Chapter 6 - The Sabotage
Vivian stood in her penthouse, looking out over Central Park. Her phone buzzed. It was Marcus.
"Is it done?" Vivian asked, taking a sip of her martini.
"We have a problem," Marcus said, his voice tense. "The fabricated financial records we planted on Rossi's accounts? They were wiped. Completely scrubbed. Whoever she’s working with has state-of-the-art cyber capabilities. We were locked out."
Vivian shattered the martini glass against the marble counter, ignoring the gin and shattered glass raining over her bare feet. "How is that possible?! She’s a nobody!"
"She’s not working alone anymore," Marcus warned. "The IP trace on the counter-hack bounced through a server farm in Zurich owned by Sterling Couture. Julian Sterling is backing her."
Vivian felt the world tilt on its axis. Julian Sterling. Her greatest rival. If he had his hands on the sweatshop manifests and the stolen design proofs, he wouldn't just blackmail her. He would publicly, violently execute her brand.
"Fashion Week is tomorrow," Vivian breathed, pacing frantically. "I’m delivering the keynote address to every major editor, buyer, and critic in the industry. That’s where they’ll do it. They’ll wait until the cameras are rolling to drop the guillotine."
"We can cancel the speech," Marcus suggested. "Claim a medical emergency."
"If I run, I look guilty! It will only validate whatever they release!" Vivian snarled. She walked over to her mirror, looking at her reflection. She saw the flawless skin, the perfect hair, the empire she had built with her own two ruthless hands. She was not going to let a dead woman’s daughter and an arrogant billionaire take it from her.
"Marcus," Vivian said, her voice dropping to a terrifying calm. "Julian Sterling likes to play dirty? Let’s play dirty. I want you to find Lily Rossi tonight. Don't arrest her. Don't hack her."
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"What do you want me to do to her?" Marcus asked.
Vivian’s eyes were dead, devoid of any humanity. "I want you to break her hands. Let's see how well she types her little press release with shattered fingers."
