sinking ships - succession

chapter nine

Rose ended up texting and talking to Lukas a lot. He would send her random texts during the day or night which would sprout long conversations. His first one had just been a simple what's your favorite color out of the blue.

But she was having fun getting to know him. He was funny and he made her laugh. He also didn't send anymore roses to her father's office but he did send a bouquet of roses every day to her apartment.

"If you keep this up, I'm pretty sure you're going to end up buying all the roses in the world," she said as she talked on the phone.

"So?" he asked like he didn't understand how it was a problem which made her smile. "Would you not like that?"

"You know, there's an idea. Be the man that buys every rose in the world for you," he continued as he smirked. "What would I get if I did that, though?"

"Many thanks," she teased with an amused smile. "That would be a sad story on the news. Man buys all these flowers only to get a simple thank you."

"So cold," he pouted.

She hummed before she asked a little nervously, "So, I've been meaning to ask but...I have my first fashion show next week since, uh, since...well, you know..."

Since Jack.

"And, well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come?" she spoke quickly and quietly.

"Yeah," he automatically replied ever so softly and she couldn't see him but he had a little grin on his face.

"Yeah?" she smiled.

"Yeah. Yes," he said before he teased. "Of course I'll come see you in a bunch of sexy, little outfits."

"You are so bad," she blushed. "Keep it up and I'll disinvite you."

          "You won't do that," he argued. "You like me too much."

           "Shut up."

_____

The fashion show had finally come around in London. It was the first since Jack. She didn't have any new collections.

In the time since Jack passed, she hadn't drawn at all. She had put out the Ultimate Rosa collection with pieces that only she had worn like her iconic Rosa dress. Everyone was wearing that dress in public now; of course, it was cheaper material but it didn't matter as people would wear it just because she did.

She'd also been rereleasing old pieces that had been available to the public in the past and were the most popular. This fashion show was basically to show off old hits in fashion. But Rose, herself, was debuting something new.

She felt inspired by Lukas coming and she was excited. It made her open her sketchbook and draw again. Within a couple of days, she had a new dress.

She was wearing it currently as she peaked through the curtains backstage to see Lukas in the crowd. Her model friends looked as well and one pointed out, "He is so handsome but what is he wearing?"

Rose giggled. He was wearing a simple shirt and some tracksuit pants. It was so unapologetically Lukas to show up to an event in casual wear. She quite adored it about him that he just did not give a fuck what he wore (and some things were just downright terrible). His messiness reminded her that she didn't have to strive to be so perfect all the damn time. She could let loose.

And she honestly didn't care what he wore. He was here and that was what mattered to her.

Her happiness about him being here was interrupted when she was told bad news. One of her male models failed to show; he had called in sick apparently. Fired is what he would be when she would see him next. Now, she needed to get someone to fill his place. And she needed someone tall...

         She immediately thought of Lukas and brought him backstage. She explained her dilemma and that she needed someone to just wear the clothes and walk down the stage. Literally. It was just walking.

         "Absolutely not," he denied.

         "Please," she gave him a pout.

          "No."

          She thought for a moment before she gained a mischievous smile, "I'll send you a nude photo."

           His eyes lit up, "Wait, really?"

          She nodded.

          He bit his lip as he immediately conceded, "So what am I wearing?"

           She smiled proudly before she showed him what he was wearing. It really wasn't too different from what he was wearing. It was just a shirt and jeans.

         Once he was dressed, she leaned up and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. Then she ruffled it in the back, creating a sort of sexy, messy look. He had gazed at her as she did so. When she noticed, she smiled apologetically, "Sorry. I'm use to micromanaging these things."

          "You usually do this with the models?" he asked. "Can I be your model?"

          "Well, technically, you are now," she pointed out which made him smirk. But then she ushered him to the line up of models. "Okay. So you're just gonna follow them."

         He nodded as he put his hands in his pockets before he smirked, "You look sexy, by the way."

           His eyes raked over her in her dress and she blushed. She pushed him slightly to move as the line moved, "Thank you. Now go."

The male models went first and then the girls. She went last to debut something new after seeing all the old. It was hailed the iconic Rosa 2.0 dress. People wondered if she was now back to her normal self after Jack and they wondered why Lukas Matsson, a tech CEO, was in a fashion show.

The public and the media didn't get any answers. Rose went back to being pretty private after the fashion show and Lukas didn't want to screw anything up with Rose by saying something but he also valued privacy. And he was looking forward to his gift he was supposed to be receiving after.

The nude photo.

Rose was back in her private jet before it took off. She giggled as she texted him a nude photo...of someone else that she had found on the internet. He had actually called her as soon as she sent it.

"What is this?" he immediately asked.

"A nude photo like you asked," she wore an amused expression. "I never said it was going to be of me."

It was silent for a moment and she could imagine he was pouting as he replied, "I feel cheated."

"I want pasta," he immediately said as he thought of how to console himself. "Do you want to go Italy?"

"What? Italy? Now?"

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly like it was no big deal to just go straight to Italy only for pasta.

She thought for a moment before she went along with the spontaneousness as she formed a small smile, "Okay."

And she had her jet redirected to Italy just to eat pasta with him on a rooftop restaurant.

AN: below is dress for the chapter. I had AI create it this one too