Home / Romance / Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise! / Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

All Chapters of Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise!: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

259 Chapters

Ethan's Offer

CLAIREThe next morning, Julian's alarm went off at seven thirty and he reached over to silence it, then turned to look at me. "Morning," he said softly."Morning," I replied, still half asleep. "What time is your meeting?""Nine," Julian said, sliding out of bed. "I should get ready."I watched him walk to the bathroom, admiring the view, he caught me looking and smiled."See something you like?" he teased."Maybe," I replied, grinning.Julian showered and dressed in a suit while I made coffee. When he came out, he looked every bit the successful businessman."How do you feel?" I asked, handing him a mug."Honestly?" Julian said. "I have no idea what this meeting is about and that makes me nervous.""David wouldn't waste your time," I assured him."I know," Julian agreed. "But after Ethan's warning, I can't help thinking this is connected somehow."I kissed him gently. "Whatever it is, you'll handle it," I said.Julian smiled and pulled me close. "What are you doing today?" he asked.

Bigger Plan

CLAIREJulian walked to the window, looking out at the city. "He wants to buy my shares in Cross Industries," he explained. "The company my father built."I processed that. "Why?" I asked."He says he wants full control," Julian replied. "That having me as a partial owner creates complications.""And?" I prompted.Julian turned to face me. "And he's offering twenty million," he said.I waited, knowing there had to be more. "That seems low," I said carefully.Julian's expression turned grim. "Because it is low," he confirmed. "Very low.""How low are we talking?" I asked.Julian walked over and sat beside me. "David had the company evaluated," he explained. "My shares are worth at least forty million, probably closer to fifty."I felt my eyes widen. "So he's offering you half of what they're worth," I said."Less than half," Julian corrected. "And he knows it.""Why would he think you'd accept that?" I asked.Julian leaned back against the couch. "Because he's counting on me wanting no

The Feature

CLAIREWednesday morning arrived with bright sunshine and my stomach in knots. Today the Vogue issue hit newsstands. I woke up early, too nervous to sleep, and found Julian already in the kitchen making coffee."Couldn't sleep either?" he asked when he saw me."Too anxious," I admitted, sitting at the counter.Julian poured me a cup and slid it across. "The feature is going to be incredible," he assured me."You don't know that," I replied."I read the draft, remember?" Julian said. "It's powerful and honest and exactly what people need to see."I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. "What if no one cares?" I asked quietly.Julian came around the counter and turned my chair to face him. "They will care," he said firmly. "Your story matters, your work matters, trust that."I nodded, trying to absorb his confidence. My phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Nina.Nina: I'm at the newsstand on Fifth. They just put out the new issues. YOU'RE ON THE COVER!!!My heart stopped. "What?" I

Vogue Cover

CLAIRENina looked between us. "Maybe we compromise," she suggested. "Take some orders now with extended timelines, scale production gradually instead of all at once."I thought about that. "How gradually?" I asked."Hire five more seamstresses this week, rent additional space next week, buy equipment in stages," Nina outlined. "Spreads the cost over a month instead of hitting it all now.""That's smarter," I agreed."How much would that approach cost?" Julian asked."Maybe thirty thousand total," Nina estimated.Still significant, but more manageable. "Let me think about the funding," I said. "What else needs deciding today?""Media requests," Nina replied, pulling out a list. "Three morning shows want you, two podcasts, a radio interview, and Harper's Bazaar wants a follow-up feature."I stared at the list, overwhelmed. "I can't do all of that," I said."You don't have to," Nina assured me. "But you should do some, the publicity will drive more business.""Which ones make sense?" I

Shall We?

CLAIREI woke up Thursday morning to Julian already dressed and making breakfast."Morning," I said, shuffling into the kitchen still half asleep."Morning," he replied, turning from the stove with a smile. "Coffee?""Please," I said, sitting at the counter.Julian poured me a cup and set it down along with a plate of eggs and toast. "You're up early," I observed."So are you," Julian pointed out. "Big day checking on the new production setup?""Yeah," I confirmed, taking a sip of coffee. "Nina wants me there when the new seamstresses start, make sure they understand the quality standards.""That's smart," Julian said, sitting beside me with his own plate. "First impressions matter."We ate together, the morning quiet and comfortable."What are you doing today?" I asked."Conference calls mostly," Julian replied. "Some investment reviews, nothing exciting."I finished my coffee and stood to get ready.Julian caught my hand as I walked past."Hey," he said, pulling me closer. "What tim

Perfect Day

CLAIREMarcus drove us to a restaurant in the West Village, an intimate French place with soft lighting and quiet corners.The hostess greeted Julian by name and led us to a secluded table near the window."You've been here before," I observed as we sat down."A few times," Julian admitted. "For business mostly, but I always thought it would be perfect for a date.""It's beautiful," I said, looking around at the elegant space.A waiter appeared with menus and a wine list.Julian ordered a bottle of wine I'd never heard of, speaking to the waiter in perfect French."I didn't know you spoke French," I said after the waiter left."I spent a year in Paris after college," Julian explained. "Working for an investment firm, picked up the language.""What else don't I know about you?" I teased.Julian smiled. "Plenty, I imagine," he replied. "We have time to learn everything."The wine arrived and Julian tasted it before nodding approval.The waiter poured for both of us and left us to look a

Competitor

CLAIREFriday morning started with my phone ringing at seven AM. I grabbed it groggily, seeing Nina's name on the screen. "Hello?" I answered, still half asleep."Claire, we have a problem," Nina said, her voice tight with anger.I sat up immediately, Julian stirring beside me. "What kind of problem?" I asked."Check Instagram," Nina said. "Look at Vivienne Drake's account.""Who's Vivienne Drake?" I asked, putting the phone on speaker while I opened Instagram."A designer, been in the industry for fifteen years," Nina explained. "Mid-tier brand, nothing special until now."I found Vivienne's account and my blood ran cold, there on her feed was a collection that looked eerily familiar.A charcoal blazer with sharp shoulders, a burgundy dress with the same neckline as mine and a white ensemble nearly identical to my showcase finale piece."She copied me," I said, my voice flat with disbelief."Not just copied," Nina replied. "She's launching them next week, pricing them thirty percent

Another Obstacle

CLAIRE"She's not backing down," I said."She's doubling down," Julian corrected, his jaw tight."What do I do?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed."You keep building your business," Julian said firmly. "You don't let her distract you from what matters.""But she's stealing my work," I protested."And we're fighting that legally," Julian replied. "But you can't let this consume you, you have Nordstrom launching in ten days, Vogue publicity still driving traffic, a team counting on you."He was right, I knew he was right, but it felt impossible to focus on anything else.Nina's phone rang and she answered quickly. "It's Nordstrom," she mouthed to me.I watched her face change as she listened. "I understand," Nina said. "Yes, I'll let her know."She hung up and looked at me with concern. "What?" I asked, dread pooling in my stomach."Nordstrom is concerned about the controversy," Nina said carefully. "They want to meet on Monday to discuss the launch.""They're going to cancel," I said, feel

Moves

CLAIREI woke up to Julian already dressed in a charcoal suit, talking on the phone in the living room, his voice carried through the apartment, calm and authoritative.I got up and went through my morning routine, hearing snippets of his conversation about investment portfolios and quarterly returns.By the time I emerged, Julian was pouring coffee. "Morning," he greeted, handing me a mug. "Sleep well?""Well enough," I replied. "You're up early.""Conference call with Singapore," Julian explained. "They're twelve hours ahead.""How did it go?" I asked."Good, closed a fifteen million dollar deal," Julian said casually, like it was nothing.I shook my head, smiling. "Just another Monday for you," I teased."Actually, today's busier than usual," Julian replied, checking his watch. "I'm calling Ethan at eight to reject his offer.""Are you ready for that?" I asked.Julian looked at me with an expression that was almost amused. "Ready to tell my desperate half-brother that his lowball o

Countermoves

CLAIRE Jennifer and Sarah exchanged glances. "Claire's right," Mark said unexpectedly. "If we pull out now, we're essentially rewarding the copycat.""Plus," Nina added. "Claire's collection has already generated significant interest, our website traffic tripled after the Vogue feature.""We've seen that," Sarah admitted. "The publicity has been mostly positive."Jennifer tapped her pen against the table, thinking. "Here's what I propose," she said finally. "We move forward with the launch as planned, but we issue a statement supporting original design and making clear that we stand with creators, not copycats."Relief flooded through me. "That would be perfect," I said."Sarah, draft something," Jennifer instructed. "Get it approved by legal, we'll release it this week.""Consider it done," Sarah replied.Jennifer stood, extending her hand. "We're excited to work with you, Claire," she said. "Don't let one thief derail what you're building.""I won't," I promised.After the meeting,

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