A False Heiress's Guide to Love and Power

“There’s one more thing,” Queenie said, her expression tense. “This version is just a revision of the second draft, so the overlap is significant. We’ll need to overhaul it again, which means the situation isn’t exactly in our favor.”

Getting a jewelry collection approved was always a marathon–time–consuming, expensive, and exhausting. But none of that was as frustrating as the real issue: the product’s impact. If a competitor launched something similar before them, no matter how dazzling their own design was, the effect would be dulled. That was the real threat.

“For now, let’s make one prototype and keep all our sketches and documentation ready. If Sienna decides to go to the press and accuse us of copying, at least we’ll have evidence to defend ourselves. But even if we clear our names, the public’s first impression will still be that we stole someone else’s idea.”

Alessia studied the third version’s sketches carefully, her voice calm and measured. “So what do we do about the plagiarism issue? We can’t really change the core concept at this point… Can we push the timeline back to Wednesday?” Stella asked, frowning. Her family’s business wasn’t in fashion, so all she could do was offer what advice she could.

“No,” Alessia said flatly. “We don’t have enough time, and even if we did, changing our story now would only make us look unreliable. Either way, whether we’re the ones copying or being copied, it hurts us. The clients might feel sorry for us, but they’re not here to empathize–they’re here to buy.”

Cole tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention. “Our studio caters to powerful, successful women–clients who are rational and discerning, not your average consumer. They don’t care how much a piece costs; they care about what it says about them, whether it enhances their image, whether it delights them.”

or our designs leak, that’s our problem, not theirs. But if it affects them in

rifled through the documents in front of

forget the investors. They’ll reassess the risks. If a company can’t even keep its designs secure, no matter

08:02

over the office as everyone absorbed

from two angles,

table. All eyes turned

or after the event, it puts us at a disadvantage, so talk to the press and try to

the collection. Meanwhile, I’ll coordinate with the Whitley Group’s factory–they’ll run 24/7 if needed. At the very least, we

and risk assessments that had gotten the business off the ground in the first place. Even Queenie’s first investment had come from