“No offence, but women like you? A dime a dozen. Dull, uptight, moulded into what men think is the perfect wife. You were merely one among many. No personality, no colour, no vibrancy. The ideal foil to Oliver and the devoted wife. As I said,boring,” Oceane stated. She pointed her finger as I bristled. “Then you did something interesting. You wore a dress of your own design to an important meeting. A spark of individuality. That caught our attention because that was a bold move.”
Bold? I wouldn’t call it that, but if it kept Oliver in play, I’d accept it. They thought my husband was commonplace; Oliver was anything but. He was special; they just needed to see him as I did. I’d play along to give Oliver time to gain what he required.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“You designed that dress, which means you sew,” Saska checked.
“Yes. I’m capable of taking measurements, etcetera.”
“Damn well hope so,” Rebel stated. “You did attend college to learn how.”
I rolled my eyes before I could stop; they’d done their background too, and once more saw interest flare. Rebel grinned.
“Okay, let’s discuss specifics. Material, colour, and accessories,” Saska said and handed me a blank notebook and pen. I smiled weakly and got down to business.
Two weeks later
Oliver was working late, so I had the entertainment channel on and was watching the Silver Dust Music Awards. It was one of the biggest events in the industry, and there were a lot of big names there. A limo pulled up, and the doors opened, and Brock, Saska’s husband, emerged. Brock held his hand out, and Saska gripped it, then stepped out.
“Wow, check out that gown!” Lesli, a commentator, gasped.
“Brett, Saska’s publicity team announced an up-and-coming designer would dress Saska. Quite a risk for an event like this, but damn, that dress is breathtaking. Saska!” Lesli called.
“Lesli, nice to see you.” Saska smiled as Brock hovered beside her.
“Saska, you look stunning. Who created this fabulous creation?” Lesli demanded.
“Ah.” Saska looked up at Brock and grinned. “I’m not sure I should say. She’s my discovery,” Saska bantered, and Brock laughed.
“A mystery! How intriguing, or are you frightened Brock will steal her away and invest in her?” Lesli teased.
“No doubt Brock would try,” Saska quipped as Brock chuckled and offered an indulgent smile. “But Mystique is mine.” Saska looked around and moved closer to Lesli. She took on a conspiratorial look. “A little secret. Mystique is also dressing Winona Sinclair for the opening of her new movie. And I may have told Rebel Knox about Mystique for her award ceremony.”
With that, Saska stepped back, waved and headed up the carpet. I stared in disbelief at the television. What had Saska just done? I wasn’t designing anything for Rebel and Winona. In sheer shock, I slumped down and shook my head.
Oh no.
Winona
I dived into the reviews of last night’s Stardust event and grinned. Unsurprisingly, Saska was a headliner, and the dress was being raved about. It also amused me that she’d dropped hints about me wearing one of Alicia’s designs. Even funnier was the fact that she’d mentioned Rebel, who was notorious for loathing designer gear. Rebel was a true gamer, more interested in bytes, programming languages, and coding.
“Anything interesting?” Aaron asked as he sat at the table, eating his breakfast.
“Yes, darling, my little project might be a hit. We’ll summon Alicia today while she’s on the back foot,” I said.
“Summon?” Aaron was amused. “Why the interest in Alicia Kensington?”
“Because any of us could have been her,” I replied, and Aaron pursed his lips.
Aaron hated thinking of my past and what happened. Nobody screwed with me now; Aaron would destroy them. Some had learnt that the hard way. But back then, my life had spiralled out of control through no fault of my own. I might easily have become Alicia Kensington myself.
Now, I was in a position to help people, and Alicia didn’t understand just how badly she needed my guiding hand. Not yet, but she would.
Chapter Six.
Alicia
Iwasn’t shocked when I received a message from Winona asking me to meet with the club, but I was unsure what to do. Oliver was at work, and I didn’t want to disturb him, but I also couldn’t just disappear. He’d worry if I disappeared without telling him where I was. Biting my nails, I dialled Oliver’s number.
