Chapter 5 - The Studio Raid
While Elena was receiving a standing ovation on the runway, two fraud investigators from the French financial police arrived backstage with a search warrant for Camille Laurent’s private studio on the top floor of the Vance atelier.
Accompanied by Julian’s legal team, the officers unlocked the private office that Camille had kept strictly off-limits to all staff for five years.
Inside, the investigators discovered stacks of confidential design dossiers bearing the watermarks of rival Italian and fashion houses.
Camille had not only been stealing concepts from internal junior designers like Elena—she had also been selling leaked Vance trade secrets to overseas counterfeit manufacturers in exchange for untraceable offshore wire transfers.
In a hidden safe behind a framed fashion portrait, officers uncovered over four hundred thousand euros in unregistered cash, along with stolen original sketches signed by Elena’s late mother.
"She wasn't just a toxic manager," the lead detective noted, sealing the evidence bags with blue security tape. "She was systematically sabotaging the entire corporate structure from the inside."
Meanwhile, back on the main stage, the finale concluded with breathtaking success.
Major fashion publications were already posting live updates online, hailing Elena Vance’s 'Midnight Constellation Gown' as the greatest couture revolution of the decade.
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When the show ended, Elena walked backstage to find her father waiting beside the police officers holding the sealed evidence bags.
👉 Read Part 6 to see Camille's face when she was brought into the interrogation room.
