Catherine gritted her teeth, "I'd be careful if I were you, Iris. The truth always comes out in the end, and just think how awful you'll look when everyone knows you start rumors about your own family."

"Come on, Iris," Pearl said, her voice cool and calm. "There's no reason to make a scene."

​​

"Listen to her, Iris," Catherine said. "I'm sure she already has about ten other plans for you to carry out for her."

"Excuse me?" Pearl asked.

Catherine sighed, "It's hardly a secret that you're the one pulling Iris' strings."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Pearl sniffed.

"Oh please," Catherine sighed. "It's obvious you want Sean, and you're using Iris to try to get him. You can't interfere with yourself—that would look bad—so you get Iris to do all your dirty work for you."

"That's ridiculous," Pearl said.

"It is," Catherine agreed. "I guess that makes you a ridiculous woman. I mean, look at you two now. Iris is wearing that absurd Barbie gown—next to her, you look even more sophisticated and elegant. Surely, that's not accidental."

Iris' face darkened, and she turned to Pearl, "You told me the dress was flattering."

"It is," Pearl said. "Don't listen to her—she's just trying to drive us apart."

"You're right," Iris sniffed. "I'm telling Sean."

"As you like, Iris," Catherine said with a shrug. "Call him over here and tell him all about how you saw me talking to a man—I'm sure he'll be so interested."

She stared at Iris, hoping the girl wouldn't call her on her bluff. She had no doubt that Iris would exaggerate the story. She'd probably lie and say that Catherine had been touching Ken and giggling, and Ken had seemed so convinced that she was really flirting with him, his story wouldn't be much better.

"Shh," Pearl whispered. "Ken's coming over."

Catherine turned to look over her shoulder. Ken was headed in their direction, but he didn't seem to see any of them. Instead, he stared at a far corner of the room.

"Ken, hey Ken," Iris called as he passed.

"Do I know you?" he asked coolly.

"Of course," Iris giggled. "I'm Iris Blair. We were on the same debating team, and now we're both at the same uni. In fact, I think we're studying the same degree."

"Doesn't ring a bell," he said.

Catherine fought the urge to laugh. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for Ken. If girls like Iris were constantly chasing him, his suspicious attitude towards women almost made sense.

Iris' face was bright red under the makeup, but she continued talking, "It's alright. You can get to know me later."

"Whatever," Ken mumbled.

"Are you here for the show, Ken?" Pearl asked.

"No, I'm here for the art," Ken said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, I'm here for the show."

"Do have dinner with us, Ken," Iris said. "Pearl and I were just going to grab a bite."

"No thanks," Ken said coolly.

Without another word, he walked away, quickly disappearing into the thick crowd. Iris and Pearl stared after him.

"God, Ken Hosk is dreamy," Iris sighed.

"I don't know," Pearl said. "I'm starting to think he might be into men."

"Ken Hosk?" Catherine asked aloud.

The name sounded strangely familiar, but she couldn't figure out where she'd heard it before.

Catherine's mind raced—where had she heard the name Ken Hosk before? It hit her suddenly: he'd been a famous fashion designer in her last life. He'd come out of nowhere and taken the fashion world by storm. Stars wore his designs, magazines praised him, and he'd even won a prestigious international competition.

She remembered his designs as breathtaking. He was daring and bold and combined fabrics and colors in unexpected new ways. But no matter what he did, his clothing was always flattering and elegant. People said he had a deep understanding of and appreciation for the female form—no one else made women look as beautiful as he did.

Celebrities competed to wear his designs, and fashion houses tried to tempt him to join their teams. Instead of joining one of the big fashion houses or starting his own label, he joined a studio on the brink of bankruptcy. In just a few years, he turned it into one of the biggest, most respected names in Europe.

Catherine stared at him, shocked that he'd been the one to save her. She wanted to ask him more questions but bit her tongue instead. He'd think she was flirting with him again, and she couldn't risk that in front of Iris.

"Look at the way she's staring at Ken," Iris said, a nasty sneer spreading across her face. "I wonder what my brother would think about that."

"I'm not staring at anyone," Catherine snapped. "I'm just trying to keep my eyes off your hideous dress."

"There's no need for that, Catherine," Pearl said.

"You should really call me Mrs. Blair," Catherine replied.

Pearl and Iris glared at her in silence, and she smiled back at them. She glanced quickly in the direction Ken had gone, but he'd already disappeared into the crowd. Though he was still a student, she wondered if she could recruit him to work at Feather. With a designer like him, the company actually stood a chance of surviving. He was creative enough to make elegant designs on a budget, and he wouldn't cost the company much money. Still, it wouldn't be easy to convince him to come work for Feather.

"Earth to Catherine," Iris said.

"Huh?" Catherine asked.

"I'm talking to you," Iris said.

"Sorry," she replied coolly. "I was thinking of more interesting things."

"Well, I was saying that I heard that Madison got into Kings College," Iris said. "I was wondering about you. What are your plans for the Fall?"

"I haven't decided yet," she lied.

Iris shot a sideways glance at Pearl, "We both know what that means."

"Oh?" Catherine asked.

"It means you're going to be a housewife," Iris said. "You'll spend your days shopping with my brother's money and bossing around his servants. It's so pathetic."

"Sounds like you're describing your own mother," Catherine said.