CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 190 WAR OF REPUTATION

Serena’s POV

I scrolled through my phone, watching the social media nightmare unfold in real time. Those ridiculous headlines were spreading like wildfire:

【Genius designer Ivy Hart was falsely accused of plagiarism, now makes triumphant comeback after being discovered by Celestial Gems!】

【Serena Quinn publicly humiliates young designer at Jewelry Season due to jealousy.】

【Was the truth about the plagiarism scandal different than we thought?】

The edited videos showed Ivy crying like some helpless victim while I supposedly loomed over her. God, people were eating this shit up. Conveniently missing was the part where she approached our table uninvited or her initial provocations.

"Those fucking Hart sisters!" Celeste slammed her coffee mug down so hard I thought it might crack. "I KNEW Ivy was recording something! Did you see how perfectly framed those shots were? She planned the whole thing!"

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache forming. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with notifications as the story gained traction.

"People are so gullible," I muttered, scrolling through the comments. Most were condemning me without knowing a single fact. "Look at this - ’Serena Quinn is just threatened by new talent.’ New talent? She was literally CAUGHT stealing designs!"

"Want me to make a statement?" Celeste asked, already typing furiously on her tablet. "I was there. I can tell the whole story."

I shook my head. "That’s exactly what they want. We engage, the story grows bigger, and Dreamland gets dragged through another round of drama right before our biggest launch of the year."

Lucy, my assistant, burst into my office without knocking. "Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. West is calling. He’s asking about the... situation."

Great. Just what I needed. Lucian West calling to either gloat or pretend concern.

I sighed, taking the phone. "Lucian, what a surprise."

"Serena," his voice was silky smooth. "I’m calling about my designer. The incident last night—"

"Your designer approached my table uninvited and created a scene," I cut in, keeping my voice deadly calm. "If you’re suggesting I need to apologize, you’re wasting both our time."

There was a pause before he chuckled. "Actually, I was going to offer to help manage the... public relations aspect. For a price, of course."

My blood ran cold. So that was his game.

"Let me guess," I said, leaning back in my chair. "You’ll make the story disappear if I agree to some business arrangement that favors Celestial Gems?"

"Smart as always," he purred. "My jewelry collection needs your touch, Serena. A collaboration between Dreamland and Celestial would benefit us both."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then unfortunately, I can’t control what my designers say to the press. Ivy seems quite... emotional about her past experiences with you."

I laughed, genuinely amused by his transparency. "Blackmail wrapped in a business proposal. How original, Lucian."

"I prefer to call it mutual opportunity."

"I’ll pass," I said firmly. "Dreamland doesn’t need your help or your threats. We’ve survived worse than a manufactured scandal."

I ended the call before he could respond, tossing my phone onto the desk.

Celeste looked worried. "Are you sure that was wise? West isn’t someone to mess with."

"Neither am I," I said, standing up. "Lucy, get me WhisperStream on the phone."

Lucy’s eyes widened. "James? "

I nodded. "If the Hart sisters want to play dirty, they’re about to learn I’ve mastered the game."

Within an hour, James was in my office, listening intently as I explained the situation.

"So basically, they set you up," he summarized, fingers already flying over his keyboard. "Classic character assassination attempt."

"Can you help?" I asked.

He grinned, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. "Oh honey, I was born for this. Give me 24 hours and I’ll have the internet questioning every tear that woman has ever shed."

"Do it clean," I warned. "No lies, no fabrications. Just the truth presented correctly."

"The truth is all I need," James assured me, pulling up Ivy’s plagiarism records. "Trust me, by tomorrow morning, everyone will remember exactly why she disappeared from the design world in the first place."

As he left, my phone buzzed with a message from Ryan: "Are you okay? I just saw the news."

I stared at his text, surprised he’d reached out. After a moment’s hesitation, I typed back: "Handling it. This isn’t my first rodeo with the Hart sisters."

His response came quickly: "Need backup?"

For a brief moment, I considered it. Ryan’s influence could shut this down instantly. But no—I’d fought my own battles since our divorce, and I wasn’t about to stop now.

"I’ve got this," I replied, then set my phone aside.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "Ryan?"

"Just checking in," I said dismissively. "Now, let’s get back to what matters. We have a collection to launch, and I’m not letting those two distract us from that."

As night fell, I watched the first of James’s counter-narratives begin to appear online. The tide was already turning. By morning, people would remember why trusting a Hart sister was always a mistake.

Let them come for me. I wasn’t the same woman they’d managed to hurt before.