Chapter 4: The Tables Turn
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The silence in the red-carpet tent was total, broken only by the rapid, rhythmic clicking of a hundred cameras.
Evelyn Vance walked a few steps forward on the marble floor, turning slowly to let the light hit the redesigned gown. The effect was mesmerizing. The dress no longer looked like a fragile, traditional piece of luxury; it looked revolutionary. It was edgy, brilliant, and completely ahead of its time.
Suddenly, a prominent international fashion critic at the front of the crowd began to clap. Within seconds, the entire room erupted into a roaring standing ovation. The business tycoons, the lawyers, the elite guests—everyone was cheering.
"Incredible!" someone shouted. "It's genius! It’s the birth of neo-punk couture!"
Regina stood frozen, the realization striking her like a physical blow. The toxic manager felt the room spin. The very event she had planned, the narrative she had tried so desperately to control through cruelty, had been completely hijacked. And worse, the spotlight was no longer on her. It was entirely on the girl she had called "nothing."
Evelyn Vance turned away from Regina, walking straight over to Maya. She took Maya’s calloused, stained hands into her own.
"Who designed this?" a reporter shouted, pushing a microphone forward. "Ms. Regina, is this Vanguard’s new secret direction?"
Before Regina could utter a lying, self-serving word to take credit, Evelyn spoke loudly into the microphone. "Vanguard had nothing to do with this genius. This is Maya. Five minutes ago, I watched Regina humiliate her and tear up her portfolio on this very floor. Regina called her trash. But as you can see, Regina is the only disposable thing in this room. Maya is the true visionary."
The crowd gasped, the drama reaching a fever pitch. Smartphones were buzzing instantly as videos of Regina’s earlier tirade, filmed by a disgruntled junior employee, began to go viral on social media. The internet was already demanding Regina's immediate termination, pairing the footage of her cruelty with the live-stream of Maya's brilliant triumph.
A tall, sharply dressed man in a bespoke navy suit stepped out from the back of the crowd. It was Arthur Sterling, the billionaire owner and Chairman of the global conglomerate that owned Vanguard. He walked past Regina without even giving her a glance, his eyes fixed on the ruined pages of the sketchbook scattered on the floor, and then on the masterpiece Maya had created.
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"Regina," Arthur said, his voice cold as ice. "Your behavior tonight is a liability, a disgrace to this brand, and a moral failure. You are stripped of your title, your equity, and your position. Effective immediately, you are banned from this showroom."
