Self-Seeker

46

As Tyler walked away to confront his fears, Genesis mingled with the various other artists and fashion experts who had attended the show to view her boutique's work. She was surprised but grateful at the turnout. There were a lot more people than expected. The first half of the show had gone exceptionally well, she could only hope the rest would remain the same way.

Genesis stepped away from the mini red carpet – it had been set up for the press to take pictures of the attendants of the evening. It was a strange sensation, she was usually the person on the other side of the camera. Now, more than ever, she had to be careful with what she said and whom she associated herself with. The increase in fame meant that she would be subject to more scrutiny from the public eye.

A tap on her shoulder made Genesis turn to find four people beaming at her, though one of them was obviously a faux smile.

"Hey boys." She greeted Dominic and Dimitri. The former gave her a hug, the latter kissed her on both cheeks. She could feel his date burning holes into the side of her head for the second time since they had met. Before acknowledging the scowling woman, she turned towards her best friend.

"Em, you look delicious as always." Genesis chuckled as she hugged the blonde.

"And you look like you just stepped out of a James Bond movie. Honestly, Gen, if I were a man I wouldn't be able to control myself around you." Emily gushed, fanning herself to exaggerate her statement. The four of them laughed while Melissa bore an expression that resembled someone who very badly needed to go to the toilet.

"When did you become such a comedian?" Genesis joked.

"As soon as you helped to break me out of my shell. Seriously Gen, what you did for me - I'll never forget. And what you've accomplished here tonight is amazing."

"No. What we've accomplished here tonight is amazing." Genesis corrected her, the results were every much Emily's doing as they were her own. All the late nights the two of them had spent brainstorming in Genesis' office or designing in the studio had finally paid off.

"Okay, we get it. Everyone is amazing." Dominic added in a girlish voice, earning another round of snickering from everyone except for one person.

"And you. I don't recall your name being on the guest list." Genesis finally addressed Melissa. She didn't care to hide her distaste towards the woman, nobody asked her to attend.

"Yes, well, I overheard Dominic mentioning to Emily on the phone that Dimitri wanted to show his support but had nobody to accompany him. Being the kind and helpful person that I am, I offered to be his date for the night. He did it for me at our family dinners, so I supposed I ought to return the favour." Melissa said, wrapping her arms around a rigid and uncomfortable Dimitri.

Genesis couldn't help but feel sorry for him, it was painful to even imagine what it was like to have to put up with someone so irritable over the course of the evening.

Before the conversation could proceed, another voice with a heavy French accent cut in. "Sorry to interrupt Miss Casanova. I'm Shay Manning, head of--"

"Fashion Guru of the Year. Oh my, I can't believe you're here! I've been wanting to meet you for months and show you all the new desi--"

"Pardon my bluntness, but who are you?" Shay cut off an overexcited Melissa, whose face fell when she realised that Shay hadn't a clue who she was. Genesis stifled a laugh, she almost felt bad for her. It served her right, she thought, no-one liked a show off.

"Melissa Stanford. I co-own Desire over on the other side of Manhattan." She stated as if it were an obvious matter.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Shay brushed Melissa off before turning her attention towards Genesis. "Back to you, Miss Casanova."