RETAKE

PART 1

AUTHOR'S notes: Hello! Dear Readers,

In advance, thank you for spending your time reading the story of Anne Marie Lewis and Brent Matthew Jefferson. I hope that you will be with me until the end of their journey. This is an unedited story, so feel free to help me with those mistakes, but be gentle in pointing it out.

This story is purely a product of my imaginations; the names, places, and properties are all fiction.All the photos, social media, and templates used are a credit to the owners. The actor and the actress are just a look-alike of what I envisioned my characters faces to be. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&           

"Anne, you were a runway model before, right?" Cassie, their stylist, asked while she is making the last minute adjustment on the robe on a model.

"How did you know?" She asked as she never told anyone her past except the management and the head designer.

"It was Tony, the casting agent. He said you need to go up on stage."

"Oh no, I can't," Anne answered while looking at Cassie in horror.

Being in the spotlight was the one thing she avoided. For five years, she tried to have an ordinary life without jeopardizing her love of fashion. So here she is now an apprentice designer of the Burke Fashion House for almost a year, contended being on its creative side.

This fashion week is the first time her head designer assigned her to be in the backstage. It is to make sure every dress is in good condition, and if something needs fixing, she does it herself or the other apprentice.

"Anne, leave what you are doing and go to the makeup artist. We have no time left. The show is going to start in an hour." Barbara Winter, the head designer, told her, which in turn cut off her trail of thoughts.

"But..."She wanted to refuse again. The urgency in Barbara's voice made her stop.

"Anne, I know you don't come here to do catwalk, but we require a model to replace the one who just slipped in the bathroom. Tony cannot provide one in this short time. This show is essential for our company."

Defeated, she nodded her head and reasoned out to herself. "Surely he has forgotten about her and wouldn't care less what had happened to her. If he did, he had looked for her even after what had happened on their last encounter." She reminded herself again, but thoughts of him still brought sadness in her. The voice of Barbara hurrying her to get up made her abandoned whatever reminiscing she was supposed to do. She straightened up from her, bending on one knee position while fixing the waist of the kimono of the model.

Her fellow apprentice, Susan, came to continue what she was doing.

On the other hand, Brent Matthew Jefferson is in a car on the way to Manhattan Center. As the CEO of the Jefferson Company, he doesn't need to watch a show made by their soon to be a subsidiary company. It is his fiancee which pushed him to attend it. Her reason, she wanted to see the new collections. His opinion on the clothes she chooses is essential as it will be a part of her trousseau.

His father's friend owned the Burke Fashion House. The owner has no children of his own. Because of this, no one he can trust can manage it. Hence he decided to have it under their management. As of now, they are still on the negotiation process, only those on the higher position knew about it.

If the negotiation will pushed through and he knew it would, the Burke Fashion House will be the first company they had acquired, which belonged to Fashion Industries. Their subsidiaries companies were mostly in hospitality, rental, foods and beverages, and transportation.

"Honey, your mind is drifting. I was asking you about the luncheon party we are invited in the house of my friend." His preoccupied mind resulted in the pout on his fiancée voluptuous lips.

When his eyes caught the image of her brown hair glistening like gold with the lights of the street as they passed, it reminded him of someone. He shook his head to disperse the face of the woman he wanted to forget. He wondered why he suddenly thought of her.

It's been five years, but every time something or someone reminded him of her. He will immediately felt this sense of deprivation, in which he shouldn't. How many times does he tell himself to forget about her? She left him when he was willing to give up everything for her.

He then gathered Amanda in his arms before the anger in him escalated and then hugged her to erase whatever images of the other woman on his mind.

Anne Marie Lewis or Anne to her colleagues and Marie to her family, felt nervous. Five years since she walked the runway, so her foot feels like a machine rusted from unused and needs some oil. It was the background music that made her be in high spirits and pushed her to walk with grace and confidence in the platform.

Her modeling career started when she was fifteen. It was her grandma's old student in high school, Diane, who worked in a modeling agency that recruited her.

The first time Diane saw her was when she visited their house. Already five feet and seven inches tall, and with long golden blond hair, the agent was mesmerized by her beauty. Immediately she told her Granny to let her be a model. At first, her Granny was hesitant, but it was herself who pushed her. Her reason, she wanted to earn money too.

In the end, her grandma consented, and they both left Texas and went with her in California.

The agency paid for the runway modeling course that she had taken, and when she debuted in catwalk, it was all in teen clothes wear. She had worn jeans, dresses, pajamas, and gowns but never in what she is wearing now, a satin cami set which emphasizes her long and shapely legs. Well, she is not in her teens anymore, and their company is known to be a manufacturer of women's lingerie and clothes as well as beauty products, so what will she expect.

The coldness in the room as she progresses in her catwalk also distracted her from being nervous.

She was nearing the end of the runway, where she has to stop and pose before turning back. Her eyes drifted on her audience. She never did it before, only now. It was because of an uncomfortable feeling that she felt. It was then she saw a man a few steps away from her. He looked at her with fire in his eyes, and in return, she stared at him with horror because if looks could burn, she will be in ashes now.

Surprise of his presence made her lost steps, and the worst of all, she toppled down in front of him.

She immediately stood up and hid her embarrassment through laughing and waving without drifting her eyes in the direction of the person who made her lose balance. In wobbly feet at first, she did what she has to do. She poses, before turning and walking back towards the backstage.

END OF PART 1

If you like the story, please don't forget to vote, comment, and share it with your friends. I will appreciate it much.