Chapter 9 The morning sun streaming through my office windows feels like a blessing - just like that day three years ago when I walked out of the courthouse as a free woman " Following your heart is always the right choice . " Mom's words from that painful night still echo in my mind sometimes . She was right . Walking away from Mason was the best decision I ever made . After the divorce , everyone kept asking if I was okay , if I needed time to heal , if I wanted to talk about it . The truth ? I felt nothing but relief . ] " Lily , you're too young to give up on love , " my friends would say . But I wasn't giving up on anything - I was finally focusing on what actually mattered . ] " Ma'am stop daydreaming and look at these numbers ! " Chloe bursts into my office , waving a stack of financial reports . " We're officially in the black " I can't help but grin . After the wedding disaster , Chloe quit her old job without hesitation . " If you're starting over , I'm coming with you . " she'd said . " Besides , working for someone who smashes wine bottles over assholes ' heads ? That's my kind of boss . " We started Vixen Industries with my savings and a lot of caffeine fueled all - nighters . Everyone said we were crazy - two women trying to break into the fashion industry during a recession Turns out , surviving public humiliation gives you a pretty good sense of what people actually want to wear . ] " The fashion show prep is driving me insane though , " 1 admit , rubbing my temples . " Mr. Williams better not screw us over , or I swear- " You'll what ? Throw another wine bottle ? Chloe grins . " Don't tempt me . " My phone buzzes. Mom's calling . She's been on this weird kick lately about me " getting back out there " and " not letting one bad experience ruin everything . " " Hey Mom . " " Lily , sweetheart , your father and I were just saying how proud we are of you . The business is doing so well ! " " Thanks , Mom . Is that why you called ? " ] " Well ... we met the most interesting family at the Hamilton charity dinner . The Andersons . Very successful , very respectable =" " Mom , please don't start with the matchmaking again . " [ ] " I'm not matchmaking ! I'm just saying their son seems lovely . Runs the Empire Group , very accomplished for his age- " ] I'm only half - listening because Chloe's frantically waving fabric samples at me , and I can see Mr. Williams hasn't delivered the accessories we needed yesterday . [ ] " We thought maybe you could meet him . Nothing serious , just = " || " Ma'am ! Crisis ! The Empire Group , YJ Group and Bolton's all want to attend next week's show ! " Chloe's practically hyperventilating " Mom , whatever you think is best . just ... handle it , okay ? I trust you . I really have to go - we're drowning in work here . " [ ] " Oh ! Well , if you're sure ... I'll call Mrs. Anderson- " Great . Love you Bye . " I hang up and immediately forget about the conversation . There's a fashion show to save . [ ] " Chloe , get me Williams on the phone right now . And start calling backup suppliers . If this show fails because some designer can't deliver on time , I'm going to lose my fucking mind . " " On it ! Oh , and your dad called earlier about some hotel business problem ? " ] 1 throw my hands up in defeat . " Why is everyone trying to stress me out today ? " If I'd known that casual " handle it " would lead to anything more than a boring dinner , I might have paid more attention . Bur honestly ? I was too busy building an empire to worry about my parents ' social scheming . Three years of freedom had made me careless . I was about to learn that lesson the hard way . [ ]