Designs and Desires

Chapter One- Anastasia

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I didn't want to answer. My throat was dry, and I was thirsty.
"Yes? Lia? What is it? I was aslee-"
"Ana, you won't fucking believe it!" Cecelia yelled through the phone, even though I could hear her well even without her shouting, "Jay Yoon, the designer, agreed with the contract! And in order to get to know you, he requested dinner!"
"No. Fucking. Way." I said firmly, already woken from the shock, "Tell me you're not lying, swear it on my life."
"I'm not lying! I swear on your life!" She said, before we both ended up screaming from joy.
Jay Yoon was a self-made millionaire, famous for his designer bags and clothes that scream luxury. Me and Cecelia had been trying for months to get in touch with him or his secretary, but they were always busy designings outfits and bags for Christmas, New Years, and Valentines day. Now, it was almost April, and we finally got in touch, or at least Cecelia did.
"Cecelia, you are the best manager and bestfriend I could ever have, did you know that?"
"Aww, you're flattering me." She said in a sarcasm-ish voice. But I wasn't kidding. She really was the best!
Cecelia Mancini has been my best friend since I met her at a bar five years ago. She told me how she had been in the modeling agency since she finished high, and had finally "graduated" from the industry. And about how she wanted to be the manager of a model because she had no interest in being a model herself. When I told her that I was a new model, she nearly cried with shock. She thought that she would never find a model because of her inexperience, and when we exchanged numbers after she paid for my tab, we became close.
Ever since then, she has been both my manager, and my best friend.
"Cecelia, I'm not joking." I told her.
"Oh, I thought you were. Well, I think you're the best too. And I'm glad to have such a good best friend. Plus, not to mention, if something happens to you, I'd go broke." She said, with a little laugh at the end.
I find her laughs cute. If I were a man, I would most definitely have asked her to be my girlfriend, but, oh well. I'm a girl, and I'm as straight as a ruler.
There was a moment of silence before I asked her, "Which restaurant did he ask me to meet him at?"
"I don't remember. Here, how about I send you the email."
"K', I'm gonna end the call so I can view the email." I told her.
"Alright, talk to you later." Lia responded before ending the call.
when i got up from my couch and walked to my office to check out the email, I was shocked at what the response said,

Email:
"Hello, thanks for reaching out to me. I would like to meet the model, Anastasia Lipvosky, for dinner at COTE Korean Steakhouse at 7:00 pm.
Sincerely,
Yoon Jay"

Wow. His email was so dry and formal, but at the same time, kinda welcoming.
After re-reading it multiple times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I got up and walked to my bedroom, which was the room next door.
I opened the door to my closet-which is pretty big, but not big enough to be acknowledged as a walk-in closet-and got out a green, knee length dress that clung to my curves, and put it on my bed.
I then went and made myself a coffee and sat at the counter, staring into space.
Hopefully, dinner tonight will be good. I can't wait to meet him.
Jay Yoon is supposed to be a very nice and lovable guy. He's quite popular for his looks and his physic, but of course, those could all be lies. I wouldn't know unless I saw him tonight.

3 Hours Later

I ended up getting dressed and went out for a walk, but that walk ended when I got a phone call from my mother, asking me how I was, and I simply replied that I was alive.
When she asked me what I meant, I ended the call, and ever since two hours ago, she's been spamming me with messages, and I've been ignoring every single one.
My relationship with my mom wasn't always this bad. When my dad and her got a divorce because he sexually assaulted me, she got custody over my seven year old brother and 13 year old me.
I still haven't forgotten the way his hands were on me, and ever since then, I've had haphephobia, which is the fear of physical touch.
I stopped my taekwondo classes because of my phobia. All my medals ended up going to waste. My dream to be a taekwondo legend in the olympics was ruined, but I was still famous for being nicknamed "little Jhoon", after the legendary taekwondo master Jhoon Rhee, for my mastery in taekwondo at such a young age.
My mom didn't know how to fix my fear, and my little brother, not knowing because he was still seven, had tried to hug me multiple times, and I'd have moved away or told him to stop. But this one time, my brother jumped on me to surprise me with a gift he had made in third grade for me, and I ended up slapping him in the face super hard and having a panic attack. I felt super bad afterwards, and my mom explained to my brother about my phobia, and ever since then, we've been pretty distant.
But I've always been jealous of my brother. He was moms favorite and still was. He always got A's without trying, and I had to work my ass off to get 100's. But this one time, I noticed he was cheating and copying the teachers' answers in 6th grade, while i was there to pick him up from school, and in order to get me not to tell mom, he mentioned my phobia and gaslit me, saying that with my phobia, no one would ever love me, and that that's why mom likes him more. I dragged him into my car before slapping him on the spot, and we both went home in silence. Ever since then, we've been pretty distant.
The same goes for my mom. Ever since she snapped at me and hit me because I told her I wanted to be a model instead of a doctor, I got a scholarship and worked my ass off trying to get into the modeling industry. They accepted me because of my blue siren eyes and my platinum blonde hair. I've been in many magazines and on many runways, including one for Versace. As of now, I finally got in touch with Jay Yoon, who is the founder and CEO of Yoon Designer Brand.

Cecelia has been the only person I truly trust to touch me, and don't take that the wrong way. By 'touch' I mean doing my makeup, helping me pull up the zipper of a dress, holding hands, hugging, and other stuff you would trust your bestie to do. And I do the same for her in return.