Xander Lewis adjusted his glasses, paused for a beat, then replied, “She’s scared of messing with the Carters. And she doesn’t trust the system either—she thought they might be in bed with the officials. She knew my mom, that’s how she found me. There was one last design sketch tucked in the diary—Monica’s final one. Even Lena Carter never saw it, let alone published it. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to give that sketch to Lena. The idea was to bait her—let her steal it, then bring her down. But ever since taking the creative director role, she barely lifts a finger in the actual design work. There wasn’t a good opening. Until I heard about your beef with her.”
“I looked into your school records, your work—it’s clear. Your talent hits her where it hurts. If someone’s gonna fa
