Chapter 5 Justin\'s life

Though it was raining in Greenwood city, the sky was absolutely clear in a city about a thousand miles away called Rockland city. The birds were chirping and returning to their nests as the sun was setting and the sky was changing its colour from orangish-red to purplish-blue making it darker.

A skyscraper building with forty five floors completely made of glass was lit up by lights when it turned dark. Though the tall building had an eye-catching appearance, it's interior was even more appealing. With high ceilings and perfectly colored walls, each floor was beautifully furnished and had modern lighting.

On the topmost floor was the office cabin of the CEO of Wilson Fashion who owned the entire building and the surrounding premises. The translucent glass door led to a lavish office that had a light, sleeky and modern furnishing. It had a stylish wooden table beside the huge glass windows and a three seater modern sofa with a small contemporary chandelier on the ceiling above. There was no doubt that an extremely talented architect was hired to design the building and interior designer for the interiors.

"Send them inside", an enchanting voice says over the phone.

An extremely handsome man with a charming personality was sitting on the swirling chair with his hands resting on the glass top of the modern wooden table. His hazel eyes were elegant yet mysterious. His face was absolutely alluring with a strong jawline, angular shaped eyebrows and thin lips.

"May I come in, sir", Jane, a young woman in her late twenties knocks at the door.

"Come in", Justin says.

Jane enters his cabin while pushing a portable clothes hanging rack. Two more women follow her into the office. They were the fashion designers who were assigned work for the upcoming fashion show of Wilson Fashion. Jane was a permanent and responsible employee who had been working for the company for almost six years now.

Justin observes each and every dress that was hanging on the rack. He sighs and gets up from the chair. He walks in front of the table and sits on it while folding his hands near his chest.

"Are all the dresses that I had shortlisted from your designs ready?" He asks in a stern voice.

"Yes, sir", she replies and turns the rack sideways so that he is able to see all the dresses clearly. "All the shortlisted dresses are ready", she says confidently with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Are you sure?" He asks while narrowing his eyes.

The three girls give a confused look when Justin starts walking closer to the portable rack with a mocking smile.

He takes out a laced A-line dress and holds it from the wooden hanger in the air.

"Why is this lace not stitched properly?" He says while pointing towards the flaw in the dress.

He slams it on Jane's hands and takes out another dress from the rack. This time it was an embroidered maxi dress.

"I suppose it lacks finishing", he says while looking at her with narrowed eyes.

She lowers her head. "I am sorry, sir. I will fix it immediately", she replies sincerely.

He slams the dress in her hands again. "You know how important the fashion show is for me. I don't want any mistakes because if it happens, I will not spare any of you", he says in a dominating voice while glaring at the three girls.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir", they reply together and immediately leave the cabin with the portable rack.

While walking through the corridor, Jane says, "We can't afford to make any mistakes. The fashion show is very important for him. We can't let him down".

"I can't afford to see his anger", a girl among the three says with a horrified look imagining it.

"He is a kind person. You have joined recently so you are unaware of his true self. He was not so arrogant and strict a year ago. That accident changed everything...him as well", Jane explains.

"We should respect him instead of judging him", she adds while glaring at her two assistants. They simply nod as they were working under her guidance.

A smart man walking through the corridor heard their whole conversation. He entered Justin's cabin and stood in front of him with his hands crossed over his chest.

"What?" Justin asks casually while raising his eyebrows. He was sitting on his chair and leaned back while looking at him.

"Did you scold them again?" Charles asks while squinting his eyes on him.

Charles Miller is Justin's best friend who has been with him in good and bad times. He is like a family to him. He is the owner of the most famous restaurant in the country, 'Miller's Kitchen'. The restaurant has its chain across the country in various cities. He manages the work from Rockland city whereas his parents live in his home city.

"Of course, they were careless. Wilson Fashion is holding a fashion show in two days and the dresses are not yet ready", Justin replies with his eyebrows furrowed.

He gets up from his seat and walks near the window.

"Wilson Fashion is not just a brand but my Dad's dream, and you know that. Now that he is not with us doesn't mean that his dream doesn't need to be fulfilled. I will take care of his company and maintain its position at the top", he says while looking at the sky with his hands in his pockets.

Charles sighs and walks near him. He puts his hand on his shoulder.

"I know how important this is to you. But the way you have changed since that accident is not right. Even your employees who have seen your earlier version are surprised to see the new you. You were a kind person and you still are. But what is with this cold behavior and arrogant nature?" He says with concern.

"When you are too kind, people start taking you for granted. I don't want my employees to see me as a soft target and work carelessly risking Wilson Fashion", he replied coldly without looking at him.

Charles nods in agreement.

Justin turns around and says, "I am going home. Will you like to join?"

"Maybe someday later. I have a date", he jests.

Justin smiles after which he leaves for home. Sitting in a black Mercedes Maybach, he enters through the large iron gates which was the entrance to Wilson villa. It had old architecture but was absolutely alluring. The huge trees and a beautiful garden added to the natural beauty of the premises.

A pretty lady of an age of around 28 years opened the door for him. She took his bag and gave him a glass of water to drink while sitting on the Italian sofa in the living room.

"How was your day?" She asks in her sweet voice.

"I was busy with checking the dresses for our fashion show", he answers. "Is everything from your side prepared?" He asks while drinking water.

She nods. She was Juliana Brown, Justin's elder sister. She is an event manager by profession but limits herself to working for her family business only. She was married to Ethan Brown 5 years ago. However, he died two years back while serving in the army.

Since then, she has been living in Wilson villa with her daughter who will turn three years old in a few months. Justin is extremely attached to his sister and Ivy, his niece. No matter how cold hearted he has turned to the outsiders, he is completely sweet and soft for his family.

"Yes, almost everything is done", she replies.

Justin nods with satisfaction. "Where is Ivy?" He asks when he doesn't find her playing around.

"She was tired and is sleeping in her room", she answers with a smile.

Justin smiles. But suddenly his expression became serious. "What about mom?" He asks.

"She is resting, I will say", she answers in a sad voice and a shallow smile.

"She has been resting for a year now", he says and stands up.

"When is she going to wake up from the coma? When is she going to talk to us and tell us who is responsible for her condition", he says, fuming in anger.

Juliana immediately rushes to him to calm him down. She pats on his back gently.

"Please calm down. She will recover", she says, trying to console him.

"I am not going to spare that woman whose careless driving led to dad's demise and mom landing in a coma. I have been trying to find that woman myself but I am not getting any further clue", he says with a mix of anger and regret.

"It was an accident, Justin. No one did it intentionally", she says.

"But her careless driving caused that accident and we had to bear the loss…a huge loss!" He says with tears in his eyes.

Juliana hugs him. "We can't bring back who is gone. But we can cherish what we have. Please don't think of such revenge. It was an accident and accidents happen accidentally", she says trying to console him.

Justin loves his family a lot. He can bear any pain but can't tolerate his family to go through any. Already Juliana had lost her husband and Ivy her dad. His own father died in that accident and his mother has been in a coma since then. His family was shattered after that accident for which he blames the woman who was driving the car. He wants to find her at any cost and make her pay for the loss she has caused his family. He was a happy and cheerful man a year ago but now he is completely a changed person whose motive is to take Wilson Fashion to new heights, take care of his family and avenge his father's death.