Page 78 of Bound By Crimson
For the first time in a long time, she fell asleep smiling.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Grand Opening
The boutique smelled like perfume and potential.
Callie was already there, opening boxes of gift bags and arranging bouquets near the entrance. The racks were full. The playlist Lyric had spent hours curating floated through the speakers—elegant, upbeat, confident.
People arrived before the doors officially opened.
By 10:07, they were inside.
By 10:15, her first piece was sold.
And then it began.
Flashbulbs. Compliments. Customers pulling her aside, asking about the materials. A woman tried on one of her coats and said, “I feel like I was made for this.”
Lyric almost cried again.
It didn’t stop. They sold out of two items by lunch.
Callie kept things moving with grace—wrapping orders, charming clients, helping with fittings.
Lyric barely had time to breathe.
She was buzzing. Elated. Terrified.
“This is insane,” she whispered to Callie during a rare moment of stillness.
“It’s amazing,” Callie grinned. “Youdid this.”
A courier arrived just after noon, carrying a massive bouquet of deep red roses.
“For Lyric,” he said.
The note was tucked between the stems.
She opened it, hands trembling slightly.
It was handwritten.
I knew from the beginning you were going to set the world on fire. I’m so proud of you. I love you. — Kai.
Her breath stuttered. Her hands shook a little as she set the card down.
This—this meant everything.
He hadn’t just remembered.
He hadn’t just sent flowers.
He’d seen her.
She placed the bouquet on the counter, where it stood tall and vibrant—like a silent witness to everything she had built.
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