Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'-Chapter 333: A Devastating Loss

Why was her heart thumping like crazy... like a schoolgirl’s first crush? She was a married woman!

Selina sucked in a breath. It had to be because Rowan looked way too much like Logan. This wasn’t her fault!

Meanwhile, Kyle was convinced Selina was targeting Angelica out of spite, all because the Morris Family hadn’t given her enough attention. He didn’t believe a word Rowan said.

"We’re still the top family in City H," Kyle declared. "Selina—Star—no matter how famous she is, she’s just a designer. She can’t possibly not care about the Morris Family!"

She had to care. After all, she was a Morris by blood.

Kyle knew the Morris Family had made mistakes, but this outcome was the best anyone could’ve hoped for. They would make it up to Selina...

Rowan gave a light, dismissive chuckle. "You’re too confident, Mr. Morris."

"What’s there to care about in a family business that’s about to lose half a billion dollars?"

Half a billion?! Was this some kind of joke?

Joe’s expression darkened. "Mr. Rowan, that’s a serious accusation. Five hundred million? Even just the Morris Group’s design department earns more than that in a quarter."

"Sure," Rowan said lazily, "but too bad."

He dropped the next words like a thunderclap:

"The Morris Group’s design department is about to go down... because of Angelica."

Angelica choked on air, almost coughing up blood. "What... what do you mean?"

She couldn’t take it. Her voice rose into a crazed scream. "Selina! We grew up together! Do you really have to destroy me completely? I just returned to the Morris Family, and now you’re trying to shut down the design department? How am I supposed to live like this? Why are you so cruel—"

"Angelica," Selina said sweetly, blinking, "do you really not get it?"

She smiled helpfully. "This isn’t me targeting the Morris Group. It’s the Reid Group that won’t let it go."

"To spell it out: Kyle launched that design under the Morris Group’s name and started selling it. I assume you’ve already collected quite a few deposits?"

"But you seem to have forgotten that the design you mass-produced was plagiarized—from me. And I’ve already sold the copyright to Reid Group."

"In other words," she said with a tilt of her head, "the Morris Group stole next season’s luxury dress design from the Reid Group and made a profit off it. The compensation alone will run into the hundreds of millions. You think Reid Group is going to eat that loss?"

Angelica’s face went stiff.

People started to piece it all together. Kyle’s lips went pale.

Angelica had stolen from Star. That meant Morris Group’s entire production line was based on stolen work. And the rights to that work? Sold directly to Logan.

So technically, Morris Group had stolen from Reid Group.

Fighting one designer was doable—but going up against Reid Group? Even Morris Group wouldn’t stand a chance.

Angelica’s knees gave out, and she collapsed into Kyle’s arms. "No... no, I have to talk to Logan..."

Before she could finish, Rowan stood up casually. Clearly, he had no interest in listening to excuses.

"Continue the awards."

Not even a glance in Angelica’s direction—just cold indifference, as if she were garbage on the sidewalk.

Since Selina—aka Star—had no intention of claiming the championship, and Angelica was disqualified, the title was passed to the next highest-scoring designer.

The design competition ended. Twitter collapsed.

Star’s identity was exposed. Angelica’s plagiarism scandal exploded. Rigel’s fake disciple status was dragged into the light. All of it shot straight to the top of the trending list, and no amount of PR money could take it down.

Selina posted the evidence she’d been collecting for years and filed a lawsuit.

Angelica had never been a genius—she didn’t even know how to design.

And she hadn’t just stolen from Selina.

She’d also stolen from another person:

Selina’s biological mother—Victoria Adams.

[User A:] "Wow, never thought I’d see the day. Angelica really latched onto them like a leech—Selina and her mom are so damn unlucky."

[User B:] "Copied the mom, then copied the daughter. And then had the nerve to play the victim? Are we sure Angelica and Katie aren’t biological mother and daughter?"

[User C:] "No offense, but is Angelica even really the Morris Family heiress? She doesn’t look a bit like Chairman Morris."

[User D:] "Looks like Morris Group’s about to cough up over 600 million. I’m dying—’biological daughter’? More like a walking disaster!"

[User E:] "Angelica still has the nerve to stay in showbiz? Her fans better shut up. Star isn’t someone a washed-up celeb can afford to offend."

And honestly, that wasn’t wrong. Star’s position in the fashion world was unmatched—and with Rowan backing her like a protective hawk, who’d dare cross her? Anyone with a brain knew where to stand now.

...

After the award ceremony, Selina went looking for Rowan to thank him, only to discover... he was nowhere to be found.

"Miss Star," said the coordinator, surprised, "Mr. Rowan didn’t tell you? He already left early."

Selina blinked. "He left?"

"Yes, he seemed to have urgent matters to attend to."

She glanced at her phone. No messages.

Did he... not want to see her?

"Where’s Rowan?! We want to see Rowan!"

Before she could dwell on it, an angry voice rang out nearby. Selina instinctively turned her head—and raised her brows in surprise.

The ones storming in were none other than Mr. and Mrs. Perry the Fourth from the Perry Family.

They were Anna’s half-brother and sister-in-law—Vivian’s adoptive parents. It had been so long since she’d seen them, she barely recognized them at first.

Selina narrowed her eyes and slipped quietly to the side.

A woman who looked like a manager stepped forward to intercept. "Mrs. Perry, I’m terribly sorry, but Mr. Rowan has already left."

"What do you mean he left the moment we showed up?!" Mrs. Perry snapped. "You warned him we were coming, didn’t you?!"

"No, truly not. Mr. Rowan had to leave for another matter earlier. Please don’t work yourself up..."

But Mrs. Perry was furious. Jaw clenched, eyes wild. "Rowan dares to go after the Perry Family and then hides like a coward? Pathetic!"

Apparently, a complaint had landed on her desk that morning: a Perry Family-owned handbag brand had been exposed for plagiarizing Rowan’s designs. Their products were being boycotted, and to make it worse, Rowan’s legal team had officially filed suit.

The brand in question? Managed by Mr. Perry himself.

Grandpa Perry had demanded they get it resolved within three days, so they came to confront Rowan—only to find the man had ghosted them.

Mr. Perry lost his patience. "What the hell does Rowan want? Us coming here to talk things through is a courtesy to him!"

Mrs. Perry’s shrill voice screeched, venomous and petty, "I told you it was Logan’s fault! Those plagiarized designs were his doing, not ours. Rowan just refuses to believe it! They’re the same kind of trash!"

Selina’s expression turned ice cold.

Ah. So the Perry Family hadn’t changed a bit. Still shifting blame to Logan whenever something went wrong. Too bad...

She stepped out slowly. "Mrs. Perry, did I hear that right? You’re saying the reason the Perry Group’s handbags are in trouble... is because of Logan?"

"Damn right! That jinx is the one who—" Mrs. Perry screeched mid-sentence—then stopped dead when she saw Selina’s face.

Her fury exploded. "Selina?! What the hell are you doing here?! This isn’t a place for the likes of you!"