Chasing The Runaway Bride

Chapter 4: New Opportunities.

AMANDA.

SIX YEARS LATER.

I entered the house after a long and busy day. Night had fallen in New York which meant it was about 10 PM. Still struggling with the groceries and my own personal bags, I hadn't even placed them down before they both came running.

"Mummy!" They chorused in a high-pitched voice, high on energy when they should've been in bed. I gasped as they held around me for a hug. "What are you still doing awake?" I asked and just then Aunt Lucy came out with her hands already surrendered in the air.

"They said they wanted to see you tonight" She walked to the counter, helping me unpack the bags of groceries. "Yeah mum! We never see you anymore!" Elizabeth chimed through her chirped front teeth while Evan nodded with with pity pout.

I just ran my hands through both of their hairs, I couldn't even be mad at them. Usually by this time, they were asleep on school nights which meant I barely saw them during the day. It was a price I paid for working for one of the most prestigious fashion brands in all of New York.

But on days like this, when it strikes me how much of my children's lives I'm missing out on, I'm not so thrilled anymore.

"Guess what I bought for you!" I suddenly reached for my purse and their eyes widened with excitement. I brought out a bar of chocolate and handed it over to them.

"Make sure to share it equally—" "Thank you!" They scurried away before closing the door. I pressed my lips together with a sigh escaping them. I sat on the chair opposite Lucy and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Ugh!" I groaned.

"You look tired" She muttered and I lifted my gaze to her. "What gives?" I sarcastically remarked and my aunt rolled her eyes to the back.

"Please tell me you were able to give Martin your designs today?" She scoffed and I exhaled. From my hesitation, I guess she could tell what my answer was. "You promised!" She exclaimed.

The thing is Martin was the owner and creative director at Nova, the fashion company where I worked and the leading designer brand in the States. Being one of their designers was considered the peak in anyone's career as they had the most influential and wealthiest people as clients.

It was everything I ever wanted, everything I still do.

"You have to take a chance, you see he will love your designs" Lucy appraised but my shoulders just sank. "He loves that I make him coffee just before his early morning meetings. He also loves it when I file his documents early enough before he comes in. I'm not sure he'd love my designs." I muttered lowly and Aunt Lucy just sighed.

You see when I said I worked at Nova, it wasn't as one of their designers. I was only Martin's secretary. I was there for the errands and coffee and holding his briefcase to every meeting while secretly wishing and praying for the day that he would finally notice me.

It had been five years since I started working here and he still hadn't.

I'm not sure he ever will.

Some days, I ask myself how I got here. Six years ago, I came to New York with a wild dream of becoming a famous fashion designer. I even got a job at Dior but when I found out I was pregnant, I had to give that up.

The months leading up to the twin's arrival were the toughest of my life and even after. For months, I had to look for jobs while taking care of them. Aunt Lucy tried her best to help but she could only do so much.

I finally landed a job at Nova but I was devastated to only find out it was as a secretary to Martin. I was dispirited, but I also didn't have a lot of choices back then. I had to get a job and take care of both my aunt and the kids. So I put my dream on hold, at least until the day I was finally brave enough to show Martin my designs.

The day in my wildest dream when he would actually love them.

I worked so close to the high-end designers who were so perfect and flawless that I didn't even think I stood a chance.

This was my life for the last six years. It wasn't the best but at least I had my twins who I loved so much with all my heart. They were the light I needed, my only source of joy and happiness. They were my dream.

"Come on, Amanda" My aunt sauntered around the table. "Don't say that, you're the only person who doesn't see how great and talented you are" She reached for my hands and I looked at her with a smile. Then a sigh escaped my lips. I looked into her eyes.

"You just don't understand" Standing up from the chair, I whispered. I took the stairs and headed to my room. But I stood by the twins'.

I peeked through the door, seeing that they were already peacefully asleep. I walked forward to pick up the chocolate packet but before I left, I placed a gentle kiss on both their temples.

"I love you so much" I mouthed before walking out of the room and into mine. Retiring to my bed, I closed my eyes and the next time I jerked forward was to the sound of my morning alarm.

I arose with hair between my lips and sore puffy eyes. The sun beamed through the windows, spearing into my eyes as I grudgingly got up. Each morning was a routine, cleaning up, and slipping into one of my many different versions of the same work clothes.

"You can do this." With my bags strapped across my chest, I would somehow end up in the mirror staring at my own reflection before walking out of the door. "Good, you're early!" I ran into Lucy along the corridor, hearing the sound of car tyres pulling away from the window.

"Where are the twins?" I asked and she let out an exhausted sigh. "They just left" She said. My shoulders fell as we walked into the kitchen.

"Here," She handed me a little bag. "I packed something for lunch and," Pulling out the drawer, she faced me again. "You left this behind" I looked at what she held in her hands and sighed.

"Those are my designs and I didn't leave them behind" I scoffed but Lucy forcefully shoved them into my hands. "Now go" She turned me toward the front door. "Otherwise you'll miss the bus" She was right.

So I scurried through the front door, running along the pavement with the file in my hands. All it took was one taxi and a bus and I arrived at the front of the tall Nova building in the nick of time.

I sauntered up the steps, entering through the door and straight up the elevator. I was just about to walk into Martin's office when I suddenly bumped into him.

Martin was not so tall but he had a defined physique as well as a commanding presence which is why a bolt of panic flashed across my face. "I'm so sorry." I fell to pick my bags off the ground.

"I was just about to knock and I—" I tried apologizing but Martin seemed to be a lot more impatient than he normally was.

"I don't care" He hissed as I stood to face him. "In fact I was just looking for you. I need you to take some things up to the finance department and tell Rose to see me immediately. Tell her it's about Cade Wyatt" He ordered in haste, handing over a bag to me.

"Here, I'll take this from you" He collected the files and bag in my hands and I just fluttered my lashes in confusion. "I could...take that inside if it's a problem" I stuttered and Martin shot me a glare as cold as ice. No one told me to seal my lips at that moment.

"Does it look like a problem?" He snapped. "Now go!" He raised his voice and I robotically turned around to face the elevator. I fidgeted with my fingernails between my teeth and my stomach tied into a knot.

He had my designs, well rough sketches that weren't even near perfect.

"s**t" I cussed just in time for the elevator doors to open. There, I ran into Rose. "Hey!" I scurried up to her. "Mr Martin wants to see you in his office. He says it's urgent and it's about Cade Wyatt" Rose groaned at my words. She was one of the top stylists here at the company and one of the very few that I happened to be close to.

She didn't seem pleased with the message I'd just delivered.

"What is it?" I asked. She took a step back. "Cade's one of Nova's wealthy clients and he's in dire need of personal stylist ever since his last one quit after just two weeks working for him" Rose scoffed.

"He sounds horrible" I blew raspberry which led her to roll her eyes. "You think, every one of his last hundred stylists complain about the same thing. He could be really difficult and unbearable" Rose added.

"Now Martin wants me to be the best victim of the billionaire. I already told him my answer which is no. I'd rather stay here in New York than relocate to Chicago anyway" She continued and my brows arched at that moment. "Chicago?" I echoed. Rose was already preparing to leave.

Martin could be even more difficult when kept waiting, we both knew that.

"What are you going to tell him?" I threw a look over my shoulder and she faced me from the elevator. "What I've told him before, which is no" The doors closed and I heaved a deep breath out my lips.

Being a personal stylist was no easy feat but it could be just the right thing I needed—anything but being the boring lame secretary. But not even in my wildest dreams would I be considered for the position.

I grudgingly made my way to finance and took the stairs this time down to Martin's office. Rose was on her way out when I got there and our eyes met for a brief second. I muttered a quick prayer that he wouldn't be so annoyed when I walked in.

But pushing open the door, I was met with Martin pacing around the room. With his knuckle beneath his chin, he turned to my direction and I immediately glanced away.

"I...I just came for my bag" I whispered then he came to a halt right behind his desk. "Who designed this?" His voice filled the room and I lifted my gaze to what he held in his hands—my portfolio. It was hard deciding whether or not to spring forward and rip it from his hands.

But it was harder to decipher what exactly he was thinking at that moment. There was a brief silence before I replied. "Me," My voice was low. "But it was just sketches, I was bored out of my mind—"

"I didn't know you were a designer?" He said and I inched closer to his table. "Well, that's because I'm your secretary" I gathered the pieces of paper across the table, avoiding contact with his piercing eyes.

"These are good..." He paused and a sigh of both relief and confusion escaped my lips. I looked at him with shock in my eyes. "Good?" I wasn't sure I heard correctly. Martin Thomas was so difficult to impress that 'Good' wasn't even a word in his dictionary until now.

"Well for sketches. they are" He added and I picked them up into my arm. "Thank...thank you, sir" I flustered before turning around to face the door and then suddenly his voice called out to me.

"Amelia!" I heard him and then looked back. "It's...Amanda" I corrected.

"Yeah, right. Amanda...I knew that" He scoffed before making his way around the table. "Why do you work as my secretary when you're really a fashion designer?" He stroked his chin and I pushed a hard lump down my throat.

"Five years ago, I did apply to a designer but I was told there weren't any more vacancies, except for the role of a secretary—your secretary. And I didn't have a lot of options. I was barely settled in New York and I'd just given birth to twins and life was all over the place..."

"Why did you accept the job?" Martin asked and I scoffed. "I could say money but then again, it was Nova. I'd looked up to you and Allan Perry my entire life. You were such great inspirations and your unique style of both modern sophistication and timeless elegance." I replied.

"I've strived my entire life to achieve that level in design and five years ago when I took this job, I wanted nothing more than to be noticed by you. That one day, I would be brave enough to show you my designs and you would love them and my life would change forever" I chuckled.

"But that day never came." Martin folded his arms at that moment and his eyes locked into mine. "I think today's that day, Amanda" He pressed his lips together and I didn't even know a tear dropped from my eyes.

"How would you like to work as a personal stylist for one of Nova's clients—Cade Wyatt?" My heart stomped in my chest as I stared at him in disbelief. There was a crack in my voice just then as I whispered—

"What?"