"BOY DO I HAVE DIRT FOR YOU!" Delle bellowed over the phone. I could almost see her leaning back in her office chair, propping her dirty boots up on her desk as she grinned with a clever glint in her eyes.
She hummed into the phone. "I should charge you."
I stood in the bathroom, hair up in a messy bun as I aggressively washed my face with a washcloth, trying to return it back to neutral face mode. Like one of those avatars before it was given its upgrade details. "Delle, I can't afford your rates. I spend it all on clothes and rent."
She snorted. "Well, crap. One of these days I am going to have to find more clients that pay well."
I laughed, the sound echoing loudly in the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of my smile in the mirror. One I hadn't seen in a long time. My eyes were bright, face glistening from the water, grin completely wide. The smile felt strange but in a good way. I hadn't been able to get the smile to leave my face since leaving Tate in that elevator an hour ago.
"Someone's in a good mood," Delle broke through my thoughts.
"I'm in a completely normal mood," I denied, forgetting for half a second that my sister's entire job was to catch liars. To detect deceit. Shit.
"Suuuuure. I get on the phone, tell you I have dirt on your fashion arch-nemesis and your response is to laugh at my poor attempt at a joke about paying clients... Spill."
"Oooor," I replied plucking up the phone and walking into my bedroom. "You could just tell me about all the amazing things you've discovered and we can skip over me altogether."
I plopped down on the bed, burrowing under the blankets. "Foolproof plan."
"I'll go first. But I expect to hear something good as my compensation."
"Fine," I muttered, heart not fully in it. I wanted her take on Tate anyway. Delle was good at reading people... Well anyone she wasn't blinded by love for. "What did you find out about Laurence Royal?"
"Carter Royal," Delle replied with a deep bone exhausted sigh. "...Is a hot mess of a character."
I waited, sensing her rev up towards information. "Carter Royal is related to Laurence Royal. He is the younger, wild, unhinged brother."
"And?" I didn't know much about Carter Royal. Just that he was an artist with a very jealous, unhealthily obsessed fan base. And that he happened to have the same last name as Laurence.
"If being related to that little greasy napkin excuse for a human was the only thing wrong then I wouldn't have much to report so buckle up." Delle continued, taking a deep breath. "Carter Royal on his own isn't the problem. It's who he is connected to... Decklan Blake." The words were sharp, thick with venom like a crude set of swears.
A chill ran down my spine. That was a name I knew well. A slimy character who used his celebrity photographer status to prey on women, and then blackmail them with explicit pictures he took of them after earning their trust, in the rooms they shared at night. His work was stunning, but the lives he touched were destroyed, a flame burning beautiful things to ash.
No art was worth that. Decklan Blake was a manipulative monster. One I had steered clear of thanks to Michale's wisdom when I had first started out. He had given me the rundown on the 'do not work with them list,' he made when he started off. Decklan was at the top of that list.
I swore, the sound coming out as a whisper. "Are you sure?"
"Yep," her voice was clipped, angry at the injustice of the existence of that garbage human.
"How are they connected?"
"Apparently Decklan and Carter are very good friends. There have been very strong suggestions that Carter is often the one taking the pictures. Often through windows when Decklan can't get his companion comfortable enough to do a nude photoshoot in his house. The guy has never been caught. Just whispers. And I deal in whispers."
I wanted to throw up. I felt the itch to find that smug idiot and punch him in the face. Not that I needed to add to my long list of people I had already punched. Pretty soon, someone would be able to make a montage of me just punching people... Not the best look.
"Anyway," Dell continued. "Laurence has been known to steal ideas from others. Something you are personally familiar with." I gripped my phone tighter, memories of my clothes suddenly appearing in his fashion lines, no changes made, not taken as inspiration and built upon, but as carbon copies. He had stolen designs, models, photos, and now Michale. I need to make a list of all the smug idiots I want to punch. Maybe a montage will be a fair warning to the world to stop being so douchey.
"Now this is where things get very interesting," Delle said like all the above was just the foundation. Oh my gosh, what?
"There have been whispers that he is looking to expand. That he's trying to acquire a new design company. Two guesses as to whose."
It took me a moment longer than it should have to put that together, almost as if I was trying to block the thought. Live in denial for a minute longer. Then it hit me like a sledgehammer, sending my heart rattling around inside as the hit came into contact with my ribcage.
"HE WANTS TO BUY WINTERS?!?!" I screeched, lungs burning with rage. Laurence Royal wants to buy my baby. The company I've worked to build and cater specifically towards the goal that you can be both fashionable and comfortable in the same outfit.
An image of Laurence walking into my building, burning it to the ground and designing terrible outfits made up of the ash from my work, seared into my brain. No. No. No. No. And with that one word came a stronger, more feral, mamma bear raging level of protection. Transforming into one clear word that I would die by. MINE.
"LAURENCE ROYAL WANTS MY COMPANY?!?" I said again, my voice loud, ringing through my bedroom.
"Sounds like it."
"Never," I said out loud, to make it clear both to myself and to any negative thoughts that flittered in the shadows nearby that I would live and die by those words.
Laurence wanting to talk to me suddenly made sense. A chill ran down my spine, as I realized how big of a problem this could be. "He could take everything..." I whispered, my voice breaking. "He could make my life a living hell until he got what he wanted."
The idea of selling my work, my integrity, or worse, working under him was enough to get me out of bed and send me pacing, like a restless caged animal.
I watched him take Michale. How Michale had felt powerless to stop it. Laurence could take everything with enough creativity. He had more money and more manpower. My company was a baby compared to his empire. And what if he wanted more than just the title? What if he wanted me as part of the deal? Never. Mine, a cold dark voice in the back of my mind promised.
"What do I do Delle?" I asked, needing a positive note to balance out the list of bad news. "How can I stop it?"
"Easy there, little sis. I don't just show you problems and hang up to let you deal with them by yourself. That ain't the sister code. I offer solutions. That's why I am calling now. I didn't want to dump a bunch of crap on you without the shovel to dig you out."
I let you an unsteady breath, slumping down on the bed again. "What should I do?"
I heard the sound of shuffling papers. "My sources say that without someone like you, his company is rumored to tank." Delle's voice took on a mischievous edge. "Their last quarter profits were terrible. So... I say you wait him out if you don't want to settle for being fashionably married to that yahoo."
Fashionably married. I closed my eyes, trying to wipe away the idea of being tied to Laurence Royal in any way.
"Besides, from what I heard, he has a hard time sabotaging you. You don't make things easy on the people you hate."
That was true. He hadn't been able to steal my photos. And Tate had helped fill in as a model last minute. But how long can I stay one step ahead of him? My team is small. Will they all leave for the right price? What then? Will I just be left with a bunch of fabric and a brand name with no womanpower to continue making beautiful things?
The idea broke my heart. I didn't want to start over. To be trapped into making a decision I would hate for the rest of my life.
"Okay, your turn," Delle announced, pulling me from my spiral. "What's had you smiling like The Joker over there?"
I rolled my eyes. "I don't smile weird Delle."
"Going from not smiling to smiling always looks weird. So I stand by my statement. Now tell me what's going on. I demand you spill the tea... That's what people say right. Spill the tea?"
I snorted, tucking away the Laurence drama for a moment. "Sure. Do you remember Tate?"
The response was instant. "I knew it was him!" I could almost see her fist pump in the air. "Detective Delle solves another case." I heard her shout over her shoulder, at someone else in her office. "HEAR THAT DECKER! I'M ON A HOT STREAK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY?"
"... Anyway," I continued, ignoring her gloating. "I'm hanging out with him tomorrow."
"A date?"
"Well... I'm not actually sure."
Delle shuffled as the sound of someone swearing a response to her earlier jab filled my phone. Then I heard a door close. "Well, let's figure it out then. Piece it together. What are you doing tomorrow?"
I tugged at a loose strand on my quilted blanket comforter that had belonged to my parents, enjoying the piece of home that crawling under it gave me. "We are headed to the driving track in the morningâ"
"Whoa, back up. Driving track? Are you worried about showing him that part of your life?"
I couldn't keep the edge from my tone, tired of having to wonder if and when past ghosts would come to haunt me. "HE isn't there anymore. And that place was mine before it was known as OURS."
I refused to say his name. I didn't like the idea of him being familiar in any way and the best way to do that was to stick to vague references. Delle already knew who I was talking about. There was no need for more.
"Okay, sorry. Sore subject. What else are you doing?"
I hesitated. The next part sounded very much like a date. "I'm cooking him dinnerâ"
Delle tried to jump in again, her voice going up an octave of surprised excitement. But I continued on, like an unstoppable force. "âBECAUSE he did me a favor and he asked for me to cook him a meal as a thank you to make us even."
My sister was quiet for a long moment. For so long in fact that I looked down at the phone to confirm that she was still there.
"And how long have you guys been... I mean have you two...?" She left it hanging in the air like an awkward bird, flapping around fully obvious but silent in its flailings. My face was suddenly hot.
"We haven't done anything."
She was quiet again for a beat. "You must really like him. You are being a level of careful that you never were with anyone else."
I tried to run my fingers through my hair before remembering that it was up in a bun. "I just... I don't want to build on old patterns."
"I don't think you will." Delle's voice was insistent, gentle. The type of gentle she reserved for just me and Misty. "The fact that you haven't jumped into anything physical with him tells me you are trying to make sure you take care of your heart this time."
"More like I'm trying to take care of his," I countered. "I'm afraid of breaking him." I pushed down a wave of fear and rolled onto my side, face pushed into the pillow for a moment. He shouldn't date me. I am a disaster human.
"Who's trying to take care of your heart Allie? Someone's gotta look out for you. You are worth being careful with. You are worth being considered. Your heart is valuable. Don't ever forget that."
The words hit home. The truth behind them, shocking. I had wanted to protect myself to a degree, but I was far more concerned about all the ways I could hurt Tate that the opposite seemed insane. But she was right. My heart was worth looking out for. My feelings, my fears, my past hurts, my baggage were all valid.
"I just know the odds are in my favor. I know that I am most likely going to be the one to ruin things."
Delle's voice was suddenly dark. "No one is perfect Allie. Always remember that. You either learn to love them, flaws and all, or you aren't really loving them. And you have your flaws, but you are so worth loving."
In that speech, I was given a glint into her heart when we were younger. The soft, breakable parts of her that loved too much and too deeply. I nodded, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see me. "I miss you, Delle."
"You too All." Then surprising me, she cleared her throat sounding suddenly cautious. "I may have done a bit more snooping..."
I sat up, curious. "Oh?"
"Call it big sister protection mode..."
I didn't like the sound of that.
"I looked into Tate after I found out a guy you didn't know was driving you around at all hours."
I groaned. "Delle..." This wasn't the first time she had used her detective powers for evil. Digging up dirt and rushing up to me with fifty red flags and reasons for why I should dump them and run for the hills. She had been right every single time of course, but I hadn't listened because I was a stubborn, blind idiot who wanted her to be wrong. Better she be wrong than me being that terrible at picking people to love.
"Want to know what I found?"
This was the first time Delle had offered me a choice instead of just telling me what I should know about one of the guys I was dating, or in Tate's case, hanging out with, in a vague flirty fashion. It was a choice this time.
The possibilities of what her snooping may have found filled the room, thick and tempting.
I shook my head. "No. I think I'd like to find out about him the non-detective route." He had enough people snooping into his private life. I didn't want to be one of them. Not after that terrible tabloid spiral.
I realized that I trusted Tate. He was a good man. One I was excited to get to know. And tomorrow was going to be a day to remember. Just the idea of us spending that amount of time alone made my face hot all over again.
---
Thank you for reading chapter twenty-three! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
Delle did a little bit of detective work and it looks like Allie may end up in a little bit of a fashion-off with her rival. How do you think things will go?
Will she sign over her company? Will they become partners? Will she take him down?
Do you think Delle found anything bad about Tate while snooping?
Who's excited for their day together? I know I am, so don't worry, I'll be dropping that chapter sooner than Friday so you don't have to wait too long!
CHAPTER QUESTION - Are you cautious with your heart, or do you jump in feet first?