It wasn't at first sight

Chapter 65

Almost one year later.

It's a Thursday evening when Hanna returns home to Rosewood after spending her day in New York. Since she opened both her new store and workshop there, she's been heading to the big city once a week, usually on Wednesdays, sometimes on Thursdays, to oversee operations, while spending the rest of the days in Rosewood, working at her store as usual, or even just from home.

The New York store has been a hit, just as Lucas had predicted. It came as a surprise initially because, contrary to their expectations, the mass-produced line outsold the exclusive designs line in New York, while in Rosewood, the exclusive designs remained highly desired, keeping the other line in second place. According to Lucas' customer behavior analysis, this was because Hanna's business faced much tougher competition in New York, with brands more firmly established in the fashion market, whereas in Rosewood, her exclusive designs faced little competition, already known for their high quality and favored by customers from nearby small towns, all willing to pay the higher prizes for the unique dresses.

The turning point came about four months ago when Jennifer Lawrence's stylist walked into Hanna's New York store and picked out a couple of dresses, leading to a surge in popularity after the actress wore one of Hanna's creations on the red carpet at an awards ceremony. Hanna was over the moon with excitement when she saw the actress wearing her dress. It was a major success for her career. Many people congratulated her on that milestone, and she's been contacted by several other talented stylists eager to collaborate with her. The publicity has also boosted sales of her exclusive line in the New York store, reaching unprecedented levels in the past few months. Even though she goes by Hanna Rivers now, when it comes to the fashion world, she's becoming more and more popular as Hanna Marin.

The new workflow designed by Lucas, where there are people to take care of every need of the growing business, such as human resources, accounting, administration, etc., has allowed Hanna to maintain a balanced life between her demanding career and her personal life. Sure, she's had some hectic days, but her life has changed drastically for the better. Hanna has rediscovered the joy that her job brought her in the beginning, before it turned into a constant nightmare of overwhelming tasks. Now, she spends most of her time designing and relishing in her accomplishments. And the best part? She gets to enjoy her evenings with her friends and family, especially with Caleb and Chocolate, of course. Her weekends are entirely hers again. She has time for her Pilates classes, and even though she's doing so well and doesn't need to see her therapist much often now, she still goes there for a session from time to time while in New York. Hanna's back in control of her life now.

Hanna "Hi, sweet giant baby bear of mine!" She excitedly greets Chocolate at the entrance of the house. She starts rubbing his belly while Chocolate lies down on his stomach, looking even more excited, wagging his tail non-stop. "I missed you today!"

She takes her time to pet Chocolate before heading for the living room, looking for Caleb.

Hanna "Where's your daddy, Chocolate?" She asks the dog after not finding Caleb there.

Chocolate trots over to Hanna, his tail still wagging furiously, and drops one of his toys at her feet.

Hanna chuckles and tosses it for him. Then she heads upstairs.

Hanna "Babe, I'm home!" She announces, reaching the first floor.

Caleb "Here!" He answers from his office.

Recently acquiring a new computer and a couple of wide, modern monitors, Caleb needed a proper space for all of it, so he set up his office at home in one of the empty bedrooms.

Hanna "Hey, there you are!" She says, approaching him. "Still working?" She asks, standing behind his office chair and placing her hands on his shoulders.