Love's Gambit

PROLOGUE

Would you cry if you saw me crying?

And would you save my soul tonight?

*

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Cascadas de la Marina

Melissa Crawford stood in front of the full-length mirror, scrutinizing her appearance. She had come to Madrid after her secretary mistakenly announced to the public that this year's gala would be hosted in Madrid before they had secured a venue.

The poor girl had been so scared however that she couldn't bring herself to yell at or scold her for such a foolish mistake. After all, she was new and just a temporary replacement. An intern filling shoes.

The Westin Palace, Madrid hotel had consistently rejected her bid though. Some of the excuses the manager had provided sounded utterly absurd, but she refrained from pointing that out—the annual fashion event was of great importance to her.

It had required a substantial investment of time, money, and resources, along with her brother's assistance, to establish herself in the industry. Her stepbrother, Trey, had introduced her to his business partners' wives and mothers, which had helped her in building connections.

Her best friend, Trey's wife, had also played a significant role by wearing her designs to dinners, balls, and galas, attracting the attention of other women.

It had always been her dream to pursue a career in clothing design. She would often hide under the covers of her large bed, poring over fashion magazines. Most of the time, she had a marker in hand, making her own adjustments to make the designs more sophisticated (in her opinion).

While other eight-year-olds her age were gossiping about boys and flipping through books that demonstrated beauty standards, she dedicated herself to honing her skills, drawing and sketching tirelessly.

When she was ten, her stepbrother had entered her room and found her under the covers with a flashlight. Being the mischievous type himself, he initially assumed she was up to no good. She still remembered the intense look of anger on his face when he pulled back the duvet, a look that quickly faded when he realized she was simply scared.

They'd formed a bond on that day, and after he'd been kicked out by his father, he had worked hard to raise and protect her, pursuing his own dreams to set an example for her. His success had left her in awe. She wanted to follow in his footsteps but without his assistance.

So she started writing blogs about fabrics and the appropriate dress styles for various events. As her blog gained more subscribers, it motivated her to release some designs that could only be used with her permission and for a fee, reserving the best for herself until she had enough capital to launch her own company.

Her business had thrived.

Now, however, she felt like the ten-year-old Melissa, battling her mother's harsh and discouraging remarks in her mind.

She was afraid—afraid of losing the hard-earned clientele she had built over the years. She feared losing everything she had worked tirelessly to achieve, and even more so, she dreaded the possibility of proving her mother right.

The outcome of the final meeting with the manager held the fate of almost everything she had worked for. She did have the option of changing the venue, but that would make her word no longer concrete, and a majority of her clientele—the elites—hated such indecisiveness.