Valerie P.O.V.

Carter had kindly offered to take me to L.A.X so he could see me before I left, and jokingly said he was gonna book a ticket to come with me just for the kicks. I secretly wouldn't have minded, he had only just gotten back from Miami, and now I was leaving.

"See you later gorgeous," he pulled me into a hug before leaning down to kiss me. Ever since that night a few days ago, the sparks that flew between us had become way more intense. It was like opening Pandora's box.

"Bye Carter," I whispered into his neck, breathing in his scent before pulling away. I'm honestly addicted.

He shot me a wink before climbing back into his car and drove off.

Swoon.

I landed at J.F.K. about five hours after boarding. Taking a few deep breaths (but not too much- NY doesn't have the cleanest air after-all), I stepped out onto the bustling sidewalk to hail a cab back home, watching the endless lights that filled the city pass by. After paying the driver, I lugged my suitcase out of the boot and stared up at the skyscraper before me.

I'm back.

The last time I was here in the big apple was for Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, approximately 6 months ago.

"Sweetheart!" my mother appeared stretching her arms out immaculately dressed as always, not one strand of hair out of place. She embraced me lightly and gave me two air kisses on the cheek.

"Hi mom," I smiled warmly.

"Oh, too much of that Los Angeles sun is going to give you wrinkles!" she scolded as she pinched my cheeks and inspected my face closely between her hands.

"I wear SPF! And I'm not on the beach all the time," I swatted her hands away. "How are you and dad?" I asked, taking off my jacket to hang it up on the coat rack.

"Good honey, he'll be coming home soon and William is on his way so we can have a proper family dinner."

"That's good mom, I'm gonna settle in okay?" I replied as I proceeded to wheel my suitcase into my old room. Not one bit has changed as I opened the door.

A large pristine white bed sat in the centre with a luxurious cream fur rug, a gold ottoman on top and a large vanity in the corner, with a sparkling chandelier hanging from the ceiling. All this really feels like a lifetime ago. I can admit though, it is a stunning room and I was so lucky to have so much, I would never take that or people I love for granted anymore. I went and unpacked my suitcase to pull out my clothes for the week and hung them up in my half empty walk-in. I still had some old stuff stored in there that I couldn't take to L.A.

"Valerie?" a male voice called as I heard footsteps enter my bedroom.

"Will!" I grinned as I strode out of the closet to greet my brother.

"Hey sis, heard you were home," he came over to give me a big bear hug and rubbed the top of my head roughly with his knuckles.

"Omg Will, I'm not five," I groaned and pushed his hand away as he chuckled.

"You're still my lil sis." He grinned cheekily as he continued to hold me under his arm in a wrestler's grip as I struggled to free myself.

"You're only two years older than me!!!" I whined, pushing him away.

"Still counts!" he snorted amusedly, finally releasing me, to which I rolled my eyes at him, as we both went to sit on my bed.

He was almost 24 and worked with my dad at DelCorp, but honestly acted the same way he did as a kid (when he wasn't in business mode). He said he needed to keep himself young and not turn into a stiff, grumpy old CEO one day. William was a pretty naughty kid when he was younger, always getting up to mischief and trying to find ways to entertain us when we were growing up. Having such formal parents, and being raised to have proper etiquette could be a little boring at times, but he made up for it, 100%.

"Sooo... you seeing anyone yet? Cause y'know I want a niece or nephew soon!" I smirked at him evilly. Babies were so cute, but only if you could return them to its owner after, and my only chance of that, was my older brother. Also, he hates when I talk about settling down.

His lips pressed into a firm line as he shoved me on the shoulder, making me laugh at his attitude."No, I'm a bachelor thank you very much. I can't be tied down in my early twenties!" He's such a typical playboy. "Plus all the girls can't resist when they hear I'm a businessman at DelCorp, they like that Christian Grey type shit," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ew Will." I gave him a flat, pointed look. "Well I'm glad things at the company are going well. Mom and dad got their golden child to run the family dynasty and I'm free to do whatever." I said as I scooted over to the headboard to rest against it. I mean, no harm no foul. We all know parents always loveeed their first-borns just a tad bit more.

"Yeah good thing I like bossing people around, otherwise I would have chucked a fit and run off to Cuba," he chuckled. "How are you though Val? How's L.A?" he asked on a more serious note.

"Actually... a lot better these past few months." I responded with a small smile as I stretched out and crossed my ankles together.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you seeing someone? You're blushing," he commented, folding his arms across his chest.

"Uhh... yeah," I admitted. His eyebrows immediately scrunched up into a frown as the information registered into his brain. Oh no. Here we go.

"Who is he and what's his name Val?! How old is he huh? Y'know I really didn't like that other guy who's name we shall not speak of. He was an ass. He was also trouble. And you my dear sis, was totally blinded, for a loonnnggg time. You haven't seen anyone since. Do I need to book a flight to L.A? Who knows who he could be? Do we need to call your therapist?!" He huffed out a breath after finishing with his rant. I slapped my hand against my forehead and groaned. Older brother mode, has been activated.

"His name is Carter, and he's my age. He's a good person. This time's much different than before. I'm fine." I spoke in slow, steady words.

"You know I just worry. You were in a really bad place before okay? So bad, you literally flipped your shit then moved across the country," he looked at me with a softened gaze.

"I know Will, but I promise everything's okay," I said sincerely, giving him an appreciative smile.

"Good, cause I'm starving and I don't feel like harassing Dr. Kavanaugh's assistant to squeeze my legal-aged, adult sister in for a session against her will," he let out a sigh before getting off the bed. "Let's go have a good ol' Delwood family dinner."

I rolled my eyes at him, idiot. Loving, caring idiot. What else are siblings for?

~

I stood by the glass window staring at the magnificent New York skyline, with a warm cup of coffee in hand. Today was my first day on the job with Julian and I was beyond nervous. Should I wear heels?! I should look professional. Was it rainy out? We were going to be meeting with a few design houses and boutiques to pick out a few pieces to either loan or buy for one of his upcoming projects, and to dress his clients for events.

I decided to opt for a long-sleeve dark silver satin blouse tucked into a plain black high waisted leather skirt and a pair of slim sandals with a two-inch heel. I could handle wearing that if we were only going to be browsing a few stores and sitting the rest of the time. I decided to also put a few waves through my hair and put on some makeup, rings and a pair of small studs.

"Valerie!" Julian came over to greet me with an air kiss on one cheek before stepping back to give me a once-over.

"Hi Julian," I smiled at the flamboyant stylist.

"You look fabulous!" he exclaimed, gesturing for me to do a twirl as I humoured him.

"Thankyou! As do you of course!" I complimented him. He had on a plain white shirt, a pair of skinny dark grey trousers and an expensive looking belt with a feline head buckle, which I recognised must be from Gucci, as well as a dainty silver necklace and a pair of designer loafers. He also carried with him a small black leather folder with an iPad on top.

"Come on, let's go do some shopping!" he linked my arm in his as he pulled us into a clothing boutique. It was beautiful, very modern, with clean minimalistic lines. Only a few, select pieces hung spaciously along the racks.

"All I need you to do is to take note of items that I like, alongside a photo of it, in order from start to finish, then we will go on and make a final review and select the sizes I will need. Generally, the design houses will tell you no photos if the stuff is secret for the moment, so don't worry about those. Finally, I'll need you to help organise them to be sent to the appropriate location," Julian explained to me as he handed over the iPad and folder containing a notepad and pen as I nodded in understanding.

"Also, please point out suggestions to me if you see anything worthwhile. But never, ever say anything to the designers. They hate that." He rolled his eyes mockingly, causing me to giggle.

We went along and browsed through the items from one side of the store to the another before finalising our critiques and selecting two pieces that we thought would be suitable for his clients. You can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take the New York out of the girl. I always had an appreciation for the fashion industry being born in the fashion capital and raised by a mom who lived and breathed luxury. Today though, I had newfound appreciation for the process of design and style.

"Most of the time, I work in Los Angeles, because that's where majority of events are held, but you do need to head to New York every once in a while to keep up with the trends ahead of season, and physically meet with your contacts so they can provide you with the latest and greatest," Julian explained to me, whilst I listened intently as we sat in a cab, heading to our next location.

"Celebs pay you big money to keep them looking the best, so you've got to put in the work to find them the best. When people see your credentials and who you've dressed as well, it makes you more desirable to hire as a wardrobe stylist on film sets," he added.

"I never knew there was so much that went into this world," I replied to him astonishingly.

"Darling, you haven't seen anything yet! Awards season is like one giant The Hunger Games for celebrities and fashion!" he exclaimed with horror.