Chapter 6

Charlotte didn't hesitate. She grabbed her keys and ran from the office, her mind a storm of cold fury.

She knew where Kalia would be. With him.

She drove straight to the Barnes Tower, the gleaming monument to Bryant' s empire. She didn't bother with the front desk, using her access card to take the private elevator straight to the executive floor.

Through the glass walls of Bryant's office, she could see them. Kalia was perched on his desk, laughing as she scrolled through her phone.

"Can you believe it, Bryant?" Kalia's voice was giddy. "Your post got me a million new followers! Everyone believes me!"

"They should," Bryant said, not looking up from his computer. "It was your work."

"It was, wasn't it?" Kalia giggled. "That stupid Charlotte. She probably didn't even design it herself. She just paid someone to do it."

Charlotte pushed the door open so hard it slammed against the wall.

Both of them looked up, startled.

"You," Charlotte said, her voice dangerously low, her eyes fixed on Kalia. "You don't have enough talent to design a napkin, let alone an entire collection."

She strode into the room. "You stole my files. You're a thief and a liar."

Bryant was on his feet in an instant, moving to stand protectively in front of Kalia. "Charlotte, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Her company is the one that plagiarized, and she has the nerve to come here and make a scene," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I did not plagiarize!" Charlotte's voice was sharp. "Those are my designs, my team's hard work, and you know it!"

Kalia started to sniffle, her eyes welling up with fake tears. "Bryant, she's scaring me. I've never even seen her design anything. Her style is so... commercial. Mine is art."

She looked up at Bryant, her lower lip trembling. "You believe me, don't you? You'll stand by me?"

"Of course," Bryant said without a moment's hesitation. He turned to Charlotte, his face a mask of cold dismissal. "Unless you have proof, get out. Or I'll have security remove you."

"I'll hire the best lawyers for Kalia," he added. "We'll countersue you for defamation."

Charlotte looked at him, at the man she had once loved, standing there defending the woman who was systematically destroying her life. She didn't feel pain anymore. She felt nothing. A vast, empty void.

"Fine," she said, her voice hard as steel. "You want a fight? You'll get one. I will protect my company and my team, and I will see you both in court."

She turned and walked out, her back straight, her head held high.

The fallout was immediate and brutal. The internet was a cesspool of hate directed at her and AURA.

SHAME ON AURA!

Thieves! Hope you go bankrupt!

Thank god for Bryant Barnes, exposing this fraud!

Within hours, AURA's social media accounts were suspended due to mass reporting. The company's website was shut down.

Then came the official statement from Barnes Tech. They were not only standing by Kalia Barron, but they were offering her an exclusive position as an in-house designer.

With the weight of the Barnes name behind the accusation, the industry turned on her. Lawyers refused to take her case. Retail partners canceled their orders. The company' s stock plummeted, spiraling toward bankruptcy.

Charlotte sat alone in her empty office, watching the empire she had built crumble to dust. She knew it was Bryant. He was pulling the strings, using his immense power to crush her.

He had been cruel before, but never like this. Never with such focused, destructive intent.

He was doing it for Kalia. To protect her, to champion her, he was willing to obliterate Charlotte's life's work.

He wanted to destroy her.