Chapter 353 - Romantic Night (1)

26 April, LY Studio, City K

Lexi strolled into the main design area inside the studio, calling out "I'm back…"

"Boss, you want to ruin our fun!" came a quick retort, but Lexi was not certain who.

"You all love me…"

"Love you, more like terrified of you," retorted the same voice drawing a round of laughter. All Lexi could do was shake her head and join in the laughter.

Regardless of all her problems, her staff were her second family. Yes, they knew who paid the bills and who would be responsible if things went wrong but they treated her as the human she was. Fallible but caring to those who she cared for. It was a two-way street, as some of her team moved away from everything they knew to relocate here for her sake.

"Sometimes…"

"You want to kill us, but you love us and will protect us. Boss you have told us that too many times for us to know you are not serious," echoed multiple voices around the room.

"Seriously, sometimes I wonder about you." Lexi shook her head, and added "But I come with samples…"

"No gifts…"

"You lot are like children sometimes. Let us have a look at these, as my husband has missed me while I have been away shopping for fabric. Our usual suppliers from Istanbul are happy to continue to supply material from orders, and they had a few fabrics that I liked. But you know me…"

"Someone took the wrong turn. Hey Boss, that is frequent for you, and what do we tell you, you need to take with you…"

"A GPS device," echoed the response.

"Stop badmouthing me. Not everyone is blessed with a keen sense of direction. But that is beside the point. Getting lost resulted in some amazing finds for five new potential suppliers. Two will take orders from me regularly, but the other three will only sell in person. Those I had to buy bolts of what I liked, which are being shipped back with everything else. But I come with samples."

With that Lexi moved and the two cases filled with samples were brought in, and carefully lifted out of the cases, and placed on the centre table. In her careful handwriting attached to each sample, was a card, detailing the shop, whether they had to buy in person or not, a description of the material and the other shades available. Very quickly the design team gathered around the table, carefully looking through the samples laid out before them.

Observing the looks on the design team's face, Lexi knew that her new finds were fabrics that interested them. She reached in and grabbed a sample of a black silk material that she had plans for. When they arrived here, along with four others she had gone on a buying spree for locally sourced material.

Her favourite bolt that they had purchased but the right contrast fabric and design to use it had never been decided. The crimson red silk delicately embroidered with gold thread flowers always called for it to be turned into a qipao, but it needed the right foil, which this black silk embroidered with the same flowers but in black thread was that. The challenge would be designing the qipao to honour its history but with her twist even though her training was in western design rather than in traditional Asian design styles that had always been around her growing up. This was a challenge that she was looking forward to.

Ignoring her staff, she walked over to the bolt in question, took it down and rolled part of it out on a table laying the black silk with it. As she stepped away, she knew she was right. These two materials were perfect together. That inspired her and she grabbed a design pad and pencil and started sketching out her qipao design. While she loved the amazingly embroidered designs, she had seen in many in the past, that was not her style. Plus, this material already had its own embroidery and that is what she wanted to showcase.

While sketching out her design Lexi simply got lost in her world. Designing clothes, both for everyday but the couture market had given her life purpose when she lacked purpose on escaping the hell Richard had created for her. It allowed her, independently of the family wealth create something that would give Dominic a future free from family demands.

Eventually her staff noticed that Lexi had gone off in her own world, alternating between staring at the two fabrics and sketching. They knew from previous experience that it was not worth interrupting her, so they moved back to the samples and looked around at bolts around the room, to see if inspiration hit them.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Lexi placed six sketches on the material. She knew there was some minor refinements needed but finally she had a design that suited the material. As she stretched her arms she looked around and noticed some of the staff deep in their own worlds. Before she could say anything, the door opened and in strolled Matthew, carrying a single red rose.

Lexi wanted to laugh; did he think one red rose was romantic. It told her that he was trying to appear romantic, but it was a total failure. As Matthew walked over, and handed her the rose he said quietly "Do you remember our first date?"

That made Lexi pause. It was the April of Matthew's last year at High School, and everyone had gone to an amus.e.m.e.nt park. Somehow Matthew has worked it that as they all went on the Ferris Wheel they ended up in a cabin of their own, and as they reached the top he leant over and kissed her as he handed her a single red rose. As they were about to leave the cabin she slipped the rose into her bag and that night when she arrived home she pressed it between the pages of a book before turning it into a bookmark which had accompanied her through life even to now.

-------

If you are reading this novel anywhere other than at or its apps then you are reading work that has been stolen in breach of the authors rights and those rights assigned to others.

Please support this author and only access this novel through at /book/15095783406874805 and report the illegal posting of this work.