All Chapters of Couture and Consequences: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I never thought that my husband of five years would take the collection I poured my heart and soul into and just hand it over to an assistant who'd been here for two weeks.When the spotlights came up for the preview, and Victoria glided down the runway in the silk gown I designed, the feeling of betrayal was like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.The fashion critics in the audience looked at Victoria with awe. Brand owners nodded again and again.I even heard someone whisper, "This new talent is one to watch.""Her design language is so mature and bold, on par with a senior designer who's been in the business for over a decade!"I sat in the last row, watching a girl seven years younger than me wear the suit I had cut with my own hands.She lifted her hand gracefully, showing everyone the details that were mine, explaining her design concept.Alexander sat in the front row, his eyes filled with an unconcealed pride, as if he'd just discovered a diamond in the rough.At the pa

Chapter 2

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.What made the blood rush to my head was seeing Victoria sitting in my personal design 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

Chapter 3

For the next few days, Alexander and I were in a cold war.I left for work before he woke up and came home after he was asleep, cutting our lives into two separate worlds.But Victoria just had to come looking for trouble.She knocked on the door of my temporary office, that practiced, sincere-looking smile on her face."Evelyn, I know you have the wrong idea about me, but I really just want to learn."I didn't look up from the design software on my computer."Learning doesn't mean stealing someone's workspace and their work."She sat down across from me, her tone sickeningly familiar."Actually, I've always admired your designs. It's an honor to work with you.""If you really admired me, you wouldn't have worn my designs and called them your own idea."Victoria's face stiffened for a second before she put on a pitiful, wounded look."Evelyn, you've misunderstood.""Alex said it was a team effort from the company. He just wanted me to go on stage to get some practice presenting in publ

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 of her. She's new to this, she's just trying to learn.

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

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 Alexander 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 Alexander Fashion were going from bad to worse.Without my core designs, the company'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 pr

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 company's accounts of a massive sum, totaling four million dollars.Part of that money was startup capital Alexander 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 company'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 mesmerize

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 half

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 company's huge losses.Alexander Fashion ultimately went into bankruptcy liquidation. Alexander himself was put on a credit blacklist, his spending restricted for life.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 early twenties. Vicious rumors even started tha

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