Cassie (12 page)

14

My heart was racing all morning. It was my time to shine and I was nervous about taking the spotlight. I worked really hard to perfect the dresses I designed. I stopped trying to figure out what Pia wanted and just created something I thought was beautiful. I was quitting whether Pia like it or not, so I didn’t bother trying to impress her.

Orlando kept moving around, unable to stand still. “This is going to be epic. I’m putting my phone on the table so I can record everything.”

“Don’t,” I said quickly.

“Why? I have to broadcast it.”

“She’s going to know it was you.”

“Who cares? Hopefully you get her fried.”

“Well, that won’t happen overnight,” I said.

“The video might help,” he said mischievously.

I glared at him.

“Cassie, you live in a
catty world. As a woman, you have to scratch, hiss and bite. That’s how you survive.”

“I’m above that.”

Gloria and Winnie came out wearing the dresses I created. The dark purple looked great on Gloria and the blushing pink complemented Winnie perfectly.

“These are my favorite,” Gloria said. “Pia will love these.”

I laughed. “I find that unlikely.”

Gloria spun in a circle. “It’s so light but elegant at the same time.”

“It’s all about the material,” I said. “And it holds the color. You could wash it twenty times before it started it fade.”

“You should make clothes for a living,” Winnie said. “Not just for a magazine.”

I kept my secret. I didn’t want anyone to know.

Victoria came inside, making everyone turn their head.

“OMG!” Orland hopped on his toes. “It’s Victoria Sullivan!”

“Hello,” she said as she shook his hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“I love you,” he blurted.

She chuckled. “That’s always nice to hear.”

Gloria’s jaw dropped. “What the…”

Winnie looked just as shocked.

Victoria hugged me and kissed me on each cheek. “How are you, darling?”

“I’m well,” I said. “How are you?”

“I’m excited to be here,” she said. She took a seat in the chair and Orlando handed her a glass of champagne.

Gloria leaned toward me. “How do you know her?”

I shrugged. “We just ran into each other.”

Gloria still looked shocked.

I never felt popular or cool my entire life, but I definitely felt like a badass in that moment. Winnie and Gloria were looking at me with new eyes. I hoped Pia would have the same reaction.

Orlando looked down the hallway. “The witch is coming.”

“Good luck,” Gloria said.

“There’s not enough in the world,” I said.

Pia strutted in, wearing an elegant suit with tall heels. Her hair was slicked back and she wore golden hoop earrings. Her assistant stood by her side, trying to anticipate her every move. I felt bad for her. I would kill myself if I had to be bossed around by Pia every day.

Pia walked around Gloria then sighed.

I knew what that meant.

She walked to Winnie and did the same thing. Her face was unreadable, but I could tell she was disappointed with my work—again.

I didn’t care at this point. I knew I understood fashion better than most people. My work wasn’t garbage. Pia was the only person who didn’t care for it. Her opinion meant less than nothing to me.

“No,” she said.

I said nothing, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You can pack your things,” she said simply.

Victoria stood up then grabbed the dress Gloria was wearing. “Did you make this?” she asked incredulously, looking at me.

“I did.”

“Everything?”

“From the drawing to the manufacturing.”

Pia narrowed her eyes at Victoria. A glimmer of recognition flashed across her irises. I wondered what she was thinking.

“They’re amazing,” Victoria said. “I love the color.”

“Thank you,” I said.

She went to Winnie then exa
mined the dress. “This would sell on my show, not to mention everywhere else. This is nothing less than fabulous.” She turned to Pia, scorn in her gaze. “How do you not recognize a masterpiece when you see it?”

Pia didn’t react, but I knew she was livid.

“I want these dresses,” Victoria said. “But I want a lot more of them.” She walked around then returned to my side. “You’re a fashion genius, Cassie. I’m very glad I met you today. You’re exactly what I’m looking for.”

Pia took a step forward. “Cassie’s creations are owned by Castle Magazine. They are not allowed to be taken and sold by other distributors. To do so would be unlawful.”

“But you just fired me,” I snapped.

Pia shifted her weight. “No, I didn’t.”

“You told her to pack up her things,” Victoria said.

Pia looked at her assistant, demanding her to resolve the situation.

She stepped forward and opened her mouth.

“Do not insult me by making me speak to a pawn,” Victoria snapped. “You just excused Cassie from her employment. We all heard it. She’s working for me now.”

“She isn’t going anywhere,” Pia said.

“
I thought you said I was creating garbage?” I said.

Pia held my gaze but didn’t speak.

“And I quit anyway. This place is a joke,” I said. “And I’m taking my designs with me. Good luck finding my replacement.”

Pia put her hand on her hip then turned to her assistant. “Take care of this.” She left the room and disappeared.

Theresa came to me. “On behalf of Pia, I apologize—”

I held
up my hand. “I’m leaving. Nothing you say will change that.”

Her eyes widened in panic
. “Cassie, please stay. I already screwed up once. If I do it again, she’ll fire me. I have to get you to stay.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Please,” she said. “I have a little boy.”

I sighed. “Do you want to work for me?”

“Doing what?” she asked.

“I need an assistant.”

“Are you being serious?” she asked.

“Do you want it?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m starting my own company,” I said. “I’m sick of this place.”

She smiled. “I’m sick of this place too.”

“Then you’re hired.”

“Yes! Pia is my worst nightmare. I only took this job so I could get into the photography department.”

“Well, now you can quit.”

“Excuse me,” Orlando said. “Shouldn’t I be offered a job first as your best friend?”

I smiled. “What do you want to do?”

“Jewelry and accessories—duh.”

“You’re hired.”

Victoria nodded her head in approval. “It looks like you got your crew.”

“Thank you for everything,” I said.

“And it’s not over. I really do love your work. I’d be happy to help you in any way that I can.”

“Really?”

She nodded.

I hugged her. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” she said as she patted me on the back.

“Let’s pack up our stuff and get the hell out of here,” Orlando said.

“Let’s do it,” I said. I went into my office and packed my stuff, dumping it into a box. Victoria walked inside.

“I wanted to give you this before I go.” She handed me an envelope with Tony’s name on it. “Can you give this to him on his birthday?”

I took it with shaky hands. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” She turned and left.

I stared at the envelope for a long time. My mind was working in overdrive. When I felt the paper in my hands, I could distinguish the note inside. It wasn’t a birthday card. I held it up to the light and saw the feminine writing. I couldn’t make it out.

“What are you doing?” Orlando asked when we walked in.

“Victoria wants me to give this to Tony.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That’s weird.”

“She said it’s for his birthday.”

“So why are you trying to rea
d it?”

I averted my gaze. “They used to date.”

“Oh…now you want to know what it says?”

I nodded.

“Well, I don’t think Victoria would help you then give you a love note to give to Tony, especially if it contained anything inappropriate. That wouldn’t make any sense.”

I sighed. “You’re probably right.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Then why do you still look like that?”

“I don’t know…I guess Danny screwed me up more than
I thought.”

“You’re just being paranoid,” he said.

“I just want to know what it says.”

“And what difference would that make?”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, open it and read it. Put it in a different envelope and he’ll never know.”

I felt the guilt rise. “That would be wrong.”

“Then just give it to him.”

“But what if it says something bad?”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like she wants to give them another try or something…”

Orlando stared at me. “If you’re that paranoid about it, just read it. I’m sure it doesn’t say anything like that.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “It wouldn’t make any sense for her to give it to you if she did.”

“You’re right.”

“So open it and read it. You’ll feel better.”

I opened it and took out the paper.

Darling,

Seeing you with Cassie leaves me feeling weak and confused. You’re so sweet to her, gentle with her. It makes me wonder how it would feel to be the object of your affection, the woman in your heart. And, I think I could be the woman in your heart. When we broke up, I felt broken and destitute. I would really love another chance. I thought I loved
Fernan, but being around you makes me realize I don’t.  I would really love to have another go at things. And I think you won’t be disappointed.

If you don’t feel the same way and I just crossed a line, please disregard this message and never speak of it again. I would rather settle as your friend than lose you entirely.

Love, Vicki.

My hands were shaking.

Orlando’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t look good.” He took it and read it. “Wow.”

“What do I do?” I whispered.

“Don’t give it to him, obviously.”

“Really?”

“It’s just going to mess with his head. And she even said she didn’t want to speak of it again. She would never know that you didn’t give it to him.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “I can’t believe she would
do that.”

“I doubt it’s personal, Cassie.”

“Why is she helping me if she wants Tony?”

“That’s a very good question,” he said. “And I don’t know the answer.”

I took the letter and dropped it on my desk.

“Don’t give it to him,” Orlando said. “He’s better off not knowing.”

“But that’s wrong…”

“He’ll never know.”

“I guess.” I still felt apprehensive about it.

“Victoria is out to get your man,” Orlando said. “You can end it now by destroying that letter. She’ll give up because she’ll realize he isn’t interested. And all of this can go away.”

“I love him.”

“Then fight for him.”

“I—I can’t do it.”

Orlando snatched the letter
then threw it in the shredder.

“Orlando!”

“I’m helping you, Cassie.”

I opened the lid and saw the shredded remains. It was totally destroyed.

“Now just forget about it,” he said.

“I’ll just tell him the truth.”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t advise that. How would you know what the letter said unless you opened it?”

“Damn…”

“The damage has been done, Cassie.”

16

“I contacted my lawyer and got all the patents and licenses taken care of,” Tony said as he sat in his office, going over the paperwork. “And I found an offshore manufacturer to produce the clothes at minimal cost.”

My heart skipped a beat
. “Where third world civilians work for fifty cents a day?”

Tony shrugged. “That’s what my business friends suggested. They produce high amounts of product in little time.”

“No.”

He stared at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

“We manufacture only in the United States. It will create new jobs and will protect innocent people from being forced into servitude.”

Tony nodded. “It will cost you more. I don’t care how much you want to spend. I can afford it. But if you really intend to pay me back, it’ll take you much longer.”

“That’s fine.”

He smiled. “You’re amazing.”

“I’m a humane person.”

“And we need more business owners like that.” He opened a file. “I’ll let them know that we’ll on stay on American soil. I’m sure we’ll find something. In the meantime, Victoria is taking your clothe
s and modeling them. They’ve already gotten a lot of attention. And when she said they weren’t available, people only became more interested, naturally.”

The mention of Victoria made me sick. I knew I should tell him the truth. What I did was wrong and inexcusable. “Tony…”

“Yes, babe?”

“About Victoria…”

“What?” He looked at me with the beautiful green eyes I adored. I didn’t want to lose him. He was everything to me. Nothing good would come from this secret. I chickened out. “She’s been really helpful.”

He smiled. “I’m glad. She’s a very nice person.”

I couldn’t disagree more.

He opened his checkbook. “The supplies, licenses, everything has been paid for. I’ve opened an account in your name and transferred the rest of the funds to it.”

“An account?”

“Yeah,” he said. “That way you can control everything and not ask me for money every time you need it.”

I was speechless.

He handed me the envelope. “All the information is in there.”

I opened it and saw the amount. “Tony…this is too much.”

“Believe me, it’s not. You may need more.”

“But everything has already been paid for, the advertising, the marketing, the supplies…what’s this for?”

“You’ll need to pay your salary along with the rest of your workers, plus gas and electricity at your studio downtown.”

“I don’t think I need twenty million for that.”

“That’s my investment,” he said. “If you don’t use it, then just leave it there.”

My hands shook. “I—are you sure?”

He smiled at me. “I’m more than sure. Now chase your dream.”

“I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“I’m glad I could help, baby.”

“You’re so good to me. I—I don’t deserve it.”

“That’s completely untrue,” he said. He came around the desk then sat beside me, pulling me into his lap.
“I am the one who doesn’t deserve you.”

My heart ached at his words. I always assumed I would end up alone or with an average guy. I never expected to win the lottery like this, getting the most amazing guy in the world. “I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow.”

His eyes widened for a second before he adopted a stoic expression. “And wht is that?”

“To celebrate your birthday.”

He sighed. “How’d you know?”

“Scott.”

“That bastard.”

“Why don’t you want to celebrate your birthday?”

“I just don’t.”

I ran my fingers through his hair. “I would like to do something for you.”

“You know what I want?”

“Hmm?”

“To not acknowledge it at all.”

I thought that was odd. “Why?”

“Drop it, please.”

I stilled at the annoyance in his voice. “Can I still cook you dinner?”

“I guess.”

I kissed his forehead. I hated seeing the pain in his eyes. There was something more to this story. I wished he would confide it in me.

Tony was in a bad mood for the rest of the night. We watched TV in the living room then went to bed. We normally made love or fucked like animals, but Tony just lied there. I sensed the hostility radiating through him so I stayed on my side of the bed and didn’t touch him. I had never felt more distant with him.

The next morning, I went to work at my new studio. Orlando and Theresa were already there, their excitement bubbling. The studio was cluttered with fabrics and supplies. We hadn’t had the time to organize anything. Theresa and Orlando did most of that while I got to work, creating new designs that Victoria could feature for me. I kept thinking about what I should get Tony for his birthday but I couldn’t conjure an idea. What did you buy someone who already had everything? I decided to make him something instead.

I took a thick fabric from the bottom of a box and made a scarf. It contained the colors of the Rangers, the logo right across the middle. Tony didn’t seem like someone who wore scarfs, even in the chilling winter of New York, but I knew he would appreciate it. He might wear it to the games if I was there.

When my workday was over, I bought groceries and cooked dinner. His gift was placed in an unadorned box on the table. I made lasagna because I k
new it was his favorite. It drifted across the apartment and filled my nose with the smell of oregano and garlic.

He came over fifteen minutes late, which was unusual for him. He was always punctual.

“Hey,” I said as I kissed him.

“Hey.” His kiss was weak.

I didn’t acknowledge his birthday like he asked, but I could still sense the depression in his body. I felt like he didn’t even want to be there. He turned on the TV and watched a college game. Normally he offered to help in the kitchen. Today, he was in another world.

“What did you do today?” I asked.

“Nothing interesting,” he said plainly. “You?”

“I worked.”

“How are you liking it?”

“I love it. It’s weird to be your own boss.”

He nodded. “It’s the best.”

I set the table. “Come eat.”

He turned off the TV and sat across from me. “It smells good.”

“I hope it tastes good too.”

We ate quietly. The box sat in the middle of the table. Tony didn’t look at it or question it. He ate two servings and demolished the garlic bread. I assumed that meant he enjoyed it. When he was done, I slid the box toward him. “I got this for you.”

He glared at me. “What did I say?”

“You told me not to acknowledge your birthday. I’m not. I just found something I thought you’d like.”

He didn’t grab it.

“Tony, please.”

He sighed then opened it. When he held up the scarf, he stared at it for a long time. “Did you make this?”

I nodded.

A small smile stretched his lips. “That was—very sweet.”

“I hope you like it.”

“I love it.” He turned his gaze onto me, his eyes a little brighter than they were before. He rose from his chair then kissed me on the lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ll wear it to every game.” He returned it to the box and placed it on the table.

I cleaned up the dishes and he tried to help me.

“No,” I said. “Go sit down.”

He didn’t argue with me and went into the living room.

After I was done, I sat beside him. “Is there anything you’d like to do?”

“No.”

His sour mood had returned.

“Tony, why are you acting like this?”

He sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Now or ever?”

“Ever.”

I rubbed his arm. “I thought we told each other everything.”

He turned off the TV and tossed the remote on the couch. “Every year, my sister cooks me dinner. Mom, Dad, and Beatriz and Hank come over and we spend the evening playing board games and
talking. It’s been a tradition since I can remember.”

I felt my heart fall. “I’m so sorry.”

Tony was silent.

“Did she call?”

“No.”

I rubbed his arm, not sure what to do.

“I miss her,” he whispered. “I miss my family.”

I forced the words from my mouth. “We can break up and—”

“No.”

I stared at his face.

“Janet is wrong. She needs to realize that and apologize.”

“But you—”

“No,” he said. “I won’t change my mind. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t difficult for me. I pick on my sister but she’s my closest friend. I tell her everything. I’ve wanted to talk to her so much this past month, tell her what’s going on in my life. You don’t realize how much you need someone until they are gone. Scott gives me reports about her, but it isn’t the same. I haven’t heard from her once. It’s like she disappeared.”

This was killing me. I hated being separated from Janet, but seeing Tony this miserable over it just made me feel worse. I felt like I was breaking up a family. This was
all my fault. If I wasn’t selfish, I would just end the relationship. Family was more important than I was. But no, I was a very selfish person, caring more about keeping my boyfriend than doing what was right for him.

His phone rang in his pocket but he didn’t answer it. Instead, he stared at the blank screen. When it rang again, he sighed. He dug it from his pocket and looked at the screen. It was Victoria. He answered it.

“Hello?” He paused for a moment, listening to her speak. “Thank you.”

I assumed she called to wish him Happy Birthday. A text message would suffice. She didn’t need to call him. I really hated her. She wanted to keep Tony all to herself. I didn’t understand why she was helping with my career or why she gave me that letter, trusting me implicitly, but I knew there was a reason.

“What letter?”

Fuck.

“No, Cassie didn’t give me anything.”

This was going to be bad.

“I’ll talk to her.” He hung up.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it would stop. I was caught red-handed.

“Cassie, Victoria just told me she gave you a letter a couple of days ago. Why didn’t you give it to me?”

“Uh, I forgot.”

“Well, can I have it now?”

I was cornered. There was no way out. “Tony, I—I don’t have it.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“Because it was shredded.”

“I’m not following,” he said. “Why did you destroy something she wanted me to have?”

“Because she wants to get back together with you.”

Tony stared at me, his eyes starting to turn dark. “How do you know this?”

“I read it…”

He stood up and paced around the room. “So, she gave you a letter to give to me, and you decided to open it, read it, and then destroy it without telling me?”

I avoided his look.

“Answer me.”

“I—I was just scared that she wanted to get back together with you.”

“What does it matter?” he snapped. “That’s not an excuse. I can’t believe you would go through my stuff like that. And you had no right to destroy it!”

“I’m sorry! Orlando is the one who shredded it. I was going to give it to you but he took it away.”

“You still could have told me,” he said.

“I tried, but…I was scared how you’d react.”

“And you really thought it would be better if I found out like this?”

“In the letter she said she would never mention it again.”

His eyes shined with anger. “So you were never going to tell me? Wow.”

“I’m sorry! I just didn’t want to lose you.”

“How can you not trust me?” he snapped. “I told you I loved you. I gave you thirty million dollars! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Danny…I just don’t want to go through that again.”

He kicked my coffee table on its side. Everything on the surface crashed to the ground. “Is that supposed to justify it? I’m sorry that your ex cheated on you, I really am, but how dare you assume that I would do the same.” He shook his head, clenching his fists. “This is unacceptable.”

“I’m sorry…”

“You said that already.”

“I mean it.”

“Fuck you, Cassie. You were pissed when I lied to you, even though I didn’t, and you did the same thing but a million times worse. You’re a fucking hypocrite.”

I felt my eyes water. I blinked my eyes so the tears wouldn’t fall.

“Now I don’t trust you.”

“I love you so much,” I whispered. “I just didn’t want to lose you.”