공유

Chapter 2

작가: Cocojam
The next morning, I made a point to miss breakfast with Alexander.

When I got to the office, I went straight to my personal design studio.

Alexander had set up this space for me when he was trying to get me to stay, a special studio inside the brand's headquarters.

It was where I kept all my design awards and portfolios from over the years.

But when I pushed open the door, I froze.

It was like I'd been struck by lightning.

All the trophies and certificates in the glass display case were gone. Vanished.

The design posters I'd drawn by hand, which used to hang on the walls, had been replaced with cheap, generic portraits.

But what made my blood boil was seeing Victoria sitting in my chair.

My design sketches were spread out in front of her.

A latte sat on the desk beside her. She looked lazy, relaxed, like she owned the place.

When she saw me, a flash of panic crossed her face, but she quickly put on that signature innocent look.

"Evelyn, you're here. Alex said I could work in here for a while. The main office is too noisy, it was distracting me."

Alex.

She called him Alex.

Not the more formal "Alexander" that everyone else used.

That nickname was like a poison dart in my ear.

"Where are my things?"

Victoria blinked, her eyes darting away.

"What things?"

"My trophies. My certificates. My portfolios."

"Oh, those. Alex said he put them in storage for now. He said all those awards would put too much pressure on me."

I stared at her, then turned and walked toward Alexander's office.

He was in a meeting with a few clients. When I pushed the door open, he frowned.

"Alexander, I need to talk to you."

"Wait until my meeting is over."

"Now."

My voice was quiet, but it was cold and hard. The clients took the hint and made excuses to leave, giving us the room.

When it was just the two of us, Alexander loosened his tie, annoyed.

"What is it now? Are you still on about yesterday? You've been in this business for years. Why are you picking on a young girl?"

"My things. In my studio. Why did you take them? Where are they?"

His eyes shifted away, but his voice was still firm.

"Victoria needs a quiet space. And yes, having all those trophies there would be intimidating for her."

"That is my studio."

"This is my brand! I built it from the ground up. I can put whatever I want, wherever I want. It's not your place to question me!"

His words hit me like a slap across the face.

He was right. It was his brand. Alex Fashion.

And I, the so-called "creative partner," was really just a tool he used for new ideas.

We'd gotten married for business reasons. My design talent was the only asset he ever really valued. Even when he gave me shares at the beginning, it was a pathetically small amount.

I had been naive.

I thought that after five years of living together, we had built something real.

Our love and trust had grown beyond a mere business arrangement.

That we weren't just that same couple from an arranged marriage with no feelings for each other.

But now I saw it. In his eyes, I was still just an asset to be managed. My feelings never mattered.

"Alexander, you've changed."

A complicated look flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by stubborn pride.

"I've always been like this. You're just being sensitive because you're faced with a new, talented designer! It's just a studio, she's borrowing it. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Talented?

Is that what he called stealing my work and passing it off as her own to get famous on the runway?

I turned to leave, my mind already made up.

If he could stomp on my dignity so easily, then I didn't need to give him any respect either.
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  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 9

    In the end, due to the massive amount of money involved, Victoria was sentenced to twelve years in prison and ordered to pay back every cent she stole.But most of the money was already gone, either spent or scammed away from her. The amount they could recover was less than half a million dollars—a meaningless sum compared to the brand's huge losses.Alex Fashion ultimately went into bankruptcy liquidation. Alexander himself had his credit destroyed and was hounded by debt collectors. The man who once graced magazine covers was now a pariah.The young star of the fashion world had, overnight, become a debt-ridden failure everyone avoided.He had to sell his luxury home and his fancy cars and move into a rundown apartment. The friends and partners who used to swarm around him now treated him like he had the plague.What made it even more painful was that the entire industry was laughing at him. Everyone called him a brainless fool, scammed out of his entire fortune by a girl in her

  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 8

    Sure enough, it wasn't long before we heard news of Victoria.The police tracked her down through several large purchases she made at luxury stores in Paris. With the stolen money, she was living the high life, staying in the fanciest hotels, floating between high-society parties, and throwing cash around like it was water.But Victoria's good times didn't last.At a private club, she met a man who claimed to be a Russian energy tycoon. He was handsome, wealthy, and pursued her aggressively. He told her he had an investment opportunity with an incredibly high rate of return that could double her money in no time.Blinded by greed and vanity, Victoria didn't think twice. She invested most of the money she had left.The result was predictable. The "Russian tycoon" was a member of an international fraud ring. Not only did Victoria lose everything, but she was scammed out of nearly three million dollars.When she realized what had happened, she went to confront him, only to be beaten

  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 7

    Two months later, there was a new development in Victoria's case.Daniel told me that by tracing international bank transfers, the police confirmed Victoria had indeed drained the brand's accounts of a massive sum, totaling four million dollars.Part of that money was startup capital Alex Fashion had set aside for a new product line. The other part was from a loan he’d taken out, using his studio and home as collateral.Victoria's scam was brilliant, in a twisted way.First, she used Alexander's absolute trust in her to "offer" to help him manage the brand's finances. At the time, he’d even bragged to a friend, "Victoria is such a good person. Not only is she talented, but she's so responsible. She's helping me carry the weight when I need it most."Next, Victoria faked a series of documents for an overseas luxury investment project. She sold it to Alexander as a golden opportunity that could save the brand. The paperwork looked flawless, and Alexander was completely mesmerized by t

  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 6

    In the first month after the divorce, I launched my own independent fashion label: "Evelyn."Thanks to the reputation and contacts I’d built over the years, the studio quickly landed orders from several top-tier fashion houses.I also poached a few of the best pattern makers and designers from Alex Fashion. They had long been fed up with Victoria's antics and Alexander's cluelessness, and they were eager to follow me.Meanwhile, I heard from friends that things at Alex Fashion were going from bad to worse.Without my core designs, the brand's new collection had no spark, nothing that could set a new trend. Several major partners voiced their deep dissatisfaction.Even worse, Victoria was starting to show her true colors at the company.According to my old colleagues, she was acting like she owned the place, ordering everyone around. She convinced Alexander to make her the new Creative Director. He hesitated, but after a few sweet words from her in private, he agreed.The problem was, V

  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 5

    "You want to divorce me… because of Victoria?"I shook my head."It's not because of her. It's because of you. Because you don't trust me, you don't respect me, and… because you’re a fool.""How have I not respected you?" he shot back, his voice rising with the anger of someone who’s just been called out."The moment you started giving away my life's work like it was nothing, respect was dead."Alexander's face grew even darker."That's all small stuff! We can talk about it, we can fix it!""It might be small stuff to you, but to me, it was my soul. It was my bottom line."I pointed to the papers on the table."I've thought this through. Just sign it."Alexander slammed his hand on the table, his face a mask of fury and disbelief."I'm not signing! We still have feelings for each other. We have a daughter!""I'll raise our daughter," I cut in. "You can see her whenever you want.""Evelyn, are you really going to be this heartless?"Watching him rage, I wasn't made of stone. My heart di

  • Couture and Consequences   Chapter 4

    The next day, I discovered that the core design files for my Paris Fashion Design Competition entry had been completely deleted from my computer.Even the recycling bin was wiped clean.Those designs were everything I had been working on. They were the cornerstone of the independent brand I was planning to launch to finally get away from Alexander.I called IT immediately.The technician told me the files had been manually targeted and erased at eleven o'clock last night.At eleven last night, I was already home. The only people still at the office were the night guard and... Victoria.The security footage confirmed my suspicion. Not only had Victoria stayed late, but she had also been caught on camera sneaking into my temporary office.When I threw the evidence in front of Alexander, his reaction sent my blood running cold."She probably just wanted to study your design process and deleted them by accident. Stop assuming the worst. She's just learning the ropes, what's so wrong wit

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