t, casting long, slatted shadows across the oak floorboards. The air in t

he dark circles beneath them a testament to the sleepless night. She hadn't bothere

tamped with the gold foil logo of the Baxter Group. She had spent the ent

ow. The lawyer was in her office, already dressed in a sharp

e tapped her pen against her desk. "Kevon's legal team buried a

e cold and bitter, but she swallowed it d

" Zara loo

ed from memory, "I am barred from using my own name as a

iona. If you walk away, you can't sell a single piece of jewel

t a faded, yellowed piece of paper. She held it up to the webc

Kevon, I registered an anonymous offshore shell company in the Caymans. Every single one of my core design pa

laughter. "You brilliant, paranoid genius. The patents aren't yours, so the non-compete on your personal name is useles

e sketch onto the desk. "Strip the Baxter Group of all

her fingers flyin

ification popped up in the corner of her screen

ead: London International Haute Couture J

llion and Rebirth" series sketches, which she had submitted under her shell comp

n? Are you kidding me? This is perfect! You can get out of this toxic city and launch

t represented a blank slate, a world

om of the email. She clicked it without a second of

navigated to the airline's website. Sh

eeting this morning. Word is, he's planning to use your name to inflat

k of termination documents she had signed in the early hours o

elivery timer. "I'm not just terminating the contract, Zara. I'm going to deliver this notice to

the pastel dresses Kevon had preferred and reached for the back. She pulled out a b

red the fatigue with concealer and painted her lips a bold, a

rigid manila envelope. She stepped into her ten-centimeter red-s

he drove her sports car straight to the Baxter Group tow

ng her car into the VIP spot reserved for the 'Fiancé

t chime, revealing the sprawling, luxurious office space. The receptionists looked up,

Mr. Baxter i

nd echoing like gunshots in the quiet hallway. She ignored their protest

handle, feeling the weight of the moment. Then, with a violent, fo