Chapter 17: Glitter, Greenery, and Grand Deceptions
Clara burst into the apartment like a hurricane made of panic and tangled hair. Her coat was hanging off one shoulder, and her eyes were wide with a mix of terror and lingering passion.
"Lukas! C'est une catastrophe! My life is over, c'est fini! Min-ho wants the truth, and Busan, and that snake Seo-yoon, and—mein Gott—can that man kiss! It was like... like fire and velvet, and now he knows I'm a lie, but he doesn't care, but he does care, and the identities, and I, and you, and he—" She stopped to gasp for air, her brain short-circuiting in three different languages. "What are you doing to Tiffany?!"
Lukas didn't even flinch. He was hunched over the Monstera, meticulously applying small, sparkling sequins to one of the larger leaves. He used tweezers to adjust a final glittery letter.
"I am styling my baby, obviously," Lukas said without looking up. He stepped back to admire his work. In tiny, shimmering sequins, the word 'SUGARPIE' now sparkled on the green leaf. "She suffered so much under Hans-Werner's neglect. She needs to feel like the green temptation she was meant to be. Attention is everything, darling."
He finally turned around, tucking the tweezers into his pocket, and looked Clara up and down with a judgmental pout.
"Now, sweetie, speak English or German or something with a structure. That word salad you're tossing is giving me a headache. What happened? Did Min-ho finally realize you're a genius, or did he just find out you're a terrible liar?"
Clara collapsed onto the sofa, burying her face in a velvet cushion. "Seo-yoon. She went to his office. She told him I don't exist. Jason Deroulle—her manager—found out I'm not on the payroll. Min-ho cornered me. He pressed me against the wall and demanded to know if I was playing with him."
Lukas stopped mid-pose. His eyes sharpened. "And? Did you tell him you're the most famous author in the country, or did you just let him swallow your face?"
"I... I told him I wasn't with you. And that my feelings are real. But Lukas, he's not going to stop. He wants to know who 'Ji-soo' really is. Seo-yoon thinks she's won. She thinks she's exposed me."
A slow, wicked smirk spread across Lukas's lips. He walked over to his vanity and picked up a high-end makeup brush like it was a weapon.
"Oh, she thinks she's won? That's adorable," Lukas purred. "We don't need a miracle, Clara. We need a production. If they want to see Ariadne, we'll give them Ariadne. But on our terms. No one calls my best friend a fraud and gets away with it—especially not a woman wearing last-season Manolos."
Clara looked up, hope flickering in her eyes. "A production? But how?"
"Lights, camera, and a whole lot of spite, darling," Lukas grinned, his mind already racing. "By tomorrow morning, Seo-yoon won't just be defeated—she'll be humiliated. Now, get up. We have a goddess to create."