I Watched My Mother Kneel For His Family, Then I Ended His Chapter 09

I Watched My Mother Kneel For His Family, Then I Ended His Chapter 09

On the day of Fashion Week, my booth was situated right in the middle of the independent designer pavilion.

It was just over a hundred square feet-not huge -with a single display wall featuring six ready-to-wear

outfits and three concept pieces.

Yet from the very beginning, my booth was crowded without interruption.

The visitors weren’t just buyers.

There were fashion magazine editors, a few influencers, and two individuals whose names I didn’t recognize, though Celia mentioned they were regional heads for major luxury brands.

They examined the fabrics, felt the tailoring, and snapped photos.

Some even asked if they could place orders on the spot.

At three in the afternoon, a middle-aged woman in a gray trench coat stood before my booth for a long time.

She looked through every piece, occasionally turning the lining over to inspect the stitching.

After observing for about ten minutes, she walked up to me.

“Hello, I’m Cynthia Vale from Velvet Holdings.”

Velvet Holdings.

One of the top three womenswear conglomerates in the country.

“We’re currently looking to collaborate with independent designers for a signature line. Would you be

interested in talking?”

My heart skipped a beat.

I didn’t let it show on my face.

“Sure. When would work for you?”

“How about tomorrow? My assistant will send you the location.”

She handed me her business card and left.

Celía popped up beside me, her eyes lit with excitement.

“Velvet Holdings? Elva, do you have any idea how massive they are? Guzman Group doesn’t even come close

to a fraction of their scale,”

“I know.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes, but I trust my work.”

The meeting the next day went exceptionally smoothly.

After reviewing my full design book, Cynthia committed to the collaboration immediately.

For the first capsule collaboration-twelve-designs-Velvet Holdings would handle production and distribution channels, while I retained full copyright and received a percentage of net sales.

Celia reviewed every single contract clause for me. The deal was miles ahead of what I’d ever been offered at

Guzman Group.

On the day of the signing, I stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows at Velvet Holdings’ headquarters,

watching the traffic flow through the city streets below.

Celia stood beside me, nudging my arm with her elbow. “Well, Ms. Holden, you’ve officially taken off.”

I let out a soft smile and said nothing.

My mind was already on something else.

Guzman Group’s three-month licensing grace period was coming to an end.

They hadn’t found a design team capable of replacing me.

According to Bethel, the new design director Guzman Group brought in submitted two rounds of proposals, both of which were completely rejected by the marketing department.

Sales for the “Elva” Collection had been sliding for two consecutive months, and partner renewal rates had

dropped sixty percent.

Rowley reached out through several intermediaries to contact Celia, desperate to negotiate an extension for

the licenses.

Every time, Celia gave the same response. “Ms. Holden currently hàs no plans to negotiate.”

The day the three-month period expired, the authorization terminated automatically.

Guzman Group’s “Elva” Collection officially became history.