Chapter 3 – A little Hope
It had been three months since that night. Amelia barely remembered anything from it, except for the strange flashes she sometimes got when she tried to fall asleep. She'd get flashes of blurred lights, a man's shadow, the sound of someone laughing then nothing, no matter how hard she tried to piece it together, her memory betrayed her so she stopped trying.
Instead, she poured everything into her sketches, her fabrics, her little fashion page online. It wasn't much, but it was something to her.
That morning, she uploaded a new design, a simple yet elegant silk dress with pearl details at the sleeves.She stared at the screen, waiting but nothing came up, she even refreshed it but it was still at zero likes, she fresh again yet nothing new but by the fifth time she checked she was beyond disappointed.
"Maybe Father was right," she muttered under her breath, tossing her phone onto the couch. "Maybe I'm just wasting my life."
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, fighting the pain in her eyes, just then her phone buzzed but she ignored it until it buzzed multiple times, she sat up quickly and snatched it.
It was a comment from Maya Casterton A fashion icon, celebrity, and adored by millions. Amelia's hand shook as she read the words.
"How much? I need this dress immediately."
Amelia was surprised for a moment, her head spun with disbelief. "She actually commented…" she whispered, her lips trembling with excitement.
Before she could even type a reply, another notification popped up.
It was a comment from Clara Evans Maya's longtime rival in the industry.
"Don't even bother, Maya. I'll pay double for it."
Amelia's jaw dropped, she scrolled through the flood of notifications. People were sharing the post, tagging each other, laughing, screaming in the comments.
"Are you seeing this?" "Omg two icons fighting over this design??" "This Amelia girl must be blessed."
Oh my God Maya wants it!
That dress is hers already, no doubt.
Poor designer, she'll sell it cheap just to say Maya wore her work.
Designer war incoming!
This dress must be worth millions if they're fighting over it.
Clara's being petty, but I like it.
The view count was climbing faster than Amelia's eyes could keep up, first was ten thousand it rose to fifty thousand until it reached a million views.
Her phone vibrated nonstop, then Maya commented again.
"2 million dollars. I'll take it."
The comment section exploded, People were calling Maya insane, some were praising her wealth. Amelia stared at her phone, frozen.
What?! Two million for this?
Maya is savage, she won't lose.
That designer must be crying tears of joy right now.
"Two… million?" she whispered, her design was worth maybe a thousand at best not this!! Never this.
Within seconds, the story hit the trending list. People were tagging blogs, gossip sites, fashion critics. Amelia's phone buzzed nonstop.
Her chest thudded so hard she thought she might faint.
Almost in a daze, her fingers typed out a shaky reply.
"It's a deal."
She pressed send before she could change her mind, her body trembled because did she just agree to sell her design for two million dollars?
Within seconds, the story hit the trending list. People were tagging blogs, gossip sites, fashion critics. Amelia's phone buzzed nonstop.
For a long moment, Amelia just sat there, staring at her phone screen as though she had slipped into some kind of dream. She felt small, dizzy, yet alive for the first time in months.
She clutched the phone to her chest, whispering to herself, "Maybe… maybe I'm not worthless after all."
But then her notification pinged again. This time, it was a private message.
She opened it with shaky hands.
It was from Maya
"Tuesday. 11am. Lancaster estate. Bring your sketches and we'll do the measurements there."
Amelia's head spun. She read the message again, and again. Maya didn't just want the design. She wanted her! ...Her work...Her presence.
For the first time in months, Amelia smiled. But she had no idea this single deal was about to change everything.
Maya was still glued to her phone, a sly smile tugging at her lips as the comments kept rolling in online. Her name was everywhere, trending again, like always. But this time it wasn't because of a photoshoot or an event, it was because of a random girl's cheap fashion design.
She stood in the wide hallway of their mansion, Just as her mother stormed in.
"Maya! Don't tell me it's true what I just saw online. You really threw away two million dollars on some ragged design?"
Maya didn't even flinch, she was expecting it she quietly tucked her phone away "Relax, Mother. Do you really think I'd waste my money on that… cheap dress?"
Her mother's brows furrowed, she was clearly confused.
"Then what nonsense is this? The whole world is talking about you buying a dress that doesn't even deserve to be displayed in a street boutique. You've made us look ridiculous."
Maya leaned lazily against the wall
"I never wanted the dress. Ryan told me to take it on his behalf. He said he'd pay."
The hall went dead silent. Her mother's eyes widened, her lips parting in shock as if Maya had just confessed a crime.
"Ryan? Your brother? Why would Ryan Carter with all the options in the world waste his time on something so… cheap? What exactly does he see in that armature's design?"
Maya let out a small laugh, enjoying the look of confusion spreading across her mother's face. Then, she leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice but making sure it was loud and clear.
"Maybe because that amateur happens to be his wife."
"What… did you just say?"
"You heard me, Mother. She's his wife. Your precious son already tied the knot, that little designer girl you look down on — she's your daughter-in-law."
The older woman's face drained of color. She took a step back, clutching her chest as if the words had physically struck her.
"Impossible. When? How? Ryan would never— without telling me, without telling his father…"
But Maya only shrugged.
"Believe it or not, Mother, that's the truth".
Her mother's shock quickly morphed into fury, she stormed down the hall, muttering under her breath.
"Unbelievable. Absolutely unacceptable… He married behind our backs? Without this family's blessing? His father will put an end to this nonsense."
Maya stayed behind, her smirk widening as she returned back to the trending gossips.
Yrrd