Chloe woke up earlier than usual.
After everything that happened yesterday, all she wanted was to make today feel a little lighter for Poppy. So she decided a wake up breakfast would be a gentle and fresh way to start the morning. That was the plan.
She even turned off her alarm so Poppy could sleep longer.
But just as she was placing strawberries beside the pancakes, a loud noise startled her from behind. She turned to see Poppy dashing out of her room.
Her hair was still a mess and she struggled to walk properly with her heels that were not properly buckled.
While one of her hand was busy with her earrings, another jammed things inside her bag, even if she was barely looking.
Her face was pale. But one look and anyone could tell she was furious.
"Poppy?! Where are you going? I was just about to bring you breakfast in bed!"
Poppy didn't stop moving. "There's a board meeting!" She nearly tripped over her own shoes. "They planned it behind my back!"
"What?!" Chloe dropped the spatula. "Who—?"
"My father. Dale. All of them! They're trying to push me out of my own mother's company!" She zipped her bag with shaky hands.
"Wait—let me come with you!"
"No! I need you here. Just in case Florence Langford sends someone else to find me."
And before Chloe could respond, Poppy was already at the door. She slammed it shut behind her.
...
Thirty minutes later...
Poppy's car screeched to a stop in front of 'Sinclair Couture Headquarters'—a tall glass building shining under the morning sun.
It was one of the top fashion houses in the country and it belonged to the Sinclair family. But none of it would've existed without her mother who built the company from scratch, with her own hands and money.
Poppy stepped out of the car and looked up at the highest floor. She squinted at the bright light that bounced off the building, but that sight only made her angrier. That was where the meeting was taking place.
She took a deep breath and walked to the entrance. But the moment she stepped through the revolving glass doors, cameras flashed in her face.
"Miss Sinclair! Over here!"
"Is Dale Roosevelt really married to your sister?!"
"Did you portray your sister's fiancee as yours to make your name relevant?!"
"Are you stepping down from Sinclair Couture?!"
Questions kept coming in as reporters surrounded her, and Poppy froze at their bizarreness.
In all the pain and anger, she had forgotten she was wasn't just anyone. She was a top model and fashion icon.
For years, she was the face of the Sinclair Couture, until her stepsister decided to change her career to modeling, and she was pushed forward, slowly replacing her.
But even if she hadn't been on the spotlight for a while, the world had clearly not forgotten her.
Poppy was overwhelmed, but she tried to brush it off and push past the crowd of reporters. With the flashes that blinded her and the microphones that were shoved in her face, it was almost impossible.
Luckily, her assistant, Sophie, appeared out of nowhere with two guards and rushed to her side, shielding her as they pushed through the reporters and flashing cameras.
They made it into the elevator just in time.
As the doors slid shut, Sophie immediately turned to Poppy and started fixing her hair and straightening her blouse with shaking hands.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Poppy," she said quickly. "I thought you'd come in through the back entrance. I didn't know you'd use the front."
"You forgot to mention the swarm of reporters outside."
Sophie lowered her gaze with guilt written all over her face.
"It's all my fault, Miss Poppy... Please, please don't be mad at me."
"I'm not." She let out a long sigh. It wasn't fair to take it out on the only person still standing by her in the company when she knew the people resposible for everything.
"When did the meeting start?"
Sophie looked at her nervously. "An hour ago. When I found out, Dale had asked me not to say anything to you."
"I'm not surprised," Poppy muttered angrily. "Thank you for telling me, Sophie."
Sophie smiled. "There's no need to thank me, Miss Poppy. You know my loyalty is and will always be with you."
She gave her a small nod.
The elevator doors finally opened on the last floor and Poppy stepped out. She hurriedly walked to the conference room. But just as she reached for the door, it opened from the inside.
One by one, all the board members began to step out. They barely looked at her. The ones that did stared at her coldly. Not a single smile or greeting.
Amongst them, Rowland stepped out too. The moment his eyes fell on her, he frowned. But, even he didn't say a thing. He just walked past her like she was no one.
Poppy's fists clenched at her sides.
Before she could say anything, "Poppy!" A familiar voice called her from inside the room.
Poppy turned to see Dale, who leaned lazily against the table with a smirk on his face.
"I see Sophie couldn't keep her mouth shut after all."
Staring at him made Poppy's blood boil, but she didn't show it. Instead, she smiled sarcastically.
"So, they invited the accessory to the meeting... But forgot to invite the major shareholder of the brand. What a joke!"
Dale's smile dropped. "What are you trying to say, Poppy?!" He snapped, standing straighter.
"I'm saying you don't own a single share. The only reason you've ever sat at this table was because I brought you in, with the promise of giving you my mother's shares. But that deal is dead. I'd rather die than allow a bastard like you get my mother's shares!"
Dale's jaw clenched.
"I've always thought you were the smartest person I've ever met, but now I'm just realizing how wrong I was. The board already voted!"
She blinked. "Voted for what?"
"They've decided it's best if you hand your mother's shares to me like you promised. For the good of the company."
"What nonsense are you spewing now?"
"You haven't seen the news, have you?" Dale grinned. "Tsk. Poor thing. An anonymous blog dropped the bomb this morning. They said you lied about our engagement just to boost your career, and you bullied your poor little sister, Layla into hiding her relationship with me."
Poppy went speechless and Dale seemed to enjoy it.
"There's already a riot online. Fans are threatening to boycott the company except you're removed. They want justice for Layla. You should see the comments, Poppy. You're trending!" He laughed.
She gritted her teeth.
"Of course, the company can't deny the story. It would ruin Layla's reputation and she's the face of Sinclair Couture now. So your father convinced the board it's better to let you take the fall."
Dale stepped closer and smiled as he reached for the lose strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.
"You know, this mess wouldn't have happened if you'd just listened to me. But no, you had to rebel."
His hand moved to her face, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers like she was something fragile.
"And for what? Now you're covered in scandal, and I'm still getting your mother's shares. But... it's not too late, Poppy. You're lucky I'm still fond of you. I can make the scandal and hate disappear. I can still accept you as my second wife—"
Chomp!
"Ahh!" Dale shrieked, yanking his hand back in pain.
Poppy had bit down hard on his fingers.