Chapter 2 ~ A call

“Mama, this is beautiful!” Jasmine’s eyes brightened as she looked at the dress Scarlet was holding up.

“You think so?” Scarlet smiled, her heart warming at her little cheerleader. 

Jasmine nodded vigorously, her brown eyes widening even more, “Your clothes are always the best!”

‘Hopefully, my clients love them too. We really need the money.’ Scarlet thought internally as she smiled at her daughter walking up to her and kissing her head before walking back to her sewing machine.

Scarlet spent the hours that followed focused on making more and more designs so she could sell them at a cheaper price to help their financial situation. She had just placed the piece she was working on, on the table when her phone vibrated and her heart froze.

Fear gripped her as she wondered if it was her Landlord again, 

‘But it’s only been a day.’ She mumbled to herself as she watched the phone ring, afraid of checking the ID.

“Mama? Your phone is ringing.” Jasmine pointed out.

Scarlet sighed, as she leaned over and picked it up but frowned when she noticed it was an unknown number, ‘Could it be a client? Or is it the Landlord using another line?’ She couldn’t help but have thoughts running through her as she slid to the right and answered.

“Hello?” Her voice came out a bit strained.

“Good morning miss, am I through to Scarlest Frost?” The woman on the other end asked.

The voice sounded professional and friendly, Scarlet couldn’t help but wonder who it could be.

“This is her.” 

“Wonderful! My name is Amanda Adams, I’m calling you from the Black Enterprise. I’m reaching out regarding the fashion design competition. We’re reaching out to verify the contact information of our participants and make sure that you’ll keep your phone on as we approach the results announcement. We want to be certain all finalists are reachable.”

Scarlet froze. 

Black Enterprise?

That was a company owned by the very man she was afraid of running into. She didn’t know how he would react once they met again. Not after what she did to him the last time they were together.

The pain that she thought she had buried opened like a stitch would rip apart only to leave her bleeding. 

“Are you still there Miss?” Amanda asked when she was met with silence.

“Ahhh…y..e..s.” She cleared her throat. “Yes, I am.”

“That’s great, please confirm the details..” Amanda went on to call out her details

Scarlet was still trying to wrap her head around everything. She hadn’t entered any contest like that, she would never run in the same direction as Black enterprise. Glancing across the room, her heart sank as she caught her daughter’s guilty expression. She knew exactly what had happened.

“Yes that’s correct,” Scarlet replied, keeping her eyes glued to Jasmine and telling her how much trouble she was in. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll... I’ll keep my phone on.”

As she hung up, she turned to see Jasmine attempting a sloppy escape as she tiptoed toward the hallway. Scarlet rushed forward making Jasmine sprint but she was too slow, Scarlet held her by the waist and lifted her off the ground.

 “Hold on right there, young lady.”

Jasmine giggled, “Mama! Why are you chasing me?” She continued to laugh as Scarlet carefully placed her on the carpet and crossed her arms showing how displeased she was.

“Don’t play smart with me, miss!”

Jasmine fidgeted with her chubby fingers as she avoided her mother’s intense gaze as she bit her bottom lip adorably,

 “Um… surprise?”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. 

“You entered me into a major fashion competition without telling me?”

“I just wanted to help!” Jasmine stood, “You’re so talented, Mama! Everyone always says how beautiful your designs are. I thought... Maybe if you won, things would be easier. Maybe we could finally move to the city, and you wouldn’t have to work so hard all the time. I hate seeing that mean man call you! He makes you sad every time he does..”

Hearing those words cut something inside Scarlet’s heart. She knew her daughter deserved better. She wanted to give her a better life but she wanted to do it without getting involved with the Black family. But that wasn’t something she could explain to a five-year-old, so she just sighed and sat closer to her, taking her hands into hers.

.“Sweetheart, I appreciate what you did. But you don’t understand… there’s a reason I haven’t gone near that company for all these years.”

Her daughter’s face fell, confusion and hurt mingling in her eyes. “But, Mom, you deserve this. I know you can win!” 

“It’s not about winning my princess.”

“Then what’s wrong? Is it because you don’t like the city?” Jasmine pushed.

“No, it’s not that. When you’re older I’ll explain everything to you.” Scarlet smiled as she pulled her close and placed her on her lap.

But Jasmine’s frown only deepened as she wondered, 

‘The money and the prize of the competition would change our lives forever so why is Mama refusing to take part?’