Chapter 5

The morning air in Manhattan was crisp, but Eleonora felt nothing but a burning heat in her chest as she pushed through the revolving glass doors of the Sinclair Group headquarters.

She was wearing a sharp, tailored Prada suit. Her face was a mask of absolute, unyielding stone.

The moment she stepped off the elevator onto the design department floor, her assistant, Paige Fuller, rushed up to her. Paige was clutching a stack of files to her chest, her eyes wide with panic.

"Eleonora," Paige whispered frantically, blocking her path. "There's a massive HR shakeup today."

Eleonora's face didn't change. She walked past Paige, heading straight for her Senior Designer cubicle. She dropped her leather tote bag onto her desk.

"Tell me," Eleonora commanded, her eyes fixed on the closed blinds of the Director's corner office.

"The board just parachuted a new Design Director in," Paige babbled. "No one knows her background. No portfolio. The whole floor is freaking out."

Before Eleonora could respond, the Head of HR marched into the center of the open-plan bullpen. He clapped his hands loudly.

"Everyone! Five minutes in the main boardroom. We are officially welcoming our new Design Director," the HR Head announced.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

Eleonora grabbed her notebook and a pen. She took a deep, steadying breath, forcing her heart rate to slow down. She walked down the hallway and pushed open the heavy glass door of the boardroom.

Her eyes immediately went to the head of the long mahogany table.

Seraphina Sinclair was sitting in the CEO's chair.

She was wearing a pristine, white Chanel tweed suit. Her makeup was flawless. Her wrists, resting on the table, were perfectly smooth and unblemished. There were no bandages. No cuts. No signs of the "suicidal breakdown" Julian had rushed out to fix last night.

The HR Head smiled broadly. "Team, please welcome Ms. Seraphina Sinclair." He emphasized the last name heavily.

A low murmur rippled through the room. The designers exchanged nervous, knowing glances.

Seraphina stood up. She smiled, but her eyes were cold and arrogant.

"I am so thrilled to bring my disruptive design philosophy to this outdated department," Seraphina said. Her voice was sweet, but the words were a direct insult to everyone in the room.

When she finished her empty speech, her eyes scanned the room and locked onto Eleonora. A vicious smirk curled the corners of her pink lips.

Seraphina clicked her heels against the floor, walking straight up to Eleonora's chair.

She reached out and grabbed Eleonora's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I look forward to learning from you, Senior Designer Eleonora," Seraphina announced loudly, ensuring the entire room heard. "After all, our relationship is very special."

Gasps echoed around the boardroom.

Eleonora yanked her hand out of Seraphina's grip. She maintained a frozen, professional smile.

"In this building, we are strictly colleagues, Director," Eleonora said, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.

Seraphina's smile faltered. The muscles in her jaw twitched. She turned to Paige, who was standing nervously nearby.

"You," Seraphina snapped. "Go to the artisanal coffee shop on 5th and get me a soy latte. Exactly 140 degrees."

Paige's face fell. "But... that's three blocks away, and the project briefing is in ten minutes..."

Eleonora stood up. "Paige is preparing the quarterly reports. She doesn't have time to run errands."

Seraphina's face flushed with anger. She stepped into Eleonora's personal space, using her new authority as a weapon.

"Are you telling me how to run my department, Eleonora?" Seraphina hissed.

The tension in the boardroom was suffocating.

Suddenly, the glass door banged open.

Sloane Carpenter, Eleonora's best friend and fellow designer, marched into the room holding a plastic cup of iced Americano.

Sloane slammed the cup down onto the table right in front of Seraphina. Drops of brown liquid splashed onto the polished wood.

"You look a little overheated, Director," Sloane sneered. "Have some ice."

Seraphina jumped back, clutching her chest in shock. She pointed a trembling finger at Sloane. "You are incredibly insubordinate!"

Sloane rolled her eyes dramatically. She pulled out the chair next to Eleonora and sat down, crossing her arms.

The meeting dissolved into an awkward, hostile silence and was quickly adjourned.

As the room emptied, Eleonora grabbed Sloane's arm and dragged her down the hall into the employee breakroom. She locked the door behind them.

Sloane exploded the second the lock clicked.

"Julian is a psychotic bastard!" Sloane yelled, pacing the small room. "He actually put his little pet snake in charge of you? This is a hostile takeover of your life!"

Eleonora leaned heavily against the water cooler. She rubbed her throbbing temples. She told Sloane everything-the necklace, the lies, and Julian's twisted "family debt" speech.

Sloane gripped the edge of the counter. "She is trying to force you out. Are you just going to let her?"

Eleonora looked down at her stomach. She shook her head slowly.

"I'm pregnant, Sloane," Eleonora whispered.

Sloane gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. She rushed forward and wrapped Eleonora in a fierce, crushing hug. Tears welled up in Sloane's eyes.

"I'm not telling him," Eleonora said, her voice hardening. "I'm getting out."

Sloane pulled back, nodding fiercely. "I've got your back. But you have to be careful. Stress is dangerous right now."

Eleonora nodded. They unlocked the door and walked back into the bullpen.

As they approached Eleonora's desk, Eleonora's blood froze.

Seraphina was standing inside Eleonora's cubicle. She was holding Eleonora's master sketchbook-the autumn flagship designs she had spent a month perfecting.

Before Eleonora could react, she saw Seraphina's phone, held low against the desk, click silently. The camera shutter sound was barely audible, but Eleonora caught the flash of movement. Seraphina was photographing every page.

"Stop!" Eleonora lunged forward and snatched the sketchbook out of Seraphina's hands. "Do not touch my personal property," she snarled.

Seraphina didn't resist. She slipped her phone into her pocket and shrugged, a look of utter boredom on her face. "Relax. I was just curious. Your designs are incredibly dated and conservative anyway. I'm taking over the autumn flagship project. I will be redesigning it from scratch."

Eleonora's vision went red. She knew Seraphina had just stolen digital copies of her work. "These designs have already passed the initial board review," she stated, her voice shaking with rage. "If you try to scrap them, I will take this directly to the CEO."

Seraphina covered her mouth and let out a high-pitched, mocking laugh.

She leaned in close, her lips brushing against Eleonora's ear.

"Take it to him," Seraphina whispered maliciously. "Who do you think Julian will believe? His precious sister, or an outsider like you?"

Eleonora's stomach clenched. She grabbed her sketchbook, turned on her heel, and headed straight for the executive elevator.