Chapter Two

The next day the morning sun streamed through the windows of Lila's luxurious BMW as she drove to the Sparkle Rose studio. The city was just waking up, the streets slowly filling with the hustle and bustle of another day. Lila, however, had been awake for hours, her mind filled with designs and ideas for Sparkle Rose.

As she walked into her studio, she was greeted by the familiar chaos of fabric swatches and sketches. She loved this place, it was where her creativity came alive. But lately, it had also become a battlefield where she fought to keep Sparkle Rose afloat.

She spent the morning engrossed in her designs. Each stroke of her pencil on the sketchpad was filled with determination. She experimented with different fabrics, textures, and colours, trying to create designs that were modern yet had a touch of Sparkle Rose's legacy.

Her assistant, Jane, walked in with a stack of papers - bills, supplier contracts, and whatnot. Lila sighed as she looked at them. The business side of fashion was something she had not been prepared for.

"Another shipment got delayed," Jane reported a worried look on her face. "And the sewing machine is acting up again."

Lila took a deep breath, pushing down the frustration that bubbled up. "We'll figure it out, Maya," she said, forcing a smile on her face.

Just as they were discussing how to handle these issues, Lila's phone rang. It was Victor Vane - a fellow designer who seemed to have made it his mission to make things difficult for Lila.

"I heard about your little troubles," Victor sneered over the phone. "It's not too late to sell Sparkle Rose to me."

Lila's grip tightened on the phone. "Sparkle Rose is not for sale," she replied firmly before hanging up.

**********

After hanging up on Victor, Lila felt a wave of frustration wash over her. She bowed her head, her mind filled with doubts and worries. But after a few minutes, she lifted her head, determination replacing the discouragement on her face. She laid her hand on some of her sketches, trying to understand why they weren't selling.

"Why don't people love these designs?" she muttered to herself, her fingers tracing the lines of a sketch. In a fit of frustration, she slammed her hand on the sketch, causing it to crumple under the force.

Deciding she needed a break, Lila headed out to a nearby coffee shop. The familiar smell of coffee and the soft hum of conversation helped soothe her frazzled nerves. As she sipped her coffee, she noticed a familiar face at the corner of the shop.

It was Maya Lee, her old friend from college. Maya was a journalist now, always chasing after the next big story. Her long, straight black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was dressed in colourful casual clothes that reflected her vibrant personality.

Lila approached Maya with a smile spreading across her face. "Maya? Is that you?" she asked.

Maya looked up from her laptop, surprise evident on her face. "Lila? Oh my god, it's been ages!" she exclaimed.

They both laughed as they hugged each other. It felt like a lifetime ago when they used to pull all-nighters for their college projects.

"Do you remember that time we tried to make a dress out of newspaper for our final project?" Lila asked, reminiscing about their college days.

Maya laughed. "How could I forget? We got an A for creativity but an F for practicality."

Their laughter filled the coffee shop, drowning out the noise around them. For the first time in a long while, Lila felt genuinely happy. 

For a moment Lila was really happy, laughing at her friend who had changed so fast from her tiny looks back in college to a bursty robust body shape. Suddenly Lila and Maya's laughter subsided, Maya looked at Lila with concern in her eyes. "You look tired, Lila," she said softly.

Lila sighed and nodded. "Yeah Girl.. It's been tough with Sparkle Rose, my fashion studio," she admitted.

What fashion studio? Maya asked 

"I run a fashion studio a few walks away from here "Sparkle Rose".

"Oh yeah?" Maya asked

Yeah, that's my studio" Llia said in a weak tone

"Wow girl!! You are a big thing now," Maya said, shaking her head and staring at Lila's face hoping to find a smile on her face but unfortunately, Lila wasn't willing to smile.

"What's wrong girl?" Maya asked with concern on her face as she looked at the window wanting to find Sparkle Rose Lila's fashion studio because Lila had said it was a few walks away.

"I am afraid I might go bankrupt due to the huge amount of tax I'm paying and still not making any sales" Lila lamented and was about bowing her head to the coffee shop table to shed some tears.

Maya reached across the table and squeezed Lila's hand reassuringly. "You're one of the most talented designers I know," she said earnestly. Look at you you've made it, look at your outfit this alone tells how much of a designer you are." "You'll figure it out dear."

And so they spent the next hour talking about everything - from their college days to their current lives. Maya shared stories about her adventures as a journalist while Lila sat before Maya weakly as she listened to the progress. Maya had made it so far in her career.

After talking for a while it was already three hours of these two talking and jesting about their lives, then Maya looked at her watch and saw the time was already past 4 pm so she packed her bag and held onto Lila arms as she said..

"Lila I think it's time for us to take our leave from here now we've really spent enough time together.

"Yes, girl I would love to catch up with you some other time," Lila said, holding her second hand to the hands Maya was holding and they hugged warmly.

As they were getting ready to leave, Maya turned to Lila with a serious expression on her face. "Lila," she said firmly, "Be strong girl, don't let the lack of sales you are battling with right now weigh you down."

Lila looked at Maya, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Maya," she said softly.

They hugged each other the second time tightly before parting ways. As Lila walked back to her studio, she felt a renewed sense of hope and determination. She was ready to face whatever challenges came her way.

Back at the studio, Lila looked at the crumpled sketch that had frustrated her earlier in the day. With a determined glint in her eyes, she smoothed out the paper and picked up her pencil, laid it on the paper and sighed deeply and she continued retracing the rumpled sketch.