Chapter 51: It's War

Emily felt like she had just declared war. It involved cute hair clips and dresses covered in ruche and lace, but it was war nonetheless.

The next day, just as she expected, the reviews for the fashion show said practically nothing about her designs. The one person who mentioned it said it was too derivative of the 50s style and not unique enough. What she didn't completely expect was to see Ruby's so-called originals receive high praise from the critics.

Emily was excited that the critics approved of 'Ruby's' work, which was basically her own work. The downside, of course, was that she basically had to start over. If she tried to use any of the original designs she had shown Ruby, she would now get accused of copying that lowly cheat.

Those dresses had been reflective of all her work, so now she was faced with the formidable task of completely remaking her own style.

"At least I learned a valuable lesson," she said to Byron over drinks, "Never show my designs to someone I don'