First Day, First War
1097 Words
Chapter 7— First Day, First War
Rose barely had enough time to settle into her seat before someone tapped sharply against her desk.
Not politely.
Impatiently.
The entire studio already buzzed with movement—machines humming, designers sketching, assistants rushing from one table to another carrying fabrics and coffee cups—but somehow the sound of that single tap cut through all of it.
Rose looked up slowly.
A woman stood in front of her desk.
Tall. Beautiful. Expensively dressed.
Every detail about her screamed money and status, from the diamond earrings resting against her dark hair to the sharp black heels that looked like they cost more than most people’s rent.
Lucia Moretti.
Mrs. Conti’s niece.
And judging from the expression on her face, she already hated Rose.
Lucia crossed her arms and looked Rose up and down openly, her gaze lingering on Rose’s outfit with obvious disdain.
Simple cream blouse.
Black skirt.
Minimal makeup.
No flashy designer labels.
Lucia almost looked offended by it.
“So this is Rose,” Lucia said finally, loud enough for nearby desks to hear. “The famous designer from Toronto?”
A few heads turned immediately.
Rose remained seated calmly.
Lucia tilted her head mockingly.
“So plain,” she continued. “I expected more.”
The nearby designers immediately pretended to focus on work again, though Rose could feel all of them listening.
“She really started already…”
“Poor new girl.”
“That’s Lucia Moretti…”
“Mrs. Conti’s niece.”
Rose heard every whisper clearly.
Lucia tapped her nails against the desk again.
“You don’t even greet when you see someone of superior authority?” she asked coldly.
Rose blinked once.
Then asked calmly,
“Who are you?”
The studio froze.
Someone nearly dropped a folder nearby.
Lucia stared at her in disbelief.
“You don’t know me?”
Rose leaned back slightly in her chair.
“Should I?”
A quiet gasp spread across the room.
“Oh my God…”
“She’s dead.”
“Did she seriously just say that?”
Lucia let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.
“Beginner,” she muttered. “And their so-called pride.” Her eyes narrowed. “So young yet so unstable. Tsk.”
Rose had tolerated enough.
She slowly closed the sketchbook in front of her.
Then looked directly at Lucia.
“Can you shut up?”
Silence.
Real silence.
The entire office stopped moving.
Someone’s pen slipped from their hand.
A model near the fitting area turned fully around.
Nobody breathed.
Lucia looked genuinely stunned for the first time since walking over.
“…What?”
Rose stood up slowly.
“I said,” she repeated calmly, “shut up.”
The murmurs exploded instantly.
“She’s insane.”
“Does she know who Lucia is?”
“No one talks to Lucia like that.”
“She just arrived today!”
Lucia’s face darkened.
Embarrassment.
Shock.
Rage.
All at once.
“You think because you came from Toronto you can disrespect me?” Lucia snapped loudly.
Rose crossed her arms.
“I think loud people confuse arrogance for importance.”
Several coworkers immediately looked away to hide their reactions.
One assistant nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Lucia noticed.
And it humiliated her even more.
Her voice sharpened instantly.
“You have no idea who you’re talking to.”
Rose’s expression didn’t change.
“And you clearly talk too much.”
That was the last straw.
Before anyone could react—
PAH!
The slap echoed through the studio.
Sharp.
Violent.
Rose’s head turned slightly from the impact.
A few people gasped out loud.
“Oh my God—”
“She hit her!”
Lucia stood there breathing heavily, glaring down at Rose with fury burning in her eyes.
“I don’t care who you are in Toronto,” Lucia hissed. “Here, I rule.”
For half a second, nobody moved.
Rose slowly touched her cheek.
The sting burned against her skin.
The entire room watched her carefully now.
Waiting.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Some curious.
Some excited.
Drama inside Conti Fashion Group was rare.
A fight?
On Rose’s first day?
Nobody would miss this.
Lucia turned sharply, clearly intending to walk away like she had already won.
But the second she moved—
Rose grabbed her wrist.
Hard.
Lucia froze.
The room froze with her.
Then Rose pulled her back.
And slapped her.
PAH!
Even louder than the first one.
Lucia stumbled backward in complete shock.
A collective gasp swept through the studio.
“No way—”
“She slapped Lucia back?!”
“Holy shit.”
Lucia held her face, eyes wide like she genuinely couldn’t process what had happened.
Rose stepped closer.
Calm.
Cold.
Dangerously calm.
“You hit me once,” Rose said quietly. “So I returned it.”
Lucia’s lips trembled with rage.
“You crazy b***h—”
“No,” Rose interrupted. “You walked over here looking for humiliation.” Her eyes sharpened. “Unfortunately for you, I don’t scare easily.”
Lucia looked like she wanted to attack her again.
And honestly?
The room thought she might.
Coworkers were already whispering frantically now.
“Someone call security…”
“Mrs. Conti is going to lose her mind.”
“Lucia has never been slapped before.”
“Rose is finished.”
But before Lucia could move—
a calm male voice cut through the tension.
“That’s enough.”
Luther Bianchi.
The entire room quieted again immediately.
He walked forward slowly, expression unreadable.
His eyes first landed on Lucia.
Then briefly on Rose.
Lucia pointed furiously at Rose.
“She assaulted me!”
Rose laughed once.
A short, humorless sound.
“You slapped me first.”
Lucia looked even angrier hearing it spoken out loud.
“She insulted me!”
“You insulted me first,” Rose replied instantly.
The tension crackled violently between them.
Luther exhaled slowly like he already regretted being involved.
Then another voice entered.
“What is going on here?”
Isabella Conti.
The studio practically stopped breathing.
Lucia immediately straightened.
“ Aunt—”
“Don’t,” Isabella cut her off sharply.
That alone shocked everyone.
Isabella’s eyes moved across the room carefully.
Then landed on Rose’s reddened cheek.
Silence.
Lucia suddenly looked much less confident.
And for the first time since arriving—
Rose saw uncertainty flicker across her face.
Because Isabella Conti wasn’t looking at Lucia like family.
She was looking at her like a problem.
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