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04 | novacane

Alexandria stretched her arms above her head as she yawned loudly. Glancing towards the back of the jet her eyes casted over at Travis and her assistant Noelle who were both still sleeping. She had been working non stop for the past weeks.

Between the hectic photoshoots, interviews, fittings for various collections and special appearances there was no time for herself. The few hours of sleep that she had managed to sneak in between everything meant the world to her. Alexandria made herself comfortable as she opened the secret file on her laptop. Her eyes traveled from top to bottom until she found what she was searching for. Time to finish where she left off.

Two weeks earlier.

"I don't want to be remembered as just Alexandria Lewis the model. I'm in a position where I'm able to create different variations of art to express myself and I'm going to do just that," Alexandria spoke to the creative team she had just hired. "Most of you are underrated artists who are slowly breaking into the spotlight. Even though I'm considered well known within the fashion industry I feel as if I'm behind you guys creatively. I've never worked behind the scenes of constructing a whole collection and with that being said I'm open for any corrections. In this room we are all equal on the same level. This collection is a part of me as much as it is a part of you."

"Dianne and I. Dianne is my stylist by the way she's over there," Alexandria pointed towards the Filipino lady sitting in the back. "We've already created a mood-board on a few outfits for the collection. The theme I'm going for is 90s vintage but with more movement in the clothing. Chanel is my favorite when it comes to old items. Their silhouettes complimented the human body perfectly." Alexandria continued. She explained the vision she was seeking clearly, ensuring everyone had a perfect image of the dream she was trying to achieve. After explaining to them she divided them into groups.

"What's the deadline for the mood-board?"  One of the designers asked her.

"Two weeks tops. If you have any issue remembering the details of what we just spoke about you can contact Dianne or myself. Also whenever I'm unreachable my assistant Noelle, Dianne or my right hand Travis are your go to persons. Sometimes I'm unavailable due to work but I'll always make time whenever I can." She replied to them.

After answering the rest of the remaining questions she reminded them the project was top secret before leaving. Ever since she had done the interview with Vogue Canada she couldn't stop thinking about creating her own collection. This had been something she had wanted for the longest time but wasn't able to achieve. However after speaking to Travis about it he opened her eyes to realize that she could launch her own collection with proper time management and planning. She wouldn't be involved in the actual sewing of the garment like she would've wanted but she would be able to creatively direct her vision. Alexandria wasted no in creating a team. Reaching out to a few upcoming fashion designers, interns, photographers and makeup personals she had her eyes on for a while, alongside her own creative team she knew she had organized her dream team. Alexandria left directly from her meeting and into another photoshoot. She puckered her lips as the makeup artist applied the Fenty Gloss Bomb onto her lips before fading back into the scenes. Alexandria lost herself into the camera as the photographer yelled out compliments towards her. Posing infront of the camera felt natural for her but she didn't love it. She was lucky enough to be blessed with the ability to look amazing even when she wasn't feeling it.

"You were amazing Alex!"

"Thank you," Alexandria replied flatly. She scoffed as she heard Michelle ask the photographer about scheduling more shoots together. Quickly changing she exited the building with Travis at her side.

"Michelle's not coming?"

Alexandria ignored him which caused Travis to realize Michelle and her had a disagreement. Shooting Michelle a quick text he informed her to get an Uber to the house. Alexandria rubbed her eyes as the tears threatened to spill. She couldn't believe Michelle had not only scheduled another photoshoot with the photographer that had sexually assaulted her but was also being buddy buddy with him. Alexandria had confided into Michelle a couple weeks after it had happened in which Michelle informed her she would handle everything privately so she wouldn't be caught up in any negative press. However today was a clear indication that it wasn't handled nor would it ever be. Michelle didn't care about her at all. All she cared about was the money she was able to make by managing her. Alexandria moved monotonously out of the car and into the house. She held back a sob as she remembered how his filthy hands felt on her body. He had taken advantage of her persistence to achieve a dream that wasn't hers and sacred her for life. Wiping her face Alexandria stared into the mirror, she was disgusted by herself. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of the feeling of his fingers on her it was no use. He had damaged her and there was nothing she could do about it.