Chapter 46
Crystal Lennox’s smile faded as she looked up in surprise. “Mr. Teague, would you mind telling us why?”
Teague shook his head. “It’s an internal company decision. I’m afraid I can’t share the details.”
Crystal pressed, unwilling to give up. “But why? We were just having such a productive conversation. Weren’t we about to greenlight the prototype?”
“Exactly, Mr. Teague. Is there some kind of misunderstanding here?” Celestine frowned, her confusion clear.
How could things fall apart in the span of a bathroom break? There had to be something more going on.
Ramsey’s patience snapped. He shot the two women a look of disdain. “Why bother explaining, Teague? If they caused trouble for themselves, they can’t expect Reed & Ripple to clean up their mess. I’ll be blunt–this partnership ends here.”
“Ramsey,” Teague chided softly, then turned back with an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry, but we do need to put the collaboration on hold. Miss Selwyn, your designs are genuinely impressive, and it’s a real shame. I’d suggest you both wait a bit–there might still be a chance for things to change.”
Teague’s polite remarks were just empty words–the message was the same as Ramsey’s, only a bit softer.
He and Ramsey left first.
Celestine watched them go, piecing together the possible reasons for this sudden change. Could it be… Zeke?
That man never let a grudge go, and she had stepped on his toes–literally–just moments ago. On top of that, Zeke’s family was one of the four most powerful in Oceanview City, with enough influence to put pressure on a sportswear company like Reed & Ripple.
Crystal noticed Celestine lost in thought. “Celly, what’s wrong?”
Celestine shared her suspicions, guilt creeping into her voice. “I’m sorry, Crystal. If I’d known he was so petty, I never would have interacted with him.”
“How is that your fault? Zeke’s always been a bastard,” Crystal said, her anger almost making her laugh.
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14:29
Chapter
Celestine’s words triggered a memory. Years ago, Zeke had pursued Crystal Lennox on a dare from Joanna. Celestine hadn’t met Crystal at the time, but she’d heard the story: Zeke had abandoned Crystal in the middle of nowhere late at night–midwinter, below freezing. Crystal had to hike all the way back into the city on her own. Meanwhile, Zeke was busy plastering birthday messages for Joannal all over town, completely indifferent to Crystal’s ordeal.
But Crystal wasn’t one to take things lying down. Once she realized Zeke had played her, she dumped him on the spot. Then, in a masterstroke of payback, she drugged him using Joanna’s name, stripped him naked, and left him to spend the night outside. She’d covered her tracks so well that, even with Zeke’s many enemies, he never found out who was responsible. Crystal had only confided in Celestine much later, after they’d become friends.
From childhood, Crystal had led a charmed life, and even now–married and settled–she still wanted to see Zeke’s name nailed to the pillar of shame whenever he came up.
Celestine slipped her arms around Crystal, trying to comfort her in her own quiet
way.
“I’m fine, Celly. Don’t worry about me,” Crystal said, her voice gentler now. “Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have expected much from this deal anyway. And…” She lowered her voice. “Ramsey, that preening peacock, has always gotten on my nerves. If Reed & Ripple hadn’t helped Kismet Collective during its toughest days, I would never have bothered designing for them–especially at rock–bottom prices.”
She gave Celestine a wry smile. “So really, I should thank you. You just gave them the chance to walk away first–and saved me a huge headache.”
Celestine couldn’t help but laugh, a little teary–eyed.
Her mentor really did know how to make people feel better.
Reed & Ripple could be demanding, but their brand had gained real traction in recent years–working with them, even at the lowest rates, was great for a designer’s portfolio and publicity. Crystal was only saying these things to keep her from,blaming herself.
Celestine could feel the warmth of her words seep in, chasing away the gloom that
had settled over her heart.
חור
