Chapter 360

Evelyn didn't bother hiding her emotions in front of Charlotte. She exhaled sharply. "I just want everything to go smoothly."

Confidence wasn't arrogance—Evelyn knew her skills, trusted them. Charlotte squeezed her hand. "It will. No doubt about it."

A small smile tugged at Evelyn's lips. "Fingers crossed."

Minutes later, they stepped out of the restroom. Charlotte, buzzing with excitement, wanted to explore the venue.

But as they neared the competitors' area, a group approached. Leading them was a woman in a slinky gown, her face obscured by oversized sunglasses. The click of her stilettos echoed like a warning.

No attempt to move aside.

Evelyn yanked Charlotte to the side just in time. As the woman passed, her painted lips curled in a smirk.

Charlotte huffed. "Who does she think she is? Walking like she owns the place?"

Evelyn chuckled. "Ignore her. Let’s focus on the setup."

But her mind raced. Competitor? Entourage like that—must be someone big.

After touring the venue, the host’s mic check echoed through the space. Time to head back.

The resting room was nearly empty. Only Gabrielle sat there.

Evelyn frowned. "Where is everyone?"

"Bathroom break." Gabrielle gestured to the refreshments. "Staff just dropped these off."

Evelyn barely glanced at them. Her attention locked onto her laptop. The screen was dark—but not powered off.

Her stomach dropped.

"I shut it down earlier," Gabrielle said quickly.

Evelyn’s fingers flew across the keyboard. She pulled up the general design file.

Empty.

The encrypted folder—gone.

Every document. Every backup.

Wiped.

Her voice was ice. "Someone tampered with my files. Our competition entry—it’s all deleted."

Evelyn always worked meticulously—sketches on paper, digital edits, repeat. Paper shredded after. No loose ends.

Her laptop? Fort Knox. Custom security, firewalls, everything.

This wasn’t a glitch.

This was sabotage.

Gabrielle paled. "Ms. Mitchell, I swear—I didn’t—"

"Who came in besides the staff?"

"Just them. No one else."

Evelyn’s jaw tightened. "Keep this quiet. Understood?"

"But the competition starts in thirty minutes! How—"

"My problem," Evelyn cut in. "Yours is to act normal."

Gabrielle nodded, shaky.

Evelyn grabbed her phone. Only one person could help now.

Samuel Yates answered on the first ring.