005 — THE FASHION SHOW

ATHENA

THREE YEARS LATER…

"Boss, the event is set to start in the next two hours. We don't have much time. The models are already on standby."

I wring my hands over and over, suddenly overcome with mind-numbing nervousness.

I left the NightHunters pack with my surviving babies, my best friend and not a single cent to my name three years ago. Six months of suffering and struggling later, I was finally able to start my own small beauty and fashion designing business.

Now, three years down the line, I've grown Athena's Beauty World to a registered company and today, we're hosting our first ever runway fashion show.

I'm nowhere near where I desire to be yet, but this is a good start.

But unfortunately, we have one teeny tiny problem.

"Have we been able to find a sponsor yet?" I ask my best friend for the umpteenth time.

"No, Chipmunk." Jasmine replies, her voice laced with disappointment. "The sponsors who've indicated interest are not ready to pay five thousand dollars an hour for a six-hour fashion show."

I press my fingers against my eyes and take deep, calming breaths. 

How did I get myself into this situation?

I've been planning this fashion show for years. My vision is to make it the grandest, most talked about fashion show in New York City.

But my only problem is funding. 

I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars just to pay the models, pay members of the team and also get the dresses ready. Everything on my checklist has been checked… except the venue for the show. 

My plan was to host it at New York's International Entertainment Centre but after making a down payment, the board decided to increase the rent from two  thousand dollars per hour to five thousand dollars per hour… which I honestly cannot afford right now. 

Despite all my pleadings and arguments, they were quite adamant on maintaining the new price. 

Jasmine came up with the idea of going on social media to canvas for last minute sponsors. It sounded a bit far-fetched but we decided to give it a try. 

So far, the search hasn't yielded any fruit. 

"Boss, we only have an hour till showtime."

Now, I really begin to panic.

"What are we gonna do, boss?" Mae, my secretary, asks worriedly. "The tickets for this show already sold out months ago and we haven't published any notice of postponement."

I open my mouth to speak but just then, an excited squeal pierces the air, stunning me to silence. 

"OhmyGod, Athena! We found a sponsor!!!"

My heart lurches in my chest and my eyes widen with shocked happiness as I hurry over to Jasmine.

"Are you sure? Who is it?" 

I'm so excited, I can barely stand still.

"It says here that he wants to remain anonymous. However, according to his portfolio, he's a multi-billionaire and businessman based in Arizona. And guess what?" She asks excitedly.

I'm literally trembling at this point. 

"What? What? What?!!"

"Not only is he willing to pay thirty thousand dollars for the show's location today, he's also willing to invest in our company to the tune of ten million dollars!"

Numbness. That's the first thing I feel. I'm totally numb with shock.

Ever since I started my business, it's been difficult to find people who want to invest in the company because it's relatively new and owned by a woman. Now, this… this is a miracle.

"This is the answer to all my prayers." I whisper as I lean against the nearest desk. "I can't believe it."

"You better believe it, bestie, because whoever this man is, he means business. 

He has a secretary here in New York who will bring over the contract for you to sign in the next ten minutes if you agree to his proposal. So, do you agree?" 

I don't know why but suddenly, a tiny sense of dread settles deep in my stomach. My smile dims by a few hundred watts.

"Jasmine, I just realised that we don't know who this man is. What if…"

She places a hand on my shoulder, effectively cutting me off.

"Chipmunk, we've got thirty minutes until the show is set to start and the halls haven't even been decorated yet. If you're accepting this offer, now will be a good time to say yes."

I take a deep breath and decide to ignore the part of me that says I might be making the worst mistake of my life. 

"I don't have a choice, do I? Yes, I accept."

"Yippee!!" Jasmine squeals and clicks the "accept offer" button.

Strangely, two seconds after she clicks the button, my phone rings. I whip it out of my pocket and frown at the caller ID. It's an unknown number. 

"Hello?"

A clipped female voice replies,

"Hello, am I speaking to Miss Athena?"

Confused, I reply; "Uh… yes, you are. Who is this?"

"My name is Davina PrinceWill and I've been asked by my boss to contact you concerning a ten million dollar partnership contract which you just accepted."

I blink in shock. "Hold on, that was quick. How…?"

"Miss Athena, I understand that your fashion show is set to start less than thirty minutes from now so there's no time for questions." She cuts in. "I'll be at your location with the relevant documents and a set-up team in the next five minutes. See you soon."

Before I can utter a single word, the line goes dead.

Jasmine scurries to my side. "Why do you look so confused? Who was that?"

I turn to her, still reeling with shock and confusion.

"She's coming with a set-up team. What does that even mean…?"

***

True to Davina's words, exactly five minutes and not a second later, a convoy of black, sleek, tinted and no- doubt expensive cars drive into the premises. 

My stomach twists with nervousness. It's like watching the arrival of a president. Why do they need so many cars? 

My employees and I watch with varying degrees of confusion on our faces as a uniformed chauffeur opens the door of the backseat of the first car and a petite, dark-haired woman dressed in a suit that probably costs a million pounds climbs down and walks towards us.

"Miss Athena, am I right?" She asks, stretching her hands towards me.

I return her handshake firmly. 

"How did you know it was me?"

She shrugs.

"I did my research. Your company seems very promising."

Ten minutes later, the contract documents are spread before me and I'm about to scribble my signature when I feel that dread in my stomach once again. 

I hesitate. Is the goddess trying to warn me about something?  

"Miss, you need to sign now if you want to get the decorations done on time." Davina urges me.

I snap out of my reverie, ignore the voices in my head that scream at me that this is a horrible idea, and scribble my name across the dotted lines. 

Once I'm done, Davina picks up her phone and makes a call.

"Hello, this is Davina PrinceWill. Am I speaking to the Chairman of the NewYork Entertainment Centre?"

Wait, what? She has the Chairman's number?

"I have just paid thirty thousand dollars for the use of the Entertainment Centre for the next six hours. I need the doors to be opened immediately so my team can get to work."

Without waiting for his response, she ends the call and turns to me with a bright smile.

"That will be all, Miss Athena. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait!" I call out desperately. "I have questions. You keep mentioning a team. What team?"

A strange emotion crosses her eyes but it's gone before I can figure out what it is;

"My boss is well aware that you're pressed on time and your small team, no offence, would not be able to get the hall ready on time. So he sent a team of professional event decorators to help."

I blink in surprise. "What? Why would he do that?" 

She shrugs. "You're partners now. The success of this fashion show will also affect his profit. He needs everything to go perfectly."

"Oh." I breathe a sigh of relief. He's just concerned with his profits. That makes sense… right?

I look up once more. 

"Who's your boss? I read that he's a famous business man."

Davina's lips lift in a smile.

"Luckily for you, he'll be flying into New York from Arizona today before the end of the fashion show. You'll get to meet him then…"

My insides suddenly twist with anticipation. 

I can't wait to meet the mystery billionaire who may have just saved a stranger's business and her life in general…