Sylvie Langley was horrified. She had never imagined Sybil would drag herself into another massive scandal. Her face, which had been glowing with anticipation just minutes prior, drained of color. The partnership between the Langley family and Élégance had already been officially announced to the press. If Élégance was exposed for plagiarism—the absolute worst crime in the fashion industry—the fallout would be catastrophic.
If this deal failed, Sylvie would lose her bid to become the head of the Langley family. Her father would be disappointed, and the empire would undoubtedly be handed to her younger brother.
The entire venue was staring at Sybil. The admiring glances she had basked in just minutes ago had morphed into glares of utter contempt. Her face was chalk-white, her fingernails digging so hard into her palms they nearly drew blood. She opened her mouth, but pure terror paralyzed her vocal cords. The traumatic memories of her humiliation at the Steinway piano competition crashed over her, suffocating her completely.
What could she possibly say?
Her master plan of "striking first" had turned into the ultimate punchline. Her mother had sworn she had a mole inside Bloomberry. She had sworn a nobody designer was nothing to worry about. But look at this!
Could she accuse Loyce of plagiarism?
Impossible. Bloomberry's fabric and craftsmanship were undeniably superior. Not only were they utilizing museum-grade Enamel Cloth, but they had also produced a complete four-piece collection!
Sybil had never even known Bloomberry's designer had drafted an entire seasonal line. She had only dug the sketches for 'Spring' out of the trash.
Alicia finally realized how masterfully Loyce had played her. She had paid off a mole to watch Bloomberry's tailoring room like a hawk. How could she have been so thoroughly blindsided? Was Loyce really that terrifyingly calculating? Had she anticipated every single move, just waiting for Alicia to walk into the trap?
Alicia shot to her feet, desperately trying to maintain her composure. "Mr. Dubois, this is clearly just a coincidence. Bloomberry obviously couldn't source our exclusive fabric, so they settled for a secondary substitute..."
"Ha." Raoul's sharp bark of laughter cut her off instantly. His tone dripped with disdain as he clarified, "Bloomberry's collection is crafted from the very last rolls of Enamel Cloth ever produced by the late master tailor. The fabric has been officially verified and authenticated by the Global Designers Association. And you have the audacity to call that a 'secondary substitute' used by a plagiarist?"
Alicia refused to back down, stubbornly clinging to her narrative. "Everyone knows Bloomberry is backed by the heiress to the country's wealthiest family. Finding an expensive substitute to frame us is entirely within her means."
Her desperate, delusional scrambling actually made several judges laugh out loud.
"Is that so?"
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