Just outside the restaurant, a cab pulled up. Hannah stepped out into the crisp autumn night, shivering slightly as she checked her watch.
"Where is this girl?" she muttered.
"Hello! You ordered a Tiana?"
Tiana emerged from the next cab with a cheeky smile.
Hannah looked her up and down, impressed. Tiana wore a long black dress with a suede black cape draped over her shoulders. Her dark blue curls framed her face loosely.
"You dressed to slay, didn't you?"
"You think I'd fall behind you, my superstar model?" Tiana teased, looping her arm around her friend.
"Alright, my fashion designer."
They chuckled lightly, entering the restaurant together.
Despite her hectic schedule as an up-and-coming model, Hannah had always made time for Tiana. She never stopped cheering for her — even now, when the fashion world was just beginning to notice her best friend's light.
"Alright, fill me in on your project progress. Did he accept it?"
Hannah asked as they walked into the restaurant.
"Well, he did," Tiana replied, beaming. "But there were a few things he said I should revise before submitting the final version."
"Of course," she added playfully. "Can't exactly tell you about my blunders, though."
Hannah chuckled as they took their seats and a waiter arrived to take her order.
"Classic Tiana," she teased.
Tiana smiled, then quickly glanced away, her thoughts spinning.
"Well, if you ever found out about my seduction plan... you'd definitely die of secondhand embarrassment."
She masked the thought with a small sip from her glass.
*****************************************************
"What were you even saying? 'How's the empire?' Really, Tiana?"
Hannah chuckled, shaking her head.
Tiana groaned and dropped her forehead to the table. "Now he thinks I'm a reporter."
"Well, you kinda are," Hannah teased, sipping her iced coffee. "But a charming one... with a suspicious agenda at times."
"I was supposed to be seductive. Cool. Elegant…"
Her eyes widened. "Did I just say that out loud?"
Hannah arched a brow. "Go on. What are you hiding, Tia?"
"You didn't—"
Hannah froze, reading her guilty expression like a book.
"Tiana."
Just then, Tiana's gaze shifted across the restaurant—only to land directly on him.
Ethan. Calm, unreadable. His gaze locked briefly with hers.
"Someone tell me he didn't see me—please," she thought as she snapped her head away.
"Not only have I ghosted his email, but I still haven't sent that damn sketch!"
"Are you okay?"
Hannah glanced toward the direction Tiana had looked, confused.
The restaurant buzzed peacefully. No one seemed to be paying attention to them.
"I think I just lost my appetite. And my short-lived victory."
Tiana muttered, face still halfway buried in the table.
Hannah blinked. "Okay… what just happened? You were glowing five seconds ago."
*******
After the long, tense moment at the restaurant, Tiana waved at Hannah as she climbed into her cab.
"See you around..."
"Try not to look too depressing tomorrow or freak out once you see him," Hannah teased with a smirk.
"Or better yet, freeze up."
"Ha. Haha. Very funny..." Tiana said dryly as she turned to walk away.
"Anyway, take care. I'm sure it's not a big deal anyway. After all, he was there with his family too." Hannah said seriously, watching Tiana's gloomy retreat.
"Yeah, I'll try to keep positive... Anyway, I'll keep you posted."
With a last wave, Tiana headed down the walkway.
"If he dares reject all my work just because of this, he's definitely going to see the angry me..." she muttered, glancing back at the restaurant.
"Besides, Hannah's right. I'm human too. I need time."
"I mean, if a man like him has time to spend with his family, so do I."
Just then, she saw him exit the restaurant, surrounded by his family. But shockingly, their eyes met again.
"Please don't tell me he was actually looking at me?" she muttered, snapping her head away.
She glanced back quickly, but he wasn't looking anymore — his family's chatter fading into background noise in his focus.
"He was definitely looking for me!" she thought, immediately breaking into a hurried pace away.
"Brother, who are you looking at?" Linda teased, sticking her head out beside him.
"No one. I suggest you take your modeling career more seriously," he replied coolly, then walked toward his car.
"Alright dear, please be careful, okay?" Eve said, worry lacing her voice. "And please don't stress yourself too much."
"He's no longer a kid. Give him some room to breathe," Don Luke said quietly, watching as Ethan wound up the car window and drove off.
"Mother, can you tell him I'm not going into modeling? After all, I only plan on getting married — and not working. Besides, I plan on marrying a rich man," Linda pouted, shooting a glance at Ethan.
"Agreed," Evelyn nodded firmly.
"You're working, and that's final"
Before Linda could protest, Ethan's car sped off, leaving her bewildered.
"He's right. We don't raise lazy freeloaders to be wives, despite having money that could last six genetraions if not more than that." Aaliyah said sharply as she walked past, slipping into her waiting car.
"The nerve of those two, Mother!" Linda thought, grabbing her mother's arm in frustration.
"Grandma, and Grandpa must hear about this. Hmph!"
linda pouted.
"No kidding!"
Evelyn watched her driver pulled up.
Meanwhile, as Ethan's car sped past, Tiana watched, shocked by the sudden rush of wind.
"Is he racing someone or what?!" she wondered, squinting at the car disappearing down the street.
"That should be a straight-up ticket in his mailbox—after all, he's rich!" Tiana muttered angrily, the wind exposing her covered shoulder.
"Rich people are so problematic!" she sighed.
Then reality hit her like a train. Her Apple Watch buzzed with notifications, but she didn't even bother to look.
"Don't worry... I know I'm screwed!" she thought, exasperated.
*****
The next morning, the company buzzed with activity. Tiana was startled when someone spoke behind her.
"Tiana? The hell…" Tina blurted out, then quickly lowered her voice. "Oops, excuse my language… but why do you look like a walking corpse?"
Tiana forced a sweet smile. "Don't worry about me. Just… overworking, that's all."
She had indeed stayed up all night, anxiously glued to her screen, waiting for his reply email.
"That jerk… he probably hasn't slept either," she thought bitterly, stomping toward her workstation.
"Anyway, I might hear some feedback from Madison," she muttered, sitting down with a blank expression. "Hopefully."
"Hey, what are you doing? Is that the meeting room?" Jennifer asked, eyeing Tiana suspiciously.
"Shh, calm down," Tiana whispered. "It's tough staying up all night, you know."
Jennifer rolled her eyes as Tiana got up to head for the door.
"Talk about insensitive," Tiana thought bitterly.
"That sounds like your personal problem," Jennifer snapped as she walked out.
"As usual, mean," Tiana muttered, shooting a cold glance after her.
"To those who deserve it," Jennifer bit back without turning around.
"Right, but I never did anything wrong—except having my design chosen because it stood out!"
Tiana smiled to herself, thinking, "Take that, Ahh!"
Jennifer's voice cut through, dripping with sarcasm.
"You mean because of your looks?"
"That stung." Tiana thought as she shot Jennifer a cold glare.
"If it was for my appearance," she said smoothly, "trust me, sweetheart, I deserve way more than just being chosen for my design."
She beamed confidently before stepping into the meeting room.
"Another bullseye. Take that!" her thoughts screamed in victory as her heel click clacked off.