"... how are we supposed to work now? Liz? Are you okay?"

Someone asked me, and it brought me back to reality. Looking up, I found five pairs of eyes peering at me. Clearing my throat, I pushed my glasses back on my nose.

"What happened?" I asked them, ashamed that I hadn't been paying attention again.

It had been one entire week, but I still couldn't come to my senses. Ever since that incident, I couldn't think, couldn't focus, couldn't live properly. Once I opened my eyes, the harsh reality dawned on me, more like crashed right into me. Horrified at the lack of my own self control, I ran away from André, and made a pledge to avoid him at all costs.

The man was bad news, he was trouble, and it was natural for me to want to run away from him. After confidently admitting that I wasn't afraid of him, in the end, I did run away. But sadly, I couldn't run away from the memory of my first kiss that was imprinted on my mind.

Every time I thought of André, all I could think of was that damned kiss. It burned every part of me, and plagued my mind. For the first two days, I found it extremely hard to think of anything else. After four days, it got a little better, but not quite. Every time I sat idle, all I could think of was the kiss. It was a recurring memory that haunted me more than my scars.

"There's not one contractor who wants to work with us. It means we're left with no factories to create our collection in. What are we supposed to do?" Maria explained for me again, and I nodded, finally understanding the situation.

Once the words settled in, dread and anxiety surfaced. What were we supposed to do now? Turning to Sophie, I questioned her, "Why? Have you really talked to every single one of them? How can they reject us when we're a part of the company they're affiliated with?"

Sophie looked furious. She wasn't the kind of woman to easily lose her temper, but today, she looked like she was about to burst. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and her brown eyes contained a resentment so deep that it scared me.

"Its the work of that vile bitch, Sasha Collins. She's literally the Devil's Spawn." She only said this, which had the wheels turning in my head.

"But why would she...?" I had only completed half of my sentence, when I looked at the pensive expressions of Maria and Martin, and I immediately knew they were telling the truth.

Sasha Collins was definitely capable of such sorcery.

Sophie continued, "She was the one behind our grand failure two years back, and she's back now. That woman just can't stand me, because she wouldn't be who she is, if I was still in game."

Her voice was so full of spite, that I didn't know what to do or what to say. Their rivalry didn't span in a couple of months, but had been going on for more than two years now. Thanks to her evilness, Sasha now had contacts and the power to tell people to do as she pleases. And we wouldn't be able to reverse that, since we're basically nobodies coming back to the game.

The whole atmosphere had soured because of this news, but I didn't want to let it bring me down. I spoke up, filling the silence. "Guys, there's no need to feel so down. I agree we're totally losing the game right now, but this isn't the end. We still have months left, and I know we will find a solution. If only we think of it hard enough, some way is bound to appear in front of us."

"You're right Liz, this isn't the end."

"Right, I'm definitely not gonna let her fuck us over like that. We're gonna find a way."

The twins immediately agreed, and I smiled seeing the sudden passion in them. Although a little strange, Mia and Amelia definitely knew how to build up excitement in the group, and I loved them for that.

Martin still looked a bit sceptical. "Are you sure about that? I just don't want you and the twins to suffer like us too."

"He's right, Liz. If something goes wrong, we won't be let off like the last time," Maria said, ever the caring one.

I replied firmly, "But if we fail to put on the best opening show, the company won't give us any chances. We're going to be fired either way, so why not attempt to do something instead of giving up? I think that's a better option."

While the others reluctantly agreed to my opinion, I left them to work and went to the washroom. After finishing my business, I stood by the basin to wash my hands, when someone entered the room. I caught their reflection in the mirror in front of me, and stiffened. Was this really a coincidence?

Today, Sasha had donned a silk white shirt with bold flower patterns and a neon pink pair of pants. Her eyes twinkled with victory, and they told me this was no coincidence. She wanted to meet me here and boast about how wonderfully she had cut me off.

Faking nonchalance, I continued to dry my hands and then retrieved my lip gloss from my bag. Sasha stood on the basin beside me and started applying her eyeliner.

"Congratulations on your engagement, Lizette. Sorry I couldn't greet you that night, I was a bit busy," she said, and I turned to face her.

"Its okay. It was a busy night," I replied, keeping all my anger away from my tone. If she had come to feel me out, she wouldn't get a thing.

"I heard about your recent issue. Is there a problem getting contractors for your designs?" She asked directly, and I saw a sliver of the obnoxious smirk she wore on her lips. It was the same expression she had on when I first met her, and I hated seeing it.

"Why? Are you going to solve it for us?" I asked her bitterly, but it just made her laugh.

"And let you look good in front of the CEO? No thanks!"

She was now getting on my nerves, but I tried not to show it. Suddenly, a wild thought occurred to me. What if I threw that, would it intimidate her to pull away?

"Madison Thomas, the President's daughter is on our team. Are you going to see her get humiliated?" I asked her, hoping my trick would work on her.

And it did. But the opposite way. Sasha said, "For your information, Maddy is in your team. Her humiliation isn't on my shoulders, but yours. And wouldn't that be a better reason for me to not help you?"

Why didn't I think of that? Now, I just looked like a pathetic fool, while she laughed maniacally. In that moment, I really wanted to punch her in the face, hard. It was obvious to anyone that someone like her could only reach such heights by using petty tricks. But she was still so shameless and unabashed, that it only made her competitors break into nervous sweat.

This time, she walked forward. Looking straight into my eyes, as best as she could from her height, she threatened me. "You need to watch out, dear. That's why you shouldn't have touched what was destined to be. Those people you wanted to help don't have a place in this industry, and you will lose face because of them. Just stick to being André's wife, that title suits you more."

Clenching my fists, I watched silently as she put her eyeliner back in her pink purse and strutted out of the place. Once she was gone, I collapsed against the basin. What the hell was I going to do? It was certain I would even die to wipe that smirk off her face, but other things mattered more than that.

My whole career was at stake, and I didn't want to get kicked out because of my incapibility. Even if I stayed because of my connection to André, that would make me feel more terrible. Being his lover or wife wasn't my real identity, but if I couldn't even stay true to my profession, who the hell was I?

Just then, a notification appeared on my phone. With numb hands, I retrieved my phone from my bag and checked it, only to get even more surprised.

Mia had just texted telling me André was here searching for me.

Springing up in panic, I hit my head on the underside of the basin, and I moaned in pain. Clutching the side of my head with one hand, I managed to shove my phone and lip gloss back in my bag. I waddled out of the washroom and caught the elevator back to the sixth floor.

Once I reached the floor, I speed walked towards my desk, only to find André sitting on it, and everyone else in the room staring at him. It didn't stop after I entered, only the center of their attention changed.

Breathless and panicked, I came to a halt in front of him. André finally noticed me, taking in the mess I'd become in my rush to get to him. My hair was probably falling out of my ponytail, and my face must be red and sweaty. I cursed internally for not thinking of that when I ran all the way here, but then I stopped. Why did I want to look good for him, when I was certain nothing could ever happen between us?

"Why are you here?" I asked, still breathless.

He took in my state once more, then asked me, "Have you eaten yet?"

Right. I'd missed lunch because of my conversation with Sasha. And I was starving. But how did he know that?

"Not yet," I replied, acutely aware of my team members having hearts in their eyes. They were all a sucker for good love stories.

"Let's go, then. Sophie, I'm going to borrow her for some time. Is it okay with you?" He asked Sophie, who nodded eagerly.

It surprised me that a man like André was keeping manners, but the more shocking thing was that Sophie no longer looked angry or upset.

But as I stared at André, an idea formed in my head. Maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't have to wait for an opportunity to arrive.

Because it had already arrived. They said it takes a Devil to take a Devil out, and if my plan worked well, it would become true.

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