CRIMSON LIES || ONGOING

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪx

Chasing Shadows

A S H T O N

I strode into the Crowné fashion headquarters, the click of my Italian leather shoes echoing through the sleek lobby. My assistant was supposed to escort the visitor who appointed a meeting with me to my office. But as I pushed the door open, there I saw a familiar man, lounging in one of my designer chairs. Almost like he owns the place...

"Mr. Kallistar?" I called.

He looked over behind and stood up the moment he saw me.

Seth, lean and impeccably dressed, extended a hand as he approached toward me. "Mr. Prinsen, pleasure to finally meet the man behind Crowné."

I gripped his hand firmly, nodding. "Likewise, Mr. Kallistar. I expected my assistant to usher you in."

He flashed a charismatic smile. "Apologies for the impromptu entrance. Got a bit eager. Hope I'm not overstepping."

I shook my head, "It's no trouble."

"Please, have a seat," I ushered him back to his seat.

Seth settled down in the chair, leaning back with his amethyst eyes fixated on me while I sat across him.

"I heard about your arrival here in New York on the news. I didn't think you'd head straight here to my company for a meeting after."

"I'm a man of action," he replied, flashing another charming smile.

"Your last year's collection gained a lot of attention and praise from the fashion outlets, especially from Mystique Vue magazine."

"Indeed it has," I confirmed, "I am also looking forward to the fashion show that'll be held this week to showcase my latest collection."

"Ah, yes. I've heard about it on the news," Seth replied. He crossed his legs and leaned forward on the chair, his expression shifting to one of business-like manners. "I've recently taken up an interest in your work and decided to reach out to you personally."

"I'm flattered, Mr. Kallistar."

I maintained a professional tone as I studied him. Despite his charismatic appearance, I detected a calculating edge in his sharp gaze.

"Well, to be honest, I am interested in working with you," he replied, maintaining eye contact with me. "More specifically... I am interested in acquiring Crowné."

I furrowed my brows, "Pardon?"

"I mean," he continued. Seth cleared his throat. A brief silence stretched, his calm gaze unwavering. "Besides wanting to collaborate with you, while we're working—if you agree to it, I'm also keen on assimilating Crowné's expertise, techniques, and abilities."

I remained silent, my expression still displayed with seriousness and confusion.

Out of the blue, he began laughing. "Oh, my... Were you thinking that I was planning to buy your label?"

I gave him a dead stare.

"You're not?" I inquired.

Seth chuckled. "No one with my experience in the field would buy a company like Crowné, just to gut it off its resources. I value the skill and craftsmanship that built Crowné into the label that it has grown to become."

"What I'm trying to say is... Is that if you agree to work on a collaboration with me, while we're at it, I also want to acquire the expertise and techniques your company has. My apologies for wording that out wrong," he added.