Chapter 3

Chloe moved fast.

The day after getting the money, those AI perfume posters flooded every major social platform.

She hired PR influencers to push sensational headlines:

[Genius Intern Redefines Luxury Aesthetics with AI!]

[Traditional Design Is Dead: AI Is the Future of High Fashion!]

Paid bots swarmed the comments, hyping up the visuals as "next-level cyberpunk luxury."

Logan watched the metrics climb in his office, grinning ear to ear.

He called me into his room.

"Scarlett, look at this traction."

He pointed at the engagement numbers on his screen.

"A small marketing spend for this kind of viral reach. Chloe played her cards perfectly."

"When House of V sees this market response, they'll hand us the account on a silver platter."

I stood beside his desk, looking at the over-sharpened images.

"Impressive numbers," I remarked casually.

"You're just too conservative, Scarlett," Logan sighed, slipping into his condescending lecture mode.

"You need to adopt the younger generation's mindset. Once we land House of V, I'm promoting Chloe to Creative Director."

I didn't argue.

"Whatever you decide, Logan."

I dropped a folder onto his desk.

"Here's my equity buyout agreement."

Logan's smile froze.

"What is this?"

"Exactly what it looks like," I met his gaze.

"I'm burned out. I need a break. I'm selling my shares back to you at a twenty percent discount on current valuation."

Logan slammed his hands on the desk and stood up.

"Scarlett, are you done throwing a tantrum? Just because I put Chloe on one project, you're selling out?"

"Do you have any idea how high this company is about to soar?"

I shook my head.

"I'm not throwing a fit. I just genuinely feel my philosophy doesn't fit the agency anymore."

"Didn't you say I was too conservative? Take my shares. From now on, you call all the shots. You can promote whoever you want."

Logan stared at me for a long time, convinced I was playing hard to get.

"Fine. Don't come crawling back."

He grabbed a pen and signed his name with a flourish.

"I'll notify finance. The wire will hit your account tomorrow."

"I hope some time off helps you realize where you went wrong."

I picked up the signed contract and walked out.

Where did I go wrong? I went wrong five years ago, being blind enough to start a company with an arrogant idiot like you.

By afternoon, the full payout cleared my account.

I had Zoe file the ownership changes with corporate registry immediately.

From that exact second, the agency's survival had nothing to do with me.

Right before closing, Chloe rushed into the creative department in a total panic.

"Mark, look at this! What's wrong with the file?"

She shoved her tablet in the lead designer's face.

"Someone commented that when you zoom in, the model has six fingers!"

"And in the background, people are saying there's another luxury brand's watermark!"

Mark glanced at the screen and pushed the tablet right back.

"Chloe, this was exported flat from an AI tool. There are no layers. It's unfixable."

"The only way to fix it is to paint it from scratch."

Chloe turned pale.

"We don't have time to repaint! The House of V pitch is tomorrow morning!"

"Can't you just stay late and Photoshop over it? Just clone-stamp something on top!"

Mark spread his hands.

"Sorry. Scarlett just approved our department's annual leave. The whole team is boarding a flight to Miami tonight for our retreat."

Chloe's blood ran cold.

She spun around looking for me, only to find my office completely cleared out.

Pitch day arrived. House of V's North American headquarters sat at the top floor of the Empire Tower.

It was a heritage fashion house with a century of history, fiercely devoted to original craftsmanship.

Leading the meeting was James, the newly appointed North American Managing Director.

He was notoriously ruthless, an uncompromising perfectionist who hated mediocrity.

I skipped the pitch entirely. Sitting in my brand-new office, I watched the live video stream Zoe secretly sent over.

On screen, Chloe stood at the podium. Logan sat behind her, puffing out his chest with smug confidence.

James walked in with his executive team, sitting down with an icy expression.

"Begin," James said bluntly.

Chloe took a deep breath and clicked open her slide deck.

The projector flared to life, splashing the distorted, garish AI posters across the massive screen.