Rewriting My Heart's Fate (Ethan and Evelyn) novel Chapter 423

I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up. Ethan started the engine and slowly drove off from the hotel.

"Mr. Grayson, has the police come up with anything? How did our gown get swapped?" I asked, my chest tight with unease.

This was the key moment for my brand's launch. One misstep could mess everything up.

Ethan kept his gaze on the road. "The police are still on it. Evelyn, think it through. Other than Carlos, who else might be after you—or our brand?"

I bit my lip, trying to think of every possibility. "Could it be a competitor? Lendora Fashion Week is the perfect platform to make a name, and it's a real battleground when it comes to market dominance."

"That's possible." Ethan nodded. "But that feels a bit overboard for a small studio like ours. I'm leaning more toward someone using this as a chance to ruin us…"

I could tell there was more to what he was saying, so I asked, "Ruin us? What do you mean by that?"

Ethan sighed. "Evelyn, we didn't get here just by working hard. It's also been about luck and… certain people."

"Are you saying our partnership has offended some people?" My chest was tightening with each passing second.

"It's more than that." Ethan pulled over to a quiet street corner and turned to look at me. "Evelyn, there's something I have to tell you, and I hope you get where I'm coming from."

I gulped. "Go ahead."

I went pale. My legs buckled, and I almost fell. Ethan quickly caught me around the waist and helped me into a chair.

Lianne rushed to hand me a glass of water. " Evelyn, don't worry. Kevin's reaching out to the sponsors to see if they can whip up a replacement gown. Time's tight, but if they have the right fabric and the sketch, we could still make it—"

"No!" I shook my head. "That gown is irreplaceable. It's the centerpiece of this season, the signature piece of our brand."

"W-What do we do now?" Lianne was on the verge of tears. "We've got less than a day before the show. How are we supposed to find that gown?"

I clenched my fists. It felt like everything we'd worked for was slipping through our fingers.