The cavernous warehouse had been transformed into a moonlit forest: steel beams draped in black gauze, projections of flickering embers dancing across the walls, and faux birch trunks towering overhead. Lena Rivers stood backstage beneath a single bare bulb, adjusting the final fox‑ear headpiece on Model #12. The air hummed with anticipation, punctuated by hushed instructions over headsets and the clack‑clack of stilettos on plywood.
“Sequins straight," Lena murmured, smoothing the gown's hem. “'Ember' gown is next—scarlet underlay, fox‑flame embroidery. Marcus, cue the red spotlight at model exit."
Marcus Kane, impeccably suited even here, tapped his tablet. “Spotlight 4 in three… two… one." A shaft of red light sliced through the haze, illuminating Model #11 as she pivoted on the runwa
