جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

I wore long sleeves to work the next day, even though it was warm outside. A black turtleneck under my oversized blazer, hiding the bruises Travis had left on my arm.But I'd forgotten about the meeting with Lucien to review final production schedules.We sat in his office, spreadsheets and timelines spread across his desk. I was taking notes when I reached for a fabric sample and my sleeve rode up slightly.Lucien stopped mid-sentence. His eyes locked on my wrist where the edge of a bruise was visible."What's that?" His voice was carefully neutral."Nothing." I quickly pulled my sleeve down."Chloe." He stood and walked around the desk. "Show me your arm.""It's fine. I just bumped into something.""Show me."There was steel in his voice. Not angry, but absolutely unyielding. I realized he wouldn't let this go.Slowly, I pushed up my sleeve.The bruises were worse today. Dark purple finger marks circling my forearm, clear evidence of someone grabbing me hard. Too hard.Lucien's expr

The leaked photos appeared online within hours of the preview.Someone, probably one of the skeptical board members, had taken pictures during the presentation and sent them to fashion gossip blogs. By that evening, my collection was being torn apart across the internet.I made the mistake of reading the comments."Who is Chloe Thorne and why is Cross Luxury Group letting an amateur design for them?""These designs look like someone wrapped models in paper and called it fashion.""Simone Richards quit. That tells you everything you need to know about quality.""Unwearable garbage. This collection will be the biggest disaster of Fashion Week.""Cross Luxury Group is going to regret hiring this nobody."Each comment was a knife, stabbing at confidence I'd barely managed to build. I sat in my apartment at midnight, scrolling through endless criticism, feeling everything I'd worked for crumbling.Riley called around one in the morning. "Stop reading that garbage. Those people haven't even

In Lucien's car, driving away from the police station, I couldn't stop crying.It wasn't just tears. It was full body sobs that shook my shoulders and made it hard to breathe. All the stress and fear and humiliation of the past hours came pouring out.I'd been arrested. Handcuffed. Treated like a criminal. My neighbors had watched. Photos had been taken. By now, the images were probably spreading across social media and fashion blogs.Two weeks before Fashion Week, I was associated with a kidnapping accusation.Everything I'd worked for was crumbling."Pull over," I gasped between sobs. "I'm going to be sick."Lucien immediately pulled to the curb. I opened the door and leaned out, dry heaving onto the sidewalk. Nothing came up because I hadn't eaten since yesterday, but my body tried anyway.Pregnancy nausea combined with stress was destroying me.When the heaving stopped, I sat back in the seat, wiping my mouth with shaking hands. Lucien handed me a bottle of water without a word."

Ten days until Fashion Week.I was in the studio reviewing model schedules with Riley when Blair walked in unannounced."We need to talk," she said without preamble.Riley immediately stood up, positioning herself between us like a bodyguard. "You're not supposed to be here. Security should have stopped you.""I told them it was important. That I had information about the show.""What do you want, Blair?" I asked, too tired for games."I want to walk lead for your collection."The room went silent."Absolutely not," Riley said before I could respond. "You had Chloe arrested. You used Leo to hurt her. You've done nothing but cause damage.""I know. That's why I'm offering this." Blair looked directly at me, her expression serious. "No conditions. No payment. I'll walk lead, do exactly what you ask, and help make this show succeed.""Why would you do that?""Because I owe you. Because I've been a terrible sister and I want to make amends. Because your designs deserve the best presentati

The night before Fashion Week, Cross Luxury Group hosted a gala for designers, models, press, and industry insiders. It was tradition, a final celebration before the chaos of show days began.I didn't want to go. I wanted to be in my studio, obsessively checking every detail one more time. But Lucien's PR team insisted my presence was mandatory."Network, smile, be confident," Rachel coached me. "This is your chance to make impressions before tomorrow's show."I wore a simple black dress, loose enough to hide my belly but elegant enough to fit the formal event. My hair was styled, makeup professionally done. I barely recognized myself in the mirror.The gala was held in a historic Manhattan hotel, all crystal chandeliers and marble floors. Hundreds of people filled the ballroom, the air buzzing with conversation and champagne and anticipation.I stayed near the edges, nursing sparkling water and watching. Blair was somewhere in the crowd, networking. Riley had come as my support, stay