Chapter 29
LA FA?ON, MANHATTAN
‘Mr Manning.’
Luca turned around at Sybille’s address and watched her stride into the room, her iPad and newspapers in her hands. She looked better today, whatever had been worrying her yesterday perhaps resolved. Although her tone was indecipherable. He readied himself for a potential dressing down nonetheless.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘No,’ Sybille said tersely. ‘Everything is not OK.’
‘OK, so let’s talk and find out how we can change that,’ Luca said optimistically.
Sybille put down the newspapers and began spreading the pages open on the design desk. The iPad was next, icons pressed.
‘This is Mr Torres at his premiere last night,’ Sybille said, pointing to the sections in the press. Luca had to move closer to see.
‘What is he wearing?’ Luca asked the universe more than his boss. ‘Canary yellow is trending?’
‘No,’ Sybille said. ‘It is not. And… no front pages for him. Page four.’
‘Proof that he should have let La Facon dress him,’ Luca stated.
‘No,’ Sybille said. ‘However.’ She shuffled the pages around, pressed more icons on the iPad. ‘This is proof that he should have let Le Facon dress him.’
Luca looked at the photos Sybille was showing him.
Gabriella from last night on the Zeeta Friedmann show.
Even he had to inhale a little at the pictures.
She looked amazing. She was glowing. His vision that Errol had helped him create was as perfect an ensemble as anything he had made before.
The outfit was stunning in its composition, but, the most important thing about it, what really stood out, was the fact the dress showcased her.
It simply enhanced everything she already had, already was…
‘The first and largest photo in the style section of The New York Times, Mr Manning,’ Sybille informed him.
He couldn’t look away from the photograph of Gabriella.
It was like last night, in the studio, when the audience had been as transfixed on her as he was now.
But, he also knew that while this photo was being taken, she was trying not to let her pain show.
And that just added a whole other level to the depth of her.
‘You and Gabriella are mentioned in every single one of my go-to pages online. Every single one,’ Sybille stated. ‘That has not happened for me for a while.’
‘It’s good,’ Luca said, nodding.
‘It’s more than good, Luca. It’s much more than good and you should be proud of yourself,’ Sybille told him.
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
Sybille hit him on the arm with one of the papers. ‘So why do you look like someone who has just been told Santa Claus is not real?’
‘I… don’t know. The surprise, maybe?’
‘Don’t bullshit me, Luca. What’s going on?’
He sighed. Sybille was way too canny to accept anything but the truth in this situation. He took a breath. ‘My mind… it’s not entirely here,’ he said. ‘Someone attacked Errol last night.’
Sybille put her hands to her face in shock. ‘What happened?’
‘Someone tried to mug him. He took a beating and he ended up in hospital.’
‘That is terrible. These streets! First my home is broken into and now this.’
‘What?’ Luca said, a shiver running down his back. ‘What d’you mean, your home was broken into? When? What happened?’
‘Do not overreact,’ Sybille ordered. ‘This is why I did not tell you yesterday. The police came. Nothing of value was taken. They suspect it is just bored kids daring each other. When I was younger we used to… take things from washing lines or throw berries at windows.’
Luca frowned. ‘Even bored kids would do something or take something. Your computer? Cash? They didn’t take anything?’
‘Well, the lock was forced and there was a smashed glass but the only thing I could find that was missing was one of my umbrellas. But, you know, it is an umbrella. I could have easily left this somewhere the last time I used it.’
Now the shiver down his spine turned into a freezing chill.
An umbrella. He may not know 100 per cent about what had happened to Gabriella with the dress or Errol’s ‘incident’ but there was no doubt in his mind about this.
This was Ronnie, on his father’s payroll.
Scaring Sybille, his boss. Invading her home.
To get to Luca. Except Sybille hadn’t immediately shared the information, so had Gabriella and Errol been next steps?
‘Before you say anything,’ Sybille continued. ‘I have increased my security. I have new locks and I have installed an alarm that is already annoying me greatly.’
‘Good,’ he replied.
‘It is good that it annoys me?’
‘No, you know what I mean.’
‘OK, so let us put that out of our minds and instead place our focus on the next look for Miss Felix. I believe we do not have long.’
She was right. Here he needed to focus, keep his head and his job until he worked out what to do next.
‘We? You think I should have your help?’ Luca asked. ‘Because, Sybille, using Errol wasn’t about my capabilities. It was about thinking outside the box on this occasion and—’
She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
‘Relax, Mr Manning, I wish only to observe. I think you might be able to teach me a thing or two. What they say about old dogs and new tricks, I have never believed it.’ She smiled.
‘Now, let me make us some coffee and you can tell me how you plan to better all these mentions in the press with the next look.’
Sybille left the space and Luca took a breath.
As well as creating something special for Gabriella and keeping it under tight guard before her next event, he now had to make a decision about his father.
But he was concerned the only option he had left was to make the visit he had pledged never to undertake.
But when it came to the people he cared about, the people who knew nothing about the true murkiness of the Marcello business, he wasn’t willing to risk it.