“Where are all of Katie's supporters now?" one user typed, a taunt hidden between the lines. "They've been loud about Katie's prowess while painting Lilah as an uneducated upstart. But look, Lilah's the professor, and Katie? She's just an associate."

Katie's fans seemed to have vanished into the woodwork, their voices muted by the shocking twist. But a few of her die-hard supporters clung to their defiance. “Lilah's credentials don't change who she is.

Keeping her title a secret just to make Katie look foolish? That's just plain malice," one fan argued, only to be met with ridicule from other users.

Unfazed, the fan pressed on, “Lilah being a professor means nothing.

Katie's the favorite apprentice of the president. She'll take the reins of the Design Academy."

Another echoed, "Exactly, Lilah's just going to end up working under Katie."

In the midst of these squabbles, a new voice joined the fray-the president of Mirello Design Academy himself, signing up for Twitter.

His first tweet cut through the noise. "I've noticed someone claiming to be my apprentice. Let's set the record straight. I have only one true apprentice, and that's Lilah Phillips."

With a click, the president's statement was favored by the masses, a virtual standing ovation.

This was a blow to Katie, her image tarnished further by the insinuation that she had falsely claimed a special relationship with the president. The online crowd was merciless, not expecting Katie to have the audacity to wear a title that was never hers.

Katie's last bastion of support crumbled, leaving her fans as silent as a graveyard in the dead of night. Their numbers dwindled rapidly, shrinking like a wool sweater in the rain.

Huddled at home, Katie emerged from a scalding shower, hoping the heat could wash away the day's humiliations. But the latest news on her phone was like a slap-her followers, her pride, slipping through her fingers. Lilah, the unassuming storm, had become the eye of Katie's hurricane.

Clutching her phone with white-knuckled fury, she couldn't comprehend.

What did they see in Lilah? What charm did she possess that so ensnared the president's favor? These questions clawed at Katie's sanity, threatening to unravel her.

Then, Evelyn's ringtone cut through the maelstrom of her thoughts.

“Katie, stay off social media for a while. Let's just... lay low.”

Evelyn's voice was a mixture of concern and frustration.

She had thought Katie was a gem, but it turned out the woman was trouble. Xavier Jewelers, by association, reeled from the blow.

Katie's voice was a hollow echo. "Understood."

And that was that. Xavier Jewelers withdrew into the shadows, unwilling to provoke further wrath.

Meanwhile, Lilah was riding an unexpected wave, her popularity exploding into the tens of millions. She sidestepped the allure of the influencer life, focusing on the purity of design, her true north.

Her routine became a comforting cadence-work, then home, mindful of Jerrold's solitude. A trip to the mall was just for necessities, for moments away together. But fate had a twisted sense of humor, and there, she stumbled upon someone unexpected.

"Oh?" A familiar voice pierced the hum of the mall. "Lilah, long time no see. Is he your child?"

The woman removed her shades, revealing a visage adorned with tasteful makeup and bedecked with luxury-a cosmopolitan aura surrounding her. A hint of resemblance to Lance lingered on her features, a beacon of familial ties. Her beauty was undeniable. It was Lilah's cousin, Marlene Phillips.