Chapter 125
The trending topic came and went so quickly that no one paid it much attention.
Carmen wavered, trying to comfort herself with the thought that a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse.
Even if Zephyrus Atelier had gotten itself mixed up in some ambiguous scandal, business partners were still lining up at their door. No matter what, they were still better off than Kismet Collective!
She was just piecing together a face–saving excuse in her mind when the lounge door swung open.
Crystal Lennox entered, shaking hands with seven or eight brand representatives and investors, one by one. “I look forward to working together.”
“To a great partnership, Miss Lennox.”
“Looking forward to it.”
The greetings echoed around the room.
Carmen was stunned.
How could this be happening?!
She even spotted the head of Reed & Ripple among the group!
Unable to accept it, she hurried over to him. “Mr. Teague, didn’t your company already cancel its partnership with Kismet Collective and announce you’d be working exclusively with Zephyrus Atelier? Why are you here?”
Teague seemed to vaguely remember Carmen–he recalled she was a mid–level manager at Kismet Collective.
“Cancel? That was never the case. I’ve always admired Miss Selwyn’s designs. Our last collaboration was only postponed due to some internal restructuring, not canceled. In fact, I should thank Miss Lennox for not holding a grudge and agreeing to continue working with Reed & Ripple.”
Carmen felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
What did he mean, he liked Celestine’s designs?
This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t!
In a daze, she stumbled out of Kismet Collective.
1/2
15:00
Those employees who’d learned the truth felt their respect for Celestine reach new heights.
Teague looked puzzled and asked with a smile, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Not at all. Mr. Teague, your honesty and your continued trust in Kismet Collective moved us all,” Crystal Lennox replied with a bright smile of her own.
After seeing off the investors and brand representatives, Crystal called Celestine into her office.
The moment they sat down, Crystal got straight to the point. “Celly, was it you who orchestrated Zephyrus Atelier’s little PR disaster?”
Celestine’s lips curled. “Nothing escapes you, does it, Crystal?”
From the first moment she saw Lance unveil that diamond gown, something about it struck her as familiar.
At first, she thought she was imagining it. After all, similar embellishments weren’t uncommon in the industry; it was hardly shocking.
But when she later heard Lance explain his design inspiration and saw the dress up close, she remembered. She’d once seen a sketch in a niche designer’s published notes–a wedding dress that looked about eighty percent the same.
Lance had only made a few tweaks: he’d swapped the ballgown skirt for a lighter mermaid cut and adjusted the waist to fit Joanna’s figure. Even the 520 diamonds on his version mirrored the 1,314 on the original, echoing the same motif.
The shame was, Lance hadn’t even plagiarized cleverly. If he’d swapped the diamonds for pink ones, he could have claimed a new angle based on the meaning of different gemstones. Instead, he’d left himself wide open for someone to notice. “I honestly just wanted to see what would happen,” Celestine admitted. “I found the designer’s email in that book and sent a message. I never expected anyone would actually reply.”
She hadn’t held out much hope.
But things went far more smoothly than she’d imagined. Even though Zephyrus Atelier’s team managed to suppress the scandal in the press, the seed of doubt had already been planted in everyone’s mind.
Crystal gave her a thumbs up. “That was a masterstroke. I always thought you were the quiet, well–behaved type who’d never stir up trouble.”
15:00
Chapter 125
Celestine pretended to be offended. “So now you think I’m a troublemaker? Maybe I should just leave.”
“Hey, I’m only teasing! Who’d dare call you trouble?” Crystal laughed, grabbing her by the wrist. Then, her tone turned serious. “But Celly, I still want to try to win over The Prescott Group.”
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