She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 61

The announcement did the exact opposite of what was intended; instead of quelling the public outcry, the backlash only intensified.

Someone dug up the fact that Hayes Group had sponsored the competition. From there, it was a quick leap to uncovering Shera's identity as "Mrs. Hayes."

The comments section was completely overrun with people tearing into Shera. They demanded to know why a wealthy housewife wasn't at home taking care of her husband and having kids, and why someone so obscenely rich was stealing opportunities from ordinary, hardworking people.

People even unearthed her supposed "dark past," claiming she had schemed her way to the top and threatened suicide just to secure her spot as Mrs. Hayes. Others speculated she had an ulterior motive for joining the Hayes family, alleging that theirs was nothing more than a contract marriage.

Truth and lies blurred together, spiraling into increasingly absurd rumors.

Shera sat in her studio, her fingertip scrolling down her phone screen.

One particular comment made her freeze.

[Someone like her gets to be a designer? If her dad knew, he'd be rolling in his grave.]

[Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Like father, like daughter.]

Shera's fingers trembled, her teeth clattering together.

Her worst nightmare was playing out right in front of her.

They had dragged her father into this.

She slammed her phone face-down on the desk. As she squeezed her eyes shut, a silent tear slipped down her cheek.

She remembered Lenny's words: *Making clothes is like building character. Your hands must be clean, and your heart even cleaner.*

*But Dad, the world doesn't seem to play by those rules.*

She thought back to the time he was bullied by the well-connected higher-ups at the factory. They had wanted to buy his designs for dirt cheap. When he refused, they threatened him, and eventually resorted to physical violence.

Everyone around him told him to just sell the pieces and be done with it. They mocked him for being so stubborn, laughing that he was turning down easy money just to fight a losing battle.

She hadn't understood it at the time, but her father explained that a craftsman's most valuable asset was his unique creativity. If he caved and sold his hard work for pennies, they would get a taste for it and keep coming back for more, until he could never shake them off.

But Helga had only recently returned from overseas; she couldn't possibly have the reach to orchestrate something of this scale so quickly.

Then, she recalled the look Rosalie Kerr had given her in the waiting area.

Could it be...

Shera unlocked her phone and sent a message to Yara Yorke.

Shera: [Look into Rosalie Kerr and Helga Sutton for me. One is an old family friend of the Hayes, the other is a contestant in the competition. See if there's any connection between them.]

Yara: [No problem. Leave it to me.]

Her top priority was clearing her name. As for the mastermind behind this, she would deal with them once her hands were free.

She opened her laptop and did something she had been hesitating over for a long time.

She pulled up everything—her design sketches for the competition, the entire creative process, the underlying concept, right down to the fabric choices and specific embroidery techniques. She gathered every meticulous detail.