Chapter 5

The mention of the gala jolted Charlotte fully awake. Her plan. Jaden.

She lunged, adrenaline overriding the pain, and snatched her phone from his hand. Her body screamed in protest, but she ignored it.

Bryant frowned, his default expression of annoyance settling back onto his face. "What now, Charlotte? What are you planning?"

She clutched the phone to her chest, her gaze dropping to her lap. "It's none of your business."

"As long as it doesn't involve hurting Kalia, I don't care what you do," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. He pulled out his checkbook. "This was... a misunderstanding. Name your price. I'll compensate you for your trouble."

A laugh, dry and mirthless, escaped her lips. "Compensate me? How do you put a price on nearly freezing to death, Bryant? How do you compensate someone for their life?"

She looked up, her eyes locking with his. "Just tell me one thing. Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to make you despise me?"

He was silent. For a moment, she saw something flicker in his eyes-a flash of guilt, perhaps. But then his phone buzzed. It was Kalia.

His face softened. He glanced at his watch. "I have to go."

He stood up and pulled on his jacket. He didn't even say goodbye. His secretary appeared a moment later, a blank check in her hand.

"Mr. Barnes said to fill this out for whatever amount you see fit," the secretary said in a monotone.

Charlotte stared at the check, then at the empty doorway where Bryant had been. The last of her hope, the last of her pain, turned to ash.

"Tell Mr. Barnes," she said, her voice clear and cold, "that I don't want his money. I just want him to be at my birthday gala. On time."

She would end their farce of an engagement in front of everyone. It was the only compensation she needed.

After she recovered, she threw herself into her work. AURA was her creation, a symbol of her independence. She was a Glover, heiress to a dynasty, but AURA was hers alone. She had built it from the ground up, and it was now a major player in the fashion-tech world.

She poured all her energy into the upcoming launch of her new collection. She checked every detail of the fashion show, ensuring everything was perfect.

The show was a triumph. The lights, the music, the designs-it was flawless.

And then the world came crashing down.

An hour after the final model left the runway, the internet exploded. A hashtag, #AURAplagiarist, was trending worldwide.

An unknown independent designer was accusing AURA of stealing her entire collection.

Charlotte was stunned. "That's impossible. Every design is original. Our team worked on this for a year."

Her PR team scrambled. They quickly identified the source of the campaign: a blog post by the designer, filled with "proof"-sketches that were eerily similar to AURA's final designs. The post was being amplified by an army of bots and influencers.

The designer' s name was Kalia Barron.

Charlotte stared at the screen, a cold, sickening realization dawning on her. Kalia had been in her home. She had been in her office. She must have stolen the preliminary design files.

And then the final blow. A post from Bryant Barnes himself, a link to Kalia's blog. So proud to see true talent getting the recognition it deserves. Always support original artists.

He was in on it. He was helping her destroy the one thing that was truly hers.