Madeline's body trembled as tears uncontrollably cascaded down her cheeks.Yeneth was a crying mess beside Madeline. "This is all my fault! I... I..."She smacked herself across the face in a fit of self-blame.Madeline reached out to her. "It's not your fault, you silly girl."However, deep down, Madeline blamed herself. She should have kept her distance from Trevon and Lydia.Both women were in tears, prompting the doctor to intervene."Enough crying. It'll only make things worse. What you need right now is to stay positive. Give that little one inside you all the strength you can muster. That's its best shot at survival!"The doctor's words reignited Madeline's resolve, and she quickly dried her eyes.She needed to be strong for her baby.Through her tears, Yeneth managed to laugh. "I'll... I'll dance for you and try to get a smile out of you."She started to dance with her clumsy limbs and tear-streaked face, looking utterly ridiculous.It worked. Madeline could not help
Did the Skylandia team mess up?The camera panned to Lydia, decked out in a chic suit that turned heads, especially with that eye-catching brooch.She waved to the crowd before diving into how she 'conceived and created' the character, claiming every brush stroke as her own.Madeline's heart sank. That was not a mix-up. Lydia had stolen her design in plain sight of an entire online audience. The nerve!Fingers flying, Madeline sent a text message to her Skylandia contact.[What's going on here?]Madeline's phone flashed with a glaring red exclamation mark and a notification.'You are not friends with this person.'A mix of anger and laughter bubbled up in Madeline. She had clung to a sliver of hope that the people behind such a massive project would have some sense of decency.It turned out that the larger the project, the more reckless they became.Caleb noticed her distress. Concerned for her well-being, he gently reminded her, "Madeline, there's no need to rush. Your baby
Madeline's artistic alias, Lily Mora, may not have been a household name, but she had her share of die-hard fans.In that tight-knit community, each piece's art style and intricacies were everything.The character revealed at the press conference screamed Lily Mora's signature touch.Toss that tidbit into any fan forum, and they would usually get a few chuckles and nothing more.However, a handful of art students in the group took a closer look. They compared the new character with Lydia and Lily Mora's past works and were convinced that Lily Mora had to be the true artist behind it.They sent a private message to Lily Mora to seek confirmation. Madeline, confined to her hospital bed, could not possibly respond.So, they turned to Skylandia's official channels, armed with the buzzword 'Skylandia's breathtaking character'.The Skylandia launch was the talk of the gaming world.The gaming industry was booming with new games popping up every day, but a bona fide AAA game? Those we
Wren desperately glanced at Lydia for backup.She put together the presentation deck, but Lydia told her to do it that way. When Wren suggested using Lydia's character, Camden was unhappy and chose Lily Mora's instead.Lydia had kept quiet, but she had Wren switch the credit to her name later on.Wren objected, but Lydia had brushed it off, saying Lily Mora was just a small-time artist and no one would make a big deal about it.However, Lydia was the boss, and Wren, just an assistant, had to follow orders.When the situation spiraled, Wren was just as panicked.Lydia muttered 'idiot' under her breath and said with a grave expression, "What's done is done. We need to focus on how to quiet down the chatter online without dragging Skylandia through the mud. I'll address the issue when it's resolved. I'll own up to it."Lydia claimed to be going with the flow, but she stepped up to take the blame, acting like she would do anything for the project and the company.However, what was
Lydia's handling of Lily Mora's situation was less than honorable.Trevon was aware of her ambition to rise to fame quickly on the home front, but she had miscalculated the severity of the situation.The advancement of the internet left many dark secrets nowhere to hide.Honesty was always the best policy."Lily Mora's got some serious talent with a brush. Xystos Tech could really use someone like her."Bernard caught on quickly. "You want her to take a crack at the spokesperson's portrait?"Trevon had no objections. With that settled, Bernard went back to his training routine.Yahir looked puzzled. "That's it? No other conditions?"He thought they should at least negotiate a better deal for the endorsement and make some extra cash for the team.…By the time Camden and Lydia showed up, Trevon had nearly wrapped up the deal.Lydia looked like a sad puppy caught in the rain. "Trevon, if we go through with this, how will I ever make a name for myself in the art world?"Trevon
Despite Trevon's efforts to keep the Luxuria Supper House debacle under wraps, Edith got wind of it. Ryan kept tabs on Trevon and Madeline. Edith was livid when she learned that Trevon had shoved Madeline and had planned to meet at the County Clerk's Office at four in the afternoon.She cursed and slapped her thigh in frustration. "That useless idiot! Is Madeline okay?"Ryan replied, "Mrs. Gibson's friend rushed her to the hospital. The doctor said she took quite a hit, so she's still in the hospital bed." Caleb had managed to keep the pregnancy a secret, preventing any rumors. Edith swore again. "Make sure Madeline gets the rest she needs to recover. Find Trevon quickly and tell him I've passed out. He needs to come back immediately."Trevon's mind was set on divorce, and it was crucial to stop him before he could go through with it.As luck would have it, Edith was not ready to deal with that yet because the Skylandia debacle had just blown up.Edith took one look at the
His arrival was noticeable, and the pair glanced his way.Trevon quickly gathered his rage as he approached.He stopped in front of Madeline, his eyes shifting between the two, a mocking smile forming as he noticed the coat on Madeline's shoulders."Ignoring calls, and now you're home late with another guy. Still claiming you haven't moved on?"Trevon's words were harsh.Caleb instinctively moved Madeline behind him. "Trevon, don't make this any harder than it has to be! Madeline nearly ended up being admitted to the hospital because of how you shoved her. If you don't believe me, the hospital records are there to prove it."Trevon's frown was barely noticeable as he responded calmly. "I know better than anyone whether she's hurt. Why would someone like you, Mr. Caleb Jabs, need to lie for a woman?"Caleb's brow furrowed in concern. "Trevon, what's that supposed to mean? You realize Madeline was nearly—""Hey."Madeline's frail, raspy voice cut through the tension as she stepp
Trevon, fighting off a wave of nausea, dialed a number."I need Madeline's medical records from the hospital today."Once he had given the order, he knew it was not the time to seek out Madeline, so he retreated to his room to rest.The nausea was relentless.He had just missed Madeline and Yeneth's chat about Lily Mora."The company wants to offer you the role of a featured artist. What's your take, Madeline?"Madeline's brow creased in thought.Ever since the incident, she grew wary of the Skylandia project, and especially Lydia.Madeline assumed her minor contracting role kept her well away from Lydia's reach. However, Lydia's latest move was unexpectedly underhanded.Becoming a featured artist would mean falling under Lydia's command—the art director she wanted to avoid.Madeline was not naive. She had never been part of the corporate world, but she was not clueless.Lydia had to despise her after what happened, and would surely make her life difficult.That kind of str