“Absolutely!” Sophia’s smirk was sharp, her confidence unshaken. “Ethan has always been mine. Isabella is just a temporary fascination. Once she’s gone, he’ll return to me without a second thought.”

Zoe didn’t press further.

Whether Sophia succeeded or failed wasn’t her concern. Her own victory was all that mattered.

“Then we have an agreement.” Zoe lifted her glass, her expression cool and steady. “To a successful partnership.”

Sophia met her gaze, raising her own glass. Crystal chimed between them, the sound clear and almost festive.

“To success!” Sophia echoed, triumph glittering in her eyes.

With their alliance sealed, the two women began plotting without delay. They dissected every detail of their scheme with ruthless precision—from how the rumors would be seeded to which designers they would quietly recruit to help dismantle Isabella’s reputation.

“I’ll start with subtle hints,” Zoe said, tapping her manicured nail against her glass. “Just enough to spark curiosity. Once the whispers gain momentum, I’ll reach out to designers who’ve had issues with Isabella. We’ll fuel their resentment and push them toward a collective boycott.”

Sophia nodded in approval.

“Good. We proceed as planned.” She swirled her wine, watching the dark liquid cling to the glass. “My team will monitor online activity. The moment public opinion shifts in our favor, we strike again.”

Zoe’s lips curved with satisfaction.

To them, Isabella was merely an obstacle—a name soon to be forgotten by the industry.

Sophia sat near the floor-to-ceiling window, her silhouette outlined by the afternoon light. She took a slow sip of wine, her smile smug. Everything was unfolding exactly as she had envisioned.

It was only a matter of time before Isabella became nothing more than a cautionary footnote.

Days later, Sophia perched on the edge of her seat, her fingers tapping impatiently on her phone screen as she refreshed the news feed. She expected to see damning headlines about Isabella at any moment—the rumors she and Zoe had carefully planted should have spread like wildfire by now.

But the screen remained stubbornly silent. She scrolled again, her brow furrowing. Nothing. No trace of scandal, not even a hint of controversy. It was as though the rumors had vanished into thin air.

A knot of unease tightened in her stomach.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

By now, Isabella should have been drowning in condemnation, her career in ruins.

The sharp click of heels interrupted her thoughts. Her assistant rushed into the room, breathless and flustered.

“Miss Reed, something’s wrong!”

Sophia turned, irritation flashing across her face.

“Calm down. What is it?”

The assistant swallowed hard.

“It’s… it’s about Miss Scott. The negative posts—they’ve all disappeared! Wiped clean from the internet! And now… now people are praising her.” The assistant’s voice trembled. “She’s being called a visionary. A designer of impeccable talent and integrity. Industry leaders are publicly supporting her!”