Was Genevieve sporetly trying to sabotage her?
No way.
Marine dismissed the thought immediately.
Genevieve and Melanie hadn’t fared well at FV, and they were hoping to land executive jobs at her own company. It made no sense for them to mess with her–besides, neither of them had the nerve
So
Marina glanced at Niamh, holding her breath.
It must have been Niamh who put the fake crown in the box from the very startt
Seeing the disbelief in Marina’s eyes, Niamh calmly twirled the moissanite crown on her fingertip.
Genevieve and Melanie’s attempts to cozy up to her had been so over–the–top, their methods clumsy and obvious.
It was an open secret at FY that the two of them were constantly getting chewed out by their team leader. Niamh had no doubt they were looking to strike out on their own or jump ship. But if they were planning to leave, their first choice certainly wouldn’t be to team up with her.
Objectively, joining Marina’s studio was the most sensible move.
Word had definitely gotten around that she was working on a crown for Queen Elizabeth and had borrowed FY’s workshop. Nothing stayed secret in their industry for long–everyone knew everyone.
Genevieve and Melanie needed her as a stepping stone to get into Marina’s studio.
Once Niamh figured out what they were up to, she made sure to keep her designs and finished pieces well hidden, out of their sight.
That left them with only one way to sabotage her-
Swap out her finished work.
So Niamh had put a fake crown in the box ahead of time, pretending to t careful with it.
tra
She didn’t have much time when she went to fetch the cart, and Genevieve, being so
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nervous, probably wouldn’t have realized the crown inside wasn’t real.
And as expected, everything played out just as Niamh had anticipated.
“So this is the result of Ms. Thornton’s soul–searching? Fobbing off Her Majesty with a cheap children’s crown?”
“Shut up!”
Marina’s face flushed purple with rage.
This was happening in front of Aldenville’s government officials and top business leaders.
Jonathan was here too…
She had to keep up appearances, had to find some way to salvage her reputation–but she was about to explode.
“Your moissanite crown isn’t any better than mine!“.
Niamh had known Marina would try to pin the blame on her. She just shrugged and smiled.
“When did I ever say this moissanite crown was made for Queen Elizabeth?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Niamh glanced at her phone to check the time.
“Miss Rivers, you have a delivery.”
A server called from the entrance of the ballroom.
“Right on time,” Niamh said, lifting her head, her smile radiating confidence.
Jonathan stood quietly beside her, as unobtrusive as a shadow.
He realized something-
Niamh had changed.
Niamh turned and headed toward the ballroom doors.
She hadn’t gone far when she stopped dead in her tracks, rooted to the spot.
Standing at the entrance, holding a package, was a man in an immaculate white suit. The tailoring was perfect, the fabric expensive. He was clearly no ordinary courier.
He walked toward Niamh, every movement polished and graceful.
The moissanite crown slipped from Niamh’s hand, clattering to the floor.
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Chapter 362
Tears blurred her vision, falling like pearls from a broken string as she lost control.
Her trembling lips parted, overwhelmed by shock, joy, and fear. The name came out in a hoarse whisper that trembled with emotion.
“…Ethan…?”
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