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Diamond In The Rough
Last Updated:
2024-12-19 13:08:34Related chapters
She's No Beauty Queen How Fitting
Mark could tell how hard Lily was trying to hold herself back as the stylist picked her current style apart. She was so angry her clenched fists were shaking. He barely repressed a smile thinking that she hadn’t changed at all.She was a natural beauty—she was identical to the current titleholder of Miss California, after all—but didn’t do anything to enhance it the way Angel did. Considering he could see how blonde her eyelashes were, it didn’t look like she was wearing makeup at all.She wore a blue t-shirt with a lighter blue drawing of a sea turtle on it with a long buttonless gray cardigan, light wash jeans, and a pair of knockoff green Converse All Stars. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail so her stud earrings shaped like sea turtles were visible as well.How fitting for a marine biology student. Come to think of it, when Mark saw Lily yesterday, she was wearing a long-sleeved gray t-shirt with a cartoon picture of the earth with a face on it and the caption ‘*screams i
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Aww, These Are So Cute!
While they were still on the topic of clothes, Mark wanted to try and help Lily relax by talking about conservation like he had planned. “I noticed your shirts the past two days. Are you a conservationist, by chance?”The last of her discomfort melted away as her eyes lit up. “Oh boy, am I! Most of the volunteer work I did in high school was with the aquarium and the National Marine Sanctuary. I participate in the International Coastal Cleanup every year too picking up trash.“You wouldn’t believe the horrifying amount of junk that ends up in the ocean or how many sea creatures die every year because of it. Sea turtles and other creatures that eat jellyfish see plastic bags, eat them by mistake, and end up dying because they can’t digest them.“And that’s not the only problem with plastic! Those things used to hold beer or soda together get stuck around their necks too. Plus microplastics end up in food all over the marine food chain. People that consume fish can end up with microplas
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen ...Sorry
Mark took pictures throughout the entire event and kept a close eye on Lily as she continued interacting with the kids. She had an animated reading style as well, including funny voices for different characters and hand gestures. Every kid in the room was enthralled.He got one particularly great candid shot of her acting out one of the scenes in the book as all the kids sat there obviously hanging on her every word. His boss would decide which ones were usable for the social media accounts but he had a feeling he should hang on to this one on his own.Lily might want it later. She looked like she was having a lot of fun right now even though she was wearing uncomfortable clothes and pretending to be someone else.Once all the stories were read, they were supposed to leave but all the kids wanted to keep talking to her and she did not disappoint her new friends. A little girl named Danielle, who had been given the mermaid bear Aqua, asked if she was a princess like Olivia because of h
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Aren't You Two Friends?
Lily had a hard time getting her homework done because she was so stressed about having to pretend around someone Angel actually knew. She forced herself to focus and get it done because she refused to let her GPA drop below a 4.0 over this ridiculous contract.She had a hard time focusing on her classes the next day too. Randi noticed something was off with her at lunch and she had a hard time playing it off. She wasn’t an easy one to convince because she knew Lily too well. It took a lot of not-so-subtle subject changing to get Randi off her back.By the time her last class of the day rolled around, she was so keyed up that she had no idea what notes she was even taking. The page in her notebook was full but she hadn’t processed a single bit of it.“Lily! Have you started the research paper yet?” one of her classmates asked on the way out. Polly Lyman had been in multiple project groups with her before and they were on friendly terms but she really wasn’t in the mood to chat right n
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Daddy Mad!
Lily was polishing off the last of her cookie when they pulled up in front of the house. Aria ran out to greet her enthusiastically and reached up to be held. She picked up her niece and continued walking.“Mommy?” the little girl asked hopefully, which broke Lily’s heart.“No, sweetie, it’s Lily. Remember me?”“Yes,” she said a bit sadly before burying her face in her aunt’s shoulder. It was clear as day that she had thought her mom finally came home and got her hopes dashed. Poor baby.Eddie was standing by the door when they walked up and a pained look crossed his face seeing Lily hold his daughter. He was probably thinking of Angel because they looked so much alike. That broke her heart more. This little family had been so affected by her absence.Lily didn’t understand how her twin could leave her family behind so often to go on publicity tours and such. If Angel didn’t come back in the next month, she would have to take a couple days off of school to go on one in her stead in an
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Miss California Duties
Lily steeled herself as they arrived at the soup kitchen. Her crown and sash were already on and she saw another young woman standing around outside wearing the same things. Miss Monterey County, Darcy Flynn. She was a real knockout despite being dressed as casually as Lily was.Her smile seemed genuine when she spotted her. “Hey, Angelina! Long time no see!”“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Lily agreed. According to Mark, the last time the two of them saw each other was back in December when they attended a Christmas party some of the pageant organizers were holding. “How are you?”“I’m doing great. This year’s pretty busy for me though between preparing for Miss California and my sister’s wedding at the same time. That’s what I get for being the maid of honor. What about you?”“I’m okay,” she lied. She was about as far from okay as possible. “I just have school stuff to worry about aside from my Miss California duties.”Angel had mentioned working toward a biology degree online with the i
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Encyclopedic Knowledge
Things slowed down a bit around 7 PM. They would be there until closing at 8 and then Lily would spend an hour or two working on her research paper before bed.She nearly jumped out of her skin when Mark spoke to her during a slow time where nobody was coming by. “You doing alright?”“Egg-yolk jellies eat other jellies so sometimes other species of marine life use them to hitchhike,” she blurted. This was a bad habit of hers. If she was in the middle of going over her encyclopedic knowledge in her head and someone interrupted her, she unconsciously said whatever random fact she was on.He looked completely confused. “Egg-yolk jellies?”“They get their name because they’re translucent except for a mass of yellow in the middle that looks like an egg yolk,” Lily mumbled in embarrassment. “Sorry. You caught me off guard and that was what I was thinking about.”“It’s fine. But what were you saying about hitchhiking?”“Oh! Crabs and amphipods have been found riding on top of or inside of th
Last Updated : 2024-12-19She's No Beauty Queen Worry About Me If It Makes You Feel Better
Mark hadn’t realized exactly how much Lily knew about marine life until tonight. He knew she was a conservationist but hadn’t been able to comprehend the extent of her passion until he saw her light up talking about jellyfish.It was hard to imagine being that passionate about your career. She didn’t choose to study marine biology because she thought it would be a high-paying job, the way he had chosen to study business. She genuinely loved it.Her forlorn expression when she mentioned she couldn’t scuba dive weighed on him. He had never seen her look like that before.Lily was normally such a smiley person. Even when she wasn’t smiling, she had an open, expressive face. He had seen negative expressions from her before, such as when she was worried about Angelina earlier, but this struck him differently.This stubborn girl who inspired him by not being willing to accept the fact that nobody thought she would be able to get her driver’s license back in high school had been resigned to
Last Updated : 2024-12-19
Latest chapter
She's No Beauty Queen Incredibly Grateful
Lily and Mark had a small simple wedding at a garden venue. Angel convinced her to let her apply light makeup for the occasion with the rationalization that she would only be getting married once. It did make her stand out in the pictures so she supposed that was something.All of their friends and her family were there to support them. Aria was the most adorable flower girl ever and her nephew Hunter was the ring bearer. Angel was the matron of honor and Randi and Genevieve were her other bridesmaids. Mark’s best man was Eddie and two of his bowling friends rounded out the wedding party.They went on their honeymoon to Hawaii where they took another submarine tour and hiked what felt like every inch of the island of Maui. Lily was happy but exhausted by the time they got home.Despite experiencing a major life event, not much changed in terms of work or their general schedules for another year when she got pregnant with their son Damien. Her job was kind enough to let her take a year-
She's No Beauty Queen I Thought You Would Never Ask!
Lily inhaled deeply and let the smell of the salty air soak into her soul. It was impossible to worry about anything right now when she was this relaxed.“You certainly seem happy,” Mark noted with a smile as they bobbed in the water.“I am. No one ever wants to go swimming with me. Thanks, Mark. Today has been wonderful and it’s not even over yet. You spoil me too much.”“There’s nothing wrong with a little spoiling.”Lily knew it was pointless arguing with him so she let it go and closed her eyes as she floated there. The ocean was oddly tranquil today. There were hardly any waves at all, which was perfect for swimming.She wasn’t sure how long they stayed in the water like that enjoying the quiet and each other’s company but, eventually, they headed back to shore. He read a book on a towel while she took a nap and let the sun soak into her soul.When she woke up, she felt more at peace than she had in ages. Her boyfriend had planned the perfect day for her. At times like this, it w
She's No Beauty Queen That Wasn't Like Her
Lily’s ongoing struggle trying to be okay with Mark not wanting to move forward in their relationship became more difficult as time went on. On the rare occasions she tried to bring it up, he would quickly change the subject so she gave up after a while.That wasn’t like her. She was so frustrated she was ready to blow a gasket but didn’t want them to fight.So she ambled along expecting nothing knowing that was all she was going to get. It didn’t help that Angel was pregnant with her second child and very excited about the fact. She would be having a boy this time and she and Eddie had already decided to name him Eli.Aria had hoped for a sister but was still looking forward to having a baby to play with even if it was a boy. She was a good kid and Lily had no doubt she would be a great big sister.As much as she looked forward to meeting her new nephew, it got her wondering if she would ever be able to have a child of her own. Her twenty-fifth birthday passed recently and Mark still
She's No Beauty Queen An Irreplacable Existence
Patience wasn’t Lily’s strong suit. Mark hoped Donovan got back to her quickly because he didn’t want to prolong this more than necessary. Mark didn’t want to ruin the surprise either though. If she knew what he was planning in advance, she might get suspicious.Thankfully, Donovan’s family was available two weeks from then. And so were two spots for what Mark was planning to take Lily to do. He booked the tickets immediately so now all he could do was wait.He already knew his girlfriend would accept his proposal but he was still anxious. Who wouldn’t be asking such a loaded question to the person that mattered to them most?At least she didn’t seem to have caught on yet. She chatted normally on their longer-than-expected drive down to L.A. due to traffic. They didn’t arrive until nearly 2 AM so it was a good thing Eileen told them where the spare key was kept in advance so they could let themselves in.An air mattress had already been set up for them. All they had to do was flop ont
She's No Beauty Queen Alright Then, Be Mysterious
Talking to Angelina about her seizure frequency being pregnant only made Mark feel worse because he knew Lily wanted multiple kids. She would be putting herself at risk more than once and he wasn’t sure he would be able to live with the anxiety. As it was, he wasn’t sure how Edward was able to do it.Maybe that was who he needed to talk to in order to ease his fears. Someone who had been in the position he would potentially find himself in twice.Mark knew that it wasn’t fair to leave Lily hanging forever. He wanted to spend his life with her, he truly did, but he needed to get his fears under control first.“How do you handle knowing your wife could have a seizure any time?” he blurted when he and Edward were in the car on their way to a meeting the day after his conversation with Angelina.He didn’t seem terribly surprised by the question. It seemed that she had told him what they talked about yesterday. “I don’t know. I guess I’m used to it by now. She did have one within five minu
She's No Beauty Queen Her Heart On Her Sleeve
They exchanged numbers and Angelina excused herself to get back to work. She should be able to focus now that she had gotten a bit of a break. It was nice knowing that at least one of her former associates was doing well these days. She hoped they were all able to find things that made them happy the way she had.Mark didn’t even look up when she came back in. He was that focused on his work. She wasn’t able to catch his attention at all until she called his name three times after finishing what she needed.“Sorry, I was in the zone. Are you ready to go?” he asked sheepishly.“Yeah. Thanks for sticking around.”Angelina felt a bit guilty to be inconveniencing him like this but at least he already knew Eddie was a worrywart when it came to her. That was why he wasn’t letting her drive on her own.He didn’t say anything until they were nearly back at her house. “Hey…um…do you always have seizures when you’re pregnant?”That was completely out of the blue. Why would he ask about that?“T
She's No Beauty Queen Small World, Isn't It?
Over time, Taylored’s customer base did grow, if not as quickly as the owners wanted it to. Genevieve and Lita got a huge order to make costumes for a local theater company’s production of The Music Man and that kept them pretty busy for a while but that wasn’t the only big thing happening.After a few months of actively trying, Angelina found herself pregnant again. It was a much happier experience this time and everyone was excited about it. Particularly Aria. She was thrilled at the prospect of having a little brother or sister because a lot of her friends had them.She asked a million and one questions about what she dubbed “our baby.” It was adorable.Though her emotional state was much better, things weren’t too different physically than they had been with Aria because she had to change her medication again and that took getting used to. At least she was planning on it in advance this time and did it before getting pregnant rather than after.She was fairly miserable but hated b
She's No Beauty Queen Me Too
Angelina had been rather busy preparing herself for the grand opening of their shop Taylored and didn’t notice her twin’s distress. Lita’s son was named Taylor so it was a sort of play on his name and the fact that they were tailors on top of designing custom clothes.By the time Genevieve graduated, everything was just about ready to go. Their grand opening was the week after and they had already gotten an impressive amount of advertising done so there should be a decent turnout. It didn’t hurt that they had a great location where they should get a lot of traffic.Having a real estate mogul for a husband could be surprisingly helpful. Before this, she never thought she would utilize his skills for finding great locations.Angelina went to the grand opening for a while since Aria was playing with Emma. Preschool was out for the summer and she missed her friends already. She was such a social little thing.She thought it went pretty well, all things considered. A lot of people came in
She's No Beauty Queen You Know I Thrive On Chaos
Genevieve caught a real break when Angel met Lita. She never would have suggested going into business otherwise but the three of them got on like a house on fire.Lily had been surprised to say the least and asked her twin about it. She smiled softly as she explained that all she ever wanted was to make a difference for people like her and this gave her the chance to do so without taking her away from her family for long stretches of time unlike her original dream.She certainly seemed excited about it. Talking about her potential business venture made her much more enthusiastic than usual. It was cute.Angel had made her own friends too in the various clubs and classes she had joined trying to figure out what she wanted to do so she joined Lily’s friends maybe once a month these days. Lily was happy for her. She deserved to have a life of her own after living someone else’s dreams for so long.Lily looked forward to seeing where this clothing business went. She had already commission
