hapter 14
Tomorrow night, Karen Houle was throwing a big bash to celebrate her 80th birthday in Evergreen, and a ton of celebrities were on the guest list.
The star of the show was Karen’s granddaughter, Ivory Houle, who had become the leading jewelry designer in the country and whom Chelsea was said to have copied back then.
“Sure,” Wade said.
After sending off Wade, Margot reached out to Chelsea. “Hey, Chelsea. If you want the things your mom left behind, I can hand them over tomorrow night at the Houle family dinner. But you’ve got to come.”
Chelsea practically jumped up. “Are you really going to give them to me?” Her mom had passed away when Chelsea was little, and Drogo had been in charge of everything ever since.
The reason Chelsea even stuck around with the Wise family as a ghostwriter was that she wanted whatever her mom had left
her.
“Absolutely!” Margot beamed. “See you tomorrow night.” She was pretty sure Chelsea would show up. After all, Chelsea’s biggest soft spot was her mom.
And Margot was spot–on–Chelsea was planning to attend for two reasons: to get her hands on those relics and to finally meet Ivory.
There had been some misunderstandings in the past. The Houle family was a big deal in Evergreen, known for three generations of incredible jewelry designers.
Karen Houle was especially famous for her unique Oakhurst–inspired designs. She was practically a legend.
Chelsea was a huge fan of Karen’s work. Honestly, she still didn’t understand why the design she poured her heart into ended up being attributed to Ivory.
Back then, she was a nobody while Ivory was already making waves. The judges disqualified Chelsea and called her a plagiarist without even looking into it.
She had to drop the whole investigation because of Drogo’s threats. Looking back, it was clear that Margot was the one who really gained from that mess.
Meanwhile, at the Nova Group, Fabian handed Winston the invitation from the Houle family. “Mr. Moody, you’re invited to Mrs. Houle’s 80th birthday party.”
Winston looked up, intrigued. “Oh right, Ivory’s back, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Fabian replied. “After that whole drama, Miss Houle went abroad for some exchanges and just got back recently.”
“Hey, I heard you were worried about Ivory at the door–what’s up with that?” Cecil said, stepping through the door with a playful grin.
Fabian greeted him and stepped outside, telling the secretary to bring in two cups of coffee.
Cecil plopped down and shot a questioning look at Winston. “I remember you and Ivory used to be pretty close. There were even rumors about you two being a thing. Is that true or just gossip?”
1/4
5:18 pm G
D
Chapter 14
Winston shrugged. “Seriously, it won’t hurt to use your brain once in a while.”
Cecil looked a little sheepish. “By the way, I really dig this Amber Jewels design draft. Too bad the credits have already been claimed.”
Cecil, aware that Chelsea had been denied her credit, avoided mentioning that Julia had taken it, especially given Julia’s connections to the Moody family.
Winston seemed indifferent. “Is that why you dropped by?”
“Not really. I’m just letting you know I’ll be at the dinner tomorrow night, so we’ll catch up then,” Cecil said.
Winston nodded coolly, a nonchalant hum escaping him. Cecil felt like this was going nowhere and added, “So, Ivory’s back, and you honestly don’t care about what happened between you two?”
They were once childhood sweethearts, but everything had shifted since then. Ivory had feelings for Winston, and he hadn’t directly shot her down. Everyone figured they were destined to end up together.
But when the Moody family hit a rough patch, Winston got kicked out, and Ivory was the first to step away.
“Ivory and I are just friends,” he replied, making it clear that her choices were hers to make.
Cecil sighed, “Alright, I’ll head out then.”
Chelsea bumped into Heath just before she wrapped up her day at work. “Heath,” she called out, catching his attention.
Heath had just finished a videoconference and looked a bit worn out. “So, I heard you gave up the byline to Julia?” he said, clearly surprised by her choice.
Heath was trying to connect with her, not expecting Chelsea to make that decision.
Chelsea hesitated, feeling the pressure of the moment. Julia always seemed to manipulate things from the shadows. She felt trapped and didn’t want to drag Heath into her messy situation.
“Heath, you seem really busy lately. Is it because of me?” she asked, concerned. She had a complicated past and worried that if the Nova Group caught wind of it, it might jeopardize his future.
“Not at all, Heath replied, shaking his head, puzzled as to why she’d think that.
Chelsea let out a sigh of relief. “Well, it’s getting pretty late, so I’ll head out.”
Heath opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he just couldn’t find the words.
After leaving Amber Jewels, Chelsea was driving home when her phone buzzed–it was Kate. “Hey, Chelsea! I heard Julia works at your company.”
“Yep, Chelsea replied.
“Has she been bullying you?” Kate asked. She had seen Julia showing off her connections online, talking about being tight with Winston Moody from the Nova Group while everyone fawned over her.
Kate couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that, thinking, ‘Mr. Moody looks so cold. Does he even know Julia?”
“Not really,” Chelsea said. She knew Kate had a tendency to act on impulse, and she worried about what might happen if
2/4
5:18 pm G D
Chapter 14
Kate found out the truth about Julia.
“Chelsea, if she messes with you, let me know! I’ll help you deal with her!” Kate offered, her frustration palpable.
Chelsea rubbed her temples, parked her car, and stepped out. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to the Houle family dinner tomorrow night.”
“Wait, what?!” Kate’s eyes went wide. She quickly apologized to the people around her, stepping aside to avoid drawing
attention.
“Are you serious? After all the drama with Ivory, you’re going to the Houle family dinner? Aren’t you worried about being bullied?” Kate exclaimed.
“Margot said she’d give me my mom’s relics if I show up,” Chelsea explained.
Kate paused, realizing the significance. “Okay, I’ll get an invite too, and I’ll go with you.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Chelsea said.
“It’s settled,” Kate insisted, clapping her hands together. “I’ll be your sidekick at the dinner, and you can’t say no. If you do, I’ll be really mad!”
Chelsea could see how much Kate cared about her and decided not to fight it anymore. “Fine.”
After wrapping up the real deal, Kate couldn’t help but complain about her boss. “Chelsea, you wouldn’t believe how exhausted I am! With the Big Boss breathing down our necks every day, I swear I’m going to get fired!”
Winston happened to brush past her, thinking, “Big Boss? Is that me?”
Fabian instinctively wanted to clear his throat to warn Kate that Winston was right there, but he immediately froze under Winston’s icy glare.
“What’s the point of being good–looking? He’s ruthless and toxic!” Kate continued.
Chelsea chuckled softly. “So it sounds like your boss is pretty intimidating–totally different from Winston. Same last name, but a world apart in personality.”
Kate clicked her tongue. “What’s your husband’s name? I still haven’t met him. When are we going to meet for dinner?”
Chelsea had been bringing up her husband more frequently, and Kate was worried she might fall for him. She wanted to meet him and see if he was a decent guy.
There was a brief pause as Chelsea continued, “His last name is Moody too.” She opened the fridge, and suddenly her phone started beeping like crazy.
Kate swore under her breath as she glanced at her phone, which had died from a low battery. “Damn it! Not now!”
Fabian felt completely numb.
As Kate turned around and started cursing, she found herself staring right into a pair of icy eyes, leaving her completely frozen. After what felt like forever, she finally stammered, “Mr. Moody.”
‘Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that the Big Boss is standing right behind me? He must’ve heard what I said!‘ she thought
Winston raised an eyebrow at her shocked expression, a smirk playing on his lips. “Miss Meyer, not enough work to keep you busy?”
3/4
5:18 pm
Chapter 15
