#Chapter 98: Fashionably Late

Agnes Ruined. Everything was ruined. All of the hard work, all of the weeks spent perfecting the garments, all of the dedication of the designers who had slaved night and day to ensure that this show would go according to plan… It was all destroyed. The very first thing I did was fumble for my phone, my hands shaking so badly I could barely unlock it. Elijah. I needed to call Elijah. He would know what to do—he always knew what to do. But when I called him, the phone rang once, twice, and then went straight to voicemail. “Elijah, it’s me,” I said into the voicemail machine, my voice cracking as I tried to hold back tears. “Something’s happened. The outfits—they’re ruined. I don’t know what to do. Please, call me back.” I hung up, staring at the screen as if it might magically summon him into the room with me. But the phone remained silent, as if the blank screen were mocking me. And then, all at once, my fingers tightened around th