Silver told Abraham to go back to work, assuring him that she had a lot of designs to work on today. But in reality, her mind wasn't on designing. It was on Cici and whatever dirty tricks she had up her sleeve.
As Abraham left, Silver sat at her desk and pulled out her phone. She quickly typed a message to Noah.
Silver: Find out who leaked that article. Track their sources, the media outlet, and the person funding it.
Noah responded almost immediately.
Noah: Already on it. But be careful, Silver. This isn't just some casual smear campaign—someone wants you destroyed.
Silver's lips curled into a smirk. Let them try.
She placed her phone down and pulled out her sketchpad, trying to focus on work. But minutes later, there was a knock on her office door.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened, and to her surprise, it was Ryder.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, his dark eyes fixed on her. He was wearing his usual tailored black suit, his presence commanding as always.
Silver leaned back in her chair, unfazed. "What do you want?"
Ryder walked closer, placing both hands on her desk as he loomed over her. "You know exactly why I'm here, Silver."
She raised an eyebrow. "I don't have time for your games, Ryder. Say what you need to say and leave."
His jaw clenched. "That article. The entire business world is talking about it. Do you have any idea how damaging this could be for you?"
Silver scoffed. "Oh, so now you care about my reputation?"
Ryder exhaled sharply, looking frustrated. "That's not the point. The media is ruthless. If you don't act now, this could ruin you."
She smirked. "Ruin me? Oh, Ryder, you underestimate me. I've handled worse."
His gaze darkened. "Silver, don't be stubborn. Let me—"
She cut him off. "Let you what? Help me?" She let out a cold laugh. "That's funny coming from you. The same man who never once defended me in the past. The same man who let Cici trample all over me while he watched."
Ryder remained silent.
Silver stood up, closing the distance between them. "I don't need your concern, Ryder. And I certainly don't need your help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
Ryder's fists tightened at his sides, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned sharply and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
Silver let out a breath, shaking her head. Men like him only care when they start losing what they took for granted.
Her phone buzzed again. It was Noah.
Noah: Ifound the source. It's a fake PR firm, but the money trail leads back to Cici.
Silver's smirk widened. As expected.
Silver: Leak it to the press. Let the world see who's really behind this.
Noah: On it.
She put down her phone, feeling satisfied. Cici thought she could smear her name without consequences? She was about to learn the hard way that Silver wasn't the weak girl she used to be.
An hour later, the internet was buzzing with a new headline:
"Exposed: Cici Moore Behind the Fake Scandal Against Queen SM!"
Silver scrolled through the comments, smirking as people started turning against Cici.
"Wow, Cici is obsessed with ruining Silver."
"Queen SM doesn't need to steal designs. Her work speaks for itself."
"Cici is just mad because she'll never be as successful."
Silver leaned back in her chair, satisfied. Checkmate, Cici.
But she knew this was just the beginning. Cici wouldn't go down without a fight.
The heavy doors slammed open, and Ryder stormed in, his face twisted in pure rage. His dark eyes blazed with fury, his jaw clenched so tightly that a vein throbbed at his temple. His fists were balled up at his sides, his whole body radiating barely controlled anger.
"Silver!" he barked, his voice cutting through the air like a sharp blade.
Silver looked up from her desk, unfazed, her gaze meeting his with chilling calmness.
"Why the hell did you slander Cici?" Ryder demanded, his voice shaking with frustration. "She's innocent! Now the entire media is tearing her apart, and social media is filled with hate comments!"
Silver leaned back in her chair, arching a brow. "Innocent?" she repeated slowly, as if tasting the word.
"Yes, innocent!" Ryder growled, running a frustrated hand through his already disheveled hair. His tie was loosened, his shirt slightly wrinkled, as if he'd been yanking at it in irritation before bursting into her office. "Tell me, Silver, was this your plan all along? Are you trying to get at me by framing yourself just to put the blame on Cici?"
Silver inhaled sharply, a bitter smile curling on her lips.
And here she was, thinking he was finally seeing the truth. She actually thought, even for a second, that Ryder had started to have a change of heart. That he had started to open his eyes to the reality in front of him.
But no.
He still saw her as the villain. He still saw Cici as the victim.
And it hurt.
Did he really think so little of her? Did he really believe that Queen SM—the youngest, most successful designer in the industry—would risk her entire reputation just to ruin Cici?
"Ryder," she said, her voice dangerously soft, "do you really think I would go this far just to play games with you?"
Ryder scoffed. "Wouldn't you?"
Something inside Silver snapped.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she forced them down. She refused to cry in front of him. She refused to let him see how much his words wounded her.
Slowly, she stood up from her chair, walking around the desk until she stood directly in front of him.
With her heels, she matched his height perfectly. Their eyes locked—hers filled with icy rage, his storming with frustration and disbelief.
Then, without hesitation, she slapped him.
The sound echoed through the room.
Ryder's head snapped to the side, his cheek instantly reddening from the impact.
Before he could react, another slap landed.
And another.
And another.
Ryder stumbled slightly, his eyes widening in disbelief. He lifted a hand to his face, his breathing uneven.
Silver was shaking with fury, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"You," she seethed, "are the most pathetic man I have ever met."
Ryder gritted his teeth. "Silver—"
"Don't," she hissed. "Don't say a damn word."
Her eyes burned into his, filled with nothing but disgust.
"You think I'm doing this out of spite? You think I'm framing myself just to make Cici look bad?" She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You're so blinded by that manipulative snake that you can't even see the truth when it's right in front of you!"
Ryder's jaw tightened. "Then what is the truth, Silver?" he challenged, his voice rough.
Silver stepped even closer, their faces inches apart.
"The truth," she whispered coldly, "is that Cici is a lying, scheming, backstabbing bitch. And I will not stop until the world sees her for what she truly is."
Ryder flinched at the venom in her words.
"I won't take the news down," Silver continued, her voice deadly calm. "In fact, this is just the beginning. I will make sure that Cici's life is ruined forever."
Ryder inhaled sharply. "Silver, you don't know what you're doing—"
"Oh, I do," she cut him off. "And I hope you're watching closely, Ryder. Because soon, Cici will have no place left to hide."
With that, she turned around and walked back to her desk, dismissing him without another glance.
Ryder stood there, his fists clenching and unclenching, his mind spinning with emotions he couldn't quite place.
He had come here furious.
But now, as he looked at Silver—so fierce, so unyielding—he felt something else.
Something dangerously close to regret.
He turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
Silver stood there for a moment, gripping the edge of her desk, her nails digging into the wood.
She hated him.
And yet, despite everything, her heart still ached for him.
But it didn't matter anymore.
She had a war to win.