WHITE MUSTANG / prologue
——— ₊ ⊹ speed drive 🪩

( 🏙️ )    manhattan,    new york city,    2023

————— THE MAN'S QUICK steps reverberated on the concrete sidewalk. he rushed between people, speeding up whenever the next traffic light would turn yellow. once again, he was late. it was nothing new for him.

nicholas loved new york, its lights, and the buildings. but something about people on the sidewalks in the early morning... he just hated how his shoulders would collapse with anyone in front of him walking in the wrong direction. like, there's clearly a wrong and right direction on a sidewalk.

his black coat flowed in the fresh air, his eyebrows knitted and his lips formed a thin line. he hated being late, especially for work, but somehow that came naturally to him. he swore he didn't do it on purpose, but it still happened almost every morning.

he sighed heavily, stopping at a red light. wanda, his secretary, took her sweet time to warn him about the plans for the day, and nicholas found himself running out of the coffee shop down the avenue where he would always get his daily long coffee to rush to the office.

his takeaway cup was hot against his cold palm as he fidgeted with his free hand in the pocket of his warm coat, looking for his airpods. he cursed under his breath when he couldn't find the small case in either of the pockets. he hoped he had left them at home, he could not have lost another pair.

as cherry on top, a small droplet of water fell on his sharp cheekbone, followed by a second one in his brown hair. he stopped in his steps, looking up at the cloud-covered sky.

thankfully for him, the studio wasn't so far from there. the last thing he could deal with was a thunderstorm at the moment. as soon as the light turned green, his heavy footsteps blended in the noise of the morning street.

the tall skyscraper he was heading towards was now on the other side of the street. he looked up, reading "UTOPIA" on the top of the building, a small wave of pride washing over him. he quickly reached the building and by then his hair was damp and the coffee in his hands cold.

"took you some time, nick," the latter looked up from his soaked paper cup, meeting his friend's playful eyes. chandler graham was wearing his usual white tee with a light blue open shirt on top of it, baggy jeans, and sneakers to complete the outfit.

next to him, a shorter girl's head popped out of his shoulder, looking at nicholas with big frightened eyes. wanda orwell, his secretary, was always elegant and well-dressed, contrasting with the graphic designer's casual outfit. she held a black folder to her chest, rushing towards nicholas with an apologetic look, "god, i shouldn't have warned you so late."

"yeah, you should have called earlier, wanda." he scolded her, keeping a sweet tone. after all, she was a nice girl, always precise and great at her job, never missing a detail about anything.

chandler snickered. he was the only one who could read nicholas like an open book. he could have felt his irritation from miles away, "don't be so grumpy, nick," he teased.

"give me your coat, i'll make sure it's dry by this afternoon." wanda interrupted the friendly banter that was about to start between the two men, grabbing nicholas' heavy coat and placing it on a nearby chair. "i need it for lunch," he said, placing his cold cup on a counter.

"will be done," wanda simply said, before swiftly disappearing into the office, going god knows where.

nicholas walked to the elevator, a sigh escaping his lips when he heard the footsteps of his best friend behind him. he already knew what he was going to talk about. they entered the elevator as chandler pressed one of the last buttons before side-eyeing the man next to him, "you still don't want to accept the offer?"

nicholas glanced at him confused, as if he'd been in a trance until then, "what?"

"c'mon," chandler grinned, turning completely towards him, his head tilting slightly, "you know better than me that this is a unique occasion. for both you and the brand."

nicholas knitted his brows, taking a glance at the top of the elevator. unfortunately for him, there were still too many floors to go to avoid the topic, "i'm not sure about it, chan."

chandler rolled his eyes at his friend's words, throwing his head back in disbelief, "not sure? god, do you hear yourself?" he shook his head, trying to make him reason on it, "she is the most popular model in america at the moment, imagine how lucky you'd be to have her wear your designs."

chandler's tone was hopeful and persuasive, trying to make nicholas rethink his choice. he had been clear about it, this offering was getting them nowhere. the elevator door finally opened in front of them, allowing nicholas to storm out of it. chandler was still behind him though, harassing him with questions.

"okay, nick. why don't you wanna accept the deal?" chan scolded him.

"you read her dossier too, didn't you?" outside the rain had become way thicker and the sky even darker, "she seems annoying." he thought out loud.

chandler smacked his arm, making him flinch at the sudden contact, "you don't wanna work with her because she seems annoying?!" his voice raised an octave at the end of the sentence, throwing nicholas off guard.

"god, nick, salem reid was defined as the heiress of america's modeling industry by freaking vogue! she is a unique beauty, young, and knows how to do her job better than anyone else, and you don't wanna work with her because she seems annoying?!"

nicholas sat at his desk, the tight black turtleneck defining his toned body, "exactly." he said simply, sending chandler a forced smile.

the man in front of him sighed, sitting on the edge of the desk with a roll of his eyes, "you're an idiot, and i'm telling you this as your best friend." he placed the black folder he was holding in front of him. the name of the model could be read at the beginning of the page, followed by all the information he might have needed to work with her.

"at least let wanda plan a meeting with her agent." he cried out desperately. to him it was insane how nicholas couldn't see the benefit this deal would have brought them all.

nicholas didn't reply, as he waited for chandler to let him work in peace. he had no intention to give up though, "what can i do to convince you?" he closed his laptop with a swift movement, "you know damn well i won't give up."

nicholas massaged his temples, "let's start with a long coffee." in all that rush he even forgot about his coffee cup, abandoned on some counter at the entrance of the building. before processing anything chandler was bombarding him with, he needed his daily dose of caffeine, "make it extra long."

"you're unbelievable," chandler scoffed, getting up from the desk as he headed out of the room, "i ain't no secretary, nick."

nicholas let out a long sigh he was holding, throwing his head back on the chair. his head felt like it was about to explode as he reopened the laptop chandler had shut close.

he opened his mail, checking the files his secretary had sent him. he opened the first article, reading the title:

————————— ‧₊˚ 📰
VANITY FAIR : LUXURY . . .

UTOPIA, the luxury fashion brand of the moment, amazes everyone with its recent spring-summer collection

UTOPIA, nicholas chavez's one-year-old fashion house, has been setting new standards for the global fashion industry. with its innovative designs, satin dresses paired with luxury touches and combat boots, UTOPIA has marked its relevance and importance among young people all over the world

tap to read the article ...

a faint smile appeared on his face as he read such positive things about his brand after all the years, effort, and money he had put into it. he couldn't be prouder of himself.

he opened the second article, his sharp eyes scanning the headline on the page:

————————— ‧₊˚ 📰
PEOPLE : HOT TOPICS . . .

salem reid becomes the face of versace : the new gigi hadid? meet the new icon of timeless beauty

tap to read the article ...

he scrolled further down the article, reading more carefully this time. the portrait the magazine was giving the girl was one of an elegant but innovative style, a contemporary fashion displayed by an old-school kind of beauty.

and the pictures in the article confirmed how versatile she was: she had a slim face, adorned by doll-like lips and silky blonde hair. she had sharp but attractive eyes that reminded those of a feline. her sweet and angelic features contrasted with the pointy and modern dress she was wearing.

not to mention, she was a master in posing. she made every pose, for how bizarre it might have looked, seem natural. she brought a certain grace and sophistication to her photos.

he swiped off the article, clicking the next one. this time he didn't consider the title, but the pictures attached to it. the same salem reid was rocking an expensive and fashionable fit at the airport, a few months back. her lustrous blonde hair was elegantly combed behind her back as a pair of thin black shades rested on her pointy nose.

nicholas couldn't quite catch what was off about her. something about her gave him bad vibes, even if he tried to push his pride aside.

once he viewed all the articles he rested against the chair once again and closed his eyes to relax for a second, before chandler's low voice rang in his ears, "extra long coffee for the grumpy bitch!"

"am i the grumpy bitch?" nicholas asked rhetorically, an amused smirk tugging on his lips as chandler placed the boiling cup on his desk.

chandler looked around the room, raising an eyebrow with his usually sassy demeanor, "did anyone else ask me for an extra long coffee?"

nicholas let out an amused snort before taking a sip of the coffee, "you forgot the straw."

"shut up and show me what you're looking at." chandler threw his hands in the air before moving around the desk to watch the same articles nick had been staring at for what seemed like infinite moments.

in the open article, salem's slim body was showcasing a beautiful silky dress that wrapped around her figure in an angelic way, highlighting every single curve and proportion of her body. her hair was styled in a high ponytail, leaving some jaunty locks of hair out from the elegant hairstyle as her feline-like eyes stared at nicholas through the screen.

chandler aggressively hit his arm, causing nicholas to flinch at the sudden friendly aggression from his friend, "man, look how beautiful she is! now imagine her with one of your designs." he walked around the desk to face him, "nick, listen, i love you, but you need to have her as the face of your brand."

"stop screaming into my ears!" nick bursted out, standing up suddenly as the chair rolled away from his desk, almost falling to the ground. "listen... tell wanda to plan the meeting."

chan stopped in his tracks, looking at him with a raised brow, as if he didn't hear quite right, "that worked?"

"yes." He started as he straightened up, already regretting his words, "yes, it worked. have her plan the meeting some time later this week, but leave me alone for the rest of the day, my head is exploding and I need to work." and it's only 9 in the morning, he wanted to add but decided to hold back.

"trust me, nick. you won't regret it!" he said, patting his friend's shoulder as he ran out the studio, looking for the red-haired woman.

with an invisible mallet banging on his head, the pouring rain hitting the glass of the window next to him, and his second coffee of the day turning cold, nicholas' day was definitely ruined.

he ran his fingers through his fluffy hair, looking up on the wall where the minimalist clock was hanging. "it's only 9.14..." he mumbled to himself, wishing to go back to the comfort of his luxurious apartment in manhattan.

nick let out yet another heavy sigh, staring at the ceiling, "why did i agree to this?"

LOLA SPEAKS .ᐟ 𐙚
this chapter is so long i'm sorry
😭😭 the next few ones will be
too but then i'll try to alternate
between long and short ones

thoughts on the prologue ??
let me know, i love hearing your
opinions <3

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