로그인I froze.For one suspended second, I couldn’t hear the cameras anymore.The photoshoot continued around me.Models laughed between takes.Photographers called out directions as shutters clicked relentlessly.Everything kept moving.But to me…It all sounded distant.Muted.As though I were underwater.One sentence echoed over and over inside my head.”…the information came from someone inside the company.”My eyes slowly found Mia again.“…Show me.”She didn’t say a word.She simply unlocked her iPad and handed it to me.My fingers felt strangely numb as I took it.The headline filled the screen.EXCLUSIVE: Luxury Brand AURELIA Accused of Selling Counterfeit HandbagsBeneath it…Internal whistleblower exposes alleged years-long fraud inside one of fashion’s fastest-rising luxury houses.A strange feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.Fear?No.Not fear.Disbelief.I began to scroll.The article wasn’t written like gossip.It wasn’t another social media rumor.It read like a carefu
Morning came sooner than I wanted.I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few quiet seconds.The memory of Dominic’s email surfaced almost immediately.‘Waiting. Even if it means waiting for the rest of my life.’I let out a slow breath and pushed the thought away before it had the chance to settle.No.Not today.I climbed out of bed, showered, dressed, and by the time I walked downstairs, my mind had already shifted into work mode.There wasn’t room for Dominic.Only three days remained.Two days until the biggest event my company had ever hosted.And if I wanted it to be perfect…Every second mattered.****The photoshoot venue occupied an entire renovated warehouse on the outskirts of Manhattan.From the outside, it looked ordinary.Inside…It looked like controlled chaos.Assistants hurried from one end of the room to the other with garment bags hanging from their arms.Stylists balanced makeup palettes while calling out shade names across the room.Hairdressers moved b
The conversation drifted naturally after that.Fashion Week.Lawyers.Statements.Press.For the first time in weeks…The future sounded exciting again instead of exhausting.Then…A thought suddenly crossed my mind.I looked around the living room.“…Where’s Leo?”Pierce burst into laughter.“Now you remember you have a child?”I shot him a look.“Oh, shut up.”Ford chuckled.“We ran into Lily on our way home. He cried until she agreed to let him follow her.”I let out a relieved breath.“Thank goodness.”I stood, grabbing my handbag from the sofa.“I should take my bath and get some sleep before they return with all his noise and disturbance.”Camille laughed.“He’s not that noisy.”“Yes, he is. He inherited it from Pierce.”“Excuse me?”Pierce placed a hand dramatically against his chest.“I am a peaceful man.”“You’re exhausting.”He gasped. “I feel so insulted.”I started toward the staircase.“Wake me up for dinner.”“No.”Pierce answered immediately.I looked back.“…No?”“You’
Ford was still staring at me as though he expected me to suddenly admit the entire thing had been an elaborate joke.I folded my arms.“Well?”He exhaled through his nose.“I’m annoyed.”“I figured.”“You should’ve told us.”Hayes walked farther into the living room before loosening his tie.“You had the entire thing planned out.”“The café.”“The news.”“The live broadcast.”“The hidden camera.”“And not one of us knew.”There wasn’t any anger in his voice.Just disbelief.I rubbed the back of my neck.“I wanted it that way.”Pierce dropped onto the sofa with an exaggerated sigh.“So you really looked at all of us and thought…”He pointed at himself, then at Ford, then Hayes.“‘Nope. None of these people need to know.’”His finger suddenly shifted toward Camille.“You didn’t even tell Camille.”He raised an eyebrow.“…Or were you secretly in on it?”Camille blinked before quickly shaking her head.“I had no idea. I was just as shocked as you guys.”Pierce threw both hands into the ai
I looked down at Mia’s iPad.The first post I saw wasn’t about me.It was about Mirabel.MIRABEL MURPHY EXPOSED LIVE.The next one.THE WOMAN WHO DESTROYED HER OWN BEST FRIEND.Another.WE OWE AURELIA STERLING AN APOLOGY.My thumb slowly scrolled.The numbers were climbing so quickly they almost looked unreal.Hundreds of thousands of reposts.Thousands of views in just a few minutes.Thousands of new comments were appearing every second.The entire internet had shifted overnight.No…Within minutes.I opened the replies.>I judged Aurelia without hearing her side. I genuinely feel terrible.>I can’t imagine what this woman went through.>Mirabel literally admitted she posted the fake story herself.>I defended Mirabel all week. I feel so stupid now.>I hope Aurelia sues her.>I hope she wins every lawsuit possible.I continued scrolling.People weren’t only defending me anymore.They were furious.Mirabel stole her friend’s crush.Then stole her husband years later.Then tried to des
The words settled between us.Heavy.Sharp.Mirabel didn’t answer immediately.She simply stared at me.Then, slowly, irritation replaced the hesitation on her face.A short, humorless laugh escaped her.“You’re still stuck on something that happened over ten years ago?”Before I could answer, her phone vibrated against the table.She glanced at the screen.Whoever it was…She declined the call.I smiled faintly.“Well… someone else brought it back.”I reached for my coffee.“Someone decided to post a story about it.”I took a slow sip before setting the glass back down.“An incorrect story.”My fingers traced the cold glass absentmindedly.“To be honest… I had forgotten most of it.”I looked at her.“I’d buried it.”“I forgot those things ever happened.”I let out a soft breath.“But after reading that story…”“The memories started coming back.”“One after another.”I tilted my head slightly.“Especially the one where you returned to New York after your divorce…”My eyes never left h
Morning came easier than expected.Perhaps because I forced myself not to think too much before going to sleep.Maybe because exhaustion had finally won.Either way, by the time sunlight slipped through the curtains, my mind felt quieter than it had in the past few days.Routine helped.Routine alw
Monday came too quickly. Sunday had passed quietly. I stayed home the entire day, barely doing anything productive. Leo forced me to sit through one of his cartoons, Pierce complained about work for almost an hour, Ford argued with me over a few petty things like he always did, and Hayes disappear
The car door shut, and the noise disappeared instantly.Silence filled the space.I leaned back against the seat, my fingers resting loosely in my lap, my expression still perfectly in place, as if nothing had happened.Mia kept glancing at me.Once.Twice.Then again.She didn’t say anything at fi
I clicked on her profile.She’s all grown.I scrolled slowly, my thumb dragging across the screen. Different pictures. Different places. Then I saw it.Wedding pictures from three years ago.Then I noticed the message icon. She had already texted me.I tapped it open.Grace Mercer: Hi… Aurelia. I







