บททั้งหมดของ Wanting my best friend’s brother : บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 68

The next morning, I arrived at the studio almost before everyone else. The exhibition was tomorrow. And for the first time in months, everything was finally beginning to fall into place. The dresses were finished, the fittings were complete, the venue was ready, and every member of my team knew exactly where they needed to be. Tomorrow wasn’t about creating anymore. It was about executing what I had dreamed of over the years.I unlocked my office, balancing my coffee in one hand and my laptop in the other. The moment I stepped inside, I stopped. There was another bouquet, and this time deep burgundy lilies were arranged inside a matte-black box at the center of my desk. My stomach dropped immediately and my coffee fell."No…" I said. I felt a chill down my spine and I didn’t move. For several seconds, I simply stared at them. I had received three bouquets, three different flowers all anonymous and I was so certain that someone wasn’t making a mistake anymore. They were trying to tell

"Hello, Mrs. Lawson.""Linda." Her voice was calm which somehow made me feel worse."Yes, ma’am."There was a brief silence. "I’ve seen what happened."I lowered my eyes. "Mrs. Lawson, I…""I’m not calling for an explanation."I stopped."I’m calling because I expected better from you."My throat tightened. She didn’t say anything else for a moment."But whatever happened, whatever is true and whatever isn’t… your name is attached to it now. So is your brand."I swallowed. "I’m sorry ma’am…""Don’t apologize to me yet…"My eyes dropped to the coffee sitting untouched on the table."Your exhibition has been affected and I’m sure people who have worked with you for months are suddenly questioning your integrity. And I’m not here to condemn you but you have to do something about this…" She paused. "I don’t want to be attached to this.""I understand.""Good."There was another pause."Fix it, Linda."My eyes burned as I heard those words."I will."The call ended before I could speak fur

By the time we arrived, I barely had the strength to get out of the car.Maya unlocked the door and I walked inside without saying a word. The moment I reached her couch, my legs gave up and I collapsed onto it. Maya dropped the bags beside the door and hurried over."Lin…"I pulled off my sunglasses and stared blankly at the floor. My face felt hot, my chest still hurt and my mind was exhausted. I had spent years dreaming and months preparing for the biggest night of my career. And now I couldn’t even walk into my own workplace without being surrounded by people who wanted to know whether I was a liar.I looked around Maya’s quiet living room. For the first time that day, there were no cameras, no reporters, no notifications demanding an explanation. There was just silence and somehow, that silence hurt more. I swallowed hard as tears slipped down my cheek."Why me?"Maya sat beside me.I covered my face with both hands. "Why did this have to happen to me?"Maya pulled me into her ar

"I have a space. It’s a place I own and use for my private events that seats the right people."I listened carefully."It’s currently unused and it’s large enough for an exhibition and located somewhere your audience can actually reach. If you want it, it’s yours. You know what that means right?"I did, I knew exactly what that meant. Her network was the reason her attendance at the original exhibition had mattered so much. Her circle was the luxury industry's quiet inner ring; the clients, the investors, the names that didn't need to announce themselves because their presence announced itself."I want to back your comeback exhibition," she said. "Not as a client… but as someone who believes the work deserves to be seen."I opened my mouth, closed it then tried again, I wasn’t expecting that. "Mrs. Lawson…""Let me finish."I smiled through the tears beginning to gather in my eyes. "I believe in your work, Linda."I couldn’t speak, I was stunned. My eyes filled."And I don’t want you