Louis stared intently at the sketch, mumbling, "Impossible, how is this possible?"He had always held himself in high esteem, believing he was the cornerstone of the industry, the pinnacle of talent. Many begged him to design clothes, but he rarely obliged, feeling he had the right to be selective.But now...Louis's face burned with humiliation.Luna, seeing his expression, added insult to his injury. "Mr. Louis, it seems even you can make mistakes. Your chosen designer... her performance was quite disappointing this time."Louis glanced at Stella's work, his expression growing even darker. Although she had completed her design, it was clear that it lacked any standout features. Her background in jewelry design was evident, as her habits had influenced her sketch, making it look awkward and mismatched.The judges examined the sketch and shook their heads in disappointment. This was too poor. Comparing it to the previous design, it was like night and day.Hearing the judges' cri
Everyone accepted Haley as the winner without any objections, having witnessed her extraordinary talent firsthand. Even Louis, fell silent unwillingly.At that moment, a deep, cold voice echoed from the audience, “Before the competition ends, I have something to say.”All eyes turned to the source of the voice, and when they saw Shane’s stern face, they were stunned."Mr. Shane Ford?"The judges frowned, unsure of his intentions. Professor Wood glanced at Haley on stage before asking, "Mr. Ford, could this wait until the competition ends?"Shane glanced at him briefly, his lips barely moving as he replied, "No."Professor Wood wiped the sweat from his brows, asking, "So, what does Mr. Ford intend to say?"Shane stood up and made his way to the stage, his imposing presence causing the room to fall silent. Everyone watched in confusion, including Haley.Shane stopped in front of Haley and looked toward Louis. “I heard this competition prides itself on fairness and integrity, with
Haley sniffled and nodded softly. "Yes, I'm happy."It was not the apologies that made her happy, but rather the fact that she had met Shane in her life.Shane pulled her into his arms and addressed the audience, "I accept your apologies on behalf of my wife, but beyond that, I expect the competition organizers to provide an explanation to all the contestants."The organizers exchanged confused glances, unsure of the meaning behind his words.Shane continued, "My wife has proven her abilities through a second round of competition. Now, what about those who truly cheated? What consequences should they face?"His words sent a shockwave through the crowd, reigniting the tense atmosphere. Everyone turned their puzzled gazes toward Shane.Louis could not sit still any longer. He yelled at Shane, "Mr. Ford, what on earth are you talking about? Please don't delay our award ceremony any further!"Shane, uninterested in arguing, gave Dean a quick signal. His deep voice was laced with col
Professor Wood who was always a man of integrity, was so furious. His chest heaved as he pointed at Louis and scolded, "How could you be so foolish? Cheating is absolutely forbidden. You're ruining your own future!"Louis, unable to lift his head, pressed his lips together and remained silent. He had acted impulsively, fueled by alcohol and Stella's overly enthusiastic advances that night. In the heat of the moment, he agreed to everything. Although he had regretted it afterward, it was too late to turn back.Stella was equally terrified, her face pale and almost devoid of color. The disapproving and disgusted looks from the audience told her that everything was over. She had come here simply to take revenge on Haley, but instead, she had destroyed her own reputation.Lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly jolted by an icy, stern voice announcing, "After a unanimous decision by the organizers and judges, Stella is disqualified from the competition, and Mr. Louis will no longer be em
Shane laughed softly as he ruffled her hair. "Things will only get better from now on.""Yeah, I think so too."Haley nestled into his arms, her slender arms wrapping tightly around his waist as she snuggled closer. She only felt this relaxed when she was with Shane.Shane tightened his hold on her, thinking to himself that the collaboration between Ford Corporation and JY needed to be expedited. Otherwise, his image in his wife's heart might get overshadowed.When they got home, Haley was surprised to find guests waiting for them. As soon as she stepped through the door, a chorus of cheers erupted, "Welcome home, our winner!"Immediately following, a "bang" resounded as confetti rained down on Haley and Shane.Haley blinked, turning to Shane. "Mr. Ford, did you plan this?"Before Shane could reply, Henry spoke up, displeased. "Hey, hey, hey, Haley, don't be too biased. It was Zac, Jenny, and me who planned this. It has nothing to do with a certain someone!"As soon as he finis
Haley and Shane exchanged a glance, immediately guessing that Jenny was thinking about James. Henry noticed the shift in mood too and cleared his throat, "Eat up, everyone. Eat more."He added food to Jenny's plate, trying to cheer her up.Jenny, understanding that everyone was concerned about her, smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Everyone's been through a bad breakup when they were young, right? I've moved on."Haley put down her utensils and said softly, "Jenny, no matter what happens, I'll always be on your side.""Yeah, I know," Jenny replied with a smile.Henry tried to lighten the mood. "It's such a good day. Why bring up that jerk? Eat more. If it's not enough, I'll have the hotel send more dishes."With Henry's efforts, the atmosphere at the table became lively again.After sending off their friends, it was already past midnight. Haley was exhausted and collapsed onto the sofa.Shane looked at her lazy and relaxed posture, unable to suppress a smile. "Tired? Let’s go upstai
At that moment, the sound of ripping fabric echoed in the room as her nightgown was torn in two. Her fair, delicate skin was exposed to Shane’s burning gaze. His eyes were blazing with desire. Haley sighed inwardly, counting how many nightgowns she had gone through. Too many to remember. Since marrying Shane, she had bought countless nightgowns. To make things easier, Shane had dedicated an entire wall in their closet just for her nightgowns. The wardrobe was filled with every kind of nightwear imaginable—from modest round necks to thin spaghetti straps, and even some daring, sexy lingerie. She could wear a different one every night for a year and still have some left. Despite this, Shane thought it was not enough. If Haley had not stopped him, he probably would have set up another closet just for nightwear.Noticing that Haley was distracted, Shane moved his hips, deliberately intensifying her sensations. A wave of tingling and intense pleasure surged through her, causing
Ten minutes later, everyone reluctantly gathered in the conference room. When they saw Haley's cold, expressionless face, they felt a sinking feeling of dread.Hearing the footsteps, Haley turned her head toward the door. Seeing them standing there without coming in, she raised an eyebrow. "What? Is there a monster inside?""No, no!"Everyone shook their heads vigorously, afraid Haley might get angry.Once they were seated, no one dared to breathe too loudly, fearing Haley might settle scores.However, five minutes passed, and Haley had not said a word. She just stared at them quietly. Though she was beautiful, their guilty consciences made her gaze unsettling.Finally, someone could not bear it anymore and stood up abruptly. "Miss Haley, I'm sorry. I apologize for my past mistakes."Seeing this, others followed suit, standing up and apologizing one by one. Their voices were so loud that even with the conference room's good soundproofing, people in the hallway could hear them.