Chapter 1
-Evelyn-
*Beep *Beep* Beep*
I groaned at the sound of my blaring alarm.
7:15 am
I was never a morning person.
If someone offered me a million dollars to wake up early, I wouldn’t even hesitate to turn them down. That’s how much I loved to sleep or in my case, hibernate. I’m pretty sure I’ve broken a world record out therefor my laziness.
But then again, ever since I started my own fashion business, let’s just say that with my net worth, a million dollars wouldn’t even be worth thinking about. I wasn’t one to brag about such things, but after having put up with all the doubt and hateful comments from my family, friends, and peers, this was an achievement I believe was worth being proud of. Girl power, right?
In a family full of lawyers and doctors, I was pretty much labelled as the ’black sheep’ of the McCowen’s.
My family was well-known throughout the neighborhood. All my life, I didn’t mind the spotlight and popularity. However, that all changed when Esther passed away. Being eminent never felt so unbearable when all I saw was my sister’s face and the car wreckage painted all over the media. The constant “are you okay?” being thrown around like hot potato, didn’t help as well.
Sighing to myself, I got out of bed and took a quick hot shower to drown away the memories of that tragic day.
This was going to be even more difficult since today was Esther’s 2nd death anniversary.
That also meant I was going to see HIM.
***
I entered E.M Style’s fashion boutique at exactly 8:00am and glanced over at Claire setting up for the day.
Claire Evans. She was my best friend from college and my polar opposite. While I was gentle and reserved, she was outgoing and confident. While she was out dating boys during our college years, I was busy burying myself in portfolios.
Despite our opposite personalities, I suppose we balanced each other out. With her ability to actually put her mouth to good usewith negotiationsand with my creativity, we managed to establish our fashion business. To commemorate our hard work, we named it after the first letter of our surnames: E.M Style.
“Please tell me you’re not going to your parents’ place dressed likethat?” Claire gazed at my outfit with an eyebrow raised.
“What’s wrong with it?” I glanced down at my black formal suit. It was elegant. That’s why I liked it.
“Well for starters, even my grandmother wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that, and that says something. Secondly, you’re going to see HIM.”
I rolled my eyes at her and dressed up the mannequins in the display window.
“Claire, I see him almost every day when I take care of Olivia.Plus, isn’t that a little disrespectful? I mean… it’s Esther’s death anniversary dinner. I’m not going to try and flirt with my widowed brother-in-law!”
I heard Claire scoff.
“Eve, honey, this is why you’re still single and haven’t had a good dick for… wait… You’ve never had dick before! Heck, you wouldn’t even know what a bad dick is. You’re a 24-year-old virgin. This is why you need to dress up for this dinner. You have such a hunk of a brother-in-law!”
I groaned to myself and waved her off as we had our first customer come in.
***
“Damn, today was busy.” Claire whined as she stretched her arms.
“We have last month’s fashion show to thank for.” A deep voice called out.
Claire and I turned to see a fair and freckled man walk in, his red curls bouncing with each step he took towards us.
“You mean, we have you to thank for, Mitchell.”
“Well, I don’t exactly like being a credit hogger... But, you’re right.” He grinned at us and laughed.
Mitchell Graham was another friend of mine from college. He was our fashion show coordinator and our life savior. Technology along with planning, and I didn’t exactly go hand-in-hand.
I gazed at the time soon after.
5:30pm
“Argh, I have to get going. You know how my parents get.” I mumbled and quickly grabbed my coat.
“Eve, wait! You need to change before you meet your hottie brother-in-law. Come on, wear one of our pantsuits!”
Before I could even fight back, I sighed and found myself wearing one of E.M Style’s famous white pantsuits.
“Now you’re ready!”
I glared at Claire and quickly rushed out of the boutiquewhile making my way to my Mercedes-Benz.
***
“Honey, you look beautiful.”
My mother, Susan, gave me a soft peck on the cheeks as I entered the house. I smiled gently at her and went to settle my things down.
Nothing much had changed about the house since I movedout. The wallpaper was still abeautiful ivory color and the walls were still decorated with frames that had photos of both Esther and I. My favorite photo was when we were both children and eating ice-cream by the sidewalk, our mouths all messy.
“Archer and Olivia are running a little late. Apparently, Olivia didn’t want to leave the house and has been crying all day.”My mom informed me as she returned to the kitchen.
I frowned at her words.
Olivia wasn’t your typical five-year-old. She was always well-behaved and rarely cried. Honestly, Esther and Archer raised the perfect little angel. Though, this was the second time she’struly broken down. The first time was on Esther’s first death anniversary.
“How’s the boutique?”
I turned my attention to my dad, Gregory, who soon joined me on the couch with his newspaper.
“It’s been going well. Ever since last month’s fashion show, we’ve been getting more and more orders. Claire and I are thinking of potentially expanding by the end of the year.”
“Mhm.”
I sighed to myself.
Why did I even bother replying?
The mighty Gregory McCowen was never interested in those who pursued the creative path. He only batted an eye towards those who took the law stream. That’s why he only ever really supported Esther since she became a lawyer. She became even more of dad’s favorite when she married Archer.
Before dad could criticize my response, there was a knock on the door and mom went to quickly answer.
“Hey, mom, sorry we’re late. Traffic was terrible and Olivia refused to leave the house unless she was wearing Esther’sfavorite scarf.”
That husky voice followed by a soft chuckle only belonged to one person.
Archer Killian.
It was HIM.
***
Hey everyone!
This is my first story and I’m so excited to start this journey with all of you.
Please recommend my book to anyone who might be interested!
