John's presence was menacing as he demanded, "What are you doing here?!"Zoe did not dare to speak at all, since she never moved out of Cordy's house even after John prepared another for her.At the same time, Cordy took a moment to gather herself before stepping out of her study—she could not stand seeing Zoe trembling in fright."It's late. You should go," Cordy told John.John pursed his lips—he still seemed to feel Cordy on his lips.But he did not have a taste!Still, scowling, he growled, "What are you doing here?"It was likely that he would remain upset if he did not get to vent his frustrations."I…" Not knowing how to answer at all, Zoe turned to Cordy for help."I told her to come," Cordy said. "I was worried because she would be alone, so I let her stay with me.""Why would she have problems living alone? She ran away from home at eighteen!" John growled through his teeth."Then why don't you move in with Cordy? If you can, I'll move out!" Zoe suddenly snapped, h
Even so, John could still feel his heart pounding.-Back in Cordy's house, Zoe stepped out of Cordy's study once she deleted the videos, asking, "Is he gone?"Cordy quickly came to her senses, composed herself, and returned to her study. "Yeah.""Was I imposing?" Zoe asked, actually a little guilty just then."No, it's fine." Cordy denied it.Still, Zoe watched her face for a moment before teasing, "That's not your first kiss with him, is it?"Cordy was taken aback, but she shook her head. "No."The last time, John had caught her off guard. She only felt shock and rage at the time.This time, she gave her silent approval.Which was why it felt different—very much so."He's a good kisser, isn't he?" Zoe could not help teasing Cordy again when she saw Cordy's reaction.Cordy was left staring at Zoe, actually unsure how to answer just then.Both kisses were barely a brush, after all… technique was not involved."Oh, that stud." Zoe simply acknowledged John's prowess since
Noel and Mandy were certainly in a good mood after Cordy dropped in rank.In their heads, that—and elimination—was the true extent of Cordy's abilities.The last round was a fluke, and she once again lucked out this time. And the next round, she would be gone!Cordy, however, seemed to stay immune to her drop in ranking or any criticism the public threw her way. After she was done with the second round, she placed all her focus on her work.Then, when she had free time, she would prepare the design for the next round.She was in her office when her phone suddenly rang.However, she was too busy to check who it was before answering it."You don't have to do this, Cordy." Kyle was scoffing immediately.Cordy sighed. Honestly, men with inferiority complexes got smug about the simplest things.At the same time, Kyle was laughing coolly. "Don't think I can't tell. You had to work with Starstream Fashion's designers for that dress in the first round. But they're nothing without
The theme of the design was not announced this time either.The contestants would be given the theme on the spot, and they had to come up with a design with the fabrics provided by the studio. Moreover, they would also be changing partners for said round. Since contestants were allowed to choose partners freely, everyone stuck to their partners from the first round. After all, they would have developed a sense of teamwork, and the designer would have a better understanding of what would fit their partners.The sudden change was obviously to increase the difficulty of the competition.-Over at the CEO's office of Jessop Corp, Mandy was throwing a fit. "What are they thinking?! Why would they set the rule of changing partners for the last round?!"The rule change had caught Kyle and Noel by surprise too.Mandy kept complaining, saying, "Kyle, you know Noel must win this time, but I won't be winning with her if we're not in the same group! That's unacceptable! Aren't you close
That was when Noel said hesitantly, "Actually, I have an idea.""What is it?" Both Kyle and Mandy were immediately interested. Still, Noel pretended as if she had a hard time saying it. "But it's unfair to my sister if we go through with it…""You're still worried about her now?! Has she ever worried about you?!" Mandy cried indignantly. "She doesn't even consider you family—remember how she humiliated you and Kyle at that press conference? You can't be soft now, Noel!""Alright," Noel said begrudgingly. "I'll do anything for Kyle."But when she told them about her idea, both Kyle and Mandy were actually stunned by it.Could they actually do that?!Noel continued to look burdened. "D-Don't you think it's too much?""How is that too much?" Mandy quickly said. "We have to do this because Cordy messed around first. If she's cheating, then we're just returning the favor! Fair's fair!"Noel then turned toward Kyle, who immediately agreed to it as well. "She only has herself to bla
John murmured, "Hmm?"At the same time, his eyes were glued to Cordy on the screen.Standing under the stage lights, she was astonishingly beautiful."Getting to the finals is nothing," Randy said just then. "Being able to stay in last place with such precision is so much more divine!"Having worked for John over the years and eventually being promoted to become his special assistant, Randy was certainly competent.He was almost positive that Cordy had deliberately maintained her rank so that she was just short of elimination, while avoiding any attack by those who had financial backers. One might even say that she rose to the pinnacle with almost no cost at all, and it was no different from slamming the Jessops' faces on the floor and wiping it.John's lips curled up into a smile as well—Cordy was definitely far smarter than he thought.-At the studio, the three designers had exchanged partners.Since Cordy was the least popular, she was paired with Mandy, who was the most
There was no question that Cordy had won this phase with overwhelming approval, hence proceeding to the next round.The crowd was roaring with approval. And yet, the judges did not rate Cordy's design highly, dismissing it as having nothing unique, only that its overall presence was commendable. It was therefore fortunate that their rating was only twenty percent of the total score, and Kyle's sabotage beforehand changed nothing.Meanwhile, panic was showing all over Noel's face.At that rate, even if she had a flash of inspiration in the final phase, she was not going to win against Cordy.She turned to look at Mandy, who was absolutely satisfied with Cordy's design.In fact, it was the first time she felt so beautiful!If it had been anyone else, she would have appointed them as her personal tailor. But it had to be Cordy… and she could not even hate this design!Naturally, she noticed Noel's look.Preferences notwithstanding, Mandy would never allow Cordy to rise above t
Hence, Noel confidently waited for Cordy to present her designs.In fact, Noel was convinced that she might not have to scheme against Cordy to beat her this time. Just then, the crowd was applauding, and Noel turned to find Cordy stepping onstage.Mandy was still in the backstage changing room, so the crowd was relatively calm. After a few minutes, the curtains opened, and the crowd was once again roaring in approval as Mandy arrived on stage, once again stealing the limelight.It was a red gown, covered from top to bottom with bright red roses, and yet showing no vulgarity. Not only was it fresh and novel, but it was also stunningly attractive. Noel's design only had amplified aesthetics, and any audience would only admire its elegance from afar. On the other hand, they would have a pressing need to possess the gown Cordy designed, so that they could put it on and wow the crowd.Naturally, Cordy's design was far more breathtaking, and Noel had already expected that.To be