Rosa’s povThe package came as I was closing up the store for the night. Always wrapped perfectly — black paper, crimson ribbon that stood out against the muted streetlights. The card was placed perfectly under the ribbon, and I knew this person meant business because my heart sank.Oxygen Mask Mark II, I mumbled cautiously.James, who had come to get me, stood mute beside me. He didn't have to inquire, his face gave him away in a heartbeat.Open it, he said cautiously but firmly.Untied this ribbon in order to take the paper off, then I carefully unfolded it; There was a beautiful diamond necklace in one of them, and each time the light hit it differently, so that it flashed stunningly. It was something I had never seen before, the type of jewelry that screams money and class for generations.An envelope was tucked next to the necklace. I paused before snapping it open, my fingers shaking.The message was brief and direct:Dragon Miss, Arrive at Grand Hotel 17:00 Come alone."My voic
James’s povWhen Rosa walked out of the door to go meet The Patron at the Grand Hotel, a ball of anxiety lodged itself in my heart and twisted. I stood at the counter of the boutique and stared at a row of necklaces stacked beneath glass. All the logical reassurances I told myself—public place, quick meeting, Rosa could take care of herself—did nothing to quell the nagging fear clawing at my brain.The whole thing had been odd from the beginning. The strange gifts, the vague texts, the request for discretion—all of that felt like obfuscation, like something more deliberate. But I just couldn't get rid of the thought that Rosa was stepping into a trap.I started pacing back and forth, the gentle whir of the lighting system in the boutique mixing with the low hum of street noise, muffled but not inaudible. I saw the blood going from my body and I heard worst-case scenarios.What if The Patron was not all they said? What if this was a long con to control Rosa, an attempted exploitation o
James’s povRosa had eyes blazing at her recounting of every detail in her meeting with The Patron. As we sat across from each other in our living room that was beginning to warm up for the summer, I enjoyed her infectious energy, and how passionate and excited her whole being became when she mentioned her boutique. And it was moments like this that made me remember why I had fallen in love with her.She said it with conviction, "They have faith in the boutique, James!" This investment could be a game changer. Not just money—connections, mentorship, opportunities to grow in ways I never believed possible."I nodded, I let her words soak over me. I got her excitement, but I also realized that we had to tread lightly. We needed to be at the top of our game, above all that emotion.Rosa was holding my hands as she said, "We can make this happen.Something about her unwavering gaze drew me in. “I’m with you,” I said. "But before we make it an announcement of our own, let's do the work fir
Rosa’s povThe boutique had surpassed my expectations. It was not only the sales, or how people were reviewing my designs generously and demanding for more of them, it was a fulfilment that I have manifested what I had visualised. Each item in the boutique was a curated tale, and customers met it with excitement and dedication.Fluff James as my wingman and The Patron behind the scenes in his quiet authoritative way, my boutique was a household name. Fashion insiders complimented me and influencers wanted to work with me, while the industry started inviting me out as a rising star.But success, I discovered rather quickly, was a careful balancing act.The signs were subtle at first. Avoided stares, whispers at industry functions. Other designers who once greeted me with a smile barely offered curt nods.At the time, I shook it off as a lack of self confidence on their end. James shrugged, confident: “People are always talking.And then the rumors began in an avalanche.(Rolls eyes) as
Rosa’s povI had decided to ignore Victoria's text message and immerse myself in work at the boutique instead. The rumors and whispers were already so burdensome, and I could hardly handle going head-to-head with a rival designer who wanted nothing more than to take me down.James, on the other hand, had different plans.One evening, as we sat across from each other at the kitchen table with Victoria's note between us like some silent dare, he went on: "Face her, Rosa." His tone was business-like but not at all harsh. Don't let her silence you with bullying.I was well aware and hesitated with my hands clenching to my teacup. What if it is just baiting? What if she's playing with me? To make me lose my focus?”James leaned forward, his gray eyes unblinking with mine. “Then you stand your ground. You obviously do not have to play her game, but neither can you let her believe she can intimidate you. Rosa, you better than this."I stared back up at him, his belief in me both comforting a
Rosa’s povJames shut the laptop and looked at me, his face wearing an expression of seriousness I had never seen before.Victoria is more than another designer to beat, he said, low and measured.I held still, his tone tumbling in my chest like a rock. “What do you mean?”James sat forward, elbows on his knees. “She’s working with Reginald. He is a wealthy investor, and according to what I have found; he has been trying to destroy The Patron's hold for decades."My head was spinning, the metaphysical ramifications punched me like a freight train. I had heard Reginald whispered in some industry circles — a nearly-specter with no doubt ambition, about as overzealous as I could be. However I never thought he could do something like this.Who gives a shit about The Patron, he would actually say. I questioned, not sure I believed it.James’s expression darkened. It is because Reginald aims to become ruler of the fashion world. He has been slowly gathering parts of several different fashio
Rosa’s povI had hit my breaking point. Victoria had played her games for too long, and I had finally tired of letting her puppeteer the situation. If she thought she could sweet-talk me into submission, she was in for a lesson.I texted her, “You know where to meet me a the boutique, my hands shaking slightly.James looked up from his laptop. “Are you sure about this?” he said, a note of concern edging his voiceI nodded firmly. James, I cannot keep running away from her. She is messing with my life, my career. It’s time to end this.”He looked at me for a second, like he was consider something then nodded. “I trust you. But Im keeping close in case merry go round avalanche.An hour later Victoria walked into the boutique with her head held high causing my stomach to twist. First, the inevitable entrance — she was always beautifully put together, her stilettos click, click about on the tile.“Rosa,” she said, smiling slightly. "You must have called me here to give up, am I right? It
Rosa’s povEnter Marcus with evidence, and suddenly we had the makings of a plan. The papers were incriminating—accounting ledgers, emails, contracts; all proving Reginald operated an illegal manner of business. There alone he had bribed officials, faked records and intimidated designers, suppliers and competitors. And that was all it took to not only assassinate his character but also take down the empire he created out of lies and terror.The next step was taking the evidence to where it needed be.We partnered with investigative journalists who wanted to expose Reginald for years but never had the evidence to corroborate their theory. They poured through Marcus's records, confirming every detail before sending out a hatchet job that reverberated around town and left fashion zinging.My phone was buzzing nonstop the morning of the story.A headline read: “Empire Crumbles: Reginald Sued For Alleged Fraud & Intimidation.”Heading: A tabloid headline from October 2023, right after I st
James’s PovThere was a charged air, electricity hanging in the atmosphere — waiting for a spark. The energy in the room was palpable—anticipation, excitement, and disbelief. Rosa was pregnant with twins. Our twins. Years of love, toil and growth had built up to this moment, it was almost surreal in its enormity.I scanned the room to find our friends, family and colleagues filling up the venue for the grand opening of The Harden Family Foundation —the foundation we had worked so hard to build. This initiative was something we had both cooked up, helping young entrepreneurs and artists with the tools needed to build their dreams. This was the beginning of our next chapter, a one that would create an impact much larger than we ever could alone.Still, all of that felt secondary now to the fact that Rosa was mere hours away from delivering. Her body had been through so much already, the ability to carry this pregnancy now along with everything else—it was nothing short of a miracle. Yes
James’s PovWatching all those little kids in their funny caps and gowns from the back of the auditorium felt strange. It filled me with a combination of pride, nostalgia and disbelief. Emma, our daughter with the wobbly knees walking into her first day at school was long gone. She was at the threshold of something more—her life. And it was happening literally in front of me.Rosa was next to me with her hand resting lightly on my arm, staring at Emma as she stood in front of the podium. I could almost taste her tension, the pride and love she'd been brewing there for more years than I could count. The moment was not only for Emma. It was ours. We had forged this, together, following our lead, with us being there to support and love her through her trials, and victories. And here she was now, standing ready to address an auditorium full of people, preparing to tell the world what she needed them to hear.My heart raced with anxiety as Emma walked to the mic. She was steady, composed b
James’s PovThe day had been a long one. Too long, in fact. With the business problems, Bethel came back, and was still looking for whoever had started messing with Rosa's designs—my brain was like a one-person track team going around in circles. Through all those storms there had been one constant—Rosa. She was the peacekeeper, the nucleus of everything that revolved around it.That evening when she entered with a pale face, an absent look in her eyes, I knew something was wrong. I recognized the expression, my mind saying to keep it together baby girl as though something heavy was on her. Not that she needed to say anything. Not even for a moment did I doubt that always in the air, there was tension.“Hey, what’s wrong?” I said, putting down the coffee cup. Not waiting for an answer, I knew that she needed to talk and I was all ears.But what she would open her mouth and say next would leave me breathless.“I’m pregnant.”My initial reaction was disbelief. I found it hard to take in
Rosa’s PovThose next few weeks were a series of meetings, lack of sleep, and questioning. Bethel had returned to the family home for some time, looking for a sense of stability. Yet, she was merely rebuilding things in her life — There lay an ambiguous journey the next. The search didn't let up for whoever was leaking our designs and the business was feeling that heat. Yet all that remained unchanged, despite the ruckus swirling around us, was James and I locked in as teammates who would bounce forth whatever lurked next.But while the storm raged on we did something weird — something that felt like a cosmic nudge in my direction to say life was still happening literally throughout all this.I had missed a few periods. I initially presumed it was stress. I had hectic days behind me and felt a whole range of emotions. But as days passed, a subtle dread grew in the belly of my stomach.So I grabbed the phone, called my doctor's office. They were able to squeeze me in the next morning f
Rosa’s PovThe first days in the world after moving out of my family home, was like a strange kind of birth. I had reconciled my past and was okay with it, now I would get on with my life. The burden that held me down was finally removed. But as life likes to teach us, we donÕt get change without a fight.The first of many challenges hit James and me while we were sitting at our favorite restaurant, enjoying dinner together. Suddenly, there was a little buzz on the table where his phone was resting. His eyes scanned the words on it, narrowing as he read a message.“What’s wrong?” I half asked, my fork freezing in the air, the pleasant buzz of the restaurant dulled.James, with clipped vocals, replied: "It's about Bethel."I had put my fork down; I could hear the tension behind his voice. And his sister, Bethel, had always been the wild card of the Harden bunch—free-spirited, reckless and bold. Yet lately, she had been making more than a couple of bad choices.“What happened now?”"Of
Rosa’s PovAs we neared the house, which had once been my world, now a rundown old heap. The car came to a slow crawl. I had completely forgotten how much I missed that creak of the tires rolling on the gravel driveway. When I stepped out of the car, a surreal sense of nostalgia and unease washed over me. It was the first time for me back here in years, not since everything had changed. Not since the day I left in search of making a life for myself: so far away from here and all this history that hung around like an echo.“Are you sure about this?” Uh oh what happened James asked down beside me with concern in his voice.I shook my head, probably too fast and grinned at him with a tight smile that was only half reassuring. “Yeah. I think it’s time.”He gazed at me for a second, dark eyes roving over my face, the furrow between his brows growing deeper. He didn't follow up, but I could feel the question line hanging in the air. James had watched me go through hard times over and over,
James’s PovThe morning light was spilling through the blinds of my office, casting long shadows on the floor. While outside, the city hummed quietly in comparison to the storm in my brain. I had been expecting this. And I knew that after all we had done together Reginald would never let things like this slide. Defeat was not one of his words–not easily, anyway. So when I saw his name flash on my phone screen bright and early that morning, I knew it meant something.The door opened and Rosa, a placid but attractive figure of a woman always ready to chat broke into my thoughts. The question if she too had seen the message didn’t even need asking. There was already a heaviness between us.I said, and the words came out like an accusation — though I hadn't even finished speaking.Rosa’s gaze hardened. We knew that walking away quietly was not going to be an option for him. What does he want this time?”I sat back in my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose as I pondered our choices. Such
Rosa’s POVOn a lazy Sunday afternoon, Emma surprised me with a question that caught me short. She had just finished her homework and was on the couch with her legs tucked under her, watching TV without really paying attention. Her innocent voice interrupted the soft hum of the house.Someday, at some point in our lives, one of us will ask the question — “Mom, why do you and Dad get married?”I paused, as the shock of words were more impactful than I had anticipated. Emma had never been dull — she always asked the kinds of questions that forced you to consider things in a way you never had before. I knew this day would come, but so early I didn't expect My thoughts were tumbling a bit as I tried to find the most appropriate words; how do you explain the mixed feelings behind our choice, or rather why the decision was not so simple for me or us?I looked at James, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper, with his back toward us. His eyes glanced at mine for a split sec
James’s POVIt was something I had always prided myself on: knowing where I came from; understanding the legacy of my family. I thought I knew everything about our wealth, our power, the empire we had created; that little part of my life which I imagined was mine. But when I sat across the table from my mom, her hands shaking a little as she passed me an envelope with a strange, faded insignia ironed on it, I knew just how little knowledge I had.“James,” her voice wavering, she continued “I have to tell you something. The family history around how we came by our money, I guess.I frowned and focused on my breathing. “What do you mean, Mom?”After some delay, she opened the envelope and took out a few creased yellowing sheets of paper. “Of course, I never wanted you to know this but today feels like it could be time. You have to know the real story about your father, about what it took to build the Harden dynasty.I leaned in, heart racing. Decades of effort, well-placed investments,