PART 2: THE BRAND THAT TURNED AGAINST ITS NEW OWNER
Inside the grand ballroom, Sophie was mid-speech when the projector suddenly went black.
The audience murmured. Sophie laughed awkwardly. “Technical difficulties, everyone!”
But the screen came back on with a single line in bold red letters:
Ownership of Bloom Skincare has been transferred. New CEO: Elena Voss.
Sophie’s smile froze. “What the…?”
Her phone started ringing nonstop. Investors. Lawyers. The manufacturer. One by one, they were all calling with the same message:
The formulas had been locked. The trademarks had been reclaimed. The bank accounts tied to the brand were now under new control.
Sophie ran backstage, voice rising to a scream. “Fix this! Call the lawyer!”
The head of operations — a woman I had personally hired — shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Miss Sophie. We just received legal notice. The original ownership documents show Elena Voss as the sole creator. You were listed as… a consultant.”
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Sophie’s face turned ghostly white. “That’s impossible. I have the contracts!”
But the contracts she had secretly changed had just been overwritten by the original versions my aunt had kept safe for three years.
