Henry passed the phone to Zachary. Kent was a bit annoyed. He wondered why he didn't get to watch the video when he was right next to Henry.As Henry approached Zachary, the video started playing. Kent quickly crowded in to get a better view. The video had a sensational title."Shocking! Big-shot designer caught being a master copycat! Design and clothes? All faked with an assistant's hand!"In the video, Joey came out of Selena's room holding partially finished garments. However, the garments she secretly took back to Selena's room the next day had magically turned into complete outfits.It happened for three days straight. As the video wrapped up with a dark screen, the hum of a sewing machine filled the air. When the sewing machine fell silent, Joey's voice emerged from the same spot."There's still a lot of details to finish up. I'll take these back to the room and work a bit more. You should get some rest.""It's quite late already, and there are still two days left. Why the
Selena sneered, "As my fan, you accused me last time of getting the competition theme early through my assistant. "Now, with video and audio recordings, you're trying to make me admit plagiarism. You're quite the devoted fan, huh?"Allie retorted, "I'm not entirely convinced the last incident wasn't true. After all, you do have a pretty impressive assistant." She finished with a meaningful glance at Joey.Joey calmly responded, "Why don't you tell everyone how impressive I am, to the point of predicting competition themes in advance?"Allie didn't dare to continue and just smiled knowingly. "For those in the know, well, they know.""Ms. Porter, by throwing these accusations around, if the truth comes out, maybe it's time to rethink your career in design. And Ms. Fisher, after twice spreading rumors about Chloe, shouldn't you think about offering a sincere apology?" Joey shot back, her tone laid-back but with an underlying intensity.Julia sneered, "What's your deal, being ju
Jerome shot a glance at Uriah before speaking."According to Ms. Fisher and Ms. Porter, we should collaborate to remove individuals like Ms. Linton and Ms. Sanders, who deceive the public from the program team."His words left no room for doubt about where he stood with Selena and Joey. Zachary's gaze landed on Selena. "What do you have to say?""I want to stress that the video content is entirely false. Mr. Gray should be able to verify that, right? "And let's not forget, I wasn't keen on joining in the first place, but you coerced me into signing a contract. Now, you're damaging my reputation. I need an explanation," Selena asserted, chin lifted and eyes piercing.Zachary narrowed his eyes. Despite knowing Chloe was a part of this program team, Selena's attitude seemed too bold. Could it be that she and Joey had seen this coming?Zachary asked, "What's your take on this?"Selena looked at Joey. Joey stepped forward, her gaze as calm as a still lake. "I'll be speaking on b
Zachary noticed the change in her gaze and recalled Kent saying that she disliked him. His brows furrowed instantly. Joey's gaze went from cold to indifferent. "If she doesn't apologize online for what happened this time, don't expect us to design any clothes for her. Believe it or not, I can cut all the finished clothes into pieces!" "Why do you have to go against her? I'll—"She interrupted him sharply. "I don't want to hear this from you! Emmen relied on Chloe's name to get started. What she did today sabotaged my livelihood. That's no different from killing someone's parents, do you understand?!" "Are you deliberately targeting her because you're angry that I protected her?" he asked."Zachary, even if you spread the word that you are sleeping with her right now, I wouldn't be angry." Her expression was indifferent. He took a deep breath at her words. He stared at her. "So you're allowed to say anything you want if she doesn't apologize? Emmen is that important to yo
Joey was in a bad mood as she returned to Selena's room. She saw her spacing out on the couch. Upon hearing the sound of the door closing, Selena snapped out of her reverie. She immediately looked at Joey. "What did he say?""He said he'll have Julia apologize. We'll carry on as planned, but I don't want to let it go like this." Joey sat by Selena's side. There was a coldness in her blue eyes. Selena looked at her. Her gaze slowly grew cold too. "You want to go against Julia? Won't Zachary take his anger out on Emmen?""Selena, don't you think that we're manipulated by Zachary and Julia because we've been afraid of this situation all along? There's no point in constantly tolerating this. It wouldn't solve anything," Joey said calmly.Selena slowly calmed down. She said softly, "You're right.""Let's wait for the results from the production team. Once it's out, we'll start the next phase of the plan, but you'll have to be prepared to lose your money."Upon hearing this,
In the end, the most liked comment was as follows:"Chloe must design on a live stream to prove her mettle so everyone will believe her. Otherwise, Chloe doesn't deserve the prize at all!"Upon seeing that netizens were still arguing, the director sought Kent's opinion.After hearing the director's words, Kent, measuring a pair of women's shoes, answered in a bland tone, "Let them bicker. The 2:00 pm runway will continue. For now, you guys have a good lunch. Have the models quickly put on their makeup? Don't delay it."The director glanced at the time. It was almost 1:00 pm … He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Mr. Simons, if we continue, we'll be criticized on the trending page.""If I tell you to arrange it, then arrange it. There's no need for so much nonsense! Oh, by the way, don't have Allie get ready."He put the ruler down, took the damp towel by his side, and wiped his hands. The director left the room with a world-weary look on his face.After Joey and Selena had ea
Zachary walked in. He first glanced at Joey. He then turned to face Julia who was behind him and said, "Speak."Julia stepped out from behind him. She looked at Joey and then at Selena, and yelled, "Selena, I'm very sorry! I honestly didn't know what Ms. Porter had done. When I talked about this bag, she seemed to like it a lot so I sold it to her at a lower price. I never thought that she would resell it at its original price …"Allie bit her lip and said nothing. Joey guessed that she probably wanted to take the blame on her own."Well, I quite like the watch on your wrist too. Will you sell it to me at a lower price?" Selena asked suddenly as she laughed.The watch was a birthday gift from Zachary. There was no way she would sell it. Julia bit her lip. Tears fell from her eyes immediately. They stained her face, painting a pitiful picture. "Selena, I got anxious and angry this morning because I like you. I apologize for what I said this morning, but I promise that I didn't
After the live stream ended, Zachary asked, "Did you have to go this far?" His question was directed at Joey. Joey glanced at the others. Kent quickly yelled, "What are all of you standing around for? Get out!"Selena wrinkled her brows unhappily. Kent immediately forced a smile. "Please, Ms. Sanders. I, too, wish to chat with you about something on my mind. Our program will suffer a huge loss because of the stunt you two pulled."Selena sneered, grabbed her luggage, and walked out of the room. Once the door had closed, Zachary's expression instantly became unusually cold. "We're husband and wife. Is there anything we can't discuss civilly?"Joey looked at him in a cool and detached manner. "Zachary, I forgot to tell you. In the future, we're only husband and wife when we're in front of those three old-timers. Otherwise, we aren't when we're in private. Do you want to protect Julia? Then let's break up.""You're giving me conditions? Let me tell you, Emmen can't afford th
Joey shot him a cold glance. "You and he are both the same, so neither of you should be laughing at the other."Zachary nodded. "You're right, but I've turned over a new leaf now.""Let's go. Enough about him," Joey said. She was annoyed whenever Henry was brought up.He had a great girl willing to be with him, yet he was still unhappy. Any other man would have been grinning from ear to ear.They arrived at the restaurant, and while Joey ordered the food, Zachary sent a message to Henry."You should think about this. Joey and Grandma just want you to have someone by your side in the future, which is why they're saying these things."Don't give up on her just because of what her parents said. Having someone who genuinely likes you is rare."From Zachary's perspective, Henry had a pretty good start. Tessa didn't mind his circumstances, so what was he dissatisfied with?Henry quickly replied, "I know. I'll think about it carefully."In truth, Henry found it all a bit troublesome.
Henry was immediately startled and started stammering, "O-Okay."As soon as Joey hung up the phone, she turned to see Tessa, who was crying pitifully, and handed her a tissue.Tessa took the tissue and sobbed without saying a word.Monica had prepared some desserts for her and looked at her with compassion. "Henry has never been in love before. Plus, he's straightforward and doesn't know how to talk properly. There's no need to cry."Joey thought that Henry just didn't love Tessa enough. Otherwise, how could he say such things?Tessa's eyes were swollen and red. Her tears continuously streamed down. "I know he doesn't like me. Maybe he just agreed to the relationship because I pursued him."Joey patted her shoulder. "In love, if one person is too proactive, the other will seem passive. The fact that you dared to love already makes you braver than many.""What's the point? He doesn't care about me at all." Tessa sniffled."Here, eat something," Monica said. "Feelings like love d
No one tried to persuade Henry further, but Zachary continued to say to him, "Come with me to choose a location for the security company. It's worth doing."Henry was a bit speechless. "I'm not even pursuing the relationship anymore. Why should I still think about the security company?"Zachary responded, "Do you plan to cling to Joey's coattails your whole life? Once the business is set up, you can have apprentices teach others, and you can become a hands-off boss in a year or two."With that, Zachary headed out.After they left, Monica sighed in disappointment. "And I here I thought Henry had found someone good for him.""I think it's quite normal. Finding a good woman isn't easy," Joey said.Henry was indeed a good person, but with one eye missing and his job as a bodyguard, it was inevitable that Tessa's parents would worry."How disappointing," Monica murmured repeatedly.Joey didn't know what else to say and could only comfort her. "There's still a chance. What if Tessa d
Joey snorted. "You looked down on me and thought I had no opinions back then."Zachary pulled her into his arms. "Joey, do you like the person you are now or the person you were before?""What about you?" Joey asked him."I liked you from the beginning. Do you think I would have pursued you for so long if I didn't? I never thought you were serious about the divorce. At first, I was angry, but now I just think I was too slow to react."Joey was genuinely angry back then, but he had thought she was playing hard to get.The two of them sat close and watched the movie together.Selena hadn't returned yet, so Joey guessed that she wouldn't be coming back."Selena probably won't return. Hanson is cunning by taking her away with just a movie," Joey said.Zachary turned off the projector and was still savoring the moment as Joey left his arms."They're in love. Otherwise, Selena wouldn't go with him so easily," Zachary remarked.Selena must really like Hanson. Otherwise, she wouldn't
Zachary squeezed her hand tightly. "You're just like an exquisite and beautiful flower."Joey couldn't help but laugh. She pulled her hand back with a little force. "Even though we just had a heartfelt conversation, I haven't thought about being your girlfriend.""I get it. You're Chloe, and countless people are lining up to pursue you," Zachary said in a voice tinged with jealousy.If she wasn't so focused on her work, she probably would have found a new boyfriend by now. For example, Kenneth was an excellent person. If Joey had accepted him back then, Zachary thought he wouldn't stand a chance now.When they got back to Emmen, Joey freshened up and got back to work.Zachary couldn't help but say, "Can't you take a break?""I've gotten used to this over the past year. When I can't sleep at night, I'll work. I find it hard to relax now," Joey said while reading a document intently.Without her dedication and hard work, Emmen wouldn't have grown so quickly.Zachary beckoned her
Zachary felt a heavy weight on his chest as he looked at Joey.She continued, "Even if I accept you again, and we try to rebuild a family, I know things can never go back to the way they were. I gave you my best years, and I don't feel like I owe you anything."During those three years, you ignored my true feelings and neglected me. Do you think it's possible to go back to the past now?"Zachary said, "I'm truly sorry.""I want to fully accept you, but I can't. You all think that the many hurts inflicted on me are something I can just get over, let go of, and move forward from. But I can't."I realize now that people are complicated and hold grudges. I constantly revisit every wrong done to me. If I didn't care, it would mean I don't care about any of you at all."Joey rarely opened up to Zachary like this, but she felt it necessary to make this clear.Zachary watched her silently and felt as though it was his first time knowing what she actually thought."It's like how I don't
Selena readily agreed, "Alright. It's not fair for you to handle everything alone."Her relationship with Hanson was intense and passionate at the beginning, but now that the initial fire had burned out, Selena felt less attached to Hanson. But after dinner, she was still dragged by Hanson to watch a new movie.Joey was exhausted from work and didn't want to move, so she sat at the dining table with Zachary to enjoy the peace."Shall we head back soon?" Zachary asked after a long while.Joey hummed, exhausted. "Let's sit a bit longer.""If you don't want to walk, I can carry you," Zachary said with a smile.Joey snorted. "Do you want Grandma to scold me? Have you even recovered?""Probably not. These wounds don't heal so easily," Zachary admitted honestly. He wanted to please Joey but had forgotten that his health was no longer as robust as before."Let's sit for another half an hour," Joey said as she leaned back in her chair and replied to messages on her phone."You're work
Selena felt that what Joey said made sense and immediately nodded in agreement. "Then I won't consider marriage."Zachary glanced at them and thought that Selena was a bad influence on Joey. Even if they were married, couldn't they still have fun? What was the difference?Around noon, Hanson and Tessa arrived at Emmen together.As soon as Tessa saw Henry, she ran to him and grabbed his arm. "I got out of class early to see you. You're not mad, are you?"Henry was taken aback, but seeing Tessa clinging to him so sweetly filled his heart with joy."Not at all. Why didn't you tell me? I could have picked you up," Henry said.Tessa held his hand. "Why do you have to pick me up? I know where you work, so I can come to find you."Henry nodded dumbly."Tessa, have you eaten?" Monica stepped forward with a gentle smile."No, but my parents want to invite him to dinner tonight. I've already arranged it with them," Tessa said with a smile.Joey thought this wasn't just a regular dinner
Henry had a smile on his face, looking quite pleased with himself. "Of course, she fell in love with me at first sight."Selena laughed. "Impressive! But your cosplay style probably appeals to most young girls, right?"Henry may have only one eye, but he was still very handsome. He was like a cosplayer you'd see on the street.He simply smiled and picked up his phone to check in with Tessa.After chatting, Henry grinned like a fool. "She asked me out to lunch. She said she doesn't have classes this afternoon and wants to take me to her place."Joey felt a bit envious. "You're incredibly lucky. You need to cherish this."Henry nodded as Monica looked at Henry with a smile."What is your girlfriend studying in grad school?" Selena asked curiously."Something related to Eldelish language studies I think," Henry replied, unsure.Joey nodded. "That sounds good."After finishing his meal, Henry sat nearby, playing on his phone.Selena couldn't help but tell Joey, "Is he just going