CHAPTER SIX
762 Words
After hesitating for an entire day, Anita finally decided to meet her alleged savior.
The address on the golden card led her to a place she had only ever seen in magazines. The location was secluded in the mountains, far away from the noise of the city.
Before her stood a magnificent building made of glass and gold-plated steel, the platinum emblem of the Smith family carved boldly at its entrance. A breathtaking garden surrounded the estate, with a grand fountain at its center. The architecture was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Stefan lived in a dream.
This was an imagination.
She stood there for what felt like forever, her fingers tightening around her bag.
For a brief moment, the old Anita whispered in the back of her mind.
Ordinary people cannot walk into a place like this.
You don’t belong here.
Run.
The old her would have turned around.
She would have thought about Stefan.
She would have worried about whether he approved.
She would have chosen him over herself once again.
But that Anita no longer existed.
She lifted her chin, took a deep breath, and finally stepped through the entrance.
A nearby staff member quickly approached her. The woman’s eyes immediately landed on the golden card in Anita’s hand.
Everyone in the Smith estate recognized its importance.
Everyone except Anita.
“Mr. Smith has been expecting you. Please follow me.”
Expecting her?
A strange feeling settled in her stomach, and she clutched her bag tighter.
The woman led her to the elevator and selected the sixteenth floor—the highest level of the building.
When the doors opened, they revealed a long, silent corridor.
Every step Anita took echoed against the marble floors.
For some reason, she found herself walking softer, almost afraid to disturb the silence.
Several moments later, they stopped in front of a large black door.
The staff member pressed a button beside the door.
A minute later, a deep, rich baritone voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Anita stepped inside, and it closed behind her.
The office was enormous, but the man sitting behind the desk somehow made it feel smaller with his overwhelming presence.
He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His expression was calm and unreadable, and his presence demanded attention without him making any effort.
His eyes studied her quietly.
Not with pity.
Not with sympathy.
But with interest.
He stood and walked toward her.
“Miss Anita Wilson. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Anita’s brows furrowed.
He gestured toward the seat opposite him, and she sat down carefully.
Without saying another word, he reached beneath his desk and pulled out a large folder.
She opened it slowly.
Her breath caught.
Inside were her sketches.
The very designs that had built Stefan Neil’s reputation.
“I have been following your work for a long time,” he said calmly.
“Most people are only interested in admiring the masterpiece. Very few care to know the mind that created it.”
Anita stared at him.
Shock.
Confusion.
And a strange feeling she had not felt in years.
Recognition.
For ten years, she had allowed someone else to stand in her spotlight because she believed love was enough.
But not anymore.
“What do you want?”
She did not bother hiding her suspicion.
The man simply pushed a document toward her.
“This is an offer. A position in the Smith Group’s fashion division.”
Her eyes moved over the papers before returning to him.
“Why?”
“Because I believe talent should never remain buried.”
His answer came without hesitation.
“And because I believe you deserve the chance to be known by your own name.”
Anita looked back down at the contract.
A new beginning.
A new path.
A life that no longer revolved around Stefan.
The old Anita would have rejected it.
She would have worried about what Stefan thought.
She would have wondered how it would affect him.
She would have asked for his permission.
But not anymore.
Slowly, Anita picked up the pen.
The man watched silently as she signed her name across the document.
Anita Wilson.
Not a woman waiting to be chosen.
Just Anita.
“I can give you the opportunity,” the man said.
“But what you become after this depends entirely on you.”
A small smile appeared on her lips.
A genuine one.
For the first time in ten years, Anita had chosen herself.
- Writer
