THE POISON IN THE ROOM

The next morning came with tension in the air. Even though Cole had opened up about his past, the weight of it still pressed on Elena's shoulders like a silent warning. It was no longer just about love. It was about survival.

She buried herself in her boutique work, trying to keep her head down. The launch date was three days away. Invitations were out, the press was coming, and she'd even managed to secure a big-name influencer, Lulu Luxe ,who promised to walk the red carpet in one of her signature pieces.

Everything was set.Or so she thought.

That afternoon, Elena got a strange call.

"Miss Sandra, this is from the New York Celebrity Watch. Just confirming if you would like to comment on the leaked designs from your upcoming collection."

Elena blinked. "Leaked what?"

The woman on the phone hesitated. "I... I assumed you were aware. The sketches are all over Twitter and Instagram. There's even a fashion blog calling it a publicity stunt."

Elena dropped her phone, heart pounding. She rushed online.

And there it was , six of her unreleased designs, including her finale piece, plastered across multiple blogs with the caption:

"Exclusive Sneak Peek: Is This the Real Deal or a Fake Flex?"

She felt the blood drain from her face.

Someone had leaked her work.

Someone inside.

Cole found her twenty minutes later in a panic. The boutique was in chaos. Her assistant, her interns, everyone was gathered in confusion.

"They're saying I'm a fraud," she muttered, scrolling through comments. "They're saying I copied these from a foreign designer. But these are mine. These are my blood."

Cole took the phone from her and read through the article.Then he asked quietly, "Who had access to your designs?"

Only three people.

Cole. Herself.And her childhood friend turned employee , Marry.

Marry.

The girl who had cried with her when her father died.The one who stayed with her when her mom remarried.

The one she brought into her boutique as her operations manage, out of trust, out of loyalty.And now?

Gone. Her desk was cleared. Her messages unread. Her last text from the night before:

"I left early. Feeling sick. Will call tomorrow."

Cole didn't say "I told you so." He just quietly started checking security footage.

And when they saw Marry on camera that night, inserting a flash drive into Elena's laptop, it all broke.

Elena sat in silence, shaking.

"How could she do this to me?"

Cole knelt in front of her. "Because not everyone who claps for you wants to see you win."

"But she was my best friend."

"Sometimes betrayal comes in the face you trust most."

Elena's heart shattered all over again. This wasn't just a leak. It was personal.

The story spread fast.

By nightfall, the boutique's page had been flooded with hate and doubt. Customers pulled their RSVPs. Even Lulu Luxe texted to cancel her appearance at the launch. Elena tried to call her back. No answer.

The next day, as if things weren't bad enough, Tola resurfaced on Instagram Live. Wearing full makeup. Tears in her eyes. A carefully rehearsed voice.

"I loved Elena like a sister," Marry said. "But I couldn't stay silent. She stole those designs from an up-and-coming designer in Paris who sent her a pitch last year. I couldn't be part of the lie anymore."

Lies. All of it. But it looked convincing. The comments poured in.

"Wow, she's so brave."

"Always knew that boutique was overhyped."

"Cole Kingston left business, now he's teaching scam."

Elena watched the video, frozen. Then her phone buzzed again. A new message. This time, not from a fan or blog. But from the TV host of America Prime Business, where she was supposed to speak after her launch:

"We're postponing your appearance indefinitely. Your brand is under fire. Let it settle."

Everything was falling apart. And just when she thought it couldn't get worse…

Cole walked into the room with a file in his hand.

"Elena. You need to see this."

It was an offer. A real one. From a powerful investor group based in Dubai, the same group that once courted Cole during his tech days.

Now they wanted to buy the boutique. Entirely.

They'd make the scandal "go away," clean up the media mess, and even protect her designs. But there was a catch:

She'd lose control.

They'd rebrand everything.

Her name would be erased from her own company.

Elena stared at the paper. Her dream on the table. Her name being priced. And Cole?

He looked at her with a warning in his eyes.

"They're connected to Johnson," he said. "This is how they work. They make you look like a failure. Then offer to save you. But once they own you… they own everything."

Her hands trembled. And in that moment, she knew…This wasn't just business anymore.

This was war.