Indeed, the design process had gone unimaginably smoothly for North.She got whatever fabrics and materials that she wanted, as if she were just another contestant in the running. Reina had not instructed anyone to make life difficult for her.But why?North said lazily, “Is something the matter, Reina? If not, please step aside and stop blocking the way.”Reina smiled in resignation. “I just wanted to have a pleasant conversation with you. Oh, forget it. Go on and eat.”North immediately walked off.The people standing around Reina could not handle it. “Reina, you’re the only one who has such patience to deal with her. How can North act this way to you?”“Forget it. Maybe North is in a bad mood because she had trouble with her design. Let’s not disturb her anymore.”Reina watched North leave and could not help but smile wickedly.Had North’s design process gone smoothly this week? Of course, it had. Reina had arranged everything.She wanted North to complete her dress succes
North had figured it out. The last time she failed to find Leon, it was because he was avoiding her.She did not know why at the time, but after hearing the rumors today, she finally understood.“Could the rumors be true, and he’s disfigured? Is that why he’s always refusing to meet people and wearing that mask everywhere?”Gerald had been calm, but he started coughing immediately after hearing that.North was surprised. “Are you okay?”Gerald’s expression was indescribable. “...Do you think he’s disfigured too?”North shook her head. “I don’t care what he looks like, it’s his talents I admire. But if that’s why he won’t see me, then maybe I’ve gone too far back then.”North was worried that her unintentional act hurt the feelings of a disfigured man.The more she thought about it, the more worried she got. “I used to keep pestering Leon to meet me because I wanted to see what he looked like… he’s not mad, is he?”But she swore that she only wanted to see him so that she could
He had investigated, and his savior from four years ago was clearly Reina. Still, Gerald had a feeling that his savior and Reina were two different people.The girl had a pair of bright and determined eyes that shone like stars even though she was covered in blood.Gerald actually found himself staring for a moment.…That afternoon, the judging for the eleventh design competition was about to begin.The press gradually filed in to begin livestreaming the whole process.Because Reina was there, her fans, fans of other celebrities, and even random passers-by all flocked to the livestream.The physical space was crowded as well. As soon as North found her seat, she saw a man on the judging panel immediately.“Look at that man. He’s got such a good figure!”“That’s the famous designer, Leon Sullivan.”“Heavens. With that figure, those long legs, and his broad shoulders and narrow waist… he could switch to being a celebrity and still nail it.”“But why is he wearing a mask?”No
Reina smiled in triumph. What a fool, lying through his teeth.Still, she and Reagan had brought the reporters over on purpose. It was so that she could expose North for lying about being friends with Star.She did say she wanted to ruin North’s reputation, after all.North figured out what these two wanted instantly before looking up coldly.Biting her lower lip, Reina said, “What are you talking about, Mr. Soberano? North is definitely Star’s friend. She wouldn’t lie to me.”Reagan said mockingly, “You’re too naive, Reina, that’s why people always take advantage of you. No offense, but I know all of my mentor’s friends, and I’ve never heard of North. Ha! I guess any random person on the street would claim they know her nowadays.”A woman next to Reina looked over. “So, you’re saying she isn’t Star’s friend? Oh dear! How could she?!”“How much of her dignity is she willing to throw away for fame? How dare she try to fake a connection to Star?”“We won’t stand for this, Mr. Sob
Everyone’s eyes went wide as they stared at the stage.Was that Reina’s design? Good heavens!A stunning white dress was wheeled onstage. The length, cutting, and decorations were all perfect.One of the participants muttered, “I’ve never seen such an exceptional design…”“I didn’t know the gap between my skill level and hers was that large…”“Reina’s already become Jordan Corporation’s lead designer, so she must be really good. She’s sure to win this year’s competition.”The judges too were praising Reina. “We have our champion.”“Isn’t North still waiting to be judged?”“How could she compare to Reina?”“What do you think, Mr. Leon?”Everyone turned to look at him.The entire hall went silent and held their breath.Leon Sullivan, the most famous designer in the world and the pride of Clarion’s citizens, had a monopoly over the design industry. He also held the competition’s only veto vote.He always wore a mask, so no one knew what he looked like.Reina also looked up s
“The design competition is all about fairness. Is this what you call fairness? You’re deciding on the winner before you’ve even looked at every participant’s design? Since when did the competition get so ridiculous?”Reagan’s expression soured.What did Leon mean by that?! The only participant left was North, so did they even need to look at her design? There was no amount of hard work that would allow her to surpass Reina, anyway!Still, Leon was the competition’s biggest stakeholder, so he could only suck it up and deal with it.“Mr. Soberano, esteemed judges, you don’t have to do this. Let’s follow standard procedure,” Reina said in an understanding tone. “North worked so hard to make it to the finals. You can’t just eliminate her because of me.“North’s my sister. Please give her a chance.”Below the stage, Aunt Christie grumbled irritably, “Reina’s so kind. I don’t know why she’s defending North. How could someone like her compare to Reina?”North laughed mockingly.Onstag
It was exactly the same in every way except the color!North’s dress was black, but it was just like Reina’s in terms of detailing and cutting, among other things.“Why are there two identical dresses?”“S-Someone must have plagiarized the other! But which of them did it?”“Isn’t it obvious? North was the one who plagiarized, of course. Seriously, plagiarizing so brazenly during a competition? Does she think no one will hold her accountable?”The judges and audience glared at her. “How dare you plagiarize her?!”“Do you think we’re blind? What gave you the audacity to do this?!”“I suggest we immediately disqualify North and publicize this on the official website and social media to make an example of her!”“What do you think, Mr. Leon?”Aunt Christie screeched while pointing right at North, “I can’t believe Reina was defending you and getting you another chance! Is this how you repay her? Huh?!”Bryan froze before sending North a disappointed look.Gabriel opened his mouth
“I’ve designed the edges of this dress to look like butterfly wings, making the black lace look different depending on the lighting conditions.”Everyone instinctively looked over.Under the hall’s lighting, the changes in the black butterfly wings were not that obvious. But when North turned on her phone’s flashlight, the audience quickly realized that wherever the light shone, the wings seemed to come to life and shimmer beautifully.Reina instantly understood and paled. “North—”North did not give Reina the chance to speak and continued, “My dress has this effect because I sewed tiny diamonds into the lace.”These diamonds were tiny, but they would produce brilliant colors under bright lighting.“Since the design theme was light, I decided to let light be the revealer of the dress’s beauty. With light, it can show all its beauty but in darkness, it’s just a regular black dress.”After North’s explanation, the audience did not say much but some of the designers thought that it