Chapter 1 Don’t Stop,Stranger.
"Bitch, you forgot the iron again. Are you really this stupid?"
Meredith's voice resounded through the room.
Naomi didn’t move, she kept staring down at the hem of the gown she was hand-sewing. Her hands were shaking, because of the screams she was trying so hard to hold in.
"I’ll get it right away," Naomi said quietly, standing up.
She was working all night on Isabella’s gala dress and her fingers were hurting. This dress was a design stolen from her sketchbook again.
‘‘She’s actually more stupid than you think.’’ Isabella said from the door, while tapping her newly manicured nails against her phone. “And God, Naomi, do something about your face. Do not ruin the day for me.”
Naomi forced herself to smile. "I'm sorry," she said simply, walking past them to fetch the iron.
She passed the hallway mirror on the way and paused. She looked nothing like the girl she used to dream of being. Her elegance was always hidden under the old clothes she wore.
Later that night, while everyone was asleep. Naomi tip-toed into the attic. It was the only place Meredith hadn't removed her mother's things from.
A dusty mannequin stood in the corner, wearing her mother’s unfinished design, it was a wedding gown with one missing sleeve.
Naomi pulled out her sketchbook from a loose cupboard and turned the pages to her latest design. It was a deep crimson dress with a slit. She whispered, "One day, someone will wear this masterpiece and they’ll boast I made it."
Naomi’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Isabella:
“Be ready tomorrow. We’re going to The Lexingtons for pre-gala drinks, don’t embarrass us.”
A second message followed, “Or better yet, just stay home.”
Naomi sighed and shut her eyes.
She resisted the urge to hit the wall and scream but instead turned to the sewing machine and began stitching.
The next evening at The Lexington, Everything there screamed luxury, Naomi walked behind her stepsister, with her borrowed dress and hair pinned up in a messy bun she packed herself.
“Find a corner somewhere and don’t speak,” Isabella whispered, putting her arms around her rich friend group.
Naomi nodded and made her way toward a corner near the bar, her stomach was empty and her eyes kept scanning the room, admiring the decor and all.
She saw a man in a black colored suit, he was tall and handsome but he had this kind of aura. An imposing CEO aura.
It was Lucas Bright. Who doesn't know Lucas Bright in the whole country? He was the youngest tech billionaire in New York with a net worth of over 5 billion.
She turned away quickly, embarrassed he might catch her staring but he didn't.
Even though she could swear for a second that he did look at her.
Hours later at home, Naomi stumbled up the stairs. Her stomach was burning, her body was hot and her head was light. She kept thinking about the wine she took from Isabella.
She remembered Isabella asking her to take just one drink, pointing out that she was so tense.
Everywhere was spinning by the time she walked into the room, only for her to realize that this wasn't her room.
She hit the ground, and when she looked around she realized that this was not even a room in her house, she was not in her room but at Lexington’s penthouse?
“You’re here, early by the way” a man said, from the bathroom.
She felt this man pull her up and kiss her. Her vision blurred and she couldn't resist. She finds herself kissing this stranger back.
"Don’t stop please, I want more " she found herself whispering.
She knew deep down this wasn't right, she knew she wasn't supposed to be here but her body was acting otherwise.
The man carried her and threw her on the bed, damn it was soft. She didn't remember when last she laid on a bed this soft and comfortable.
She found herself tearing off her gown by herself, before he held her hands mid air and whispered, “Let me do that.”
She held unto him as he took off her panties and she was stark-naked.
It was at this point that darkness overwhelmed her and she couldn't remember anything else.
