila’s hand that was holding the card shyly covered her mouth. Her soft chuckle could be heard even with loud music in the bar.
“Thank you so much… I’m actually friends with Beatrice Anderson so she has already told me much about wines.”
He looked at her fluttering lashes as if the time stopped. His gaze was still stuck on her like a spell even after hearing an obvious rejection.
“But I’ll give you a call if there’s anything more that I want to know.”
Just like that, she turned around and left the man hanging.
She trailed around the bar, greeting her guests with a sweet smile. Her full lips were painted with a beautiful red matte lipstick that made her teeth even whiter. And every time she smiles, the sharp eyeliner makes her almond eyes look even more alluring and sexy.
She carried herself confidently and elegantly. Every step always makes every head turn to her.
This is Leila’s charm.
“Leila.”
She turned around to see a bespectacled handsome man holding a bouquet of red roses.
‘Red like blood, just how I like it…’
Leila loves flowers. So much so that she has a garden filled with roses outside her office.
But…
Not if they were from this man…
Leila looked at the flowers and forced a smile.
“Ah…”
“Thank you…” she awkwardly said.
Julius Yu, Vice President of Finance of the massive Crest Fashion group. An accomplished man who was trained to take over the family business.
He’s one of the eligible bachelors of Centriona. His smart and serious aura always attracted women left and right. However, even with the women within his arm's reach, he remained single. Still a single man after his break up from his previous relationship.
Leila pursed her lips as she awkwardly stood in front of Julius. She scanned the room to look for her best friends.
‘Fuck! Where are they?!’
‘Forget about Phyllis. She probably had her social battery drained already. But where the hell is Rui?!’
“Oh!” she smiled upon seeing Rui. She waved her hand at her while ignoring Julius.
As she was about to go to Rui who just entered the bar, she remembered that Julius was still with her. “Uh… You can give the flowers to the staff. I have to see my bestie.”
Julius held the flowers tightly. “Alright. I will.”
He discreetly passed the flowers over to a staff member before going to greet his friend, Shane Smith.
Shane patted Julius’ shoulders and greeted, “Bro, you’re here.”
Julius nodded at him before sipping on his glass of Chardonnay.
“Leila’s show is great. I’d expect nothing less from your girl.”
Julius paused.
“Oops—I mean your ex-girlfriend!”
Shane laughed. “I’m just kidding bro.”
Julius ignored Shane as he watched Leila chatting with Rui.
“Leila’s still my girl,” he seriously said.
Shane shook his head. His attention was also drawn to the two beautiful women talking a few meters away. He could not take his eyes away from his ex. His feet tapped on the floor, restlessly waiting for Leila to leave her. “Lucky you. Don’t miss the opportunities given to you, bro.” “Of course, you too, bro.” Julius remained mum as he observed his friend’s back disappear in the distance. ‘If only he did not cheat. Maybe he and Rui would be married by now.’ With a stoic look, he looked unapproachable. But still, there are people who recognized him as the heir of Crest Fashion Group. And… And as Leila’s ex. He smiled and politely talked to the people who asked him to send their regards to Leila. Of course, his presence means one thing. Leila and him are on good terms. After all, who would invite their ex-boyfriend to such an important event like this? Unbeknownst to him, another watchful eye observed everything that went down. Her hands gripped her mobile phone in disgus
“Leila! Hurry up!” A petite high school girl ran towards Leila who was tying her hair with a silky red ribbon. The red color emphasized her beautiful ebony hair. Her fair skin was glowing under the sunlight. Leila Parker and Rui Yoon hurried after their friend Phyllis Lu. They were all dressed in blue checkered skirts and navy blue blazers. The only difference is the color of their ties. Rui Yoon was wearing a navy blue tie for senior students while the other two ladies were wearing muted blue ties for middle school students. One can know the level of students of Centriona School of Gifted by looking at their neckties. In this case, Rui Yoon is already a graduating student, while Leila and Phyllis are middle schoolers. After a long and tiring school day, Leila and Rui were dragged by Phyllis to a nearby mall to see a mall show. Phyllis stood behind a pillar, far away from the stage. Leila confusedly looked at her friend, who was trying to hide herself from the artists on the
“So? What happened to your face, Lei?” asked Phylian Lu, who was comfortably resting his arms on top of Phyllis’ head. From the moment that Leila woke up, she’s been in a bad mood. She doesn’t know how to take in what her father just arranged for her. ‘Marriage?! I’m still too young for that!’ ‘Does mom know about this? When is she coming back from Paris? I need to see her…’ Her frown deepened as she thought about what happened. Just then, Phyllis yanked her twin’s arms away from her head. “Get off, asshole!” “Hey, I’m your older brother, watch your words!” “Oh, yeah? Older by a minute?” Phylian snorted. “I’m telling Mom!” “Go tell mom, you suck up!” Phyllis fearlessly argued back. Phylian couldn’t help but pinch his sister's nose in annoyance. “Isn’t that you? You even suck up to Grandma and Auntie!” Phyllis did not back down and delivered a flick on his arm. “They favor me because I’m pretty and you look like shit.” “We’re twins! We look alike!” Listening to the twi
Leila rushed out of the office and went straight back to their classroom. Phyllis and Phylian who just made up with each other both noticed the change in her mood. But since the afternoon class was about to start, the twins did not bother to ask her. RING~ The class bell rang once the class hours ended. One by one, Leila’s classmates all went out of the classroom to attend their extracurricular activities. “So? What happened to you?” asked Phyllis, who was fixing her bag. She was getting ready to attend a practice for an upcoming dance competition.“I… I’m getting engaged…” she said with so much difficulty. She couldn’t bear to think of the engagement, much less speak of it. “Pardon?! With whom?!”“HOLY SHIT?! With whom?”The twins’ loud voices echoed in the classroom. Both Phyllis and Phylian were surprised to hear about this news. They couldn’t believe that at their age, Leila would get engaged.Leila’s eyes watered as she suppressed the anger in her heart. She doesn’t want to b
“Laura…”Laura Ning glanced at her friend, Hillary. “Hmm?”“What if Leila wants to be engaged with that boy?” Hillary curiously asked. “There’s no way! She was crying when the kids brought her here yesterday! She hates that boy!” Margaret answered for Laura. Laura just looked at Hillary, crestfallen. The question made her think of the what-ifs. No matter how absurd the idea is, at the end of the day, Leila’s happiness is her top priority. “MOM!”Leila yelled in joy as she saw her mother waiting in the living room for her. She hurried down the stairs to hug her mother.Laura welcomed her daughter with a tight and warm hug. “My Leila, how are you?”“Mom! Dad, arranged a marriage for me!” she complained straight to the point without dilly-dallying. She did not bother hiding it from her mother. She has always been very close to her mother to the point that she shares everything with her. From the minor annoyances that she feels to the happiest moments of her life. Her mother knows it a
Later, at midnight, Leila sneaked out of their house to go to a nearby playground. Inside the pocket of her cozy jacket is a tumbler filled with red wine. She always heard that one would forget their problems with alcohol. And so she went out to try it. She cannot drink inside their house since she’s afraid that their helpers will see her. The yellow streetlights shone brightly under the moonless sky. The surroundings were dark and cold, enough to send shivers down Leila’s spine. She nervously sat on the swing seat as she looked around. There was no one around. Except for the security guards who are set to roam around the village, she practically won’t see anyone. She took out her tumbler and smelled it. “Ew! It smells strange! How can anyone drink this?”Her nose scrunched up upon smelling the intense fruity scent from the bottle. Since it was new to her, she couldn’t help but feel strange. She closed her eyes and covered her nose before taking a sip of the sweet red wine. Sur
Laura and Allen hurried to the Yu family’s mansion upon receiving the call about Leila. They were still asleep, but when they heard the news from Kimberly Yu, they immediately went out to go to their house. “Allen, hurry up…” Laura urged her husband to drive faster.Allen sneered. “Isn’t Leila just like you, Laura? Sleeping around with men at such a young age. That’s how I ended up marrying you.”Laura’s gaze darkened. “How dare you?! You don’t know what I’ve been through, Allen!”Allen laughed at his wife. “Laura, we both know what happened to you. So stop acting holy and admit that you’re a slut.”Laura clenched her fist. Of course, she knows the whole story. After all, it was she who decided to keep her dear daughter, Leila. And it was a decision to involve Allen in her troubles. ‘Just until Leila becomes an adult. I’ll divorce this piece of sh*t immediately.’She turned her head to face the road as she ignored Allen. It would be more peaceful for her if she just kept quiet and i
Leila took a week of absence from school. She still can’t mentally show herself to school, fearing that someone will bully her for not being a virgin. She was afraid that someone would find out her secret and spread it to their school. She just spent her time, cooped up in her room, painting. Except for her mother, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Not even their maids. She doesn’t want anyone to see her in this state. She feels hopeless. Like no one wants to pay attention to her side of the story. She felt alone.She knows that if she relies too much on her mother, she will harm her. And that’s the last thing that she wants. Her mother is the most important person in her life. She was the only one who sided with her. So she can’t make it more difficult for her. Not even her father paid attention to her cries, and only took advantage of the situation. And for this, she despises him greatly. He was never present in her life, and now he’s acting like a father by asking Julius to