CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVEN – THE INVESTIGATOR

"How did they even pull that off?" Samantha said through gritted teeth, surveying the ruined set and outraged audience. During the crucial final walk, a cacophony of garish strobe lights and deafening industrial music had overwhelmed the stage, turning the elegant showcases into a garish spectacle. Models stumbled blindly, dresses torn and makeup smeared in the mayhem. Karina whipped around to see Carlos, her manufacturing lead, sprinting backstage looking panicked. "What is it?" "It's...it's the clothes!" he gasped. "Someone tampered with them - the material is disintegrating!" Sure enough, the stunning couture creations were quite literally falling apart at the seams on the distraught models' bodies. "No..." Karina felt dizzy, pieces falling into place. "That two-faced snake Brie must have had her goons break into our supplies!" A sleek black Town Car pulled up, Brie's angular silhouette visible through the tinted windows. As she slid inside, she tossed a mocking wink over her