The authorities showed William Stuart one last gesture of respect by not punishing him. However, all Stuart Holdings assets were legally seized and liquidated to reimburse the victims, after which William was exiled abroad; to the masses, his departure was dressed up as retiring. And once William was gone, Monty Stuart's side of the family took over.They did not need Stuart Holdings, since their partnership with Cordy already provided them with plenty of financial freedom. As for politics, Monty always retained a place in the hierarchy, which shielded him from William's scandal. After three years of augmenting, the Stuarts remained one of the four top families in the nation.However, with Patrick being the heir and constantly active in politics, how did he spare the time to get involved with fashion?"I'm your partner, and your business is fashion. That makes me half-involved," Patrick said, as if it made perfect sense.Cordy sighed. "Fine. You win.""For you," Patrick said,
Cora appeared from behind just then, having changed dresses and put on makeup."Cordy," she greeted Cordy, always respectful and warm.However, Cordy remained distant towards her as she always had been, because of Zoe.Come to think of it, it had been three years since she had seen Zoe. Zoe never contacted Quinn or Cordy ever since she went missing, and they had no idea where she was.How was she doing nowadays?"My mom was just saying you should bring Dicky over for dinner," Cora continued, used to Cordy's distant attitude by now."I will, once I return to North City and have the time," Cordy replied. "I've missed Dicky myself. Did he come here with you?" Cora asked."No, he's still at school.""I've almost forgotten." Cora laughed."Don't let me keep you. I'm going back outside," Cordy said, ending the awkward exchange."Okay." Cora nodded."Let's go together," Bob told Cordy, before turning towards Cora. "I'll be watching outside.""Yeah," Cora replied.As Bob left
The lights on the stage dimmed, while the lights on the catwalk shone dazzlingly.Fashion models started to file in on the catwalk; there were endless camera flashes around, photographing them.Cordy was watching the fashion show with utmost seriousness, since Maron never disappointed as a world-famous designer. The fashion models were world-famous as well, so much so that even someone like Cora wouldn’t shine if she took to the catwalk.However, she was still one of the nation's elites; thus, her appearance at the scene naturally drew much media attention. In fact, there was a slight unrest when she stepped out.Jay arrived just then and sat down next to Bob, who held his arm and asked, "What kept you?""The flight was delayed." Jay panted slightly."You're just in time—Cora's up." Bob gestured at the catwalk.Jay nodded in acknowledgement, and Bob asked, "She said she'll be filming a movie with you next month?""Yeah," Jay replied. "Shooting’s going to take a couple of mo
"Could you please keep it down?"Before Jay could reply, someone behind Bob reprimanded Bob; clearly, their conversation was affecting the person watching the fashion show.Bob bit his lip and restrained himself despite his frustration. Jay said nothing in turn, and kept his eyes on the fashion show as if the mention of Zoe didn’t faze him the slightest.Up front, Cordy was still watching the fashion show seriously until a certain male model stepped up to the catwalk halfway through.All eyes in the room seemed to lit up as they focused on his towering, handsome frame and his sharp gaze.There were many international supermodels in attendance, yet that unfamiliar face stood out nevertheless.Cordy seemed to hear gasps from all the ladies sitting around her, and the crowd seemed to have grown somewhat restless again.Countless shutters flashed as everyone took photos of the male supermodel. "He does look good—even from a man's perspective," Patrick commented.He usually had
At the same time, Sean whipped out his phone and barked orders into it. "Find out everything you can on the male model who just left the catwalk.""Yes, Mr. Cranston.""And arrange for people to watch him. Don’t let him out of your sight.""Understood, sir."Sean put away his phone, then told Cordy, "We can talk after we look into him."Cordy bit her lip as she worked hard to control herself.She was worried that the higher her hopes, the greater the disappointment—she might even suffer a nervous breakdown because of this. Even as she remained in her seat, she was unable to watch the rest of the fashion show. All she could think about was that male supermodel. She was simply unable to forget that exceedingly familiar figure.After over half an hour, Sean told Cordy, "I've sent his dossier to your phone. Check it yourself."Cordy's heart skipped a beat and started racing, but she was afraid of reading it."Check it out so you can give up," Sean urged.Cordy bit her lip once
Patrick got a little angry, and bellowed, "Why not? Don't forget, you're married with a child! You're the one who shouldn't be lusting after her!"He certainly had enough of Sean!However, Sean simply shot him a look as if he was an idiot, which incensed him further.Not wanting to keep wasting time with him, Sean told Patrick, "You're in my turf right now. Watch yourself if you want to leave in one piece.""Are you threatening me?"Yes," Sean replied, not hiding his intention at all."Fuck!" Patrick could not help swearing.However, there was nothing he could do in the capital, not when it was the Cranstons' turf.As such, he left the exhibition with Sean, huffing as he did.-Meanwhile, Cordy had already reached backstage and was waiting for Maron in the lounge. She was sitting down on the couch, and picked up a newspaper to read when someone suddenly entered.Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Lucas Lynch.With him being so close, the sense of familiarit
Over the last three years, Cordy had never felt this way.But Lucas was already gone, and the frustration of not being able to vent made her even more miserable. Maron entered the lounge just then, and asked her, ""What's wrong? You look like you're in a bad mood."He sounded like she was in a very good mood—he certainly would be, since the fashion show was a total success."It's nothing. Just feeling a little hungry," Cordy smiled faintly—she would never vent her emotions on those unconcerned."Sorry I've kept you waiting. Come, let's go eat."Maron picked up the bag and smartphone he left in the lounge without delay, and stepped out of the venue with Cordy. Suddenly, he remembered something. "By the way, a friend will be joining us. You won't mind, will you?" "No, I don't." Cordy smiled.Maron liked making friends, having made many across the world. He was a little different from other successful fashion designers who were more aloof, but this may also be a reason he was
Cordy did a double take, just realizing that her entire body was still leaning on Lucas and her arms were wrapped firmly around his waist.She quickly let go of him and straightened herself, explaining hastily as she did so, "That was just an accident."Lucas sneered, clearly skeptical.However, he didn’t say much, perhaps out of respect for Maron.Nonetheless, Cordy was indignant with his reaction. How self-important could he get? Did he think every woman was eager to throw themselves at him?Cordy shifted her body as far away as possible from him, but Lucas reminded her anyway, "You should put on your seatbelt for safety's sake."Cordy took a deep breath, and told herself not to get upset.She naturally knew that Lucas wasn’t that nice, and was just worried that she would have an excuse to throw herself on him.She gritted her teeth as she forcefully put on her seatbelt.Soon, the car arrived at the restaurant.Maron loved jalapenos recipes, and his preference for spicy f