Fortune sat in the very front row, a perfectly polished smile <b>on </b>his <b>lips </b><b>and </b><b>eyes </b>full <b>of </b>affection as he watched Sienna. She met his gaze for a heartbeat <b>before </b>turning her attention to theptop in front of her.
“Now, I’ll be showing everyone the full range of our Evergreen Collection,” Sienna announced, pressing the remote in her hand. The screen behind her lit up with the basics.
Even if it was copied, Sienna had made a few tweaks here and there–after all, she was a designer, and her sense of aesthetics wasn’t entirelycking. But maybe she hadn’t truly grasped the heart of this collection; the result was stiff, awkward, like sticking an emeraldbel on a single pearl.
Queenie watched, stone–faced, as the jewelry she and her team had ved over–countless nights, countless drafts–had been butchered and shamelessly paraded around. To say she wasn’t upset would be a lie. This wasn’t just her effort; it was the work of her entire studio, and this particr concept carried a special meaning for her.
Sensing the shift in Queenie’s mood, Alessia reached over and gently patted her hand, offering silentfort.
Drawing a shaky breath, Queenie blinked, then shed Alessia a grateful smile.
One by one, the pieces were presented. Soon enough, the baseline designs had all been shown.
“As you can see, in addition to the ssic pieces, Evergreen–the main feature of this collection–is what we’re highlighting today,” Sienna continued.
The photographer zoomed in, finally focusing on Sienna’s wrist, her neck, and the earlobe half–hidden by her hair.
A few people in the audience frowned. They didn’t care what the designer looked like; they just wanted to see whether the products matched their tastes. Clearly, Sienna was drawing too much attention to herself.
“That concludes the showcase of the Evergreen Collection. If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask.”
Sienna didn’t seem to notice the undercurrent in the room, sticking to the script and moving the event forward.
No sooner had she finished speaking than half a dozen journalists shot their hands <ol><li><b>up</b><b>. </b>Sienna <b>picked </b><b>one </b>at <b>random</b><b>, </b><b>and </b><b>a </b><b>staff </b><b>member </b><b>quickly </b><b>handed </b><b>over </b><b>the </b><b>mid- </b></li></ol>
<b>“</b>Miss Winston, hello. I’mne from the Herald.”
<b>“</b><b>Good </b>afternoon, Mr. Lane.” Sienna nodded politely.
“The series is called Evergreen–does the name carry any special meaning<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“The Evergreen Collection is about timelessness… A woman’s beauty may fade, but her charm shouldn’t disappear with it. That’s why I designed Evergreen, to express that-”
She rattled off the prepared concept, but whether she hadn’t internalized it or was just too self–assured, her words stumbled and faltered.
Queenie’s jaw clenched. She couldn’t decide if she should be relieved Sienna hadn’t stolen her concept, or just exasperated that Sienna couldn’t even giarize correctly.
Unable to listen a moment longer, Queenie gave the faintest nod. The security camera caught it, and a secondter, the entire showroom was plunged into darkness–screens and all.
Pitch ck. Not even a hand in front of your face. From the crowd came startled gasps that only heightened the panic, turning the atmosphere chaotic in an instant Sienna froze, illuminated eerily by the pale glow of herptop screen–she looked like something out of a horror movie.
She nced up to see Alessia and Queenie sitting calmly in their seats, faces unreadable, as though just waiting for the real show to begin.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Sienna couldn’t help but remember what Fortune had told her.
“Alessia isn’t someone <i>you </i>want to cross. Back when the Tate family was at its peak, she managed to run two businesses right under their noses–plus, she’s got the full backing of the Whitley Group and connections everywhere. My advice? Don’t push your luck.”