AllFreeNovel
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Outside of my family and their influence, I made my clothing brand shine on its own, and that is something worth celebrating.
The flight, as luck would have it, turns out to be relaxing and much shorter than expected. Before I know it, I’m in the middle of busy New York, with my bags in the back of the cab. Sarah is frantically talking on the phone as she tries to arrange all the final details for the event.
I lean closer to the cab door, tilting my head slightly to look at the skyscrapers that stand tall above us.
There’s nothing quite like New York.
"I need you to go to the hotel and check us in," I say as the cab parks in front of the imposing building where the event is to take place. Sarah slides her phone into her pocket as I get out. "I have to arrange a few things with the designs beforehand."
"Okay," Sarah says. "I'll be back as soon as I can.”
"You're the best." I give a huge smile, which she immediately returns to me as a goodbye.
As the cab pulls away from the curb, I grab my phone and select one of my favorites from my contact list.
"Do you hear that?" I ask excitedly as soon as he answers the call. He takes a moment to answer.
"All that chaos of sirens and horns?" he asks back, to which I can't help but let out a chuckle.
"Exactly!"
My heels clack against the marble floor of the building entrance. One of the security guards posted by the door asks me for my ID card, and I proudly show it to him as I pass through the metal detector. I’m happy to point out my name printed on a banner in large, precise letters, as one of the designers featured at the event.
“That’s me.”
The guard looks at me like he couldn’t care less, and nods, waving me through.
Grayson grumbles on the other end of the line, saying something I don’t quite catch. He sighs when he realizes that I wasn’t listening.
"Okay, I give up, what the heck is playing in the background? Don't tell me it's another pop album by some modern artist. Seriously, I don't understand how the heck they can call that music..."
Immediately, I burst out laughing. Grayson is one of my older brothers, and the one I get along with the best. He sounds like an old man at times, but he is one of the most cultured, intelligent, and funny people I know.
His quirkiness is one of the things I like the most about him. It’s refreshing. "Beats me," I say with a laugh as I walk straight into the lobby of the building.
As soon as I do, the sounds of honking horns and shouting people of the crowded city streets disappear. They are supplanted by the crowd of people inside, running back and forth getting ready for the fashion shows that would take place in a week's time.
"It's all part of New York, big bro. New York!" I squeal. “Can you even believe it? I always thought that it would be magical, but this beats everything that I’ve ever dreamed of.”
"The Big Apple?" Grayson asks, sounding curious and confused. "What are you doing there?"
"I wanted to tell you as soon as I heard, but I didn't believe it myself until I got here," I say, bringing the conversation to a dramatic hush. "I've been selected as one of the designers who will be presenting at fashion week!"
"Penny, that's great!" my brother says, full of excitement. "You should have told me earlier so I could attend, but unfortunately I'm stuck in L.A. for now."
"I know."
If my brother could be here, he would. I didn’t ask him though because I knew that he would be in the middle of looking for funding for an IT startup he was creating with our older brother, Landon. On top of that, he is still trying to finalize the sale of his multi-million-dollar real estate company.
Right now, there is no way that he would have been able to leave Los Angeles.
"Anyway, it's not that big of a deal," I say. “I’m sure you’ll be at my next show. You honestly would have hated this.”
"Of course it is!" Grayson shouts on the other end of the line. "It's your big moment, sis, and you deserve to enjoy it, pageantry and all. Even if I would hate it."
His excitement is infectious, but after a moment of silence, he destroys my happiness as easily as popping a soap bubble.
"It's a shame I can't be there, but I'll ask Parker to keep an eye on you."
