Lili
It’s been a full day since she found the collection ripped to shreds, and Ashanti’s silence says everything she needs to know—she’s been fully, brutally ghosted.
Gareth tried calling the Élan West office, followed up, tried to smooth it over. But they got nothing beyond a curt email from an assistant who didn’t even bother to feign sympathy.
No, the shoot couldn’t be rescheduled. No, they wouldn’t wait for Lili to rebuild. The magazine had deadlines, and they’d already moved on to another designer showcase, and anyway, did she even have the funding to produce a second line? That stung the worst of all. Because no, she didn’t.
But Ashanti’s betrayal pales next to her growing sense of dread. Who was capable of this? The list of suspects is short. Could be Daphne. Might be Casey. But most likely?
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Alexander knows she’s the one who reported him to the State Psychology Board. She’s sure of it. This was her warning for going against him. Her punishment. And it worked. Because Lili can’t win this fight. He’s her neighbor. He walks the same halls. Knows where she lives. It’s a constant state of paranoia—the fear of crossing his path, of being watched.
The cops were useless. They came, looked around, and smirked. One made a crack about her being a “fashion victim.” Another asked why there weren’t any cameras, then implied she staged it herself, muttering about insurance fraud: “No forced entry? That’s convenient.” Gareth had to hold her back from screaming. But at least they promised to check the footage.
Gareth was doing his best to be his typical self. And yet, Lili’s kept him at a distance. When he reached for her earlier, she pulled away. Not because she didn’t want him. She just… didn’t want to be touched by him.
She closes her eyes. Tries to picture the moonflower collection as it was, but the image won’t come. Darkness, blooming outward, swallowing everything—her work, her joy, the moonflower itself, its last petal curling into dust.