Chapter 5
SERENA
Hudson came over just like he suggested. The tacos were long gone, and the Pinot bottle was down to its last glass. Avery had used a test tomorrow as an excuse to head to her room as soon as she was done eating, giving us some much-needed alone time.
We were curled up on my couch, his arm draped across my shoulders while some rerun played in the background. For the first time in days, the knot in my chest had loosened. Tonight felt normal. Like how we were before Maddie came to town.
I was laughing at something he whispered against my neck when my phone buzzed on the cushion beside me.
I ignored it until I saw the name flashing on the screen.
I couldn’t think of any reason the designer I’d used for a movie premiere this weekend would be calling.
She’d already delivered my gown a week ago, after my final fitting.
“That’s weird.”
Hudson asked, peering over my shoulder at the screen. “Maybe it’s a fashion emergency?”
I knew he was just teasing, but a call this close to a big event worried me. Sitting up, I swiped to answer. “Hey, Delia. What’s wrong?”
Her voice sounded panicked as she blurted, “Serena, I’m so sorry. The full details of your gown were posted on a big fashion account an hour ago. She even made renderings based on the description. It’s everywhere now. We can’t use it. The look is completely compromised.”
“What do you mean leaked?” I shook my head, my stomach sinking. “We were so careful.”
“I know. I kept it under wraps. But it’s out there. The influencer even tagged the fabric house. We have to pivot. I can have a backup ready for Friday, but it won’t be the same. Beautiful, but not the statement piece we wanted.”
I closed my eyes, my mind racing as I tried to push down my aggravation.
The bold dress we planned, with a deep plunge in crimson silk, was perfect for the red-carpet premiere of a fashion-forward movie with a blockbuster budget.
Anything we came up with would pale in comparison, but it was better than a gown that had already been leaked on social media.
“Whatever you can do will be very much appreciated.”
“I’ll follow up with you tomorrow?” she asked.
“Please do.”
After I ended the call, Hudson’s hand settled on my knee, concern etched across his face. “What happened?”
I explained the post and Delia’s offer to come up with something else at the last minute.
Hudson rubbed my back. “It’s just a dress, baby. You’ll still look incredible.”
“It’s not just a dress,” I disagreed, my voice shaking.
“The look was perfect for this movie. Bold. Different. Now I’m going to show up in something Delia throws together for me in a few days while everyone whispers about the leaked version.
I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.
We kept the circle tight, like always. I’ve never had something like this happen before. ”
“Fucking bloodsuckers,” he bit out, shaking his head. “They’re relentless when it comes to shit like this.”
Suspicion started to form in the back of my mind. There was only one difference I could think of. “Maddie helped coordinate my schedule the week I had my second fitting with Delia about the dress. She had access to the shared calendar with the fitting notes.”
Hudson’s brow furrowed. “You don’t really think…”
“Can you really blame me for wondering?” I pulled away from him to get up and pace in front of the couch.
“After the other stuff she accidentally messed up because she’s still adjusting to how things work around here, is it that hard to believe that she somehow managed to ruin my biggest red-carpet moment? ”
He sat up straighter, shaking his head. “I just can’t see it. If she messed up this big, she would’ve said something.”
“Then call her,” I demanded. “Right now. On speaker. Let’s ask.”
Hudson hesitated, but he pulled out his phone and dialed. Maddie answered on the second ring, sounding cheerful.
“Hey, Hudson! What’s up?”
“Hey, Maddie.” His gaze darted to me, and he sighed. “Quick question, did you mention Serena’s red-carpet dress to anyone? The one she’s supposed to wear to the movie premiere this weekend?”
“Oh… um, maybe?” There was a tiny pause. “I ran into a fashion influencer the other day. She has a huge following and was asking about Serena’s upcoming looks. She seemed so excited. I might have mentioned the color and the designer. I thought it would be good publicity.”
Hudson tilted his head down to stare at the floor, while I swiveled on my heel and paced in the other direction before I did something I’d regret.
Maddie kept talking, oblivious to our reactions. “Did something happen? I was just trying to help hype her up. She’s always so stunning on the carpet.”
Hudson cleared his throat. “Yeah, the design leaked. She can’t wear it now.”
“Oh no.” Maddie sounded genuinely shocked. “I’m so sorry. I really thought it was harmless. You know me, I tend to overshare when I get excited, and I’ve followed this influencer’s account for years.”
I couldn’t listen anymore, not when she was minimizing what she’d done. There was no way the fashion influencer would’ve been able to make that rendering without all of the details. Delia’s name and the color wouldn’t have been enough for what was posted.
Turning away, I wrapped my arms around myself. Hudson ended the call quickly, promising to call her back later.
When he got up and walked over to me, his eyes were full of regret. “I’m so fucking sorry, Serena.”
Dropping my forehead against his chest, I mumbled, “Apologies don’t do me much good right now, unless they come with a stunning, custom-made gown.”
“I can make some calls,” he offered.
Straightening, I shook my head with a sniffle. “Delia will figure something out.”
“And you’ll look stunning, I’m sure.”
He reached for me, but I took a step back. “I need some space tonight. Maybe a couple of nights. I just need to breathe without wondering what’s going to get ‘accidentally’ ruined next.”
He looked like I’d slapped him, but he didn’t argue. “Okay. I get it. I’ll head back to Malibu. Text me when you’re ready?”
I nodded, too drained to say anything else. After he left, I locked the door and leaned against it, hoping the rest of my week went more smoothly.
Three nights later, my hopes were dashed. The red carpet was over, but the damage wasn’t.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, my face scrubbed, hair down, and dressed in a comfy sleep set.
The movie premiere ended hours ago, but my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
Avery was curled up beside me in her pajamas, her head on my shoulder, scrolling her own feed with the kind of protective fury only a sixteen-year-old could muster.
“Sis, this one’s brutal,” she muttered, tilting her screen toward me. “The leaked one looks fierce and sexy. What you wore tonight is safe and washed out in comparison. They’re calling it ‘corporate chic’ and saying you played it safe.”
The photos were everywhere, showing me smiling tightly in the black gown, my skin looking too pale under the flash photography.
Then the leaked renderings of the daring dress I was supposed to wear—vibrant and confident.
Everything I’d wanted to project while my personal life felt like it was quietly unraveling.
Avery made a disgusted sound. “This is so unfair. You looked beautiful, but that dress made you blend in with the background. The crimson one would’ve been iconic.”
I scrolled farther, unable to stop myself. One of the posts caught my eye.
Serena Watts used to slay the carpet. Tonight, she showed up in funeral black, while the leaked version looked like a main-character moment. Someone clearly sabotaged her.
The comments were just as bad.
After that leak, she had to wear this? Poor Serena. Her team dropped the ball hard.
The consensus was clear—I had played it safe.
Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them back. Avery didn’t need to see me fall apart.
Forcing a light tone, I murmured, “They’ll find something else to talk about tomorrow. At least the news cycle is quick when it comes to celebrity fashion.”
Avery sat up and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Hudson needs to wake up. I call bullshit on her thinking it would be good publicity to leak the details of your look to a fashion influencer. I’m only sixteen, and I know better.”
I let out a watery laugh, pulling her into a side hug. “Language, Aves.”
“Worth it,” she mumbled against my shoulder. “You deserve better than this. You took me in when your career was just taking off so I didn’t end up in foster care, and you’ve been fixing everything for me ever since. Someone should be doing the same for you.”
I hugged her tighter. “Don’t ever think for a second that having you here with me isn’t the best thing in my life. Having you move in with me was a totally selfish move on my part.”
“Sure it was, Sis. Keep telling yourself that.” She giggled and tilted her head back to look up at me. “But I will totally accept I’m the best thing in your life right now, but only because Maddie keeps causing problems for you guys.”
“Yeah, I told him I needed space the night of the leak,” I admitted. “I saw him tonight, of course. We walked the red carpet together and sat next to each other during the premiere. But I still wasn’t ready for him to come over after.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll finally see what Maddie’s really doing.”
I nodded, but the ache in my chest didn’t ease. Not even when Avery rambled about how she’d totally push Maddie into the pool if she ever showed up uninvited again.
It was hard to feel like everything was going to be okay when I realized I might have to protect my own peace, even if it meant creating real distance from the man I loved.