Page 99 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince

Slowly, I walked to the box.

The box wasn’t sealed, but each flap laid tucked in under the other. I placed my hand on top and opened one side. When I grabbed for the other corner, a quiet gasp escaped me. “This. This is worth everything. How?”

I pulled out my mother's sewing machine. Its pale bluish-green shade, while still muted, now shone.

“I called around and found a guy who promised to take a look. Turns out he was able to fix it.” Stella beamed.

I ran my hand over the top and down the side. My heart fluttered in excitement.

This had to mean everything would all work out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Dean

Idrew a hand downmy face. My father and I were in a closed-door meeting. Again.

For the past four days, we’d been quietly trying to handle the mess Elaine Tremaine had created for us. At this time, the two of us, our lawyers, and Henri were the only ones who knew of the leak.

I dreaded the call to Henri just as much as the one I had to make to my father days before. The designs were Henri's babies, and he was furious that someone else would take credit for them. Any other time we would've filed charges against Elaine for theft of intellectual property, but court documents become public record, and we didn’t want to spook our shareholders or the Paris company.

The only silver lining was Elaine hadn’t stolen all of the designs. We still had a collection to present this season.

“That woman is infuriating.” Dad bellowed. David Prince was not one to lose his cool, yet Elaine had pushed all the right buttons.

“Do we have any recourse?”

“The lawyers suggested that if we’re not going to press charges, then our other option is to have her sign a nondisclosure stating what will happen if she releases where the designs came from. And if she ever steals from us again, we will press charges.”

I sighed. The outcome was probably the best we could’ve hoped for.

“I’m sorry, Dad. This is all my fault.”

“Dean, there's nothing you could’ve done. They were either in your possession or locked up. She must’ve had someone here within the company who helped her.”

My father was still unaware that I had, in fact, left them out. Once. And Ashlyn had seen them. As angry as I was at her deception, I didn’t want anyone else to know she had a hand in it. People didn’t need to know I’d been taken advantage of by a woman I’d been dating once again.