Chapter 1

My mother was a foolishly kind woman.

Years ago, she started a fashion line with an unemployed friend. My mom was solely responsible for the designing, sourcing, and pattern-making.

Just as the workshop started to take off, that woman ran off overnight with all the design patents and corporate cash, vanishing into thin air.

She left behind a mountain of debt, and it all fell on my mother’s shoulders.

She cleaned houses by day and drove Uber by night, stubbornly paying off every single cent on her own.

But her body broke down. She died of sudden cardiac arrest from overwork.

Ten years later, the brand I founded became the pinnacle of the fashion industry.

At the Fashion Week Emerging Designer Competition, I sat in the head judge's chair.

The girl standing opposite me was poised, calm, and full of confidence as she presented her portfolio.

I stared at those familiar designs and froze.

The rest of the panel gave her high scores. I looked at her and pressed my buzzer:

"Eliminated. Next."