Stitched by Fate

Alina’s POV I was nervous. My first board meeting with Damien and in front of the executives. I sighed as I prepared the files needed, I came an hour early as I couldn’t sleep that much. Damien wasn’t here yet so I’m taking the time to draw some designs that have been in my head.“ And what is freckles up to?” A deep voice suddenly said in front of me. It was Damien. “ Um good morning sir, I have prepared the files for the meeting already. ” I quickly hid my designs under a book. “ Hmm,what time does the meeting start?. ” He asked as he walked to his desk. “ In two minutes. ” “ Alright. Did you speak to Amanda?” “ Oh yes I did, the event coordinator. I sent her the guest list so she should have everything prepared. ” “ Okay let’s go then. ” He stood up and we both left the office. At the conference room The conference room was quieter than I expected. As we stepped in everyone stood up looking on the edge. They must fear Damien. I sat beside Damien with my notebook in front of me, trying to hide my anxiousness. Around the long table were the executives and head of departments, each with a tab, a folder or a laptop in front of them. Amanda sat across from me, preparing the files for the meeting. Damien sat at the head of the table looking completely composed. I hated that. His eyes scanned the room before speaking. “ Let’s begin. ” The large screen in front of the room came alive. ELÁN FASHION GALA- STRATEGY MEETINGMy eyes lingered on the words. My father particularly talked about this gala, it was something that got him busy. Amanda stood. “ The Elán Fashion gala is two weeks away. We have confirmed the preliminary guest list, media partners and most of our major sponsors but there are still several things that need approval. ” Damien leaned back slightly. “ Let’s start with the venue. ” He said. “ The Avalon Grand ballroom is still our first choice, ” Amanda said. “ They’ve offered us exclusive access to the entire east wing which covers the runaway, seats,the press area, backstage and after party. ” “Cost?” Amanda named the figure. One of the male executives frowned. “ That’s higher than last year. ” “ It is. ” Amanda replied. ” space. “ But the venue increased its rates, and we requested additional Damien frowned. “ Why request for additional space?” He asked. “ We need the runway format to be as long as you requested and also.. ” She paused. father added 300 guests, making the total 600. ” “ Your Damien looked at her. “ If we don’t request for additional space will there be any problems?. ” “ Yes. ” She said, “ The press section will have to be reduced. ” “ Then reduce it. ” One of the executives said. Amanda looked at her.“ That would be a mistake. The gala isn’t only about the people sitting in the room, the people watching from outside matters as much. If we want this year’s gala to have a much stronger impact than previous ones then we need enough room for the press, fashion editors and influencers. ” “Influencers?” The woman scoffed. company?” “ Since when did influencers become important to our “ Since when people stopped looking at magazines to tell them what to wear. ” Amanda replied. A few people smiled, I lowered my head to hide mine. Damien didn’t smile but he nodded. “ She’s right, Next. ” The presentation changed. GALA THEME. “ The theme hasn’t been finalized yet. ” Amanda said. “ It should have been done weeks ago. ” Someone muttered. “ The creative department sent three proposals, none received unanimous approval. ” Damien looked towards the screen “ Read them. ” Amanda placed her tab on her hand and read. “ The Future of Fashion. ” There was a pause. “ It's too cliche. ” Someone said, She continued. “ Beyond the runway. ” “ Too broad. ” “And Threads of Tomorrow. ” I looked up, Threads of Tomorrow.I liked that one. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. “ I prefer the Third, it gives us more room creatively. ” One of the heads of departments said, “ But what does it mean? A theme needs to mean something. ” Someone said, Damien remained silent for a moment. “ Head of the creative department?” He said. She stood up. “ Yes sir. So we suggested building the collection around the evolution of fashion. ” She replied. “ Traditional craftsmanship meeting modern design. ” “ That’s been done before, ” an executive replied. “ Exactly. ” Damien said. I looked up. Damien’s gaze moved across the table. “ What about other departments?. ” No one answered. I watched the presentation on the screen, it seems every suggestion ends with the same problem. It was either too familiar, predictable or safe. Damien tapped his fingers once against the table. “ What are we missing?” There was no reply from anyone. I kept my eyes on my notebook. Amanda also scrolled through her notes trying to find something. My shoulders stiffened, the room being quiet gave me chills.“ It has to be something emotionally stronger to make the gala bigger than ever. ” Damien said. An idea popped into my head but I wasn’t sure if I should say it. I was an assistant not a member of the creative team. Not a designer. Damien’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Alina. ” My head snapped up. “ Yes?” I replied. He was looking directly at me and the room fell quiet. “ What do you think?” I blinked. “ Um, about the theme?” “ About everything. ” I glanced around the table, everyone had their eyes on me. My palms suddenly felt warm. “I think… ” I swallowed, I felt very uneasy. “ I think we’re looking at it from the wrong direction. ” Nobody spoke. Damien waited so I forced myself to continue. “ I think we keep looking at the gala representing fashion. luxury. innovation. Things like that. ” One of the executives frowned. “ Then what should it represent?” “ The people wearing the clothes. ”Silence. I could hear the faint hum of the air conditioner. I continued before I chickened out. “ Fashion isn’t about expensive names or fabrics. It’s about people. How they want to be seen, where they came from or who they are about to become. ” Damien’s facial expression didn’t change but he didn’t look away either. “So?” He said. “ So maybe the gala is about that” “ People?” “ Identity. ” Amanda looked at me with a smile on her face. “ What if our designers present a collection based on different interpretations of identity, not just clothing looking beautiful but telling a story. ” I said. The head of the fashion department looked at me and said, “ Explain. ” I searched for the right words. “ It could be a collection representing transformation, heritage and freedom. ” I paused. “ And instead of simply announcing the designers and their collections, stories should be told. ” Amanda smiled widely and said, “ The runaway becomes narrative. ” “ Exactly” I agreed with her. “ It could make the event more engaging for the digital media and give journalists something meaningful to write. ” An executive said.“ And people watching online won’t just see clothes, they will understand why they’re seeing them. ” The head of the fashion department said. I nodded. Damien finally spoke. “ What would you call it?” I looked at him, I didn’t expect that question. “ I don’t know. ” He waited. “ Maybe..Threads of identity. ” Amanda typed it into her tablet. “ I like it. ” She said. “ it’s got potential. ” Someone else said. Damien paused then looked at Amanda. “ Change the theme. ” “Alright sir. ” She then made the change. My heart gave a small, strange flutter. I had just given an opinion, that’s all. Yet somehow, it felt like I had stepped into the world I had always dreamed about. “ Head of fashion department. ” “ Yes Mr knight?” He replied. “ Have the designers been picked and the designs drafted?” “ Yes sir, A total of 12 designers as you requested and Janae being the main event designer. The designs will be sent to you. ” Damien looked at him and nodded.“ Alright that will be all. I want everyone putting in their best,this gala has to be big. ” “ Yes sir. ” They all responded and stood up. Damien then stood up and walked out and I followed. I was so happy, my opinion got heard and my theme is being used. “ Good work out there, I have to go see my father, I will be back soon. ” “Alright sir” I bowed slightly as he walked towards the elevator. On my way to the office, I saw Julian at the reception holding flowers. “ Hi Julian, what brings you here?” He looked at me and smiled. “ I heard you were in meeting so I had to wait here and also this flowers are for you. ” He extended the flowers and I collected them. “ Wow thank you this is really nice. ” I smiled widely. “ You’re welcome also can I have your number I forgot to get that yesterday. ” “ Sure no problem. ” I collected his phone and inputed my numbers there. “ Oh alright I’ll text you, I have to get back to work now. ” He waved and left. Today has been good so far, this created a warm feeling in my chest. I stepped into the office and dropped my note book and the flowers on my desk. Come to think of it I have never surveyed through this office. I walked over to Damien’s desk. I could feel the coldness from just standing here.I sat on his chair looking out through the glass windows. I hope my Father is proud of me. My ideas are the main theme of the gala I was beyond excited. “Soon enough I’m going to be designing clothes and I will honor you Dad. ” I saw his drawer was slightly opened and I was intrigued to see what was in it. “ just some keys, files and even mint” I muttered to myself. I started putting everything back in one place, I don’t want to lose my job. I then saw a picture. It looked old like it was taken years ago. My jaw dropped. My hands trembled as I brought the picture closer to my face. It was… my dad and younger Damien together. They knew each other! An x was marked over my dad’s face . I dropped the photo and gasped. What does this mean? How did he know my dad so personally they have a picture together? What secrets are being kept here?