As Fate Would Have It

Fate Mason For the first time in a very long time, Fate was not dressed as her usual self who would normally wear concealing and comfortable clothes while hiding her face. Today was different, she had a fur coat on and underneath her coat was a dress she had spent months bringing to life; a floor-length, forest green colored backless gown in liquid silk. Taking one last look at herself in her mirror, she noticed her ginger colored hair which she styled meticulously in a messy bun stood out. Fate let out a little breath to calm her nerves as she walked out of her apartment door, locking it behind her. Once she got onto the vintage elevator that led from her attic apartment to the first floor of the building, grateful for the fact that no one was in the elevator, Fate gave herself the pleasure of admiring her reflection. She stared at herself as the elevator descended, the squeaky sounds from it reminded her of how old the apartment building was. Removing the thought of her living conditions from her mind, she focused on her reflection. She did not look bad at all! She had worn some of the high quality accessories that her mother had given her, and just like she had assumed, they elevated the look. As she got to the ground floor and the elevator opened, she noticed people's reactions and unable to handle flattery and attention, Fate quickly got a cab and left for the Valerius House New Years Gala At the Valerius Grand Ballroom. From the moment Fate stepped out of the taxi and into the premises of Valerius House, she noticed how nicely everyone treated her, from the taxi that took her, to some of the attendees at the gala. The more love and complements she was showered the more her confidence grew. It was a nice feeling. Her plan had been to stay in the shadows until she got her chance but what better chance than now? She was being given a lot of preferential treatment and in an attempt to make use of that energy she was feeling, Fate dared to entered the ballroom. There was a moment of silence when she walked in and then the whispers began. At first she did not believe she was the reason for it but when she moved in one direction, the whispers followed her. She looked around, she could see her colleagues, but as she moved towards them, she noticed that there was no look of recognition on their faces. They did not recognize her. Standing there, alone and looking expensive, Fate let herself feel like the designer she was born to be. Unbothered. Mysterious. And as if to cement the feeling, Leo Valerius walked past her line of view towards a specially lit corner of the ballroom. With all the confidence she was feeling, with how everything was working in her favor, Fate dared to pitch herself. She followed him to the end of the room and found Leo surrounded by the Board of Directors and some press members. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She did not think all these people would be there also. She clutched her phone tightly in her hand, as she contemplated leaving but something nudged her forward. "Mr Leo?" she whispered, stepping into his circle. He seemed not to hear so she cleared her throat and repeated, this time louder, "Good evening Mr. Valerius." Leo Valerius turned immediately, his glass of Cristal midair. His light blue eyes traveled down her gown, and for a split second, Fate noticed a flicker of raw desire. But then he squinted his eyes and the look was gone, now replaced with recognition and a bit of disappointment. He realized who she was. "Fate Mason? In data filing? " Leo's voice was smooth, but his eyes did not feel smooth at all. It was cold. He laughed gently, but there was no humor in the laughter, "I almost did not recognize you without your baggie skirts and pants which you always pair with that…" He made a finger gesture around her before saying, "…depressing sweater." Those depressing sweaters were one of her last connections to her father and so she was not deterred by the nasty comment. Fate ignored the disgust that she heard in his voice, but she knew that this was a once in a lifetime time opportunity, "I wanted to show you this," she said, her voice trembling a bit before she cleared it, Then she held out her phone and opened the portfolio on it. Leo did not even look at the sketches. She cleared her throat and went on saying… "This data shows a 40% gap in our luxury sustainable line. I've designed a collection to bridge it. I have here some of my sketches and the technical stitching..." He stopped her by snatching her phone from her hand, and then he held it up for the board to see, and did the most demeaning thing. He laughed. That action immediately deflated all the confidence that she had built. "Look at this, gentlemen," Leo announced, his voice loud enough to call the attention of the people there. "Miss Mason, is our little data analyst." He looked at her and, from what she saw in his eyes at that moment, she wished that she had just stuck to enjoying her dress and the party. "She thinks she's a designer." Leo said before looking away from her with wicked amusement in his tone. "She has been crunching numbers for so long she thinks life is a fairytale." He looked at the phone's screen before turning it towards the people there. "Look at these sketches. This isn't it, Fate. This is not your thing. You are a spreadsheet girl. You belong with the data and archives, not on the runway or even behind it." That corner of the room erupted in polite, cruel laughter. To finalize the blow, Leo stepped closer, his voice a low hiss. "You're making the brand look cheap just by standing here. Go back to your numbers, Fate. I will see you at work on Monday." Fate backed away from him immediately before snatching her phone from him but then, blinded by emotions, her heel caught on the hem of her dress causing her to crash into a waiter. Spilt champagne and broken glasses were around her. She was drenched in champagne, her dress destroyed. She fled the room to the sound of camera shutters clicking and it registered that she was probably going to be famous but for all the wrong reasons.