City of Glass Heels
Chapter 4: The Studio
Ava Monroe stood in front of the green door, her hand hovering for a second too long. It was early—maybe too early for a proper meeting—but something about Reina Sade didn't seem concerned with regular business hours.
She knocked once.
The door opened almost instantly. A man stood there, tall and narrow, dressed in paint-splattered overalls and a navy beanie pushed back from his forehead. His glasses sat crooked on his nose, and there was charcoal smudged along his jawline, like he'd been working through the night.
"You're Ava," he said, not quite asking.
She nodded. "I am."
He opened the door wider. "Reina's expecting you. I'm Ellis."
Inside, the studio was a world apart from anything Ava had ever known. It was raw and alive. The space was wide, with tall windows that let in thick strips of morning sunlight. Dust floated like glitter in the air, but everything else pulsed with intention.
Bolts of fabric lined the walls—silks, cottons, leather, Ankara prints in golds, purples, burnt oranges. On one side of the room, a dress form stood draped in half-finished pieces, the stitching visible like a map of progress. On the other side, there were open sketchbooks scattered across a long drafting table, some pages covered in quick pencil lines, others bursting with color and ink. There was music playing low on a speaker tucked near the window. Sade. Sweet, smooth, and haunting.
Ellis motioned for her to sit on the edge of a bench near the center of the room, next to a stack of portfolios.
"She'll be down in a minute. Coffee?"
"God, yes," Ava said, relaxing slightly.
He handed her a ceramic mug, not a paper cup, not disposable. It was hot and strong. She took a sip and let it settle her nerves.
"You work with Reina?" Ava asked.
"I help where I'm needed," Ellis said. "Fabric runs. Finishing seams. Watching the door." He paused. "She doesn't trust many people."
Before Ava could ask what that meant, a door creaked open on the upper floor of the loft. A set of narrow steps curved downward from the mezzanine level, and Reina appeared, barefoot, dressed in a long dark robe, hair braided down her back.
"Good," she said, her voice just as smooth as last night. "You came."
Ava stood, suddenly self-conscious under Reina's gaze.
"I wasn't sure this was real," Ava said. "Or that you were."
Reina smiled faintly. "I'm not here to prove I exist. I'm here to make something that can't be ignored."
She walked across the room to a covered rack and pulled the fabric away in a single motion. Behind it was her new collection.
Ava stepped closer.
There were seven complete pieces, each of them stunning in their own way. One was a structured jacket made of layered denim and wax print, with exaggerated shoulders and a corset waist. Another was a sheer floor-length dress with metallic embroidery in the shape of a burning city. The rest blended streetwear, Afro-futurist lines, and a type of elegance that felt raw and furious all at once.
"These are incredible," Ava said. "This is exactly the kind of story the fashion world needs."
Reina looked at her carefully. "Then help me tell it. From the shadows. I can't show my face yet. Not until the time is right."
"Why?"
"Because the people who silenced me still have power. And they'll do it again if they know I'm moving."
Ava's mind whirled. This was bigger than a photoshoot. Bigger than a pitch deck. Reina wasn't just trying to return—she was planning something more explosive.
"What do you need from me?" Ava asked.
"Your voice," Reina said. "Your access. Your eye. Lace and Velvet can't know I'm involved—not yet. But if we get this collection into the right hands, the right shoot, the right story—it'll blow the doors off the old system."
"And what happens to me?" Ava asked.
Reina didn't hesitate. "You'll either become the woman you've always wanted to be—or you'll burn trying."
Ava looked back at the clothes. They weren't just designs. They were protest. Prayer. Power.
"I'm in," she said.
Ellis nodded in the background. Reina smiled.
"Then let's begin."
Let me know if you'd like Chapter 5, where Ava returns to the office, starts laying the groundwork, and realizes just how hard it's going to be to balance both worlds—especially when her loyalty is tested.