A turning point

New York City

JO-ANN fashion company

A lady sat diligently behind her office desk centered at the end of the huge office, as she tried to sort out the different files that were clustered on the desks. The large office which was just one of the rooms in her fashion house, was engulfed in a subdued ambiance with a stifling air of apprehension.

Her beautiful face was knotted into a big frown as her eyes trailed across the words that were on the paper she had in her hand, which was a compiled guest list of the guests that were to attend the fashion exhibition. Her face began to brighten up and her mood improved spontaneously, the moment she sighted the name that she had been expecting to see.

"How many more minutes to the event?" She asked, with her face deeply buried in another file, but there was no one to answer her question. That was when she raised her eyes, to see that the assistant that she was talking to was nowhere to be found

"Is there no one there?!" Her angry and authoritative voice demanded from no one in particular.

The assistant, who heard her boss's raging voice as she ascended the stairs, scurried into the office quickly with the tray of coffee she had in her hands.

"I am sorry, ma. I went to get the coffee you asked for," Nina bowed her head and apologized to the fuming lady before her.

"Drop that stupid coffee now and get my dress! I told you to inform me once it is twenty minutes to the event," Anna's face contorted with displeasure even more, as she stood up and stepped out of her work area instantly.

"I am sorry, ma," Nina apologized profusely again, and dashed to the inner room immediately to go and get the dress that Anna was supposed to wear to the event.

The workers had spent many days hand-making the beautiful dress that was meant to be worn by Anna, with expensive pearls that were worth thousands of dollars which were used for the delicate, intricate designs. Every significant lacing of the dress had cost a fortune.

"Have you confirmed the pieces of clothes that are left unsold after the last pop-up show?" Anna asked Nina again, who was busy doing some additional pearl fill-ins at the cape of the gorgeous red dress.

"Yes ma'am, I have confirmed with the audit team this afternoon. We have 236 pieces of clothes left unsold," Nina replied casually as she focused on what she was doing, and the next thing she heard was an ear-deafening scream.

"Can you see reasons why you shouldn't let people do your work for you? We have 236 pieces of clothes unsold and you all are feeling okay about it?!" Anna screamed even more as she stormed her feet so angrily, which made the timid assistant retreat in fear away from her boss.

Anna could decide to throw anything that was around her, with the way she was fuming uncontrollably at everything. Every worker from the JO-ANN fashion brand had been on edge for the past couple of days, after the failure of their new clothing collection for the last season.

Anna Jones, who was the proud brand owner and designer had bet all she had on her new collection, but had suffered a massive loss after things didn't turn out well for them.

They were barely able to incur the total costs that they spent on cloth production from the pieces that sold, and yet, they lost another popup store spot at one of the largest department stores in New York. It had been a hectic week for them.

"Where are the remaining staff?" Anna asked angrily again.

"They have all gone home, ma," replied Nina.

"Inform all of them that they are working overnight tomorrow. It is due to their incompetence and stupidity that all these are happening, yet, I am paying their lazy asses at the end of the month. They'll have to work for every penny now!" She spat furiously.

After Anna Jones finally resigned from being a model four years ago, she focused on her beauty care and launched her own brand soon after with her mother's help. And with time and persistence, she became a full-time designer.

Her clothing collection rose to fame quickly amongst the elites and socialites, because of her already-established popularity as a renowned model. Her mother's fame and support help her rise to the peak, and everything had been going well for her. But it seemed like the tables had started turning soon, as the people seemed to be getting interested in something new.

"Where are you going?!" Anna snapped at the lady again.

"I want to go and get the matching purse……"

"Call the chauffeur now. I do not want to be late for the event," she ordered.

*~`•`~* *~`•`~*

The atmosphere surrounding the WATHAN corporation was chilly and unsettling, and in the vicinity of the CEO's office, there was an almost deafening silence that even the slightest sound could be heard.

Ethan was sitting on the couch and working on the table positioned at the center of his office, without noticing that time had been far spent since he began working at noon. The past few years for him had been so calm and quiet by himself, and in those years he had invested every of his time on his companies and multiplied them.

He had lived his entire life for his company like he had never done before, to the extent that his assistant Jesse began to fear that something could go wrong, if he continued his work overload routine. He worked endlessly till he broke down completely.

After the news spread that Ava had boarded a boat that capsized and that she was likely to be dead, his father openly disowned him and told him to never call him father anymore. His mother could barely breathe around her husband again.

Ethan had shaken the news off his shoulders like it was nothing and finally welcomed Anna a few weeks later, but something weighed heavily on his heart so much for days that he knew something was wrong. He wanted to love Anna properly and get them to live together peacefully, but the situation changed in a few months when they started living together.

They had so numerous fallouts and unnecessary fights at every reconciliation, and it felt like they had not even known one another before. Anna couldn't tolerate Ethan's usual authoritative tones over her because of her ego, and she was quick to tell him that it was better they lived separately until they were ready to get married.

Guilt nibbled his heart every time he walked past the room that Ava once occupied, and he could never eat breakfast or dinner properly even after hiring so many chefs. He felt more distant from himself than ever, and drowned in the vast of endless nightmares that marred him.

Grief clung to him like a relentless shadow, tainting even the smallest moment of joy with a bittersweet ache, with a constant reminder of what once was.

Things turned sour between him and Anna as work took over their time, and Ethan tried his best to hold the relationship because he couldn't afford to lose in both ways. But Anna was so busy trying to gain recognition with her newly opened brand, and she demanded space from him.

She believed he loved her so much never to leave, and neglected him to the extreme with her new job as an excuse. Things took a turn when she briefly got carried away, and got into a fling with a renowned male model.

When she came back to her senses and tried to set things straight, it was too late as Ethan had closed his heart and become numb to everything. He had shut everyone out of his life, and it continued for so long. For years, he blamed himself. He hated himself.

The world blurred around him, a canvas of gray and shadows, as grief consumed him whole stealing the vibrant colours of his life and leaving only the dull ache of emptiness. The weight of loss pressed upon his chest everytime, suffocating and heavy as if a part of him has been carved out, leaving behind an un-fillable void.

However, it took so much to change his mind when one of his most trusted business partners invited him to the exhibition, which was also the same one that his cousin had invited him to, which he declined immediately.

He had not been out for those kinds of gatherings for more than four years, and never honored any invitations to galas, anniversaries, or banquet parties. However, he decided to clear his schedule for the night last minute, to be able to attend the event.

The uproar from people and the blaring lights from the cameras when he arrived at the event, was enough to even make him turn back and change his mind about attending the event. Yet, he still proceeded to the opening ceremony.

But to his greatest heart's shock and surprise, he had not expected to behold the sight at which he had seen in the hallway of the exhibition hall. For a while, he thought he had lost his mind the moment he passed the familiar lady, and he had to turn back to look at the supposed person that passed by him.

The lady had turned her face before he could even get a full glimpse of her face, and the only thing he could see was the man that called her, as he watched her departure with the man in suit.

Still, he was sure he heard the name that the lady was called clearly. And it was the same name. The same name that had haunted him for years.

To him, he had driven her to her death. He still couldn't forgive himself.

Ethan hurried after the two when he finally regained his mind and from his shock, but was disappointed to see that there was barely anyone left in the hallway again. The exhibition was on the verge of commencing, and the audience was settling into their seats.

His restless mind couldn't even enjoy the beautiful fashion display that was out for everyone to see, and the gorgeous artwork of designs that was put out for all to eye-feast. All he wanted was for the show to end as fast as it could.

'He was very much sure that he was not mistaken, and that it was her that he saw.'