Prologue
“Hello, Miss Beachley. This is your considerate boyfriend calling from five thousand miles away to wish his girlfriend luck on her first day at her new job.”
As I stepped out of the black London cab, I laughed at Ruben’s formal tone. Studying my reflection on the polished side of the vehicle, I made sure my long, brunette locks fell around my shoulders and face correctly. My lilac eyeshadow was still perfect, making my brown eyes pop.
“Thanks, Rubie,” I said into my phone. “I’m so glad you called. It means a lot.”
“Are you nervous?”
The cab pulled away as I began walking. “Nervous in an excited way. This is the beginning of a new chapter. If all goes well, I could do something amazing with this new job.”
“Who knew Tate Rawlins was such a giving man? I always envisioned the owner of Rawlins Industries to be a cold-blooded, money-hungry bastard. But now I get to do things like help set up an experiment for solar railway tiles.”
My mouth fell open. “That’s what you’re doing at work today?”
“I’ve been doing it all week,” Ruben replied, excitement filling his voice.
Until my best friend, Louisa Kembry, started dating Tate and his brothers, I’d never truly given the guy a second thought. Then he took a chance on her two mailroom co-worker friends and elevated us both into excellent new career opportunities. Ruben, directly, by giving him a position in the Rawlins Industries science division. Indirectly, by giving me a glowing reference for my new prospect at a British designer fashion label, Estate Styles.
“I have a feeling he might be the same way during deals and stuff, but I’m glad he proved us wrong. It could also be the fact that we’re Lou’s friends.”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad we have the advantage.”
I laughed. “I know how much you’re geeking out, babe. You’re suited to your new position in the scientific department. I’m glad you’re so happy.”
“Thanks, my love.”
While swooning at my English boyfriend’s term of endearment, I stopped in front of a large stone Victorian building like many other buildings around me. But this one held my future inside it.
I slowly released a breath. “I’m here. The excitement is gone, and now I’m terrified. What if I fuck this all up?”
Ruben sighed. “Now, Sienna. If you go in thinking like that, you’ll set yourself up for failure. Think positive thoughts, be you, and go in there and kill it.”
“You’re right.” I straightened my posture and pushed my shoulders back. “Here I go.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.”
“Thank you. Bye.” Hanging up, I tucked my phone into my purse.
After opening the timber door, I stepped into a reception area which perfectly blended modern and classic Victorian styles. I untied the sash of my trench coat as I stepped up to the beautiful walnut timber desk and pasted my brightest smile onto my face.
“Hello.”
The buxom beauty lifted her line of sight from the computer screen to me. She reminded me of Adele, one of my favorite English singers. Mind you, I didn’t know many of them.
“Hi, how can I help you?” Her voice was rich like molasses.
“I’m Sienna Beachley. I’m here for the fall training.” Based on the woman’s confused expression, I corrected myself. “Sorry. Autumn. I’m going to have to get used to saying autumn, aren’t I?”
The receptionist waved her hand at me with a laugh. “Not to worry. You’re American, and we do know what fall means. To be honest, it makes more sense. I mean the leaves, they do fall from the trees, don’t they?”
“Right, it does make more sense.” I already liked this woman.
“Let me find your name on the list.” She quickly ran her finger down a list of names and found my surname. “Ah-ha. Sienna Beachley, here you are.”
I raised my manicured hand and enjoyed how my new French tips shined under the muted lighting. “That’s me.”
“Hi, I’m Adele.”
My eyes bugged out of my face. “What?”
Adele rolled her eyes. “Not that Adele.”
I laughed warmly. “Well, no, but you do bear a strong resemblance to her. Did you know?”
“I’ve been told so, but I honestly don’t see it.” Adele crinkled her cute nose. “I couldn’t hold a tune if I tried.” She handed me some items. “Now, here is your lanyard. It’s important not to lose your lanyard. It has your security card attached to it.”
I studied the card tied to the black lanyard which sported the Estate Styles brand name. “Security card?”
“Yes. You’ll need it to move around certain parts of the building. It’s a secure place. It’s not open to everyone. Otherwise, our design ideas would walk straight out the door.”
I’d never thought high-end fashion was a competitive market, so her explanation made perfect sense.
“Speaking of security…” Adele pushed a stack of paper toward me. “This is your contract. It’s also a confidentiality agreement. You need to read it over and sign it before I can allow you to go any further.”
I flicked through the pages. “This is serious stuff.”
“It certainly is. All of our livelihoods depend on everyone’s ability to keep company secrets. I had to fill out a similar one when I started.”
I read through the clauses. Basically, if I even told someone about any business practices that weren’t public knowledge, I could be sued.
After a few moments, Adele dangled a pen in front of me. “Are you in, or are you out, Sienna?”
With a gulp, I took the pen from her and signed my damn life away.
“Brilliant. Welcome aboard. Everyone’s already in the conference room on the first floor.”
While making my way to the first-floor conference room, I noticed the eight other trainees already seated around the large glass desk.
“Ah, another new face.” A woman with a sharp bob of brown hair approached me and held her hand out. “Linda Barnes.”
I shook her hand. “Hey, I’m Sienna. So nice to meet you.”
“And you. Please, take a seat, and we’ll get started, shall we?”
After shedding my coat, I straightened my cream cheesecloth blouse, then slid into the one remaining empty swivel chairs.
A redhead with pale skin tapped me on the shoulder. “Hi, I’m Riva.”
I inclined my head. “Sienna.”
“You’re from America?”
“Yeah.”
The young woman’s eyes widened, and I stifled a laugh. This girl couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty. It looked like she wasn’t just starting in the fashion world but also in life as an adult. “I’d love to go there one day.”
Before I could respond, Linda cleared her throat. “Riva? You can drill Sienna all you like in your spare time. As for now, please pay attention.”
Riva grimaced. “Sorry, Ms. Barnes.”
“It’s Linda.” She clapped her hands together. “Right, now first of all, let me say I am incredibly glad you’re all here. I know a lot of you have put in great effort to be here for this incredible opportunity that most people in this company would die for. The reason you were chosen for this training course is because during the interview process, we saw something special in you. You all stood out from the crowd in one way or another. After today, you will be allocated to different departments, depending on how you perform today’s tasks. Think of today as not only your induction to Estate Styles but also a practical assessment of your abilities, your strengths, and weaknesses.” Linda held up a hand. “I know it sounds terrifying, but trust me, its purpose is truly nothing more than to split you into your placements. We want the best people in the best positions.”
Beside me, Riva began breathing exercises.
“First of all, let’s go around the group and introduce ourselves.” Linda pointed at me.
I flashed a slight wave at the group. “Hi, I’m Sienna. I’m from Northern California, and I arrived in London yesterday. I’m so excited about my job with Estate Styles.”
“I’m Riva Waring. I’m from Yorkshire.” She offered nothing more and quickly sank into her chair.
As we moved around the group, I was floored by the diverse range of people they’d gathered here. From a handsome South African man named Musa to the Danish beauty, Henriette. The Australian surfer chick, Nicole, to Chung Cha, the Korean girl with the burden of her entire family on her shoulders. It seemed a lot of the world was represented in this room. At twenty-nine, it was also apparent that I was by far the oldest person here except for Linda.
“Now, this is today’s itinerary.”
I picked up one of the papers Linda passed around.
“We’ll be doing everything as a group today. I’ll be taking you on a tour of these offices. We’ll be seeing one of the storefronts less than a block away. You’ll also be involved in helping with a photo shoot and organizing a small fashion show.”
A round of excited chatting circled the room. I was excited, too, of course. But I was older, more refined, more comfortable in my skin. I could keep my cool.
We followed Linda out of the conference room and through the halls of the Estate Styles’ offices. She showed us where they made the prototypes of each design from conceptual drawings to the actual putting together of garments. We saw accounting and distribution, and learned about fulfilling orders for each store worldwide.
Considering my long stint in the mailroom of Rawlins Industries, I felt distribution was where I could shine, and I hoped I would be considered for a position there. Sure, it wasn’t exciting, but it was something I thought I could be good at.
“We currently have stores throughout mainland Europe, the UK, and in New York City. We are now beginning to expand to the West Coast of America with our head offices opening in the smaller, exclusive city of Wayborough Shores, California, in case any of you are interested in a position in the land of sun and surf.”
I snickered. They were in for a rude shock if they thought Wayborough Shores was all fun and sun at this time of year. While not quite as cold as England, it wasn’t far off, having the same kind of weather, right along with winter snow which often fell further inland. My parents’ farm wasn’t a stranger to blizzards.
“You might not have heard of Wayborough Shores, so you might be wondering why we didn’t decide to open in LA or San Francisco. Wayborough Shores is a niche market with a large population of wealthy entrepreneurs, and it’s full of tourists and other discerning clientele.”
I nodded my agreement. “Surfers in the summer, folks on their way to the ski slopes in winter, and a few billionaires scattered here and there.”
“How do you know?” Musa asked.
“I’m from there, and I worked for one of them.” I kept from mentioning too many details, including how Tate basically helped me get this job.
That’s why I’d initially applied to work as a distribution manager in their new head office back home. Then I’d received an email from Sonja, the company owner’s personal assistant telling me I’d been selected to come to London for a special five-month internship.
“I want to go somewhere like America.” Riva sighed.
Linda pointed her finger in the young woman’s direction. “Perhaps you will, Riva. The sky’s the limit from here.”
“When do you expect to open in Sydney?” Nicole asked.
“The Bondi Junction store will be open within the next six months. We’re heading to Australia’s fashion capital of Melbourne first and moving right into Bourke Street Mall, I believe.”
“Sign me up for Sydney,” Nicole said excitedly, and her eyes lit up.
Linda folded her hands. “You all seem to be tying yourselves to one ideal. Don’t do that. It’s a crusher of creativity. Keep an open mind and see where this five-month gig takes you. You might end up anywhere.”
I smiled. “What a nice sentiment.”
“It’s more than a sentiment but a fact. I’ve known people who wanted to be the manager of their own store or area, say here in the UK, for example, who then come to this training and end up in New York as photographers. One became Sonja’s personal assistant, though I wouldn’t wish such a position on any of you. I love the woman, but blimey, is she overbearing.”
We all laughed.
“The point is, don’t close your mind off to possibilities. Remember what I said. You nine delightful people are the chosen few who get to go through this, so embrace it.”
Linda’s speech was inspiring. I still felt I was best suited to distribution, though, given my past mailroom experience.
I should’ve listened to her.
Because my world was about to tip on its axis.
