Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Arrival
The elevator doors slid open.
And Feliz stepped into chaos.
“Where’s the revised sketch?!”
“We’re behind schedule!”
“Who approved this fabric?!”
Voices crashed into each other.
Heels struck the floor in a sharp, relentless rhythm.
Keyboards clattered like gunfire.
Garment racks rolled past her like moving walls.
Maison Sauveur.
So this was it.
Feliz tightened her grip on her portfolio as someone brushed past her shoulder… hard enough to nearly knock her off balance.
She steadied herself.
Don’t freeze. Move.
She stepped forward, slipping into the current of bodies and pressure, her eyes scanning for anything familiar.
But everything moved too fast.
Assistants rushing.
Designers arguing.
Phones ringing without mercy.
This wasn’t just busy.
It was war.
And she had walked into it unarmed.
Failure wasn’t an option.
Not here.
Not after everything it took to get in.
“Hey. New girl?”
Feliz turned.
A woman stood a few feet away, hair a mess, eyes barely open, holding two cups of coffee like they were keeping her alive.
Maya.
“Want one?” she yawned. “I haven’t slept. Not planning to.”
Feliz blinked, then nodded once.
“Black.”
Maya handed it over without looking. Pure muscle memory.
“...and I told him, if he wants perfect, he better pay double!”
Feliz glanced sideways.
Lia.
Headset on. Chocolate bar in hand. Talking like the entire room revolved around her.
Some things don’t change.
A small smile tugged at Feliz’s lips.
Two years… and Lia was still Lia.
“People! Deadline’s next week!”
The voice cut through everything.
Sharp. Commanding.
Jasper.
“We need final specs TODAY. Not tomorrow. Not later—TODAY!”
A stack of papers slammed somewhere behind her.
Someone cursed.
Someone laughed nervously.
Feliz exhaled slowly.
This was it.
This was what she fought for.
She adjusted her grip on her portfolio and stepped forward.
And collided into someone.
The impact wasn’t hard.
It was enough.
Her sketches slipped.
A hand caught them before they hit the floor.
Steady.
Effortless.
Too close.
Feliz looked up.
And everything else faded.
Slyvester Salvador.
Leaning slightly toward her, one hand still holding the edge of her portfolio like it weighed nothing.
His gaze locked onto hers.
Sharp. Unreadable.
Amused.
Completely untouched by the chaos around them.
Like the world adjusted itself around him instead.
A slow smirk curved his lips.
“Careful,” he said, voice low, almost lazy.
“First day and you’re already crashing into people?”
Feliz took her portfolio back, straightening.
Her pulse betrayed her.
Her face didn’t.
“Maybe people should stop standing in the way.”
A flicker crossed his eyes.
Interest.
Most people apologized.
She didn’t.
He tilted his head slightly, studying her like she was something unexpected.
“You don’t look like you belong in panic,” he said.
Feliz met his gaze.
Steady.
Unyielding.
“Good. Because I’m not.”
A beat.
Then he laughed.
Low. Quiet.
Dangerous.
Like he’d just found something worth his time.
“I’m Sly.”
He extended his hand.
Feliz hesitated.
Just for half a second.
Then took it.
Firm. Controlled.
“Feliz.”
She pulled away first.
No hesitation.
No softness.
His smirk deepened.
Interesting.
Maya suddenly reappeared beside her, pressing the coffee into her hand.
“Drink. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Lia followed, casually dropping a brownie into Feliz’s bag.
“You’re too serious. Sugar helps.”
Feliz let out a breath… somewhere between overwhelmed and amused.
“Thanks…”
She glanced back at Sly.
But he was already walking away.
Like the moment didn’t matter.
Like she didn’t matter.
Like he’d already decided—
she wasn’t worth remembering.
Her chest tightened.
Then…
her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
You always this intense, or just first-day nerves?
Feliz froze.
Her grip tightened around her phone.
Only one person here would have the audacity.
She looked up.
He was gone.
Blending into the chaos like he owned it.
“Feliz?”
She turned.
Manager Raffy stood near the doorway, holding the entire room together by sheer force of will.
“Glad you made it. No orientation. We’re short on people.”
That fast.
Feliz straightened instinctively.
“I’m ready.”
Across the room.
Sly stopped.
Something in the way she said it…
I’m ready.
made him glance back.
Manager Raffy gestured sharply.
“Sly! Meeting room. Now.”
He lifted a brow. “Me?”
“You’re the lead. Don’t act surprised.”
Feliz blinked.
Lead?
Her eyes snapped back to him.
His smirk returned.
Slower this time.
Sharper.
He walked back toward her…
stopping just a little too close.
Again.
“Looks like we’re working together,” he murmured.
Feliz held his gaze.
Steady.
Unmoving.
“I can handle it.”
For a second…
something shifted in his expression.
Not teasing.
Not amused.
Something darker.
Like a line had just been crossed.
“I’ll enjoy watching you try.”
He turned and walked away.
The meeting room door shut behind him.
The noise rushed back in.
But Feliz didn’t move.
Not right away.
Her fingers tightened around her coffee cup.
Focus.
This is why you’re here.
Not him.
Not whatever that was.
But deep down.
She knew.
It didn't feel like a coincidence.
It felt like the beginning of something dangerous.
And for the first time since she stepped into Maison Sauveur…
a quiet, dangerous thought settled in her chest.
She didn’t just walk into her dream.
She walked into something that could ruin her.
And somehow…
she already knew.
Slyvester Salvador would be the reason why.
