Page 107 of Crossing Lines

“Okay. Hope your mom is all right.”

He kisses me again and hurries out of the condo.

Finishing my fifth design, I take a break and text Kross. It’s been an hour since he left.

Me: How’s your mom?

He replies within seconds.

K: She’s still out.

I’ll call you in a bit.

Me: Okay.

Praying for her.

I’m about to add the three words to the reply, but I hold off on that and hit send. It’s only been four weeks of knowing Kross. Maybe what I’m feeling is a rush of passion and lust. It can’t be love yet.

I check the time. It’s almost two. Chavonne should still be in her office. She might reconsider the launch if I show her the new looks I’ve completed.

Taking a quick shower in Kross’s luxurious bathroom, I haul on jeans and a sweater, slip into flats, wrap my curls, and head out with my design pad.

I reachLa Montein minutes and enter the building. The receptionist informs me that Chavonne is still here and isn’t meeting with anyone. So I walk down the passage to her door and knock. “It’s Davia.”

“Enter,” she responds firmly.

Drawing a deep breath, I step into the office and close the door. It feels like the day I brought my completed designs and made the proposal.

“Davia, I was about to—”

“I wanted to show you these before you left for the day,” I interrupt.

She crumples her brows. “You did new designs?”

“Yes. Five. But the way I’m feeling, I know I’ll have more by the end of the week. My heart’s on fire right now.”

“Oh?” She sets down her pen and accepts the pad to look through, slowly turning her head in awe. “God, you’re talented.”

“Maybe we can still push forth with the launch?” I plead, wringing my hands. “We could do it at the end of September instead. I designed the looks to go with early fall. It’ll be one month after your general autumn release, so consumers might like that. You can use my percentage to cover the loss of the previous materials and acquire the new ones. Whatever it takes.”

She stares at me quietly while closing my design pad. “The fact that you’re willing to use your earnings and came up with new looks in such a short time…” She releases a lengthy breath. “Okay. I’ll create a new plan with the team. Now that we know who’s responsible for the leak, things should go smoothly this time.”

“You found out?” I sputter. “Who is it?”

She sighs. “Wren discovered an email through investigating. Sadly, it’s from Iree.”

My stomach drops. “Iree…”

“Disappointing. You convinced me to allow her to travel to Paris. You shared your room with her. Absolutely trifling. I’ve encountered people like Iree throughout my career in the fashion industry. You have to be careful who you trust.”

“What will you do?” My voice is a hurt whisper.

“I fired the bitch, of course.” She sniffs. “I won’t have her continue working here. We’re suing her as well.” She observes me for a second. “You all right?”

“I’m not sure,” I mutter, still in shock.

“Take the rest of the week to work on your designs and return Monday prepared for a hectic run. Whatever is happening in your life now is giving you a fresh charge. I like it.”

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