Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1990

Snowy Studios

Inman's hands were trembling with anger as he read the news report on his phone.

KING had never been interested in joining any associations, but the folks from the guild had been persistent, knocking on the door time and time again to persuade KING. With KING absent, Jason had turned them away on several occasions, but eventually he grew weary and let them induct KING without a fuss. They even slapped on a fancy title of Honorary President for good measure.

And now, before the dust had even settled, they were quick to wash their hands clean of the situation!

As Inman saw the online mob against KING growing, he reached for his phone to call Jason.

After two attempts, there was no answer.

Frustrated, Inman called Harriet, "Where's Mr. Gilder?"

Jason was seldom at the design studio, since he had a whole portfolio of businesses to manage.

Harriet replied, "Mr. Gilder's out of town on business, and he should be back in a few days."

"What about this mess online?" Inman asked urgently.

Harriet remained cool, "Our boss isn't in J City either. Rumors stop with the wise. If we ignore it, the frenzy will eventually die down."

Inman frowned, "But this seems like a setup. It's not going to cool off that easily."

Harriet pondered, "Could it be a competitor?"

Inman shook his head, "I can't say for sure right now. The web is flooded with rumors, and with KING and our big boss away, we're in the dark."

"Let's just watch and wait," Harriet suggested. "Our boss has weathered bigger storms, and this won't bring him down. This online storm might hit the design studio, and with Mr. Gilder away, you shall steady the designers and don't worry about anything else. We'll handle it when they return."

"Got it. I'll make sure the studio stays afloat," Inman assured her.

"Good. You keep an eye on the studio, and I'll handle GK Jewelry Studio. With them away, we can't fall into disarray."

"Understood!"

After hanging up, Harriet dialed an international number, "Gimmy, are you in Grand Falls? Can you look into Designer COCO for me? Yes, the one who just won the Golden Top Award. And check out her assistant too. Thanks, Gimmy!"

She considered calling Estelle but decided against it. Estelle was in C City, spending time with her grandfather. It was best not to bother her with such trivial matters.

Even if Estelle knew about it, Harriet doubted she would be concerned.

Harriet thought the negative press against KING was just competitors throwing shade, so she didn't pay much attention and instead focused on her work.

The online debacle continued to ferment, with an old post which dredged up Estelle's past resurfacing.

The post detailed KING's background, like how she had seemingly turned her back on her foster parents in J City and cut ties with them after rising to fame, though they had helped her through college.

This deleted post now went viral; it was surely dug up by someone with an agenda. KING's character was under heavy scrutiny, and with the addition of the faith issue, the insults rained down on her like a torrential downpour.

The original post had been addressed by Antonia, who issued a statement to admit that she had framed Estelle out of spite as Estelle once declined her dress design request.

After the post was deleted, people had forgotten its contents.

But now, it was being used as "evidence" to smear KING.

[People used to say she was heartless towards the parents who raised her. Now, looking at her actions, it seems like that's just who she is!]