Chapter 70. On Top

Camila Martinez slipped through the crowded room of the design community’s elite, her every step an exercise in restrained grace. Murmurs rippled through the air like a cold front, chilling the previously warm atmosphere.

“Did you hear about Layla’s line?” a voice whispered behind a manicured hand, barely audible over the clink of champagne flutes.

“Plagiarized, they say,” another responded, tinged with both shock and a hint of glee.

Camila paused near a display of the controversial collection, her dark eyes scanning the familiar designs that now bore Layla’s name. She felt the weight of unspoken truths heavy on her shoulders but kept her demeanor cool and detached.

“Camila, darling, have you seen this?” A colleague waved a fashion blog article in front of her, the headline screaming ‘Layla Martine Accused of Stealing Designs’. “It’s absolutely scandalous.”

“Indeed, it is,” Camila replied, her voice smooth as silk, betraying none of the tumultuous emoti