Chapter 4

Serena's POV "How bad is it?" I asked, my brow furrowed with concern. "It's a mess I can't even begin to explain over the phone," Maya sighed. "Can you come to the studio? I'll show you everything." Two hours later, I pushed open the familiar glass doors of Dreamland Studio, breathing in the scent of creativity and possibility that had once been my whole world. Maya spotted me immediately, her red-brown hair bobbing as she rushed toward me, wrapping me in a fierce hug. "God, I've missed you," she whispered, squeezing me tight. "Missed you too," I replied, feeling a lump form in my throat. The studio was quieter than I remembered, with several design stations conspicuously empty. After catching up over coffee in her office, I finally asked the question that had been burning in my mind. "So what happened with Celeste? What's going on with the studio?" Maya's expression darkened as she pulled up files on her computer. "It's Ivy Hart. She's destroying us." She explained that our studio was being completely blacklisted by Blackwood Enterprises because Celeste had somehow offended Ivy at a gallery opening last month. They were facing enormous penalty fees for broken contracts, and Ivy was using Mr.Blackwood's influence to spread rumors that Celeste had plagiarized her designs. "Look at this," Maya said, turning her screen toward me. "Ivy's latest collection for Hart Creations. Does anything look familiar?" My blood ran cold as I stared at the designs on screen—they were near-identical to Celeste's work from this month, with only minimal changes to avoid outright copyright infringement. "I have no doubt Ivy stole them," I said, voice tight. "Celeste would never do something like this." Maya sighed, glancing at me. "I know. But we don't have proof—and with Mr.Blackwood still protecting her, it won't be easy." That two-faced bitch. Just because I was divorcing Ryan didn't mean I'd let this slide. I don't turn the other cheek. Every debt would be paid in full. With interest. Ivy thought she could get away with everything she did to me? She has no idea who she's dealing with. Looking at Maya's indignant expression, I gently placed my hand over hers. "Don't worry, I'll handle this. Today." Maya stared at me in disbelief. "Today? Honey, are you serious? I have a pile of orders waiting for you...I know you are talented, but you aren't made of steel!" Her concern touched me, it really did. But what she didn't know was—I had a secret weapon. One she'd never see coming. "Relax. I've got this. You'll see." I said, reaching for my luggage. I pulled out a thick portfolio case I'd kept hidden for years—my private collection of designs created during my marriage, never shown to anyone. My secret escape. As I laid sketch after sketch across Maya's desk, her eyes widened. She reached out as if the pages were made of glass. "Serena… these are… oh my god, these are masterpieces. You designed all of these while living with him?" I nodded once. "Whenever he was with Ivy or working late, I designed. These sketches got me through some of my darkest nights. They should be more than enough to keep the studio afloat." Maya flipped through them again, her awe giving way to gleeful excitement. "Forget keeping us afloat—these could bring the entire industry to its knees. You have to enter the Asian Jewelry Design Competition next week. It's the perfect chance to humiliate Ivy. Publicly. Brutally." A slow smile tugged at my lips. For the first time in years, I felt powerful."I'm in. If we're doing this, we're doing it right. " If I'm going to strike back, I'll make it hurt—she needs something permanent to remind her not to mess with me again. I looked at her, steady and calm."When you send the designs to our partners, tell them clearly:the designer is me. " "And go ahead and update the studio website too—make it official. I'm back." I paused, then added with a smirk,"it's time they all remembered who built this place from the ground up.Ivy's reign is over." Maya's jaw dropped. "Wait—seriously?! You're really coming out of retirement?!" She looked like she might cry from joy. "When you left the industry, people never stopped talking about your work. Some said your pieces felt like poetry in gold." I arched an eyebrow. "Well, it's time I start writing again." Maya hesitated, then blurted, "Then I should return all the studio shares to you—" I waved her off. "Not now. We've got more urgent things to deal with." I pulled her laptop toward me, fingers flying across the keys. As soon as I opened the news page, a flood of headlines popped up—negative press surrounding Celeste's incident and the studio's involvement. [So much for being a ‘genius designer'—guess it's easy when you sleep your way to the top.] [Heartbroken for Ivy—she earned the final design rights fair and square, and still got assaulted?] [Time to boycott this trash. And while we're at it, shut down Dreamland Studio too.] [No! Dreamland was founded by the legendary Lazuli—just because she left doesn't mean we'll forget. Bring her back!] [We miss Lazuli. The studio's designs died the day she walked away.] My eyes narrowed. Enough was enough. Then I contacted an old associate who owed me a favor—a hacker who went by the name "Triton". Me: I need everything on Ivy and the Celeste incident—real dirt. I want it public by the end of the day. He responded instantly. Triton: Holy shit—Serena? You just resurrected my whole damn system. I thought you were dead. Me: Don't get dramatic. I want this over in 12 hours. Triton: Say less. Consider it done. Once I finished, I logged into my long-dormant social media account under the name Lazuli—my identity as a jewelry designer. I stared at the blinking cursor for a moment… then typed:Justice may be delayed, but it never fails to arrive. P.S. I'm back.