LOGINI frowned. "We signed the agreement months ago.""I know.""And we’re sincerely sorry."The call ended before I could ask another question. I stared at my phone in disbelief because that didn’t make any sense. I got an email notification from them and opened it immediately to see if they would further explain why but there was no specific reason. I was still reading the mail when Maya walked into my office."I just got an email," she said straddling the edge of my desk.I looked up. "So did I."She already knew what it meant. "So… they’re pulling out."I nodded."But why?" She shook her head angrily."They didn’t say..." I leaned back in my chair. "Maybe budget… Corporate restructuring… I don’t know. It could be anything."I was guessing now even though none of it felt convincing. Maya remained unusually quiet."This doesn’t make sense… I’ll see if I can find out more because there has to be more," she finally said."Please do that and let me know... Thank you."Maya left and I rubbed
The next morning, I arrived at the studio almost before everyone else. The exhibition was tomorrow. And for the first time in months, everything was finally beginning to fall into place. The dresses were finished, the fittings were complete, the venue was ready, and every member of my team knew exactly where they needed to be. Tomorrow wasn’t about creating anymore. It was about executing what I had dreamed of over the years.I unlocked my office, balancing my coffee in one hand and my laptop in the other. The moment I stepped inside, I stopped. There was another bouquet, and this time deep burgundy lilies were arranged inside a matte-black box at the center of my desk. My stomach dropped immediately and my coffee fell."No…" I said. I felt a chill down my spine and I didn’t move. For several seconds, I simply stared at them. I had received three bouquets, three different flowers all anonymous and I was so certain that someone wasn’t making a mistake anymore. They were trying to tell
By Thursday morning, the exhibition venue looked almost nothing like it had a week earlier. The lighting rigs had been installed overnight; the runway platform was finally complete, and workers moved purposefully through the hall, adjusting banners, testing sound equipment, and arranging seating. I stood near the entrance with a clipboard tucked beneath my arm while the production manager walked beside me."Can you move those floral arrangements away from the runway entrance? They’ll block the photographers."He took note."What about the press section?""They’ve confirmed placement this morning.""Perfect."We continued walking through the venue until my phone vibrated inside my blazer pocket, it was a message from Ethan.[Ethan: Good morning. Hope everything’s going well.]I smiled naturally.[Me: Morning babe. It’s busy but we’re getting there.]Almost immediately the message showed as delivered then nothing, no response. It was just there. I slipped my phone back into my pocket, e
Two days later, I was in the middle of a phone call with the exhibition lighting technician when there was a soft knock on my office door. I looked up to see Jess, our front desk coordinator, standing in the doorway. She waited patiently until I finished confirming the installation schedule."Perfect," I said into the phone. "We’ll see you tomorrow morning."I ended the call and looked at her."What is it, Jess?"She hesitated."There’s someone downstairs," she said. "I don’t have any appointments.""I know." She shifted awkwardly. "He said he knows you."Something about her expression made me pause."He has flowers."I set my pen down because my workers knew Ethan and wouldn't refer to him as someone. I couldn't help wondering who could have brought flowers again. My stomach tightened instantly, "Did he give his name?""He said Daniel ma'am."The name landed with a quiet thud. I stayed very still for a moment. Then I took a breath, smoothed my blazer, and said, "Tell him I'll be do
The week refused to slow down. By Wednesday morning, the studio had settled into the kind of controlled chaos that only happened before a major event. Every department seemed to be racing against the clock. Steam curled from pressing stations, sewing machines hummed without pause while garment bags lined the walls in neat rows, each tagged with a model’s name and fitting schedule. I walked into my office with a coffee in hand and then I froze as soon as I stepped in almost spilling my coffee. There was another bouquet lying on my desk. This time it wasn't roses. It was an elegant-looking white orchid, minimal but expensive. They sat neatly in the center of my desk as though they had every right to be there. I stood over it for a moment, dropping the coffee in my hand, and felt the confusion from the previous day sharpen into something more specific. This wasn't a mislabeled delivery because a mislabeled delivery will only happen once but this was intentional.A familiar knot tightened
The office suddenly felt smaller than it had a few minutes ago. My eyes drifted back to the bouquet. The roses were beautiful. Almost too beautiful and somehow that made them feel even stranger.Maya folded her arms. "Do you think it’s someone you know?""I can’t think of anyone.""Maybe a client?"I shook my head. "If it were a client, they’d have signed the card.""True or maybe an admirer?"I gave her a look. "That doesn’t make me feel any better."She sighed. "Yeah, you’re right… it doesn’t."Silence settled between us again. I finally picked up the bouquet and held it out toward her."Can you do me a favor?"She looked down at the flowers. "What?""Please get rid of them."Her eyebrows lifted. "They are gorgeous, Lin. Are you sure?""I know they’re beautiful," I admitted. "But every time I look at them, I feel…" I searched for the right word. "Uneasy. And I don’t even know where it came from."Maya studied my face for a second before nodding. "Okay, I understand." She accepted th
I almost didn't go.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. I was already dressed in a beautiful emerald green dress that hugged my body perfectly. My makeup was flawless, my hair was styled, and I looked stunning. But inside, I felt like I was falling apart. I was having cold feet.I did
I reached for a glass of wine from a passing server and took a long sip, to give my hands something to do and to calm my nerves down."So… you came, " a voice said softly behind me.I turned slightly and saw Ethan standing next to me. My heart raced. I opened my mouth to respond, but the words woul
I left work early to come home and clear my head. I just finished dinner and was about to upload some pictures of my new collections to my fashion page.It was around 8 pm when someone knocked on my apartment door. I wasn't expecting anyone. Maya had gone home hours ago, and Anabel was busy with th
Anabel showed up at my apartment later that evening, long after I had changed out of my dress and washed off my makeup. I was just about to make myself a cup of tea when I heard her familiar knock, four quick taps and two slow ones—our signature knock since college. I froze for a second. I wasn’t e







