Chapter 144 Fashion Week

Saturday, September 7, 2013.

The following morning, Vince felt much better when he woke up next to Hailee in his opulent bedroom, and he thought, [My past life is just that; the past. I've achieved so much in this new life and I should focus on the positives instead of clinging to grievances.]

Vince checked the time on his Infinity Phone and saw it was already 10 am, then tickled Hailee and said, "Wake up sleepy head."

His nightly companion opened her cute little eyes and groggily said, "Good morning, babe.", then stretched her arms out and yawned aloud.

The young man replied, "You don't want to miss Leah's runway show, right? So let's shower and meet up with her before she loses patience."

They went at it like rabbits the night prior, leaving her quite tired but considered what Vince said and despondently capitulated.

Around fifteen minutes later, Vince and Hailee donned Future Couture semi-casual outfits from the Streetwear Collection before eating breakfast and dispatching the Flyga for transport.

Leah wasn't in too much of a hurry as the show began later in the afternoon and ate with her son and Hailee before they left for the Austin Airport.

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Jessica and the rest of the friend group arrived at the private hangar to board a modified Luxury 787 and fly to New York.

Kyle and Vince weren't too excited about the fashion event, unlike Hailee, Jessica, Rick, and Sarah.

The twins loved artistic design and began working for Vince in 2011 to improve their skills relevant to the audio/visual field.

Though they struggled the most out of the small team in developing Wingin' Chicken, their progress grew by leaps and bounds when Vince purchased proper workstations after the company's first paycheck.

Jessica had always been the fashionable member of their friend group, maybe due to her South Korean heritage, and she appreciated the newest trends in fashion.

The four very interested young people discussed the New York Fashion Week with Leah and Dr. Sera while ignoring Vince and Kyle making fun of them during the flight.

Instead, the apathetic pair chose to raid a few dungeons in the War Online battlegrounds with the help of Prime Alliance's Open-world guild for three and a half hours until the jet arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

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In an extravagant office located on the top floor of the JP Morgan Chase World Headquarters, a Caucasian-American man in his early 60s was vexed due to the difficult and disrespectful attitude he'd received from Future Tech's executives.

Jamie Dimon was the CEO of a financial institution dating its inception back to 1799, and nobody had dared treat him so insolently.

Upper-management representatives from Goldman Sachs, Citi Group, and Bank of America had been clamoring for an opportunity to claim a piece of the new world currency market but only JP Morgan Chase elected to dispatch its CEO to stoop from his pedestal and reach out to Vince Dalton.

Like the rest of the banking cabal, if he wanted something from a certain company, he'd need only mention their outstanding debts or reminded them of his bank's part-ownership.

JP Morgan Chase alone partly owned massive companies such as AT&T and United States Steel and wielded influence in vital economic industries like oil, gas, and construction.

Apart from the US Federal Government, there was no other entity in the country as powerful as the top banking institutions heavily invested in the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

Jamie Dimon instructed his secretary to liaison with Future Tech but received unclear meeting terms from its CFO's office, mentioning Vince Dalton visiting New York for Future Couture's event.

It was an exclusive event, even more so than shows hosted by Calvin Klein and Versace, so Jamie had to rummage through his extensive contacts list to gain access to the Future Couture Runway Show.

He laid back on his office chair and pondered in annoyance, [The little brat thinks he's hot stuff, huh? I better remind him of his place and the difference between a two-year-old corporation and the banks that run this country.]

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The streets of Lower Manhattan remained to buzz with enthusiasm as the New York Fashion Week began a few days earlier, but the most anticipated events would be occurring later in the afternoon.

Multiple corporate CAVs dispatched by the local Future Tech branch arrived at the private pad behind the Skylight Clarkson Square venue.

Leah was accompanied by Dr. Sera, looking extremely elegant in executive-exclusive Future Couture dresses, while Vince and his friends wore less-formal streetwear designs instead.

Leah thought everyone looked so cute in their outfits, so she asked an FS operator to take a few photos of them in front of the venue.

The veteran soldier dutifully complied, even though snapping pictures wasn't in his job description, as the request came from the queen of Future Tech.

Vince had recently begun being more active on his social media profiles and uploaded the picture on Instagram, then recorded and posted a "short", similar to TikToks that young Instagram users preferred.

​ The Future Tech entourage entered the venue without worry as Leah's event had already been secured by a detachment of FS operators dispatched from the Austin Barracks.

Venue security had been one of Future Security's most profitable services other than taking high-value contracts in South America and Africa.

There was always a certain risk in hosting massive events like music concerts and sports games, especially ones between bitter rival teams, and it was Future Security's job to lower risk to acceptable levels.

The Fashion Week venue was exclusive, but remained lively and crowded with all the important people within the fashion industry such as Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine.

Their group was escorted by FS operators that looked unarmed to most onlookers as they hid their FA-68s within the armored black trench coats produced by Future Couture specifically for bodyguards.

Everyone in the crowd noticed a fairly large entourage arriving and watched the utterly fashionable group find their seats in the VIP section.

Though Vince and his friends didn't actively promote Future Couture clothing, they had unknowingly become fashion icons as many of their adoring young fans loved the neo-modern aesthetic they've popularized over the past year.

A British woman in her early 60s approached the Future Executives and amicably said, "My name is Anna, and it's a pleasure to meet you all. I can already tell your show will be the one to stand out this year."

Leah knew about the famous Anna Wintour, as her magazine line had featured Future Couture Collections since its inception a year prior, and helped the brand reach more potential customers.

They spoke for a few minutes as Leah introduced her to Dr. Sera, Vince, and his friends, then she graciously said, "There are a few extra seats in the VIP section, so please join us if you're interested."

Anna appreciated the invitation and replied, "Thank you, Leah. It would make it much easier for me to watch the runway show and critique which outfit to feature on Vogue's next magazine cover."

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Around fifteen minutes later, everyone silently sat in their seats as the Future Couture event began in earnest, as beautiful and smoking hot models readied themselves backstage.

Leah hired many different women from various ethnicities and backgrounds to showcase Future Couture's international appeal, such as Gal Gadot from Israel, Agbani Darego from Nigeria, Ariella Arida from the Philippines, and Dua Lipa from the United Kingdom, Bahari Ibaadat, born in Afghanistan, and many more.

The first outfits displayed by the attractive models on the runway were from the "Modern Professionals Collection", as Gigi Hadid took to the stage wearing a neo-modern office dress, commonly worn by women working for Future Tech's corporate office. However, there weren't any strict dress codes.

The official photographers among the crowd snapped photos of the newest designs as one model after another walked up and down the runway.

Hailee, Rick, and Sarah loved the buzz and excitement in the venue and gossiped about a few celebrities in attendance like Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and her boyfriend, Kanye West.

They wondered why Kanye and Kim were among the crowd until Kendall Jenner appeared on stage for her first high-profile modeling gig for Future Couture. The event took a quick break as the models readied themselves for the next collection, then Hailee asked, "Babe, do you remember the reality TV show you hate watching with me? Keeping up with the Kardashians? A few of them are in attendance. I'm a bit shy, so do you mind if you come with me to say hello?"

Vince had always been a supportive boyfriend and replied, "I don't mind at all, but don't count on me to hold the conversation."

The young CEO didn't enjoy shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians in either of his lives and preferred doing anything else other than keeping up with superficial nonsense.

His friends shared the sentiment and remained in their seats while Vince and Hailee left the VIP section to greet the famous couple.

The young couple's plan was unfortunately delayed because a Caucasian-American man in his early 60s approached them and said, "Vince Dalton, you're a difficult person to reach."

The young CEO acted stupid and disrespectfully replied, "Oh yeah? Who were you again?"

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