Chapter 5 The commission

Dante entered Mandy's boutique late one evening, just as she was locking up. He was tall, impeccably dressed, and radiated a quiet authority that set him apart from her usual clientele.

"You must be Mandy Elara," he said, his voice smooth and low.

"Yes," Mandy replied, feeling a strange mix of curiosity and unease.

"I've been following your work. You're making waves," Dante said, his dark eyes scanning the boutique. "But I don't want waves. I want a storm."

Mandy raised an eyebrow. "A storm?"

"I'm hosting a gala in three weeks," he explained. "The most exclusive event of the season. I need a suit that will outshine every other man in the room."

Mandy hesitated. There was something about Dante that unsettled her, though she couldn't say why. But the opportunity was too big to pass up.

"I can do that," she said, her voice steady.

Dante smiled, a sharp, knowing smile. "Good. I'll leave the design to you."

After he left, Mandy set to work. She knew she would need the golden thread to create something extraordinary, but as she wove it into the suit, she couldn't shake the feeling that this piece was different. The thread seemed to pulse under her fingers, almost as if it were alive.