"Alright, next up, we have a floral-themed bodycon dress from the 1990s. It has a vintage feel and a collectible value. The starting bid for this bodycon dress is 500 thousand dollars.""550 thousand dollars.""600 thousand dollars.""700 thousand dollars."Quickly, the bodycon dress was bid up to one million dollars.Seizing the opportunity, Grace bid. "1.5 million dollars."When the people around saw it was Grace, they put down their paddles, not intending to compete anymore.But unexpectedly, Benjamin raised his paddle at this moment. "1.8 million dollars."This was the first time he bid tonight, and he was trying to snatch this bodycon dress from Grace's hands."Wait, what's happening? Benjamin and Grace are actually competing?""Ex-wife versus ex-husband. Who will come out on top?""I'm suddenly excited!"Grace didn't expect Benjamin to bid. Frowning, she immediately followed up. "2.2 million dollars."In response, Benjamin raised his paddle again. "Three million doll
Ignoring Sherry, Grace took out her card.But as she was about to hand it over to the staff, Xander took a step ahead and said, "Use this one."Grace quickly refused. "No, Xan. Just use mine."Yet he smiled and replied, "You don't need to be so polite with me. Consider this dress a gift from me, wishing for your career to flourish and for your fashion show to be a massive success.""What?" Grace was surprised.She wanted to say something, but Xander didn't give her a chance to refuse. He handed the card to the staff.Just like that, he spent 20 million dollars for the floral-themed bodycon dress.Grace hesitated, feeling that Xander was being too good to her.The staff packed the bodycon dress and placed it in front of Grace.What had been merely stunning on the stage was now mesmerizing in person. Grace couldn't take her eyes off it.Each stitch and thread was so unique, and the craftsmanship had a vintage charm. It was truly a piece of art.Such a beautiful bodycon dress w
Benjamin struggled to restrain his emotions.Yet he maintained a calm facade and changed the topic. "This bodycon dress is nice."Grace sensed his interest in the dress and asked, "Are you interested in this dress too, Mr. Hawkins?"Benjamin didn't explain much. He simply said, "Everyone likes nice things, don't they?"Hearing that, Grace noticed that he seemed to be implying something but didn't dwell on it. "Well, thank you for giving up, Mr. Hawkins." With that said, she turned to leave.Benjamin didn't say anything else and just watched her walk away.The next moment, Sherry, who was standing nearby, shamelessly approached him. "Mr. Hawkins, can you lend me three million dollars?"When Benjamin turned around and saw her eager face, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. "I've never had the habit of lending money to others."Sherry was embarrassed to receive such a clear refusal. But now, she had no way to get ten million dollars. In the end, she was forcefully kicked out by
It wasn't until the rehearsal day before the fashion show that Grace heard about the sponsorship from Emily."Babe, I heard that Hawkins Group is sponsoring this venue. Benjamin will also attend tomorrow's fashion show and give the opening speech."Grace was surprised. "When did Hawkins Group start doing charity?"Emily bluntly pointed out, "It's definitely because of Celia's incident last time. It had a certain impact on Hawkins Group's reputation. They must be doing all of this to restore their image."Grace just acknowledged it with an "oh" and didn't take it seriously. As the chief designer, her task was to ensure that all the outfits were smoothly showcased in the fashion show."Babe, do you think Benjamin intentionally joined this event because he knows you're the chief designer?"Although Emily didn't know it, she had hit the nail on the head. "You're overthinking, Emily."Grace knew Benjamin better than anyone.He had never cared about anything related to her. So how
The fashion show in Pamore was grand.Many internationally renowned fashion designers, emerging talents in the industry, and well-known media reporters from around the world attended the show.Within seconds, the venue was bustling with people, eagerly anticipating the successful staging of the highly anticipated fashion show.Grace arrived early at the venue and was busy backstage.Emily accompanied her, assisting with overseeing the makeup artists working on the models and ensuring that all outfits were perfectly matched with the models.The show was crucial, so Grace had to closely monitor every detail. There was no room for error.Grace remained tense throughout the preparations.Noticing that, Emily handed her a glass of water. "Here, have some water."Grace took it and thanked Emily.After completing all the preparations, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief."The guests have mostly arrived. There's still an hour before the fashion show starts. You can take a break
Grace remained indifferent. "Mr. Hawkins, I'm not the person you should be seeing. Yvonne is still in prison. If you have time, go visit her."As the name came up, Benjamin's expression changed. "Don't mention her."However, Grace smiled. "What's wrong, Mr. Hawkins? Did your first love turn into a nightmare?"Benjamin suppressed the anger within him. "Grace, things between me and her are not what you think. Why won't you believe—""That's enough, Mr. Hawkins. It's an important day for me today. Bringing up past matters will only bring bad luck."Grace didn't care about anything between him and Yvonne. She had no interest in any aspect of their relationship."I have to go now. Feel free to walk around." With that, Grace walked away without looking back.However, when she returned backstage, chaos awaited her."Gracie, you're finally back. We've got a problem." Emily anxiously pulled her arm.Grace quickly asked, "What happened? What's going on?""The clothes are ruined."Hear
"What do we do, Gracie? The show is about to start in five minutes. Can we make it?" In the backstage area, Emily paced back and forth, looking anxious.Grace's hands were moving quickly, but the clothes weren't taking shape."Maybe we can ask the organizers to delay it a bit," Emily suggested, but Grace stopped her."No, this show is crucial. If we ask for more time, it will have a significant impact.""Then what should we do? We can't just wait like this, can we?"Grace's hands moved faster as she sewed with the needle and thread. After some thought, she said, "Unless … we find a suitable excuse.""The show is starting. What excuse would be suitable?"The backstage staff were all deep in thought, exchanging puzzled glances. Yet they couldn't think of any excuse."In the worst-case scenario, let the models in the first round walk an extra lap. That way, we can at least gain an extra 10 minutes."At that, everyone else voiced their thoughts."But those reporters aren't fools.
Grace breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."Then, she raised her eyes and noticed Benjamin on the stage. He was standing against the light, so she couldn't see his face clearly. But she could hear his calm voice through her earpiece.At that moment, she understood his intentions.Benjamin's speech lasted a full 15 minutes, far beyond the originally planned time.However, the reporters in the audience didn't feel bored because he talked about the future plans of Hawkins Group.It was something that was closely related to the people present, especially those from Pamore. So everyone listened attentively."What's going on, Director Walker? Why is Mr. Hawkins' speech taking so long?" Zane asked softly.Samuel could guess that Benjamin was intentionally dragging his speech on, but he didn't think that a little over ten minutes could change anything."Do you have a plan B?" he asked.Zane replied confidently, "Don't worry. We're well-prepared. No matter what, this fashion show w