Chapter 2
LIANA
“The rest of the samples came in for the spring and summer bridal collection,” Alessia says, drawing my attention from my iPad.
I’ve known Alessia since she was a freshman at Centennial University when she came into my store asking if I was hiring.
I wasn’t at the time, but because of her interest in fashion, we’ve kept in contact, and when I decided to outsource some help with the bridal line of my company, she was at the top of my list of applicants.
She’s been interning for me since last fall when she started her senior year, and she’s truly been a godsend.
Her attention to detail, love for fashion, and insane organizational skills have been so helpful with everything I have going on, and since I’ve known her for a few years, the trust was already there.
It worked out perfectly since my cousin will be taking time off to welcome her new baby into the world.
“Oooh, let me see!” Izzy exclaims, pushing her very pregnant body up from her desk. “I’ve been dying to see the changes we made to the ones with the beading. It was too much on those designs, so I think the new embellishment will be perfect.”
My cousin has been working with me on our bridal line for over a year now. She, too, was a godsend, because with all the different clothing lines I have going on, starting my bridal line quickly became too much for me to handle on my own.
Izzy has always loved fashion as much as I do, especially bridal, so asking her to partner with me on this line was a no-brainer. We work so well together, and I’m not sure where I’d be if it weren’t for her.
Standing from my desk, I walk around to Alessia who’s just pushed a rack of five sample gowns into my office.
“Hopefully, these all turned out perfectly. If so, we’ll finally have our completed line of twenty gowns for our spring and summer collection,” I say.
We’re running extremely behind schedule with the alterations we had to make to these last five dresses, but if everything’s perfect now, we can get them added to the lineup right away.
Izzy and I run through the samples, meticulously going over every detail we sent back to the manufacturer.
Running my hands over the delicate beading on the bodice of the mermaid gown, I inspect it thoroughly. “I’m still not one hundred percent sold on this beading. It’s too—”
“Cheap looking?” Izzy says.
“Yes. Our brides expect high-end pieces from us, and this embellishment doesn’t exactly scream that.”
“What is going on with the manufacturer? They’re usually so on top of things, but this is … this is just not it,” she says.
I run my fingers over the loose beading. Little pieces of thread poke out in random places, and the way the light reflects off the beading makes it look like … plastic.
“This is extremely frustrating. This manufacturer is supposed to be one of the best in Milan,” I say.
“Do you think we need to find a new one?” Izzy asks.
I let out a long sigh while I consider our timeline.
We’re already behind schedule, but this is the benefit of only offering our dresses in my boutique versus to buyers of other stores.
It doesn’t confine us to adhering to the typical timeline of the bridal industry.
The other dresses are fine, so if we can find a new manufacturer that’s able to do these intricate embellishment designs, we can still put the majority of the collection on the floor, then add these additional five pieces once we’ve found a new manufacturer that’s able to meet our quality needs.
It just needs to be in time for the bridal event we have scheduled in a couple of months.
“This could turn out to be a huge setback in our line, but I think we need to take a chance,” I say.
“Alessia, I don’t want these dresses on the floor.
If any brides are looking for embellishment, show them what we have from the collection, and if they’re looking for something more detailed, let them know we will have some more selections in the next couple of months. ”
Alessia nods. “Got it.”
“Do you have any other manufacturers in mind,” Izzy asks.
“Sicily has a few I think we should look into. Everyone uses the ones in Milan, but maybe that’s where we went wrong.
They’re probably slammed with production right now and aren’t giving each one the attention to detail they should be.
Cutting corners where they shouldn’t be.
The detail in these designs might be a little too intricate for them to handle. ”
“I’ll do some research and get a list together to review,” Izzy says, making her way back to her desk.
“Alessia, let’s work on dressing eight of the mannequins with our top contenders in a variety of silhouettes, and then move the rest of the collection to the spring and summer bay. That way brides can start shopping.”
When she doesn’t respond, I glance up at her. She seems to be deep in thought while anxiously tapping her stylus on the side of her iPad.
I glance over at Izzy who’s sitting behind her desk with a crinkle in her brow when she notices Alessia’s distraction.
“Alessia,” I say, but that doesn’t seem to break the stupor she’s in.
“Alessia,” I repeat, with more urgency.
She startles as if I’ve just woken her up from some nightmare. “What? Oh, yes, of course. I’ll work on the mannequins now.”
Placing a hand on the rack, Alessia goes to roll it out of my office, but I stop her. “Wait a second.”
She looks up at me, and I peer straight into her glossed-over eyes.
“Is everything okay, Alessia?”
She smiles and gives me a nod, brushing a loose dark strand behind her ear. “Yes, of course.” But I can see right through that.
“Let me rephrase—what’s wrong?” Before she can answer, I hold up a finger. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing. We’ve known each other for a while now, so I know when something’s up.”
Alessia looks between Izzy and me, and just when I think she’s going to try and pretend like nothing is bothering her, her shoulders round forward and her smile falls to a frown.
“It’s just …”
She doesn’t offer more as she drops her gaze to the floor.
“Are things okay with your boyfriend?” Izzy asks, trying to coax something out of her.
Alessia snaps her head back up with widened eyes and says, “Yes, it’s not Colton at all.” She bites her lip. “Well, kind of.”
I quirk a brow, then gesture to Izzy’s desk. “Why don’t we sit down, and you can tell us what’s going on?”
Alessia nods, and we take a seat in the two chairs across from Izzy.
After setting her iPad in her lap, Alessia fidgets with her fingers as if she’s worried about telling us something.
“This is a safe space, Alessia. You know you’ve always been able to speak with me and Izzy about anything.”
Her big hazel eyes soften a bit, and she gives me a nod. “I know, I just … I’ve been trying to figure this out on my own and not bring this stupid drama to work, but … things have been rough with my dad lately.”
Alessia’s dad is Tommaso Caruso, one of the Bonetti family’s capos, and from what I’ve heard, one of the best.
“I recently found out he’s been lending Colton’s dad money, feeding into his gambling addiction.”
My gaze snaps to Izzy, who’s already staring back at me with a concerned look on her face.
“His dad’s gambling has gotten so bad that he now owes a million dollars to my dad.”
“Oh no,” I breathe out.
“Yeah, and to make things worse, his dad has spent all of the money Colton’s made from playing football at CU, so now not only does Colton have a drained savings account, but he can’t even help pay off his dad’s debt.
I tried talking to my dad about it, begging him to erase the debt or even take money out of my trust fund to pay it off for him, but he refuses. ”
“Why does it matter how he gets the money? If you’re willing to pay for it, shouldn’t that be sufficient enough?” I ask.
She throws her hands in the air, nearly knocking her iPad off her lap.
“That’s what I thought, but my dad is being a complete asshole and refusing to let me help Colton.
And to top it off, he’s been throwing around the idea of using Colton to throw games and mess with his stats once he’s in the NFL so he can win bets.
It’s like he’s enjoying the idea of toying with him. It makes me sick.”
“Oh no,” I repeat.
Alessia told me about her dad’s disapproval of her dating Colton when they first got together, but I assumed he’d gotten over it since they’ve been happily dating ever since. I’m kind of surprised to hear all of this.
“Yeah, so I have no idea what to do, but basically, I’m in a shitty situation, and I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”
“Oh, gosh, Alessia, I’m so sorry,” I say, even though my words won’t help a bit.
We’re quiet for a few moments, the weight of Alessia’s problems heavy in the air.
“I just don’t know what else I can possibly do,” she says, defeat taking over her tone.
“Playing in the NFL is Colton’s dream. It’s everything he’s been working his entire life to do, and now my dad wants to control him?
He entered the draft this year, but if my dad follows through with his threat to start using him to throw games, he’ll never have the career he’s worked so hard to have. ”
Izzy looks at Alessia with somber eyes, like she wants to help but isn’t sure how to.
I see a lot of myself in Alessia. She’s a hard worker, and I can tell just how much this helplessness is affecting her. If someone I loved was in a situation like Colton’s and I couldn’t do anything about it, I’d feel awful. It makes me want to help her.
“What if there’s something I can do?” I say to Alessia, which draws her and Izzy’s attention my way.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“Yeah,” Izzy says, sitting taller in her seat. “What do you mean?”
I shrug. “What if I talk to Tomasso? See if there’s anything I can offer him in exchange for leaving Colton and his dad alone?”
Alessia shakes her head. “Oh, no, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s the best idea, Liana,” Izzy says, her eyes narrowing on me. I might be a few months older than her, but she’s making me feel like an adolescent under her disapproving glare.
Ignoring her, I turn my attention back to Alessia. “You’re not asking, I’m offering. Let me help you. I want to help you.”
Alessia looks between me and Izzy, who does her best to give her an encouraging smile, even though I know inside she’s completely questioning what I’m doing.
“I don’t know, Liana,” Alessia says. “I don’t think there’s anything anyone could offer him at this point, and I don’t want you getting in the middle. My dad can be an ass sometimes.”
“I’ve dealt with plenty of asses in my life. Plus, I’m a fantastic negotiator. How do you think I get my clothes down to such an insanely low manufacturing cost?”
Alessia looks between Izzy and me again, and Izzy says, “It’s true. This woman has been a wizard on the phone with our contacts in Milan. It’s scary.”
Bringing her attention back to me, Alessia says, “Okay, I really appreciate it, you have no idea. But whatever the cost is, Colton and I will pay you back.”
“We’ll worry about the logistics after I speak with your dad.” Picking up my phone, I unlock it, then hand it to Alessia. “Put his number in, and I’ll make contact with him soon.”
I can sense the reluctancy in her, but she lets out a breath and types on my phone, then hands it back to me.
“Thank you so much, Liana. Ever since I lost my mom, things haven’t been the greatest at home.
My dad can be decent sometimes, but there’s nothing like a maternal figure in your life.
I know you’re not much older than me, but you’ve really become that person for me—more like a big sister—and I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. ”
Her words bring a smile to my face. Alessia might act like she has a hard exterior, but deep down, she’s nothing but a sweetheart who’s in love with a boy and stuck with a father who doesn’t care.
I know what I have to do. Alessia needs someone to stick up for her, and I’m going to be that person.