Chapter 70

Brushing away the croissant crumbs, Elodie stared down a digital mountain of emails. She’d begged off Ari’s ‘Ugly Fish Feast’, though she was very much tempted. But fashion week loomed, the Bijoux flagship store opening a month away, and she had a lot of work to do. As she flipped through the resumes and deliberated potential candidates for the position of store manager, Julian materialised in her office, grim-faced. Even the sheen on his bald head was somewhat dulled. ‘Bad news,’ he announced, handing her a tablet. ‘Glittering Gems just dropped their “Moonlit Radiance” line. It’s… our designs.’ Elodie flicked a glance at the screen. Identical necklaces sparkled back. ‘Got it. Seems like we can move up our timetable.’ Elodie pushed off to her feet. ‘Let’s go.’ She and Julian drove to the Bijoux factory and fetched prototypes, then came back to the office and asked Fiona, head of legal, to finalise the complaint. The next morning, as Elodie went over her plan with her team, her phone bu