104 The Counterfeit Dress and the True Designer
Hazel’s POV
I followed the security guard through the crowd, Vanessa’s cutting words still ringing
my ears. The east terrace was quieter, with only a few guests mingling in small
groups
Mrs Sinclair will jom you shortly, the guard said before melting back into the crowd.
I took a deep breath of the cool evening air. The gala had become suffocating with all the whispers and judgmental stares. Just as I was collecting myself. I heard a shrill
voice behind me
“Look who it is’ The desperate social climber herself.
I turned around slowly. A young woman in a midnight blue gown stood there flanked by two others. Frecognized her as Yan Yue, daughter of a prominent tech mogul and another of Gloria’s friends. Her smug expression told me everything I needed to know.
“Yan Yue” I acknowledged with a slight nod. “I didn’t realize we knew each other well enough for insults”
She laughed, the sound high and brittle. “Everyone knows who you are now The designer who lost her fiancé to her own sister and is now clinging to Sebastian Sinclair
for dear life.
“Stepsister” I corrected automatically. Would I have to make this clarification for the
rest of my life?
“Whatever” she waved dismissively. “You don’t belong here, among real society. Your designs might be getting some attention, but you’re still just a nobody with Creatections
felt flash of heat rise to my face, but I kept my expression neutral And you’re Wedring a counterfeit dress to a Sinclair gala. Bold choice
Yan Yue’s face froze. “Excuse me?”
“Your dress,” I said, gesturing to her gown “It’s a counterfeit. A rather poor one, at
that
The crowd around its had grown quieter tining in to our conversation. Yan Yue’s
heeks Bushed crimson.
How dare you!” she sputtered. This is an authentic Valentina Rousseau! I paid fifteen thousand dollars for it!
Then you were robbed. I replied calmly, taking out my phone. The real Valentina Rousseau Midnight Serenade looks like this
I showed her the screen, where I’d pulled up a photo of the original runway piece “Notice the deeper blue shade and the hand-embroidered beadwork along the neckline. Yours is machine-stitched.
Whispers rippled through our growing audience Yan Yue’s friends exchanged nervous glances
You’re lying, Yan Yue insisted, but her voice had lost some of its confidence “Who are you to judge authentic couture anyway?”
I swiped to another photo on my phone – me standing on a stage holding an award. alongside a model wearing the exact dress in question.
“I’m the designer who created it.” I said simply. “And won the Emerging Designer of the Year award for the collection it was part of.
The crowd’s murmurs grew louder. Several people were now openly staring at Yan Yue’s dress, examining it with new scrutiny.
“That’s… that’s just a coincidence,” she stammered. “My dress is real. I bought it from a
reputable source.
The real “Midnight Serenade’ dress had only three copies made,” I explained, my voice
steady. One is in the Parisian fashion museum. One belongs to the private collection
of Duchess Katherine. And the third is in my personal collection
on Yue’s face had gone from red to pale. “You’re making this up to embarrass me
have no reason to lie” I replied with a shrug. “But by all means, contact Valentina Rousseau’s authentication department. They can verify everything I’ve said
One of Yan Yue’s friends tugged at her arm, whispering something urgently. Several guests had begun snapping discreet photos of the confrontation
I don’t have to prove anything to you. Yan Yue said, but her voice had lost its edge “You 2x must silous because
“Hazel There you are!
A familiar voice cut through the tension I turned to see a slender woman with chestnut ham making her way through the crowd. Cora Cadwell, my former client and now friend, was bearing at me
“Cora!” I greeted her with genuine warmth. Thad no idea you’d be here tonight
As we embraced, I noticed several people’s shocked expressions. One older woman actually gasped.
“Miss Shaw,” she whispered urgently. “That’s not the proper way to address-”
“Oh stop,” Cora laughed, waving away the concern. “Hazel and I are friends. Formality is boring.
Yan Yue was staring at us, her mouth slightly open. “You… you know each other?”
“Of course we do Cora said, linking her arm through mine. “Hazel designed my engagement gown. Absolute masterpiece”
The same older woman who’d tried to correct me was now frantically whispering to others nearby. I caught snippets. ‘Sinclair family’s little princess” and “Sebastian’s cousin” and “heir to the eastern holdings.
Wait. Cora was a Sinclair? How had I not known this? She’d always introduced herself
as Cora Cadwell, never mentioning any connection to the Sinclair dynasty
Cora turned her attention to Yan Yue, her friendly smile taking on a sharper edge. “Yan Yue, you’re wearing a dress designed by her, yet you don’t even recognize the designe hersell. Are you here to be a joke?”
