Chapter 25 #3
“Okay. I support it,” she told us before opening up the door. “The meeting starts in one minute.”
Bringing the back of my hand to his lips, he kissed it. “You okay?” he asked.
I nodded before I peeked up at him.
The feeling that spread over me as our eyes connected forced me onto my toes. He wrapped his arms around me as I pressed my lips against his.
“Now I’m okay,” I breathed.
“I made reservations for us to go to dinner tonight at seven.” He dipped his head and put his mouth against the shell of my ear. “And then I’m taking you home to have you for dessert.”
I giggled, leaning into him. “I look forward to it.”
He motioned toward the door with his head. “You head out first. I’ll be right behind you.”
I walked across the room and before I left, I glanced over at him. “Russ?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
His eyes bore into me. His chest rose and then fell as if he weren’t just hearing me and seeing me—he was breathing me in. “I love you, too.”
I got butterflies.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I tried to tone down my smile before I returned to the conference room. I didn’t want to look too happy—even though I was elated. Slowing my pace, I rolled my shoulders back and entered the completely packed space.
“Where the hell have you been?” Jacqueline asked, peering over Taisha to glare at me. “I have so many questions for you.”
“After the meeting,” I told her.
Russ walked in and took his place at the head of the table. “We have a lot to discuss today. But I have a meeting in twenty minutes so we’re going to go ahead and get started.”
He flashed his perfect smile around the room as we quieted and waited for what he was going to say. “Honesty and transparency are important, and there are a few things I’ve been keeping close to the chest.”
“Like Nina, apparently,” Jacqueline muttered under her breath.
I ignored her.
“I never wanted to wear the same thing as everybody else,” Russ started.
“I didn’t just want to follow the trends; I wanted to set them.
I wanted to design them. So, I started designing T-shirts.
People kept asking me where I got them, so I created Real Life Fashions.
I was doing T-shirts, sweats, and hoodies and selling them on campus at Hamilton University.
I started making real money with it by my senior year.
As my style evolved, so did my vision for RLF.
I’ve always wanted a successful business.
But this year has blown my mind. Fashion Week was never a dream of mine.
Fashion Week was my sister’s dream for me.
And what we did on that stage set the bar high.
What we do here every day sets the bar high.
I can’t thank you enough because this wasn’t just me—this was all of us.
We don’t follow the trends. We set the trends. ”
Everyone clapped and cheered wildly.
“First,” he continued, “Remedy and I had a meeting with the buyer for the largest department store in the country on Tuesday morning. They were impressed with the show, and they are interested in bringing the spring-summer line to their stores!”
I gasped.
He’d told me that the meeting had gone well, but he buried the lead of how well it went. Everyone started talking excitedly.
Russ waited until the room quieted before he continued.
“Second, I typically keep my business separate from my personal life.” He turned his attention to me, staring at me from across the room.
“But my personal life now includes a woman, my woman, and our relationship is extremely important to me. I’ve held her in high regard since I met her, and she’s inspired me in so many ways over the last few months.
” He stroked his beard and then took a step forward.
“So, I was caught off guard when Remedy and Lori added a fifth model for us in August and it was Nina… the woman I’d fallen in love with back in June. ”
A wave of shocked reactions, mumbled catcalls, and complete confusion swept over the room as they looked between the two of us frantically.
“Which brings me to my third announcement.” He looked around the room and then gestured for his sister to stand.
“Remedy Rose knocked the ball out of the park yesterday. She has been so instrumental in the successes we’ve seen.
I created RLF, but Remedy has been the driving force behind taking it to the next level.
I got into this because of my love of design.
When Remedy finished her master’s program, she came to me with a business plan.
This wasn’t a sister asking her brother for a job.
This was a businesswoman with a plan to take the company to the next level.
And for that reason, I’ve always said Real Life Fashions wouldn’t be where it is today without her. ”
Everyone in the room clapped. It was a beautiful show of love and respect.
Remedy walked to the head of the conference room table and hugged Russ, which just made us cheer louder.
He whispered something to her, and her face stilled before she nodded.
Her eyes were wide, as if whatever he said stunned her.
He took a step back and clapped with everyone else. When he stopped, so did we.
“With that being said, I love RLF, and I’d do anything for it. I love Nina and I’d do anything for her. I love my sister and I am honored to announce that effective immediately, Remedy will be acting CEO. I’m stepping down as CEO of Real Life Fashions.”