Tiffany's POV:
The house was quiet when I entered. But then a ring at the door echoed throughout the house and I turned to get it. I open it and it's a delivery man.
"Hi. I'm here to deliver these"he hands me three large shopping bags. "They are for Khloe Croxford! She told me to deliver them to this address. I hope I'm at the right place"
"Yes she lives here"I confirm.
"Okay thanks"he says and gets on his bike. Within a flash, he's gone. I shut the door and place the shopping bags on a table nearby. Then the door goes open and Riele comes sprinting towards me like a human cannonball.
"Hey Riele"I hug her and mom follows behind, with her car keys in hand. Riele races towards a couch and slumps on it. I can tell she's also tired from school.
"Shopping bags? I guess the dresses are in"mom says while opening one of them.
"It was just delivered"I point out and she inhaled deeply.
"I believe this is your dress"mom points to the pink shopping bag with a huge golden label. "I told her to give you a cream dress. I won't mention all the details because I want you to find out yourself"
"Cream? My favourite colour! How did you know?"I exclaim surprised.
"I'm your mom! I obviously know"she states. "Now go check your dress out! I'm going to take a cold shower"she says and heads upstairs to her room.
I sprinted to my room with my shopping bag in hand. I wanted to see the dress so badly. I took it from the shopping bag and it smelt heavenly. It was a nice dress to admit with sparkles and white beads around the chest region. It was v neck meaning my cleavage was going to show a bit. Nanni wouldn't have approved of this dress if she were here. Wait, I forgot to invite Nanni to come for the launch! I haven't spoken to her in ages! She's probably disappointed in me for not contacting her again.
I grab my phone and speed dial her. I would love it if I saw her at the event tonight!
"Hello"an unfamiliar voice says at the other end.
"Hi, can I speak to Nanni?"
"I'm sorry but Nanni isn't here anymore! She's been transferred to another parish"the voice says and I'm stupefied.
"No! I need to speak to Nanni! She cannot leave like that"I insist.
"I already told you she's not here anymore. She left a month ago. You called late"she spills indignantly.
"Okay can I have her personal phone number?"
"I don't have it at the moment but I'll check the register and let you know later"
"Thank you"I reply and hang up. My heart was broken at the moment. All this time, I couldn't contact Nanni because I was so busy with the brand! Now it's too late! She's gone, just like the rest. Blake left and now Nanni.
She must be heartbroken by now. I failed.
I just stare at the dress laid on my bed with tears streaming down my face. It's hard to believe that Nanni is gone!
____
"Tiffany hurry! We will be late for the event"mom echoes for the third time and I twist my hair into a ponytail. It wasn't done perfectly but I was in haste so I had to take it in that form. I then slipped my cream high heels on and grabbed my clutch from the dresser.
"I'm coming mom"I holler back and take one last look at myself in the mirror. Then I exited the room and descended the stairs.
"How do you feel?"I ask mom who was placing a blue ribbon in Riele's hair. Riele was in a blue dress with sparkles all over and mom was clad in a black and white dress. The bottom was white and the chest region was black . Her dress was v neck too and it looked gorgeous on her. Her hair was in pastel twist and she was twisting Riele's into a twin braid on each side of her head.
"Much better after the shower! I had a great nap and I don't feel exhausted anymore."she says with a beam and struts towards me after fixing Riele's hair. It looked spectacular after my mom's transformation.
"You look great but I'll have to fix your hair and touch on your makeup a bit"she says examining my body. "But the dress looks good on you! Just the perfect size. Is your boyfriend coming to the launch tonight?"she asks as she leads me to sit down.
"Yes"I reply with an eye roll. Aiden isn't my boyfriend!
"Oooh"she giggles as she begins to work on my hair. "Then I have to give you that stunning model look"she winks in the mirror and I chuckle a bit.
"I thought you were in a hurry"I refer to the incessant calls she made a while ago, calling my name every nanosecond and telling me to hurry up.
"I am, but I would want my daughters to look stunning tonight"she elaborates and continues to brush my hair gently with a special kind of brush that I haven't seen before. "I was a hairstylist and makeup artist at first. I used to style people's hair and give them mind blowing styles. I was a professional in my work"she narrates and applies an apple scented hair spray on my hair.
"As time went on, I decided to start my own company since I knew much about makeup and everything! And here we are now! Although I wish I could still style people's hair but my daughters are there"she says with a beam.
"So how did Croxford Cosmetics start? I mean was it easy or difficult?"I ask as she ties my hair up into a high ponytail with a cream coloured ribbon.
"It was difficult. Hectic. Stressful"she sighs and grabs a tube of foundation from a drawer. "But it definitely paid off and your dad was there to support with his income"she adds.
"Guess what? I'm using the Swift Sisters foundation!"She squeals and flashes the name in my face.
"Cool"I squeal and she applies it on my face.
"I need you to stay still and be quiet as I work on your face"she says and I oblige. She rubs my face with foundation for like 5 minutes and begins to work on my eyebrows. Then I felt something soft on my lips. It smelt so good, like grapes.
"That's the grape shimmer shims lip gloss. It's also a product of Swift Sisters"she admits and shows a violet tube to me.
"Finally the blush! I almost forgot"she grabs the blush from the table and applies it to my cheeks. "Oh mascara "she adds and applies it to my lashes.
"Mom, I think you forgot to apply this"Riele says holding up an eyeliner.
"Thank you dear"mom takes it from her and applies it on my face. "Now you're set! You look amazing sweetheart"she blows me a kiss and I'm stunned with how I look.
"Let's take a selfie, come here Riele"she summons Riele over and takes a quick shot. "Honey you look like a real model"mom squeals.
I just admire how I look. I've been totally transformed. I wonder if my friends would recognise me tonight!
"Let's get going! Janet just texted that the event is about to start! "Mom shoos us towards the front door hurriedly. "Honey! Get down here, it's time to go"she hollers to dad before shutting the door.
When we got to the venue later that night, the place was packed to our surprise and I could hear music blasting from the giant speakers in the auditorium. I was surprised to see a whole lot of people here. My dad's jeep comes to a halt and my mom is wide eyed.
"There are a lot of people here"mom whispers to dad.
"I know"he whispers back.
"Khloe! You're here! Hurry up and get up stage" Janet says out of no where clad in a navy blue dress with a black belt. Her hair was in a fishtail braid and she looked gorgeous!
"Go go go!"Dad sacks her. "Good luck! I'll stay with the kids"
Mom sprints with Janet into the auditorium while dad, Riele and I followed close behind. The auditorium was elegantly designed with pink roses , pink ribbons and violets.
"Dad"Riele cries out with a grimace.
"Yes honey"dad replies.
"I want that"she points to some delicious looking muffins on standby.
"Sure. Tiff, do you want some?"
"No dad. I'm fine"I reply. I was currently scanning around for Mirabel and the rest. I'm expecting them tonight!
I make my way further into the auditorium. It was quiet with everyone sitting at a round table and chatting excitedly. I spotted my mom with Janet at a corner, talking about some issues. Then I spotted someone! Blake? My heart skips a beat as he walks with that girl, Annalise--the one I saw in his room the other day to a table. I thought he travelled! What's he doing here? Mr Sparx was sitting at another table chatting with a few men including my dad. Riele was seated on his lap as she ate her muffin. That explains It! His mom invited his dad to the launch and he was dragged here!
Suddenly, someone crashes into my legs. I bend to see a familiar looking boy staring at me. Toby? It's him!!!
"Hi"I greet with a small smile. "Where's your mom?"
He shrugs his shoulders.
"I know you"he narrows his eyes at me.
"You're Toby right?"I smile. He recognised me!
"Toby! I've told you to stop running out on me"someone interrupts and I look up to see Aiden approaching us with fast and furious strides. "What if you get lost again?"he grabs Toby's hand forcefully.
"But I didn't go far"Toby grumbles.
"I'm so sorry"Aiden looks up to apologise but instantly stops talking when he sees me. I just smile.
"Tiffany?"he asks dumbfounded. He was clad in a tux with his blonde hair gelled to perfection. "You look ravishing"he adds. Toby runs off again as Aiden just stares at me and I just stand there awkwardly.
"You look great too"I say to break the awkward silence.
"Yeah I believe you've met Toby already. That's my annoying little brother"he says and I chuckle.
"I thought you said he was adorable "I remind him.
"Well he's being annoying tonight! Now where did he go?"Aiden groans while scanning around for Toby. I look around too and my eyes land on Blake again. This time, he was staring at me as Annalise texted on her phone. He quickly averts his gaze and talks to her.
"Blake is here?"Aiden asks, surprised.
"I had no idea he was coming"I say with a groan. "But he's moved on as you can see"I point to the girl sitting in front of him.
"That's the girl he moved on with? Geez you're even prettier than her"Aiden blurts and I blush. "What about making him jealous tonight? It's worth a try"he adds with an evil smirk.
"How?"I ask.
"We can pretend to be a couple! You look gorgeous tonight and he will obviously have his eyes on you the whole time! He's looking at you right now"
I don't even bother to check if he's really looking at me.
"Aiden you know that's what made him break up with me. If we do this right now, it will only confirm his suspicions "
"He moved on! It's time to prove that you moved on too Tiffany!! Or else he will think no one wants you and he's wrong about that because I...."he trails off rubbing his hair.
"You?"I ask curiously
"I want you"he rasps in a low tone with head lowered. I just stand there, thunderstruck. I need to do something. Without thinking, I hug Aiden and he's taken aback but he hugs me back.
I smile when we break apart but his hands were still encircling my thin waist.
"So are you ready to make someone jealous?"he asks and I giggle.
"Ready as I'll ever be"
He guides me gently to one of the round tables situated near the refreshments area. He pulls out a chair and I sit in with a grateful smile. He sits opposite of me never leaving my hand. He gently kisses my hand and smiles.
"Good evening my lady and gentleman, here's the program for tonight."a guy dressed in a white shirt and black pants hands Aiden and I a pink card.
"Thank you"I gratify as he moves to the next table to distribute the cards.
"Hello everyone! Since our Chief Executive Officer and a large capacity of audience are seated, I believe the programme can take off with a prayer by anyone touched by the holy spirit"Janet announces on the stage and Mr Sparx gets up. We all applaud him as he gets on stage and takes the microphone from his wife who was beaming.
"Good evening everyone! May we all be upstanding as we close our eyes please"he begins and I shut my eyes.
"Heavenly father, we are grateful for our lives today. We hope and pray whatever we may do in this auditorium today, from beginning to the end will be grand success in Jesus' name. Amen"
"Amen"Janet echoes and the crowd applauds. Mr Sparx walks to the other end of the stage and sits on the high table. My dad offers him a small smile as he takes his seat.
"We would now invite our lovely and industrious Chief Executive Officer of Croxford Cosmetics to give a welcome and key note address Please give it up for, Khloe Croxford "Janet invites my mom upstage and I clap so hard. I feel so proud of her.
"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, our investors, our most loyal clients, children and all invited guests!!!"My mom's voice resonates in the grand auditorium. We all respond with beams on our faces.
"We are honoured to have you all here this evening to launch our Swift Sisters Collection! We really appreciate your time and would make sure you don't regret coming here! As Janet introduced, my name is Khloe Croxford and I'm the Chief Executive Officer for Croxford Cosmetics"
"I would like to introduce a few investors on the high table who have supported Croxford Cosmetics from day one. On the left, at the far end is Sophia Campbell, founder of Sophia Wigs and Hair Accessories! Beside her is Mrs Jones, owner of Jiggins fashion line, also we have Eddy Butler from Mens Accessories and Breckett Wood from the famous Food Court Restaurant! Please give it up for them! Thank you all for making this company a success"mom introduces and they stand up one by one to wave us. Mrs Jones was the eldest amongst them with grey hair and a mature but slim body. She wore glasses and her hair was in a bun on top of her head. She went on to introduce Breckett Wood as chairman for the occasion. And that was met by a thunderous applause.
"Croxford Cosmetics started as a small company in 1966 at the backyard of my house. In 1990, it progressed to a company's old warehouse where we renovated it in order to continue our production. Then fast forward in 2000, Croxford Cosmetics gained popularity and we earned a lot from our Chic brand that time so we decided to buy an acre of land to establish our factory there! Then we transformed the old warehouse into our own warehouse today and that's where we are today! Over the past few years which is 25 years ago of the company's existence, we have been producing makeup and other unisex products. We produced the Summer Shine, Glow Forever, Chic, Ser hermosa and Firm and Fit. Firm and Fit turned out bad and after some analysis and investigation, we discovered the problem. We express our deepest apologies for what happened and we are here to support and compensate all the victims that suffered the harshness of the product. We realised some had burns, sores and huge acnes because of it but we have good news for all those victims who suffered those skin disorders. We have a formula available that would cure it and revitalize your skin, giving it that glossy finish that you deserve. This formula is known as the Skin Cleansing gel made from aloe Vera extracts and other fruit sources. It comes with different fragrances so you can choose the one of your preference. It's absolutely free since its our compensation to all our clients who fell short to Firm and Fit. "
"Tonight, we launch a new fantastic brand named Swift Sisters! My daughters inspired me to introduce that brand! I discussed this plan with my hardworking operations manager Janet who was indeed overjoyed with the news. In fact she gave me all the support and at times had to go the extra mile by working overnight, travelling length and breadth for needed materials to enable us begin the production without any hindrance. For that effort, l say Thank you Janet, the entire staff of this company is most grateful for your selfless job". The audience applaud and Janet raises her right hand as a form of acknowledgement.