Chapter 581 A helping hand

Brad glared at Elodie, and getting a nod form his boss he once again quickly excused himself, leaving the two of them alone in the conference room.

“Liah, did you think your bodyguard was strong enough to stop me from coming in here?” Brad asked in an amused tone, his hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.

“It was so easy to take care of him but don’t worry. It’s forbidden for us to injure a human, so I did no such thing.”

His gaze on her turned to one of admiration as he wondered how she was holding on without all her seasoned designs. Strong women need help too, and Brad was sure that Liah would crumble and take it from him.

“I heard you were having some problems, so I came to offer a helping hand.”

Athaliah was about to ask how exactly he planned to help when, just like with Curt, she realized she knew very little about the man standing in front of her. Before she could question him, Brad kept talking.

“I can arrange models for you and have your original show outfits returned to you in no time.”

A scoff slipped from Athaliah before she could stop it. She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a pointed look.

“Let me guess. And afterward, you’ll want me to marry you, wouldn’t you?”

Brad didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed about being caught so easily.

“Is that wrong? I can take care of you, both here and at the pack. Your father knows what I’m capable of, and unlike Corvine, who only has borrowed authority, you would have unlimited influence in the Sunlit Pack.”

Athaliah clapped slowly, the sound dripping with pure sarcasm.

“How dramatic. You attach conditions to helping me, which only proves that you’re part of the problem. I never told you about the challenges I was facing, yet somehow you already knew every single one. Mr. Dean, who exactly are you trying to fool?”

Brad’s teeth clenched hard. This was exactly why he hated independent women. They were always too smart for their own good.

But Athaliah was the key to becoming Alpha King. So he would endure her mockery for now.

“Well, your show takes off in a few hours. Call me if you change your mind.”

He pulled a business card from his pocket and placed it on the opulent conference table before turning and walking away.

Athaliah stared at the card for a long moment, and the anger boiling inside her finally became too much to hold back.

She snatched it from the table, tore it into tiny pieces, and let them fall to the floor. Then she lowered herself into one of the chairs, her shoulders sinking as tears finally slipped down her cheeks.

This was her investment being toiled with because of her father’s greed. Even if she hadn’t met Corvine, Athaliah was certain to not marry any of these men.

“Liah.”

Elodie’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. Athaliah quickly wiped her face and lifted her head.

“What is it this time?”

Seeing the tears still clinging to her lashes, Elodie hesitated. Whatever he had come to tell her, he clearly wasn’t sure how she would take it.

“I think I should come back later.”

He turned toward the door, but Athaliah stopped him. “No. Just go ahead.”

Elodie drew in a couple of deep breaths before speaking. “The media outlets have already started arriving, and they’re requesting interviews with you.”

Athaliah’s jaw tightened. It was obvious that either Curt or Brad was behind this latest move.

There were still a few hours before the media was supposed to arrive, yet they had shown up early. They were trying to pressure her into deciding whether she would continue with the show or cancel it altogether.

“Tell them to respect my schedule. I’ll give them an audience per the agreed schedule.”

Even as she spoke, Athaliah was already working on another plan in her mind.

Instead of canceling the show, she could use the opportunity to launch the app. She immediately reached for her phone and dialed Corvine’s number, her heart sank when the call wouldn’t connect.

His phone was switched off. She tried Seraphine next, and the same thing happened. Athaliah lowered the phone slowly, uneasiness crawling through her chest.

Two hours remained before the show was scheduled to begin. Athaliah went backstage to meet with the crew, trying to figure out what could still be salvaged, when Elodie approached her again.

“None of the agencies want to work with us anymore.”

Athaliah turned toward him, ready to respond, when Elodie’s phone suddenly rang. He answered, and within seconds, his eyes widened. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

He hurried away, leaving Athaliah staring after him. She drew in a deep breath and turned toward the crew. “I’m going to speak to the media, but I think you all deserve to hear this first.”

The crew members looked at her anxiously. This was the first time anyone saw her like this and they were very saddened.

Athaliah had started small but her unique designs quickly opened mega doors for her three years ago during the Paris Fashion week and since then, she hosted her own runway shows.

This was the same crew she worked with and yet, they never saw her this pained before. “I booked forty models for this show, but someone has been trying to sabotage me, and I think their plan worked.”

Athaliah looked around at the people standing before her. Aside from the crew, only five models remained, the ones on her payroll. “I’m sorry. We have to call it off.”

An event of this scale required at least twenty models. Even if they tried to continue, the burden would be unfair to them. “Don’t worry. I’ll still—”

Her words died in her throat when a familiar face had appeared among the crew. Elodie had led him in.

Athaliah frowned, staring at the newcomer in disbelief. “Mr. Ash…”

The name barely left her lips before recognition flashed across her face, her eyes widened. “Sera?”