Hello, Kenzo

Untitled Episode

Hundred clothes racks rolled inside the grand suit, entering the gigantic double door made of heavy metal with touches of wood and gold, making an appearance of such a suite for royalties. Following those were long carts of newly branded heels my clothing line had just released, accompanied by high-end jewelry, expensive watches, and handbags, all of which were worth a lot. The last item to enter was the most extravagant, a white dress in the same color scheme as my shoes, covered in silver and gold embroidery. It had been custom-tailored to me, and I would be the only one of its kind among millions of others.

"I know you told me to be less grand, but your beauty cannot be measured to what is enough, so even though you ordered me this white dress you had last time at the graduation of your cousin and the grand launch of the newest brand collaborating with you at that time, I still decided to pack a few of the best so this union would be more than the grandest." My assistant tried to explain while my hair and make-up were being done by a few of my trusted stylists for years.

"I knew you would go blast as you never really went with the mid-range luxury," I shook my head in anticipation.

"All done!" my stylist announced in pride, slowly turning my chair and facing the mirror, I gasped in awe, expecting my appearance to be more elegant than my usual look at parties I had attended my whole business life.

"This is beyond my imagination that I could look like this!" I breathed, still in disbelief.

"Believe me, you are only getting more beautiful as you age. Now, let's get you dressed up!" My assistant smiled with so much pride as she gently ran her hands on my newly curled hair. It was colored into a natural black with a red streak in it. The effect was so perfect I thought it looked natural rather than fashionable. My eyes were also highlighted with red eyeliner to bring out my hazel contact eyes. My lips were painted bright red, highlighting my rosy lips, and my lips were full of pink gloss. It was a great combination of both colors that brought out a seductively elegant version of me, which I never knew I would ever look like.

The dress we finally agreed on after hours of arguing hugged me in different ways, showing all the curves on both the front and back. The red, gray fabric flowed elegantly around me, stopping at my ankles and flowing down, ending when my feet touched the ground. With golden patterns embroidered all over the material and the top part covering my chest, shoulders, elbows, and arms, I looked like someone who walked out of a fantasy fairytale.

One thing that stood out with my whole look was the gold chains in the middle of my neck that were secured with diamonds, making me feel like one of those queens in old books. As I got up from my seat and turned to see my reflection in the big mirror, I gasped in shock. I felt like someone else entirely. This dress was not just any ordinary dress, it showed my assets without giving too many compliments to myself or anything like that.

"I think it's perfect!" my assistant squealed with excitement. "You'll surely stand out again this time, with your elegance oozing; there will be no words to go against how much you deserve to be one of the top in the fashion industry!"

"Oh gosh, that is enough." I stopped her; she was more excited than me. I motioned for all the others in the room to go out, and when I was all alone with my assistant, I returned to my usual me. "How is Kenzo?" I asked her in so much concern that Kenzo was left all alone at the villa we rented when we first got here, a twenty-minute ride from the main hotel where the contract signing and celebration party would be held in just fifteen minutes.

"I knew it! He's fine!" My assistant rolled her eyes at me, and for a moment I wanted to snap her neck with her attitude. "You still have fifteen minutes. Recharge!" she smirked before chuckling and leaving me confused.

Oh gosh! She was taking advantage of the situation.

"Come back..." I tried to remind her who the boss was but I was halted.

"You are so beautiful!" Kenzo's low and seductive voice echoed throughout the entire suite as he approached me slowly, like some type of predator stalking his prey, with a predatory smirk, his dark brown eyes staring at me lustily. His body was clad in a suit that was fitted perfectly around him, accentuating his well-built muscles. I couldn't help noticing that.

"How did you get here? You cannot be here!" I exclaimed in surprise, my mouth hanging open in disbelief, unable to find anything sensible.

"Don't you want me here?" His enthusiasm dropped to despair. "I won't be near you, I swear. I just wanted to see you, watch you, and admire you from afar."

"Oh, Kenzo. It's not what I meant to. I don't want to be hurt watching you watch me from afar." My voice broke, but I held in as my make-up could be ruined.

"Hey, hey! I'll be fine! It's just temporary; we won't be like this forever. Remember? We'll just have to endure until we get in sync with the proper timing everyone was entitled to have in this unfair life!" Kenzo smiled, caressing my hand before giving me a quick peck on the lips. "Besides, I cannot stay in our villa with you looking like this! I'll lose my mind when gents start to swarm around you, so I'll stay on guard!"

I let out a deep sigh, and still, my gaze lingered on him. "If time could be altered, I'll do it."

"I would go anywhere with you!"

"Ok, time's up! Let's get you out there and slay the party!" My assistant barged in, dragging me away from him by the arm.

My heart raced in excitement as we trailed down the long corridor to the hall where the party would be held. "This is it!" I whispered to myself, trying to calm my nerves as I took a deep breath.

When we entered the entrance of the hall, I noticed Kenzo standing next to another tall man in a black suit, and somehow all the tension decreased with his presence nearby.

I gave him a quick nod before walking towards the center, where two microphones and a huge stage were placed. There were already people dancing and singing along to the music, and I immediately scanned the room looking for my team.

"Where are they?" I asked my assistant along the way.

My assistant responded by pointing my team at the darker corner of the hall, which gave me an unusual feeling that something was off. No one on my team was looking happy at all.

We reached the stage, and there was only one man in a tight tuxedo waiting for us. He looked stiff and scary, like one of those old villains in the movie who were cast to announce the worst news to change the lead's life in a very bad way.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Stella. I know you must have waited and prepared for this event grandly as expected, but I am not going to waste your time trying to make this less bad, so I'll get straight to the point. I am sent here by GRIVA to let you know that they won't be proceeding with the contract signing," he said without any remorse. My mind went blank as he turned his back and walked away from me.

Everything sounded vague and muffled, as I was completely caught off guard. I looked at my assistant, who was just as clueless about the whole matter as I was.

What is happening right now?

I opened my mouth, and nothing came out of it.

"Miss..." My assistant tried to comfort me, but she could not contain her sobs; she ended up wailing in frustration as the music blasted in the hall.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you all for coming!" A voice trailed through the huge speakers as the sound of the door opening resounded through the room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing, even the music died off instantly, leaving a deafening silence.

My gaze landed on the person I least expected to see at this moment.

"Miss, let's go! Those people had played us all along, making us look so stupid!" My assistant grabbed hold of my arm, her voice full of pain and betrayal.

I was lost; my mind was fazed in so much confusion. As my eyes shifted and followed the figure, I was hoping would comfort me in this situation, but instead, he was walking towards the entrance where Tim and Kate stood elegantly.

"Kenzo..." I called his name softly, my voice breaking, tears stinging my eyes uncontrollably, and my body shivering in fear and confusion.