Falling apart.

KAILEE

B-lord.

It was a name I never wanted to hear again, yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape it.

My fingers tightened around my dress as I swallowed hard. I looked away from Ashton, struggling to keep my voice steady.

“I… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ms. Donovan,” he called sternly. “I shouldn’t have to explain how serious this situation is.”

“I had nothing to do with the leak.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me. I’m giving you one more chance to answer my question.”

I held his gaze, my eyes twitching. It felt as though history was repeating itself.

Once again, I was being accused of something I couldn’t easily explain.

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Three months ago,” I whispered. “I haven’t seen him since. I’ve been avoiding him.”

Ashton smirked. He looked like he didn’t believe a word I’d said.

“Why?”

After years of being extorted by him, I’d finally realized that he had no intention of giving me what I needed.

I’d grown tired of relying on him to find my biological parents, so I decided to search for them myself.

But B-lord refused to leave me alone. He kept reaching out, and whenever I ignored him, he’d find another way to get my attention.

My heart sank as the possibility occurred to me. B-lord might have leaked the designs just to frame me.

“It’s a personal matter, Mr. Lancaster.”

“Your personal affairs are putting my company at risk.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lancaster.”

Ashton exhaled sharply, took a step backward, and spoke huskily.

“I checked the CCTV footage,” he uttered. “The men who accessed your account had raven tattoos. I’m sure you know what that means.”

My stomach dropped. I felt like finding B-lord and shoving a knife down his throat.

“B-lord…” I whispered.

“I don’t know what business you have with him after all these years, Ms. Donovan. But I can’t risk my company and employees’ hard work getting ruined.”

I understood his anger, but I feared it might jeopardize the collaboration.

I raised my head to look at him, fear slicing through my chest as I thought of Sasha.

“You’re not going to cancel the collaboration, are you?”

Ashton returned to his chair and settled into it. I kept my eyes on him, my heart still racing with uncertainty.

“Our designs have been leaked. Other competitors may already have access to them.”

I stepped forward, desperation creeping into my voice. “I’ll come up with new designs. Just please don’t cancel the collaboration.”

Ashton’s eyes narrowed at me as he picked up a file from his desk.

“Unfortunately, that’s the only right thing to do.”

“Mr. Lancaster…”

“However, Bloom Fashion deserves this opportunity. I'll give the company another chance, but don’t mistake that for a clean slate.”

I heaved a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you, sir.”

“Your access to the company’s internal system and design files will be suspended until the investigation is over. You’ll continue working with the design team, but you won’t have access to the confidential files.”

My eyes widened. My knees weakened for a second, and I grabbed the back of one of the chairs in front of me for support.

“What?”

Ashton didn’t spare me a glance. He busied himself arranging the files on his desk while I stood there, struggling to breathe.

“You’re dismissed, Ms. Donovan.”

It took every ounce of composure I had to walk out of his office. When I returned to my workspace, all eyes turned towards me. Whispers followed as I made my way to my desk.

Lavinia approached me with a smug smile plastered across her face.

“You’ve only been here for a day yet you’re already reeking of bad luck.”

I ignored her and turned on my laptop. Just like he’d said, I couldn’t log into my employee account.

“You should’ve stuck to swinging poles,” Lavinia sneered. “My brother should’ve fired you the moment the designs were leaked.”

I slammed my laptop shut and faced her squarely. My eyes stung, but I refused to let her see how much her words affected me.

“What’s your problem with me, Lavinia? It’s been five years. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Her eyes flashed with hatred as she leaned forward.

“I hate you. You should’ve stayed out of our lives for good.”

“I’m only here for the collaboration.”

“I don’t care,” she snapped. “My brother spent five years away because of you. And now that he’s finally back, you have the audacity to show your face here?”

I knew there was no use engaging in that banter. If there was one thing the Lancasters knew how to do—it was believing whatever version they had in their minds.

Lorelei stepped in and gently took hold of Lavinia’s arm, urging her to step away.

“Vinnie, we’re in the middle of the office. Just leave her alone.”

“And you’re what? Mother Teresa?”

She scoffed and pulled her arm away from Lorelei. Then she shot me one last stern look before walking away.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Kailee. We both know how this is going to end.”

Lorelei gently pushed my laptop towards me and offered a warm smile.

“She’s always been protective of her brother. Don’t take everything she says to heart.”

I nodded quietly.

I’d never really spoken to Lorelei before, but she genuinely seemed like a sweet person.

Working amidst the chaos and constant scrutiny was becoming overwhelming.

Ashton walked into the office twice to inspect the designs, but he didn’t spare me a single glance.

I was devastated.

It was my second day at work, but things were already falling apart.

I considered calling Sasha to tell her I no longer wanted to be a part of the collaboration. She could have Tessa replace me while I returned to my position at Bloom Fashion.

Surprisingly, Ashton allowed me to leave with the other employees. After what had happened, I expected him to tell me to work overnight.

“You can leave by seven,” he said. “I’m working overnight.”

I wanted to join him, but I didn’t say anything. After packing up my things, I excused myself to use the bathroom.

I was washing my hands when a notification appeared on my phone. It was a text message from an unknown number.

The moment I opened it, I knew the sender.

[You should’ve listened to me, Kailee. Now you’re going to have to watch what happens when you ignore me.]