Chapter 3

Mathew looked at me, speechless. I promised him that from now on, there would be no more love or hatred—only revenge. He patted my head and simply said, "Alright."

In that moment, Mathew and I became the most unbreakable allies in the world.

The day of my father's funeral was a rainy one. Mathew took me to the cemetery, taking advantage of the bad weather to avoid drawing attention. We both wore black, with small white flowers pinned to our chests.

"Mathew, if my dad had just waited a little longer, do you think he might have survived?"

He didn’t answer. As we disappeared into the rain, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, "Ruby, grow strong."

I looked down at my stomach, where most of the excess weight had already melted away, then turned my gaze toward where my father lay in eternal rest.

"Mathew, I’d like to go see Mr. Harrison. I have something new to show him."

After dropping me off, Mathew left. When I saw David, he looked more energetic than before, although his health seemed to have declined for some reason.

"Mr. Harrison, is everything okay?" I asked.

He looked at me, just smiling. After a long moment, he waved me over to sit beside him. He took out his phone and snapped a selfie of us.

"Ruby, you’re our only hope now. If I'm not around someday, go to this place." He handed me a key with the address to Starlight Estates on it.

I was about to ask him what he meant, but he interrupted me.

"So, what brings you here today?" David asked.

I pulled a new notebook out of my bag. "This is my latest inspiration. It’s not just random sketches—I put a lot of thought into each piece."

Looking at the notebook, he suddenly began to cry like a child. I wanted to comfort him, but nothing I said seemed to help. When he finally calmed down a bit, he asked me to leave.

As I walked out, I ran into Runa. A sixth sense told me that something was about to go down, so I quietly slipped off my high heels and followed her at a distance.

Luckily, Runa wasn’t very good at noticing when she was being tailed. Once she stepped into the office, the atmosphere grew intense.

"Mr. Harrison, I respect you. That’s why I still regard you as my mentor. But if you’re dead set on opposing us, think carefully. What good would it do you to stand in the way of a complete overhaul in fashion design? Wouldn’t it be better if your designs dominated the industry?"

I could just imagine Runa standing there, looking as arrogant as ever.

David responded, "Dominating the industry? Hah! Dominating! I had no idea that fashion design was about having one style rule them all!"

He continued, "Runa, besides copying others, what else can you do? I was blind to ever accept you as my student. Go on, leave. I don’t want to see you anymore."

Furious, Runa stormed out and called her husband—my former fiancé, Anton Leedon—before leaving.

"Anton, things aren’t looking good with David Harrison," she said.

I couldn't hear what he said on the other end, but I caught Runa’s shocked response. "What? Get rid of him?"

She must have realized her voice was too loud, so she glanced around nervously before continuing in a softer tone.

I didn’t catch the rest of their conversation, but I sent David a message, warning him to be careful. He didn’t reply. I returned to my hellish regimen, watching my weight drop: 150 pounds, then 120, then 110, 100, and finally down to 95 pounds.

The day my training ended was about two weeks before the New Year, and every major company was holding its annual celebration.

Mathew looked at me and said, "You’ve worked hard."

I shook my head. It didn’t feel hard at all. After all the groundwork I’d laid, my time to step into the spotlight had finally arrived.