Chapter 154

Yvaine and I had breakfast at her shop, then I headed into my studio to get things ready for the day. When the call came, I was excited. ‘Miss Vance, this is Nathan Liddicoat from the organising committee of the Aureate Awards.’ ‘Good morning.’ I’d just passed the preliminaries and qualified as an independent designer. I assumed he was calling to confirm the next round. ‘We regret to inform you that you’ve been disqualified from the competition.’ ‘Sorry—what?’ I sat up straighter. ‘Could you say that again?’ He did. ‘Why? Was there an issue with my submission? I can—’ ‘There’s nothing wrong with your design,’ he said. His tone was stiff, with a hint of discomfort. ‘But someone reported you.’ ‘Reported me for what?’ ‘There’ve been some negative posts about your studio. Allegations that you turn customers away at the door and only work with celebrities who can pay premium fees.’ ‘That’s absolute bullshit.’ I kept my voice steady, but it took effort. ‘This is about Harper Foster, isn’t it