Page 59 of Fateful Exposure

"The entire concept behind the designs is moral inclusivity, right? And that's a fucking excellent idea, but now that the entire world had seen them before the unveiling, they're useless. But—" I paused, going to sit next to her. "What if we changed the concept and tweaked the designs a little?"

Selma crossed her arm under her breasts, causing the towel to loosen slightly, temporarily distracting me. "Go on", she said.

I dragged my attention back to her face. "Right. So, what if we go from moral inclusivity to sexual inclusivity?"

Excitement buzzed inside my veins. Most jobs I'd taken were not very challenging. All I had to do was come in, take some amazing pictures, grab my paycheck, and go. Now, however, I was deeply involved in the design process, and it felt fucking good.

"Instead of designing for women to feel comfortable in their bodies,” I explained, “you design for women to feel comfortable in their sexuality."

"Prioritizing sexual appeal over comfort and practicality."

I smiled. "Exactly."

I could see the gears in her head running and the excited glint sparkling in her eyes as she pondered over my suggestion. It was a reach, and fucking daring because there had never been anything like this before in the industry. No one designed clothes and thought of “normal” women to model them. Being thin was a prerequisite to succeed in this world.

"It's a stark contrast from the original idea," Selma remarked. "And there's no guarantee that it will work."

"But it's worth a shot," I argued. "It's an innovative market strategy. This way, you'd reposition your brand in the eyes of the public and let them know that while you took a hard punch, you're not down yet."

"I don't know, Ashton," she protested, looking away. "I mean, I've never thought about sex while designing before."

"There's a first time for everything," I objected, suddenly thinking of Rose. "By the way, I know who leaked the designs."

She jerked her face to me, her eyes flashing. "I thought it was Alex."

"Yes, but he didn't do it directly. It was your assistant. I always knew there was something off about her."

A look of hurt flashed past her face as she gave a bitter laugh. "I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?" She ran a hand through her wet hair roughly, and I almost stopped her because she looked very close to ripping the locks out. "How did you find out?"

"Alex and his blabbering mouth. I'm not even sure he meant to say it, but he doesn't know how to shut the fuck up. He called her ‘Rosie,’ so my guess is that they're close."

"And the pregnancy leak, too? Was it her?"

I nodded. "Looks like it."

"I'm such an idiot," she sighed, pressing her index and middle finger to her temple. "I left the stupid test on the table for everyone to see."

"It's not your fault. You didn't know this would happen. Alex is a snake."

Selma nodded absentmindedly and seemed to drift away in thought. I knew she was hurt, no matter how much she tried to hide it. First, it had been an intern-slash-cousin; now, it was her assistant. She was undoubtedly wondering who to trust and who not to trust. I hated that someone she once loved had thrust her into this situation, but now it was my responsibility to bring her out of it.

For her and my child.

"You'll have to pay more attention to your security measures,” I said. “Considering the recent leak, I think it's time for you to upgrade your digital safeguards. This means you must limit staff access to sensitive information and conduct regular audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities."

Selma's gaze fell to the floor. She shook her head from side to side as if trying to understand how it could have come to this again from someone she trusted, someone she wouldn't have considered.

"She doesn't look the type," Selma said. "She was hardworking, honest, and meticulous to a fault."

"Believe me when I tell you this, wolves rarely look like wolves when donned in sheep's clothing. You could always sue her for leaking company secrets."

She shook her head. "There's no point in that. It'll only increase public speculation."

I thought the same thing. "And I'm glad we are of one mind on that. You can inform Maria about how to deal with her. Considering how much of a force Maria is, we can trust her to handle this perfectly. Make sure Rose never works in the industry again."

Selma's gaze again fell. When she looked up at me, I could see she was torn between choices. The last thing I wanted for her was to give up. She'd spend the rest of her life feeling miserable and inadequate if she did, and she would also spend the rest of her life feeling miserable and inadequate if she tried again and failed.

There had to be a lesser evil.

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