Chapter One - Heart attack

“And it’s a wrap!” The director shouted and everyone else applauded Chloe Sutton. “Good work, Chloe.” He smiled as he spat out his cigar, and put it off, because he knew how much Chloe hated smoke.

“I can see Payton, screaming her head off right after this gets posted.” Chloe smirks softly, pretending not to know what he means.

“I didn’t even know she still existed until you mentioned her.” She lied, even though she went through her Instagram the previous night just to make sure Payton wasn’t getting prettier. “That’s just how irrelevant she is, and she should be.”

“You're such a boss lady.” He said, patting her on her shoulders as he walked off laughing.

The shoot came to an end, and they wrapped up for the day. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. Chloe Sutton - model extraordinaire. It's not just a job - it's who she is.

She couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious as she stepped out of the studio, her hair still styled but she did some touch-up on her makeup. Marcus, her manager, was waiting for her with a smile on his face and bottled water in one hand.

"Great job today," he said, giving her a pat on the back, and he handed her the bottled water. "You really are stunning in this dress."

She felt a small swell of pride at his words. She had been quite nervous going into the shoot but had managed to pull it off.

“It was as though it was tailored with you in mind.”

"Thanks," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "The design is quite elegant, it is quite impressive."

Marcus chuckled. "You know what's even more impressive?" he said. "Your youthful beauty. You look like you're still in your teenage years."

She felt herself blushing at his compliment. It wasn't often that Marcus gave out praises like that.

"Uh, thanks," She said, feeling a little awkward.

Marcus just grinned at her before handing over her phone.

"Oh, by the way," he said casually, typing something on his own phone. "You might want to check your missed calls."

She frowned in confusion as she unlocked her phone and saw that she had several missed calls from both her mother and sister.

"What's going on?" she asked herself loudly, feeling a sudden sense of unease.

Marcus shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "But It seems important, just call them back."

She nodded quickly before dialing her mother's number.

Her mother picked up almost immediately.

"Hey Mom," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, but there was a series of commotions at the other end of the phone, so loud she could barely hear her mother.

"Mom, is everything okay?" she asked, this time with a light tremble in her voice, something definitely wasn’t right.

"Chloe!" She heard her mother’s panicked voice and the noise in the background had started to reduce.

There was a pause at the other end of the line before her mother spoke again.

"Chloe! It’s your father,” she panicked. Chloe’s heart raced as soon as she heard her mother’s disturbed voice.

“What happened to my father?” she asked curiously.

“H...he had a heart attack. We're rushing him to the hospital right now."

Chloe’s heart sank as her mother’s words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her father? A heart attack? It couldn't be true.

"I'm coming too, send me the location of the hospital," she said quickly before hanging up and grabbing her coat. She rushed out of the studio and into the elevator, trying to keep herself from panicking. As soon as she stepped out of the building, she hailed a cab and gave him the address of the hospital.

The ride felt like an eternity as she sat there in silence, praying that everything would be okay. As they drove, her mind was racing with thoughts of what could happen. Would he be okay? Is it serious?

Her father had always had a bad heart, and he made known to them that he risked having a heart attack if shocked.

What could be the issue? What could have triggered it? She bit down on her lips to stop them from quivering.

The uncertainty was overwhelming. When they finally arrived at the hospital, she practically threw money at the driver before running inside, unbothered about the perplexed driver or her change.

She found her mother and sister in the waiting room with worry etched in their faces. They looked up when they saw her and they both embraced her tightly.

"How is he?" she asked, barely able to get the words out.

"The doctors are attending to him," her mother replied shakily. "They won't let us see him yet."

They sat there in silence for what felt like hours until finally, the doctors came out to speak to them.

“Doctor, how is he?” Her mother was the first person to jump toward them, but they were wearing dejected looks on their faces.

“I’m sorry ma’am.” The resident started with a rather somber expression.

“We did our best but Mr. Sutton has passed away.”

In shock, her mother fainted. Chloe couldn't believe it as she was bewildered by the news.

Her father was gone? It felt like a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

The days following his death were filled with mourning and grief. They held a funeral for him and family members came from all over to pay their respects. But even after his burial, they continued to mourn for him.

Chloe sat in her room, staring at the computer screen in front of her. The statistics are grim, and she could feel the weight of responsibility bearing down on her.

She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the numbers in front of her. “The revenue is down, expenses are up, and we're bleeding money every day. I can't help but feel like I'm drowning in a sea of red ink.” She complained over the phone, pushing the computer screen away.

"Stay focused," Mr. Hawkins said from the other end of the phone, he used to be her father’s personal assistant. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

“How can I not be emotional when everything my father has worked so hard for is at risk?” she yells back.

Her head reeling back in frustration; she gets up from behind the oak desk.

“Mr. Hawkins, why didn’t father ever say anything?” The long pause at the other end confirmed her suspicion; he was also aware that the company was at the brink of bankruptcy.

“Chloe, you know how he is, he isn’t the type of person to bring his personal issues into his work.” His voice was somewhat apologetic. “He wouldn’t want you to worry.”

“But you know about his health?”

The phone went silent again.

“Mr. Sutton strongly warned me to restrain myself from letting any of you find out about it. I’m afraid there was nothing I could do.”

She took another deep breath and sat down again, scrolling through the data again. “Tell me, Mr. Hawkins, is there a way out of this mess? Some strategy or plan that will turn things around?” She asked hopefully.

“I believe not all hopes are lost, and I’ve also been in contact with Erica Benedict. If we could engage her, I’m pretty sure she could come up with a way to pull us out of the red.”

“Is this Erica trusted?” she asked doubtfully.

“When have I ever deceived you?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly.

“Alright, I’ll give that a trial as well.” She accentuated. “Please schedule a meeting for tomorrow.”

“I will do it. Have a lovely evening.” Mr. Hawkins said before ending the phone.

She doesn't know what the answer is yet, but she’s determined to find it. For her father's sake, for her own sake, and for the sake of everyone who depends on this company.

She glanced at the clock and realized that hours had passed since she started working. Her eyes are tired and sleep-deprived.

She knew it wouldn't be easy, and there would be many challenges ahead. But she is ready for them. Because if there's one thing her father had taught her, it's that you never give up on something you believe in.

And she believed that this company would work, it has to, she would make it work – with all her heart and soul.