A Reshaped View

Gabrielle F. Culmer

Description

A fashion designer and a venture capitalist aim for recognition and a life that they once knew.
NYC fashion designer and style icon Kascey Chisol is newly-married and managing a socially-distanced fashion show amid a global pandemic when she is faced with a cybersecurity breach. After discovering her data has been stolen and designs have been faked, Kascey must reconstruct her couture line or face the consequences of competing with her own style online.
With help from her faithful staff and loyal venture capitalist husband, Gradey, Kascey diligently works to trace the culprits while focusing on ensuring the survival of Kascey Couture. But Gradey is also dealing with other challenges that include providing capital for a tech company in the Silicon Valley in dire straits and handling the unexpected illness of a family member. As Gradey and Kascey battle to protect themselves and her business from international criminal elements, they must also manage the constant changes that accompany a new norm, find a way to keep their romance alive, and endure a virtual court hearing where she must face the culprits.
In this exciting story, a fashion entrepreneur and her venture capitalist husband fight for recognition and a life they once knew after she becomes the victim of a cybersecurity attack.

Sujets

• Nueva York
• Remote
• Virtual
• Professional
• Travel
• Fashion
• Design
• Mystery
• Romance
• Mode (habillement)
• Fiction
• London
• New York

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 16 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663249173
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A Reshaped View
GABRIELLE F. CULMER
 
 
 
 
 
 
A RESHAPED VIEW
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Gabrielle F. Culmer.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
iUniverse
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
844-349-9409
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4918-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4917-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909133
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 05/12/2023
Contents
1 Back to Normal
2 Dim Lights
3 Homeward Bound
4 Misty Monday
5 A Catskills Lodge
6 Weekend at the Cape
7 A Safe Monday
8 Weekend Buzz
9 Hope in the Valley
1 0 So Grateful
1 1 Countdown
1 2 December Frost
1 3 The End of the Year
1 4 Bring in The New
1 5 Weekend Rendezvous
1 6 New York Minute
1 7 Spring Break
1 8 The End of Summer Wine
1 Back to Normal
Kascey looked onto brilliant scenery on a vibrant autumn day. Her view through the large bay windows was from the penthouse floor of a manor hotel situated in the heart of Mayfair within driving distance to the shows. The room was luxurious with grey carpeting, ornate walls, delicate moulding, high ceilings with full lighting, and a settee and table where she had set sustainable silk, soft material, and her planners. It was her first show in the new normal since starting Kascey Couture. She had become a style icon, and the name encompassed all her dreams and aspirations. It was the brainchild of the culmination of her life’s work, which had taken her from her early years in her parents’ fabric manufacturing company in Canada, to her studies in the Parisian fashion district, to being the understudy and associate to a famous Latin American designer in New York. Now she was a married woman with her own line, her staff, and models for international shows.
Her best friend and internationally acclaimed model Moda was in the entourage and had been specifically picked for her ensemble. Moda would be the face of her creations. Soft palettes of creams, pinks, and baby blues would soften the effects of the change of normality. A socially distanced and independent message of relaxation and patience with a universal Internet audience would communicate hope to the world. The way that the sustainable fabric moved and draped her figure was incentive to the public to keep fit and survive. Kascey knew what it had been like and was grateful. She had found a newly formed love with and faith in Gradey. She relished the quiet walks through parks with Gradey, early mornings spent watching the sunrise and taking in the smell of pancakes, and late nights with fairy lights and homemade dinners on the terrace. There were decisions to use whatever was in the pantry and on order. She savoured watching the dark skyline from across the Hudson with few lights as the city slept during the pandemic.
Now there was a sense of rebirth. Her recollection of having to leave the office in midtown late in the evening with its quiet and solitude remained. The city had a remoteness to life and uncertainty of revival. The antithetical reaction to a crisp and clear spring day. The days of isolation seemed over as she and Gradey isolated in their new river view apartment in downtown Manhattan. She cringed at the thought of a high floor now, considering that in the case of a power surge, they would be stuck. She reminisced of the outdoors and the country. They had even considered moving. They had overcome the new normal.
Now she was Kascey Chisol after nine months of marriage to Gradey, who was the man of her dreams and who had flown the earth to be with her. Memories of their former lifestyle of romantic dinners in the Flatiron District, the bustle of Midtown, the mystique of Paris, and the romance of Venice and Monaco were distant memories. Her show items would represent what life now meant to her: the toned-down mood, the practicality of an essential job, the safety and security of one’s home and sofa—more than the bustling lifestyle and the glamour of the streets of New York. But she reminisced on the smaller things in life: the holidays and Thanksgivings; her family, and family visits to the cape; barbecues of shellfish and late nights on the beach and the coastal village. Her maturity had now placed her on her own two feet and ready to display her hard work to New York, Paris, and Milan.
She was getting used to the new normal and the new sense of style that had overcome the wave of the pandemic. Her materials were flowing, and her style relaxed. She had designed a few couture gowns for the adventurous, but the stages had changed, and so had she. Those gowns were soft and flowing. Her gusto was revived, but not long ago it had been deflated. In the past, she had relied on family to get through it, and she recollected the extraordinary circumstances that they all had faced. She thought that at one point it could all fold, but she was grateful for the financial support. It was the one thing that she could rely on as long as it was possible with the notion that others were not as lucky.
Fortunately, her family and friends also survived virtually, but she missed some along the way. It seemed that luck had been distributed sparingly, and she reserved prayers for those who were suffering. There was a fear that had been associated with it all which inspired the desire to have soft shades to smooth it over—nothing too dreary, only simple enough to be comforting. Her ensemble had taken on a new shape from fitted to flowing, from decorated too socially distanced. She was determined that Kascey Couture would survive for the greater good.
It was like returning to the beginning. She had navigated through the pandemic, keeping up with the markets along with the sewing machine in her guest room and packaging merchandise in her living room and going totally online with the suppliers. She had overcome the hassle and the anxiety of shipping and packaging. She looked forward to the allure of online sales as incentive. Most of all, her supportive husband developed his whole business online amidst a failing market which was out of his control, with the pandemic to blame.
 
She knew that her former boss, Vasquez Lake, would be on the virtual show route, and she could use his advice more than ever. The pandemic had had a harsh effect on his business. Being stationed in Westchester with Daphne and the children brought comfort. However, there was less need for couture, and he had just fully turned his business online. Starting the shows again in the socially distanced world was challenging; however, he himself was a survivor, having built an empire as a second-generation American from South America. This show would exhibit his ability to survive with an emphasis on the coming spring as being the revival and rejuvenation that the world needed to enlighten moods with bright yellows and peach wraps for those on casual outings, as sparse as they might be. It would take a new turn with outdoor walks and open-air venues. He was faced with the issues regarding the privacy of the Internet and sensitive material regarding his work as he navigated the show from the comfort of his cosy fireplace and rustically decorated living room in the States. After the last theft of a dress almost two years ago, he was cautious about using the Internet and grateful to not be dealing with the risk.
Kascey’s mobile rang.
“Hi, it’s me,” a female voice stated. “Just checking in. I have done all the protocol and will get to the venue in half an hour.”
“Great, hair and makeup should be there. I will leave now. Good luck, Moda,” she replied familiarly.
“Thank you. Looking forward to it and thank you for the opportunity. It sure beats being dressed up in a visual box from my living room.”
“I know. Let’s hope things do not get worse. I am on my way now. No worries, you were always meant to be the face of my brand.”
“Perfect, and I feel really privileged. Ciao.”
“Ciao.” On that note, she gathered her bag and tried to collect herself. It felt euphoric but strange to be getting out there again as if nothing had happened. It was more noticeable in Europe, but New York still had ground to cover. However, she and Gradey could hear the activity below from their terrace. There was excitement on the pavements with restaurants having remote openings. Sometimes they did not have the ability to order, as it was too risky. In consequence, she had shed a few pounds just improvising with what was already in the fridge and rationing. She felt reassured, as though they were saving someone’s life just by making the decision to stay in or avoid the area. It was intriguing how much she thought of others more, offering food donations and free or bargain items to loyal customers. She also thoug