Chapter 1 ~ A competition

Easton Kade Black, CEO of Black Enterprise, sat in his chair, Ocean blue eyes giving nothing away as he listened to Kai present to him the biggest plan of the quarter.

“This fashion design competition, sir, will be the talk of the town for a long time. It will also gain us many followers as we stream the final day because we’ve designed it to attract a wide pool of fresh, innovative designers to work with us. The publicity we will generate will be like nothing we have seen so far.” Kai continued, pushing his round reading glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Easton listened attentively, his long fingers drumming against the table.

 “Go on.”  He urged Kai who nodded and gave Amanda a go-ahead to present her part of the plan. 

The rest of the employees followed keenly as they waited anxiously to see his reaction. Easton was extremely picky and he usually left his right hand, Kai, to review most of the plans and only present to him final drafts due to how busy his schedule was.

But for some reason, he seemed keenly interested in this particular project. Everyone had been shocked earlier that day when they saw that he had attended the first meeting.

After the presentation, Easton nodded approvingly, his deep voice cutting through the room. “Proceed with the plan,” he instructed. “Ensure that the competition is promoted widely and reaches every corner of the country, I want all eyes to see and ears to hear about it, am I understood?”

“Yes sir,” They all responded, uniformly as they all shared nervous looks. If their grumpy cold boss was so invested in the project, it meant there wasn't room for mistakes. 

Easton stood, buttoning his open suit jacket as he walked out with Kai following closely behind. They had just reached the door when Kai spoke up, “Sir, you have a call.”

Kai rushed and held his door open as he stepped in. It was after he had sat down that he finally looked up, “Who was it?”

“Miss. Voss, sir,” Kai announced.

Before Easton could respond, the phone began to vibrate again, he waved him over, took the phone, and placed it against his ear without saying anything.

“Easton! I’m really sorry for disturbing you.” Jade began.

Easton let out a quiet sigh before answering.

“What do you want, Jade, I'm in the middle of a meeting.”

“I saw the news about your competition,” her voice purred through the line, she sounded hurt as if he owed her an explanation before making an executive decision. “A dress design contest? How fascinating. It’s really a great idea but I don’t think it’s necessary for you to go through so much trouble and waste so much money.”

Easton rubbed the bridge of his nose, “What do you mean?”

Jade laughed, a sound that always annoyed Easton, “I’m just saying, I’m also a talented designer! If you have a new plan, we can always collaborate and work together. We make a great team Easton, just cancel-”

 “ The competition is a way for the company to find a number of new faces, not just one.”  He responded coolly, feeling like the conversation was dragging on longer than necessary. 

“Oh?” Jade responded but she felt like there was something he wasn’t telling her. She had a feeling he was only doing it to find the girl from his past. But she wasn’t going to let that happen. 

Not under her watch!

“Then let me help you judge the entries. I have a keen eye, you know!.” Jade offered, hoping he would bite into her bait.

Easton’s voice wasn’t cold but it was flat and uninterested when he responded, “We already have a team assigned for that. This isn’t something I’m looking to change abruptly.”

 “Well, at the very least, we could discuss your next plans over dinner. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to catch up and I don’t want to get news of what you’re up to through third parties, it’s not like we are not close..”

Easton sighed as he looked up to meet Kai’s eyes who had a straight face although he was internally fighting the urge to laugh because he knew how much he hated dinners.

“Next time, I have too much work on my hands.”

“But, Easton-”

“Let’s talk later!” He cut the line leaving Jade to stare at the black screen.

Her instincts were right, he was searching for her. Her blood boiled as she stared holes into her screen, anger bubbling in her stomach.

“How does that bitch still affect him even after so many years!” she mumbled to herself as she stood angrily from her table.

Back in the small countryside, Scarlet picked up the two plates she had just prepared and placed them on the table.

“This looks delicious, mama!” Jasmine, her five-year-old adorable daughter chirped.

Jasmine had brown skin like Scarlet with black curls and beautiful big round eyes and two missing teeth making her look even more cute every time she spoke.

“Well then you better wipe the plate clean, alright!” Scarlet smiled.

“Of course!” Jasmine smiled adorably before grabbing a fork.

Just as Scarlet was about to grab hers, her phone buzzed loudly on the table.

She picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and her stomach sank.

With a forced smile, she looked at Jasmine, “Sweetheart, start without me, okay? I just need to take this call.”

“Okay, mama. But don’t take too long, your food might get cold!”

“I won’t,” Scarlet responded as she stood and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

In the small, quiet hallway, Scarlet answered the phone with a reluctant sigh.

 “Hello?”

“Ms. Frost,” came the voice of the landlord, impatience coloring his words. “It’s like you’re testing my patience, aren’t you? You’re the only one who gives me problems! It’s been three months and all I’m fed with are stories, pay up or get out!”

 “Please, sir, I just need a few more days. I have some designs that will soon be picked up, and as soon as I get paid, I’ll—”

The landlord cut her off. “You’ve been saying that for months. I have my own expenses to handle, I don’t care if you’re designing for the Royal family, pay up by Wednesday! It’s my last warning.” The man fumed as he cut her off leaving her to stare at the blank screen.

Scarlet stood there in silence, gripping the phone as her mind spun with worry. But before she could take a moment to gather herself, she heard a small rustle from behind her. Turning around, she saw her daughter standing in the doorway, her innocent eyes wide with concern.

“Mama?” Jasmine’s sweet voice called. “Are we... going to lose our home?”

Scarlet’s heart twisted, she felt like a terrible mother who had failed her daughter. Forcing a smile, she walked over to kneel in front of her. 

“No, honey. Don’t worry about that. I’ll find a way to make it work. You just enjoy your lunch, okay?”

But Jasmine was intelligent and could tell her mother was troubled although she nodded regardless. 

A few hours later, Jasmine had just taken a bath and settled on the couch when she grabbed the remote. She was about to change the channel when something caught her attention,

It was an advert in bold labels,

 [Exciting news for aspiring designers! Black Enterprise is holding a nationwide fashion design competition. A chance for a contract, recognition, and a cash prize for the winner!”]

Jasmine paused as she looked at the screen, an idea forming in her little cute mind as she mumbled, 

“Mama can win this! The clothes she makes are the best and that means that mean man will stop scaring her!”