Chapter 115

Chapter 115 Chapter 115 “Another bottle,” Kris muttered, his voice barely audible over the din of the bar.

“Right away, sir,” the bartender replied, nodding briskly.

+25 BONUS A few seconds later, a chilled, uncapped bottle of beer slid across the counter to Kris. He picked it up and took a long gulp, drinking as much as he could until the fizz burned his throat and forced him to stop.

“I knew I’d find you here,” a familiar voice said from behind him as he set the bottle down.

“I almost gave up looking when I didn’t see you in the VIP booth,” Alden admitted as he slid onto the stool next to Kris.

Noticing the bottle in front of Kris, relief rolled through Alden, glad that it wasn’t whiskey or scotch. He signaled to the bartender.

“I’ll have a bottle too.”

Kris lifted his beer again, taking another swig, causing Alden to cringe sympathetically at the thought of how it was going to burn down Kris’s throat. But he knew his best friend needed this.

“I already heard about what happened at the awards show,” Alden said, as his own beer was placed in front of him. “Big surprise.

News spreads on the internet like wildfire,” Kris muttered.

“This kind of news, especially,” Alden continued, not mind Kris’s rare moment of sarcasm. “It’s really bad, Kris.” Kris finally turned to look at him, a frown creasing his forehead. “What do you mean?”

Alden sighed, hesitant to explain, but he knew Kris would eventually find out. “The amount of hate online directed at your mother right now is astonishing. In just the last hour, the hashtags ‘Queen Of Sabotage‘ and‘ Boycott Miller Fashion‘ have been posted over 100,000 times. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon.”

He took a sip of his beer before continuing, “People are posting screenshots of themselves canceling orders from your mother’s company. It’s like a new trend to show they’re boycotting anything to do with Miller Fashion. The stocks are tanking. At this point, I’m afraid your mother’s company might never be able to be saved.”

Alden waited, but when Kris stayed silent, he pressed, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Kris let out a bitter laugh, taking another gulp of beer. “What should I say, Alden? That my mother deserves what’s happening to her company?”

Alden frowned. “So, you think she’s behind the sabotage of Thalassa’s collection?”

“I don’t fucking know, Alden,” Kris gritted out. “My mother says she’s innocent.”

“And what if she is? Thalassa didn’t directly accuse her,” Alden pointed out.

“Thalassa thinks I did it,” Kris revealed.

Alden nearly choked on the beer he’d just poured into his mouth. “What?”

“She thinks I paid her model a million dollars to destroy her designs so my mother could keep her title. Can you believe that?”

Kris chuckled, but the pain in his voice was unmistakable.

Alden set his bottle down, shock in his eyes. “Why would she think that?”

“Because the model told her, and apparently there’s some eliminated evidence. Plus, I once told Thalassa I wouldn’t let her hurt my mother and would defend her if necessary. Fuck, I don’t even know anymore,” Kris said, shaking his head.

1/2 Chapter 115 +25 BONUS Alden thought for a moment. “So now you think your mother might have paid the model and told her to pin it on you?”

Kris nodded, yet his mind was all over the place. He didn’t know what to think anymore.

“But what if it wasn’t your mother? What if it was someone else?” Alden suggested.

Kris stared at him. “Who else? Besides, the fact that it would have increased my mother’s chances of winning the award, Thalassa hates me even more now, and she’s probably never going to forgive me. That’s exactly what my mother would want.”

He paused, the weight of the situation sinking in. If his mother was capable of this, what else could she be capable of? He didn’t even want to consider the possibilities.

Alden bit his lip, thinking carefully. “Kris, I know your mother and Thalassa hate each other, but think about it. Even if you and Thalassa got back together, your mother wouldn’t lose anything except having to tolerate Thalassa. But there’s someone who stands to lose the most if you and Thalassa reconcile.”

They both said it at the same time. “Karen...”