Chapter 32 #2
Gabe, the guy with dark hair, steps back. “A true badass.”
“Livianna’s the important one here.” I nod once. “If you have management, please tell us where we can reach them. If the time comes, and Livianna wants to move forward, we’ll be in touch.”
Gabe reads the room faster than his friend. He presses a hand to Caleb’s shoulder and tips his chin toward the far end of the exhibit hall.
“Of course. We’ll send our representation over.” He steers Caleb away before he can say another word, and just like that, they’re gone.
Good.
Livianna stares at the space they vacated, then pivots to face me. She taps her foot twice against the floor, and her eyes find mine with the precision of someone who wants answers.
“Why would you be so cold to people who want to wear my brand? They were gorgeous and would be stunning for a photoshoot.”
I turn toward the far corridor and gesture for her to follow. “The back section has opened up. You’ll want to get in before the appointments stack up.”
Her footsteps fall in beside mine, but the topic does not. “You didn’t answer me.”
“No, I didn’t.” I glance sideways at her. “Are Gabe and Caleb men you would want to represent Lelahni Rose Designs?”
“Maybe.”
“Then make an appointment once their agent calls.”
She stops. “Why do I get the feeling that’s a bad idea?”
I face her. “There are many people here who aren’t actually who they pretend to be. They want the best deal and the quickest way up the ladder. If they’re legitimate, let them work for your attention. You deserve the best, and they need to know it.”
“And they’re not the best?” Her expression is genuine curiosity. “How do I know who is?”
“You trust your heart.” I stare into her baby blues, saying one thing and meaning something different.
Her smile grows as she considers that. “Now that’s something I can do.”
“Perfect.” I check my watch, trying to focus on fashion. “The new mentees from The Vault heard I was in Paris and put together a gathering at the office at noon. I told Natalie I’d go.”
Livianna’s face lights up. “Can I go with you? I’d love to see where Lehlani Rose Designs got its start.”
“You have three more hours of exhibitions.”
“I know, but I’d rather go with you. It’s important to me.”
That’s all it takes. My heart does what it has been doing since the plane, which is operate at a frequency I have no good use for and no intention of naming out loud.
“Then we should go.” I gesture toward the exit. “There’s nothing like going back to where it all began.”
We leave, taking a taxi to CVI. The car moves through the arrondissement, and Livianna sits close enough that I am aware of every shift in her posture. Paris slides past the window in limestone and iron.
“It’s beautiful here.” She keeps her gaze on the glass. “I kind of feel like I’m home. Isn’t that strange?”
“No.” I rest my arm along the back of the seat. “Paris was the beginning for you. In a way, being here is like coming home. Your business started here, and your life took on a much different look than you had in the States.”
“How so?”
“You were taught different lessons here. You became a different version of yourself from what you were as a teenager.”
“I can see that.” She turns her head and seems to consider that. “Which version of yourself did Paris teach you?”
My heavy stare connects with hers. “The one that knows the difference between what he wants and what he can have.”
She goes quiet after that, which tells me the answer landed somewhere it was meant to.
The car stops in front of the CVI building, and she steps out before I reach her. She stands on the pavement and goes still, her gaze climbing the building one floor at a time.
I can only hope she’s threading some of her memories together so they can surface. I give her the full moment without rushing it.
“Wow, Jaxon. This is incredible.”
“Shall we?”
She glances at me with a smile from ear to ear. “Absolutely. I’m so excited I can barely breathe right.”
Inside, she stays half a step behind me and scans everything from the lobby layout to the light fixtures.
“I know this place.” Her palm sits on her heart. “It’s familiar.”
“You spent over two years here.” I stop beside her. “You completed your official mentorship, and then we started a new one. You rented an office within CVI.”
“Why?”
“You wanted to have every aspect of your brand built before you moved back to the States. And you were working to…”
She scrolls over my face. “Working to what?”
“Your relationship with your parents was strained after you named your company Lehlani Rose Designs. You were determined to prove to them that you knew what you were doing. You decided not to go back to the States until you were ready.”
“That sounds like me.” Her breath releases slowly. “Well, let’s get you to this gathering before I cause you to be late.”
The meet-and-greet runs for forty minutes. I speak for twelve of them and spend the rest of the time working the room, answering questions, shaking hands, and doing the part of this that requires presence rather than strategy.
Livianna stays near the windows. Every time I glance across the room, she’s watching me with an expression I can’t fully categorize from a distance.
It’s not admiration, though that’s threaded through it. It’s closer to the look she gets when a fabric sample surprises her, when the texture turns out to be something richer than the label promised.
When the room finally clears, I cross to where she’s waiting. She kicks off the window ledge.
She tilts her head. “You’re different with them.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“Softer.” A smile pulls at the corners of her mouth. “Don’t worry. You hold the room as the leader, but you’re very open with them. It’s nice to see you not so…guarded.”
I consider that for a beat before I answer. “Because mentees need that.”
Her expression shifts into genuine curiosity. “Why?”
“Because they’re at the beginning.” I turn toward the corridor, and she falls into step beside me. “Everything is still possible at the start.”
She’s quiet for a few strides, and then her shoulder grazes mine and she lets it stay there. “I think I was happy here. When I was a mentee, I think I was really happy.”
“You were.” My chest pulls tight. “We both were.”
She stops me by catching my elbow. “What do you mean, we both were?”