Chapter 7

The design studio at Cross Industries was a sanctuary of controlled chaos. Bolts of Kyoto silk were draped over heavy mahogany cutting tables, their rich textures catching the morning light that streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Pinned to the corkboards lining the walls were

Chapter 8

Julian Thorne stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse office, staring blindly at the sprawling Manhattan skyline. His knuckles were white as he gripped the edge of his mahogany desk. On the massive flat-screen television mounted to the wall, a news anchor was breathlessly re

Chapter 9

The Global Fashion Summit in Geneva was a spectacle of unparalleled opulence. Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Swiss Alps, the grand Palais des Expositions had been transformed into a sprawling mecca of high fashion. Flashbulbs strobed constantly near the velvet ropes of th