Chapter 27 The Design Theft
Zephyra's hand freezes on the doorknob.
"Five minutes." Her voice is hard. "That's all you get."
Relief floods Felix's face. "Thanks. God, thank you."
He rushes to the desk. Pulls out a large leather portfolio. His hands shake as he opens it.
"These are my hearts." He says softly. "The whole thing I have felt. Everything I wanted to say, but I couldn't."
Kairo stays near Zephyra. Protecting. His hand finds the small of her back.
Felix spreads the sketches throughout the table. Design after design. Beautiful. Haunting.
Zephyra steps nearer. Look at the first piece. An evening robe. Flowing strains. Asymmetrical hem.
It's lovely.
She moves to the second one. A tailor-made fit. Sharp angles. Surprising fabric choice.
Also beautiful.
The third piece makes her breath catch.
She is aware of this layout. Because she created it.
Five years ago. In Paris. Within the tiny apartment she shared with Felix.
"This one." Her voice is ordinary. remote. "Where did this come from?"
"This is one of all my favorites." Felix touches the design reverently. "Got here to me in a dream after I left."
Lie.
She recollects drawing this. Recollects showing it to Felix. Recollects his eyes lighting up.
She shares the fourth layout. Her belly drops.
Another one. Hers.
Fifth layout. Hers.
Sixth. Hers.
"Zephyra?" Kairo's voice is worried. "What's wrong?"
She cannot talk. She just keeps staring at her own work staring back at her.
Modified. Slightly changed. But unmistakably hers.
"These designs." She factors with a shaking finger. "Where did they come from?"
Felix's expression shifts. "I created them. Over the last few years. Why?"
"Because they may be mine." The words come out flat. Dead.
"What?" Felix laughs nervously. "It's really impossible."
"No." She pulls out her smartphone. Opens her cloud storage. "You didn't."
She pulls up her authentic sketches. Dated. Time-stamped. 5 years old.
Holds them next to Felix's "designs."
They're nearly equal.
"This is simply a coincidence." Felix stares at the comparison. "We influenced each other—"
"Don't." Her voice cuts like glass.
"We labored together for three years." His desperation rises. "Our aesthetics overlap—"
"These are my sketches." She shows the dates. "From my personal portfolio. the only simplest one you had to get entry to."
Felix goes pale.
"You stored them." The conclusion hits. "You took my sketches. You've been using my ideas for years."
"No. I wouldn't..." Felix stammers. Backs away.
"What number of?" She advances on him. "How many of your designs are certainly mine?"
"They are not yours." His voice rises. "We created them together—"
"I have the dated originals." She shoves her phone in his face. "Time-stamped. My signature. My notes. This is not inspiration. That is theft.”
Kairo steps forward. "How many pieces in your collection are stolen from her?"
"They're not stolen." Felix's panic is visible. "She's confused—"
"I'm not confused." Zephyra's hands shake. "I know my own work. And I'm looking at it with your name on it."
She flips through the rest of the portfolio.
More pieces. Some modified. Some complete copies.
Fifteen designs total. Eight are hers.
"Your entire brand is built on my work." She steps back. "That's why you needed me. Not just for my name. But because you've run out of my designs to steal."
"That's not true." Felix grabs her arm. She yanks away.
"Don't touch me."
"Please. Let me explain." Tears streamed down his face. "When I left, I took some sketches as memories. Pieces of you I could keep."
"And then used them." Kairo's voice is deadly. "Profited from them."
"I didn't mean to." Felix's voice breaks. "At first I just looked at them. But then Laurent wanted to see my work. I panicked. I had nothing good enough. So I showed him a few of Zephyra's pieces."
"And he loved them." Zephyra finishes. "So you kept stealing. For five years."
Felix doesn't deny it. Just stands there. Crying. Caught.
"I was going to tell you." He whispers. "I was going to confess. Ask you to make them official."
"After I signed the contract." Kairo points out. "After she was legally bound to you."
The betrayal cuts deeper than abandonment.
He didn't just leave her. He stole from her. Built his career on her stolen work.
"You're right." Zephyra's voice is calm. "People don't change. They reveal who they always were."
She looks at Kairo. "We're leaving."
"Wait." Felix blocks the door. "We can fix this. I'll give you credit. Partners. Like we planned."
"Move." Kairo's voice is a threat.
"Just think about it." Felix pleads. "Your work is already out there. We can share the credit—"
"Move." Kairo repeats. Darker.
Felix doesn't budge. "I love you, Zephyra. That's real."
"Your love is theft." She says quietly. "And I'm done being stolen from."
Kairo steps forward. Dangerous. "I have her original portfolios. Dated. Documented. These are stolen intellectual property. We're pressing charges."
Felix's face drains of color.
"You wouldn't."
"Watch me." Kairo pulls out his phone. "My lawyer's been on standby. One call and this becomes legal. Copyright infringement. Intellectual property theft. Your company won't just fail. You'll be blacklisted."
"Kairo, please—"
"Or." Kairo's finger hovers over the call button. "You step aside. Let us leave. And we'll consider keeping this quiet. Consider."
The ultimatum hangs within the air.
Felix seems between them. Sees the reality. This isn't a bluff.
Slowly, he steps far from the door.
Zephyra walks past him. She does not turn back.
Within the hallway, her legs give out. Kairo catches her.
"I have got you." He whispers. "I have g
ot you."
She doesn't cry. The betrayal is simply too big for tears.
Felix did not just destroy her heart five years ago. He's been stealing designs of her soul ever since.
How do you recover when you realize the man you once loved is a thief?