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“Explain yourself, Denise,” Ella shook Denise’s hand in alarm.

“O...o...our d...d... design... Oh shit!” Denise cursed out loud at her stuttering. Why were words suddenly failing her, she questioned herself in annoyance.

However, Ella gently stroked her arms and encourage her to keep talking. “What happened to our designs?”

“Our designs are exactly the same as the F&K fashion brand design.” Denise forced out the words from her trembling lips.

“No, that can be possible! You must have been confused with what you saw. We can never produce the same design.” Ella shook her head in disbelief. Although her heart was about to leap out of her chest due to the seriousness on Denise’s face.

“You know what?” Denise took Ella’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Seeing is believing.” She briskly led Ella to the backstage.

What Ella saw made her almost collapse. Denise had been telling the truth all along. She stood transfixed on the spot unable to move or say anything. Her hands were trembling worse than Denise’s hands and burning tears accumulated in her eyes.

Denise instinctively called Tom and Leon to urgently joined them at the backstage. She specifically told Leon that Ella was on the verge of breaking down.

.....

Within the speed of light Leon and Tom maneuvered their way to where Ella and Denise were. Each man gently took their respective ladies into their arms and consoled them.

Leon gently led Ella away from the backstage towards the back door exit of the hall. He quickly called John to bring the limo to the back of the hall. He also informed his men to stay alert and get ready for further instructions.

When all four individuals were safely inside the limo, Denise told them everything her eyes had witnessed while Ella kept sobbing in Leon’s arms.

At first, Leon and Tom were too shocked to speak, but Leon quickly cleared his throat and begged Ella to stop crying.

Ella listened to Leon and wiped her face with the handkerchief he gave her. She breathed in and coughed slightly to clear her throat before speaking.

“I don’t need a soothsayer to tell me that this is all Chloe’s handiwork.” Ella’s wet eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. She sat up and straightened her rumpled clothes. “This time, she has just crossed the line and I swear on my late father’s grave, I will make her pay dearly.”

“That’s my wife talking!” Leon beamed amidst overwhelming rage.

“Did you guys listen to the interview Chloe granted the previous day?” Tom spoke up. When everyone in the car shook their head in response, he continued talking. “She did that interview on purpose, challenging Ella’s brand to bring on their A-game.”

“Oh really!” Denise spat out in fury.

“You have a mole in your company, Ella,” Leon said between gritted teeth. “Until we find out who that person is, everything related to operation should be suspended.”

“That’s a splendid idea!” Tom concurred.

“What about today’s show? Should we pull out?” Denise quizzed in apprehension.

“Ella, that decision is up to you.” Leon stroked her hands tenderly.

“That’s exactly what Chloe and her cohorts would want us to do.” Ella squinted her eyes in raging fury and gritted her teeth. “Whether we pull out or continue with the show, our brand has already been tainted. Hence, we would do exactly what we came here for. After all, it’s our designs that were stolen. We cannot afford to chicken out now.”

“The CEO has spoken!” Leon smiled as he leaned closer and kissed Ella on her cheeks. “I’m so proud of your wise decision, my love.”

“This is going to be one big scandal!” Denise shook her head in disappointment. “Our brand is still too young to be pushed early into troubled waters.”

“I feel your pain, my dear,” Tom lovingly cuddled Denise in his arms. “Every company goes through such trial, but they always bounce back stronger.”

“I totally agree with Tom. This first few weeks are going to be filled with a lot of trials and court battles.” Leon massages his temple in frustration. “Nevertheless, I can assure you one thing, we would win this case and everyone involved in the theft would burn.” Leon’s eyes lit up in haunted excitement.

Denise was about to say something when her phone rang.

“It’s Abby,” she looked in Ella’s direction and answered the call.

“Ma’am, our models are ready. It’s almost our turn to walk the ran way.” Abby’s tone sounded slightly worried.

“Okay, Abby, thanks for informing me. I will be with you shortly.” Denise ended the call and looked at Ella again.

“Go ahead, Denise, I’ll join you guys in a bit.” Ella gave a short smile and Denise and Tom alighted the limo.

“Babe, you have to be strong for me.” Leon cupped Ella’s face and stared into her hurt eyes. “We will get them together and we will make them pay dearly for this humiliation.”

Ella nodded her head as a tear escaped her eye. Leon kissed her lips softly and cuddle her for a while before they both alighted the limo.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Leon questioned Ella lovingly.

“No, I think I feel better,” Ella smiled. “I’ll handle things from here. Also, after the show, I’ll be going back to the office for an emergency meeting.”

“Don’t worry, honey, we are doing this together. I’ll be in the audience if you need me. Okay?” Leon stroked her hair and kissed her lips.

“Okay,” Ella responded and walked back to her brand’s dressing room.

Leon quickly dialed Sky’s number and gave him several directives before ending the call. He clenched and unclenched his fist to release his monstrous rage. All the while, he had caged his emotions in other to give room for Ella’s. He pictured emptying an automatic machine gun in Chloe’s head and smiled at the satisfaction it gave him. He shook his head slightly and walked back to the hall.

.........

When the models of the ARILPORTER BOSS brand stepped out in their elegant attires, the hall suddenly went still with shock. It was as though everyone had been instructed to hold their breath for ten seconds.

Even the lively garrulous moderators also seemed to have lost their flow of words. They stared speechlessly as the models filled out one after another displaying the same design the F&K fashion home had showcased earlier.

“Dean,” one of the moderators broke his silence. “Didn’t we just see these exact designs displayed earlier?”

“I thought I was hallucinating,” the second moderator replied. “Aside from the choice of color and material texture, all the designs are exactly the same.”

Instantly, the murmuring and gossiping in the hall almost overshadowed the lively music.

As if the commotion in the hall wasn’t enough. Chloe almost ran up the stage screaming at the top of her voice.

“Criminals! Thieves! You stole my design! I will sue you, bastards! I will sue you, criminals!” She kept yelling at the top of her voice.

Luckily, Chloe was stopped by the security details around, before she had time to rip a dress from an innocent model’s body.

Chloe was led out of the hall amidst screaming and wide conspiracy theories. She was followed by eager journalists and lots of cameramen; who were dying to be the first to capture the juicy breaking news.

Before long, Chloe had gathered enough attention outside the hall. The audience trooped out in their number abandoning the ongoing show inside the hall for the spectacular show outside the hall.

Chloe was excited by the mind-blowing supporters she had gained overnight. She happily granted interview after interview, stating the same claim.

“The ARILPORTER BOSS brand is a low-life criminal and backstabbing brand. They had secretly stolen the F&K fashion brand ideas and have shamelessly showcased the ideas to gain public recognition. They should get ready for a court battle, revoking of their fashion license and public disgrace.”

Many people supported the F&K fashion brand since the brand was an old and reputable brand with over thirty years of existence. They also supported Chloe’s claims. After all, the current CEO of the ARILPORTER BOSS brand was once an employee of the former brand. Hence, she could have maliciously stolen their ideas to make a name for herself.

While this whole commotion was ongoing, Frost and Kyle quietly excused themselves from the hall and left the event. They avoided the spotlight and paparazzi that accosted them outside the hall. They refused to comment on the ongoing scandal even when some journalists blocked their path on their way to their respective cars. However, unknown to them, they were been tailed.

Back in the dressing room, Every staff of the ARILPORTER BOSS brand was thrown into a state of shock and panic. They couldn’t believe the ill luck that befell the company. In contrast to the public opinion, the majority of the staff believe that they had been robbed. This was because most of them contributed greatly to the ideas and designs that were made. They all started looking at each other suspiciously. It became obvious that one of them was a betrayer of the company.

Abby’s face was red from excessive thinking and tension. She could feel everyone’s suspicious eye on her as the mole. She wished for the ground to open and swallow her whole. She couldn’t believe that the company’s first-ever public appearance had been jeopardized. A million and one frightening thoughts consumed her being. She was tempted to run away and leave Amzone city. However, a sensible voice in her dissuaded her from being unrealistic.

Inside the dressing room, Jane pretended to be also traumatized by the event of the day. When she heard whispers that everyone was pointing an accusing finger at Abby she joined the choir. She internally prayed for Frost to call her, as she was almost losing her senses. However, his call never came.

She was about to excuse herself from the dressing room to go use the convenience when someone blocked her path.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” A scary-looking heavily built man asked in a deep hoarse and surly voice.