Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 124

Celestine stared at Carmen, utterly baffled.

What on earth was she ranting about this time?

"Don't get cocky just because Mirabelle made the trending list wearing that dress you altered. No one in the industry actually thinks you're special. That wasn't even your original work!" Carmen snapped, her words laced with venom.

Suddenly, it clicked for Celestine.

Ah. So, it was jealousy, after all.

She set her compact mirror down atop her takeout box, eyes calm as still water.

"So what?"

Carmen was waiting eagerly for Celestine to panic, to see her mask slip. Instead, Celestine admitted it without batting an eye.

Why was it that she could return to the scene, and everyone immediately gravitated toward her?

"Don't play dumb! I know you're the reason Reed & Ripple dropped our collaboration right after you joined the company! We worked for ages on that deal, and you ruined everything the moment you walked in. People like you don't deserve a place at Kismet Collective!"

"You really can't stand me, huh?" Celestine poured herself a glass of water, blinking innocently. "Shame you're the one too busy packing to lift a finger right now, though. Not me."

If she had a mirror handy, Celestine thought she'd probably look like the perfect, infuriating villain—the kind that made people see red.

Take Carmen, for example, who seemed just about ready to burst into flames.

Carmen scoffed. "What are you so smug about? I just can't stand being in the same room as you. Having to see your face every day makes my skin crawl!"

She drew herself up, ready to savor the moment. "Let me tell you something— I got an offer from Zephyrus Atelier! Do you even understand what that means? You'll never set foot in a place like that your entire life!"

Carmen spoke the words she'd been dying to say, basking in her triumph.

Celestine nodded along, humoring her like a child. "Wow, that's amazing. Really, congratulations."

But the allegations on Instagram were airtight—side-by-side photos, timestamped sketches, even a post from the original designer's grandson, who uploaded his grandfather's hand-drawn designs for all to see.

The internet exploded, shaming Zephyrus Atelier for disgracing themselves on the world stage.

No matter how hard the atelier tried to defend their creative process, every explanation just got battered down by a new wave of comments. Eventually, they tried to deflect, claiming that "similarities in the design world are inevitable," and wrapped it up with a public apology and compensation.

Then the PR machines kicked in, flooding social media with celebrity gossip to drown out the scandal.

The incident faded, at least in the headlines.

But for Zephyrus Atelier, the damage was done. From now on, every time a brand considered working with them, the first thing they'd remember was the plagiarism scandal. Even the mere suspicion was enough to scare off future partners.

The bombshell had dropped in the early hours of the morning.

But Carmen, too busy dodging the backlash from her own social media missteps, hadn't dared to check Instagram all day.