Hidden in Plain Sight

With her oversized black sunglasses resting firmly on the bridge of her nose to conceal the upper half of her face, Tessa flashed a confident, professional smile. She rolled her shoulders back, smoothed the lapels of her designer blazer, and stepped boldly through the heavy double doors into the sprawling president's office of Nova Zenith Talent.

However, the second her stylish heel crossed the threshold, her practiced smile vanished into thin air. Beside her, Kendall stiffened, her breath catching sharply in her throat. Both women froze in their tracks, paralyzed by pure astonishment.

Standing right by the doorway, ready to personally greet them with a welcoming grin, was none other than Gavin Brooks. But he was not the source of their sudden panic.

Recovering her wits with lightning speed before the stretching silence grew suspicious, Tessa cleared her throat to dispel the thick lump forming in it. She extended her manicured hand, projecting the aura of an untouchable creative genius.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Brooks," Tessa stated smoothly, her tone polished and authoritative. "I am Celine, the owner and head designer of K.Moon Studio." Without missing a beat, she pointed to the rigid woman standing beside her. "And this is my assistant."

Hearing this bizarre introduction, Gavin’s eyes widened. He looked Kendall up and down before a loud, boisterous laugh erupted from his chest, echoing against the glass walls. He turned his head toward the deep, custom leather couch situated in the center of the spacious room and teased the man lounging there.

"Declan, is your family going bankrupt?" Gavin's voice boomed across the office. "Your wife is working as an assistant!"

Kendall’s heart dropped straight into her stomach. Her gaze immediately followed the direction of Gavin's voice, and her eyes locked onto the unmistakable, broad silhouette.

It was Declan. He looked imposing in his tailored dark suit, dominating the space without even trying.

She curled her lips downward in sheer annoyance, her fingernails biting into her palms. *I literally cannot believe I would run into him here of all places,* she cursed internally. *After missing each other at City Hall this morning, he shows up exactly where I am trying to close a business deal.*

Matching her silent hostility, Declan sat up straight. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and eyed her from across the room. His sharp gaze was filled with profound, heavy suspicion. He seemed to dissect every inch of her presence in the room, searching for an ulterior motive.

Oblivious to the suffocating marital tension thickening the air between the estranged couple, the ever-cheerful Gavin enthusiastically ushered the two women further into the luxurious office. "Please, ladies, take a seat. Let us discuss our future partnership."

Kendall kept her eyes glued to the polished mahogany floor, taking a subtle step back to let Tessa handle the spotlight. Tessa, drawing on her years of experience being Kendall's loyal best friend and business partner, flawlessly executed the role of the haughty, brilliant Celine. She confidently opened their portfolio, navigating the intricate financial terms and creative cooperation details for Nova Zenith Talent's upcoming events. She spoke of fabric sourcing, timeline management, and exclusive branding rights with an ease that left no room for doubt.

The negotiations went smoothly. Gavin nodded along, impressed by the clear vision and uncompromising standards 'Celine' presented. But just as Tessa reached out, lifting her custom fountain pen, mere seconds away from officially signing the lucrative contract, Gavin interrupted.

He reached across the desk and playfully pushed the document aside.

Smiling with a hidden agenda that made Kendall's skin crawl, Gavin leaned in. "Before we finalize this, I have a presumptuous request. Celine, I would like you to personally design a custom dress for a very close friend of mine." He explicitly pointed his finger directly toward Declan, who was still silently observing from the couch. "It is for a special woman in his life. The gown must be finished before our company's massive fashion gala next month. Name whatever price you deem fit."

Sitting beside Tessa, Kendall gripped the armrests of her chair, inwardly screaming. She cursed Gavin's existence, her blood boiling at the sheer disrespect of the request.

Maintaining her flawless composure despite the ticking time bomb sitting across from them, Tessa smiled politely. Her voice dripped with mock sorrow and tragic dignity.

"Mr. Brooks," Tessa began, pressing a hand over her heart. "As my assistant informed your friend's staff earlier today, my beloved husband has just passed away very recently."

Declan's eyes narrowed into dangerous, icy slits.

"So, I am afraid I simply cannot bring myself to design a celebratory dress that will satisfy your friend's needs," Tessa continued, her tone resolute. "I do not want my profound grief to accidentally spoil such a joyous event."

Without a single second of hesitation or waiting for Gavin to formulate a response, Tessa confidently reached out and picked up the unsigned contract from the desk.

"We have other pressing business to attend to," she declared loudly, dismissing the entire meeting.

Tessa turned on her heel and marched straight out of the office doors. Kendall followed closely behind, matching her brisk pace, ignoring Gavin's frantic, confused attempts to make them stay and negotiate.

"Wait, Celine! We can discuss the terms!" Gavin called out, but the heavy doors swung shut, cutting off his pleas.

Baffled by the famous designer's abrupt and rude departure, Gavin stood frozen by his desk. He slowly turned his head suspiciously toward Declan, who was still staring fiercely at the empty doorway.

"Kendall is Celine's personal assistant," Gavin noted, rubbing his jaw, perplexed by the sudden turn of events. "Why didn't you just ask her for help directly to secure the dress?"

Declan remained silent, a muscle feathering in his tight jaw.

Gavin muttered out loud, trying to make sense of the chaos. "I mean, her eyes lit up with excitement at the mere mention of your name in the parking lot earlier. I saw it myself."

Gavin failed to realize that Kendall's excitement was purely born out of greed. She had only been eager to bill Declan for the massive car repair compensation money, viewing him as nothing more than a walking checkbook. It was definitely not out of romantic love or lingering devotion.

Declan stood up. He shot his best friend a dark, bone-chilling glare that could freeze boiling water.

"Your father was right in not naming you as the successor of the Brookses," Declan stated with venomous disgust, openly questioning Gavin's basic intelligence.

Before Gavin could formulate a defense, Declan aggressively grabbed his tailored suit coat off the couch, shrugged it onto his broad shoulders, and stormed out of the office in pursuit.

Out on the busy street, safely away from the towering glass building, Tessa finally stopped. She ripped off her oversized sunglasses and spat on the ground in pure, raw fury.

"That good-for-nothing Vance!" Tessa screamed over the roaring traffic. "How could he possess the sheer audacity to think of indirectly asking his legal wife to meticulously customize a beautiful dress for his mistress?!"

She paced back and forth on the pavement, lashing out at the unfairness of it all. "That woman isn't even remotely worthy of wearing the discarded scraps of the clothes you designed! Let alone a custom piece for a high-society event!"

Tessa projected all of her immense frustration over losing the multi-million-dollar business deal directly onto Declan's shameless audacity. The lost revenue stung, but the disrespect stung harder.

Kendall merely stood on the pavement, wrapping her coat tighter against the wind. She smiled with a deeply bitter resignation. The anger had long since burned out, leaving only an exhausting hollowness. Her only true priority right now was officially securing the legal divorce paperwork and washing her hands of that family forever.

"We should really hurry up and leave this place," Kendall rationalized calmly, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Otherwise, we will lose both the business deal and our own money if Gavin suddenly changes his mind and chases us down to pay for his ruined car."

She gestured toward the parking area. "Besides, why bother lowering ourselves to the exact same level as a pathetic lowlife?"

Just as the words left her mouth, the heavy glass doors of the Nova Zenith building pushed open. Sprinting out to chase after them, Declan froze in his tracks on the top step.

He only physically caught the tail end of their conversation over the ambient city noise, but he clearly heard Kendall's final sentence.

His handsome face instantly darkened. His expression shifted into pure, unbridled anger at explicitly being called a 'lowlife' by the woman who was supposed to be his submissive, adoring wife. First, she used him as a decoy excuse, and now this.

Unaware of his furious, looming presence standing just yards behind them, the two women swiftly walked to their dented Volkswagen. They got into the vehicle, slammed the doors shut, and Tessa pulled out, merging seamlessly into the flowing traffic.

Halfway through the journey back to the safety of their studio, Tessa remained stubbornly indignant. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned a stark white.

"By the way," Tessa suddenly announced, the corners of her lips curling up into a sharp, vindictive smirk. "Despite storming out of that office like a bat out of hell, I successfully grabbed the exclusive invitation card for Nova Zenith Talent's elite fashion gala right off his desk."

Kendall turned her head, staring at her friend in surprise.

"I will attend it with you that evening," Tessa vowed, her eyes flashing in the rearview mirror. "If he dares to try and publicly bully you there, I am going to slap him and his mistress hard in the face!"