"I don't like the fit of this dress, ugh! It's so big and uncomfortable," Celina grumbled as she twirled around, fully dressed for the award event that was going to start in a few hours.Being one of the prominent families in the fashion industry, the Lam Fashion is held in high esteem, making attending the banquet a must for Celina who'd rather be somewhere else than entertaining some obnoxious guests. "You also think it's too overrated, don't you? I told Mum I don't like the dress but she insisted I wear it to honour the designer of the dress who would be in attendance tonight. To think I'll have to spend the next few hours hating myself, ugh!" She continued as she turned to the bored-looking Lily, dressed casually in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. "It's not over the top; it's okay; it just doesn't fit your taste. A lot of people will want to kill to have that dress you know? Just have it on for a few hours and you can change out of it later," Lily advised, making Celina scrunch up
"Welcome everyone to the most anticipated national fashion competition!" The host announced cheerfully, and the hall erupted in excited cheers.The atmosphere in the grand auditorium charged up, buzzing with anticipation as fashion enthusiasts from all corners of the country and even outside the country gathered to witness the much-awaited national competitions between the top geniuses in the fashion industry of the country.The stage was set with dazzling lights and an impressive runway that demanded attention. A panel of distinguished judges sat at the forefront, their keen eyes ready to scrutinise every detail of the upcoming showcases."As you all know, this competition is a celebration of the diverse talents that make our fashion industry so vibrant," the charismatic host continued, his voice resonating through the large auditorium with nothing less than a thousand audience. "Designers, models, and tailors from various backgrounds will showcase their unique creations and tell us
"Is it to your liking?" Soren asked with a smile as he sat in front of Lily, who had received his milkshake gift. Lily shrugged and took another sip before replying, "What do you think? You did get me my favourite milkshake."Soren chuckled lightly and took the seat in front of her. "I wasn't expecting you to take it," he confessed, and Lily raised a brow. "Why not? It's a milkshake, isn't it?""We are competitors," he pointed out as a matter of fact. "And so?" She replied, making him shake his head."You are new to these things, but you have to be careful amongst the other representatives. You could get hurt any minute if you are too careless," Soren warned, genuinely making Lily smile."It's a good thing I know senior Soren would not hurt me. Right? How is it being her tailor and getting along well?" Lily asked, and Soren sighed heavily. "I can't wait to get all these over with, honestly. Zachary pulled out of being her model last week, and we had to look for other people to do
"That's a lie! There is no way he could be allergic to cinnamon rolls!" Merrisa argued, "I've seen him eat cinnamon rolls several times! It must be a plot by this wrench!""Should I believe your report or the medical report? And are you accusing the competition managers of colluding with the participants?" The manager demanded coldly, shutting up her argument with a glare. "Tha…That's not what I meant. I was just worried about my teammate," Merissa choked out, unable to raise her voice under the manager's glare."It might be inconvenient, but there will be a change in your team's setup. We've informed your school, and a new representative will be sent. The next stage of the competition will continue as scheduled, so get ready for your presentation with no delay," the manager explained, and she walked away with the rest of her group.Lily smirked upon seeing Merissa's red face. "I can't believe there could be someone as shameless as you; how could you accuse someone else of the crime
It was finally the long-awaited presentation night for the first sound, where half of the participants would be disqualified. According to the arrangement, the models representing each group will walk the runway, after which the judges will judge them accordingly, grading them with a pass or a disqualification."She did use the blue dress design you mentioned," Alana pointed out as she walked into the dressing room assigned to their team."That's too much to expect. She's lazy and not creative enough to be here, so the only option she has while trying to make a name for herself is to use underhanded methods," Lily replied while making sure nothing had gone wrong with the clothing. "Are you nervous?" She asked, and Gary shook his head. "I'm not as nervous as I was the first time I did a photoshoot. And I don't have that much work; I just have to walk down the runway," he shrugged. "While making sure I don't trip," he added with a smile, and Lily chuckled. "Right! You have to make sur
As Merissa browsed through designs, she frowned and called Diana's number, only to realise she had been blocked. "Ahhhh!" She screamed out in frustration and anger. Stomping her feet she pulled her hair in frustration and glared at the wall, "I was played by the likes of that garbage piece?" Taking a deep breath, she relaxed and pushed her rage to the back of her mind. "I can't lose my temper if I want to win against Lily. I'll just have to browse and see which one of these designs hasn't been used yet. There is no big deal and no need to get angry," She muttered and returned to browsing through the designs.Unknown to her, she has successfully attracted the negative and watchful gazes of the audience to herself after the first round. Meanwhile, Lily and her group became the talk of the competition alongside the top teams of the competition. Praises were showered on their team. Despite Gary's face being covered with the mask, he was able to successfully win the hearts of the young
"What's going on? Is everything okay at home?" Merissa asked, her hands trembling as she listened to her mother sobbing over the phone."The company is facing a huge crisis. Someone posted a review of one of our latest products, which caught the government's attention. Now, our investors are pulling out to avoid losing money since our stock is crashing," Mrs. Smith explained, her voice strained."What do you mean by crashing? How can the stock crash from a single review?" Merissa questioned, her anxiety increasing as she clenched her fists."It's not just one review. Initially, it was only one, but that one served as a catalyst, and there were several others too. The reviews shifted between the products and the employee treatments. And in just three days, we've lost ten million. If this continues, the company will go bankrupt within a month," Mrs Smith sniffled."Your dad hasn't been home in days; he's desperately trying to find a solution. But without investors, there's only so much
"Lily Turner, right?" Her words were interrupted by a thick French accent. Looking up, she noticed a man dressed in a black designer tuxedo with an intimidating aura that matched his cold, dark eyes.Lily stepped back with a frown as she reached for her phone, her hands hovering on the first number that popped up, ready to press in case of a sudden attack."Who are you?" Lily asked, her voice cold and guarded as she glared up at the man standing before him."Why not look closely? Don't I look familiar?" He asked while pointing to his face. Following the movement of his hand, Lily's eyes traced his face, the familiar, unique spring green eyes, the soft-looking light brown hair, and the accent. Although this man's accent feels and sounds thicker than the one she hears regularly, She could not mistake the other resemblance for a coincidence. "Bryan Roux?" She carefully nodded, and the man nodded."Can we talk somewhere more private?" He asked while pointing to his car. Lily looked from
Lily's eyes sparkled as she boarded the private jet, Mark waiting with a warm smile. "Surprise time," he whispered, taking her hand. "You look beautiful as always." He complimented while kissing her gently on the cheek. "You don't look bad yourself," Lily replied with a blush as they stepped onto the jet. "Where are we headed?"Mark chuckled. "Patience, my love. You'll see. I'm sure you will like it." He assured her. "I personally made the arrangements." As they settled into their seats, Lily buckled up and turned to Mark, her smile widening as she realised his eyes were on her, gentle and full of love. "I'm so excited for this weekend! I needed this break." She breathed out. "Of course I was also looking forward to spending some time with you," she added with a wink, making Mark laugh. "Oh, of course. I'm feeling as if I got used by my girlfriend, who wants to get away from her work," he joked with his hand on his chest, feigning hurt. Lily laughed at his childishness. "I hope
"You are always all over the news recently," Mrs Turner breathed out in frustration. "It's either someone is suing you or you are releasing a new product; aren't you overworking yourself too much?""Look at you, you are all skin and bones! When was the last time you ate good food three times a day?" She complains while checking out Lily, going from one side to the other. "Mum, why are you here?" Lily asked in surprise as she allowed her mother to fuse about her wellbeing. She closed the door behind them and led the way to the living room.Mrs Turner's eyes widened as she took in the chaotic state of the living room. Papers, coffee cups, and takeaway boxes littered every surface, with Lily's laptop open on the couch, screen covered in codes."Good Lord, Lily! What's going on here?" Mrs Turner exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You're not just overworking yourself; you're living in chaos! Do you even know what day it is? When was the last time you went out?"Lily chuckled sheepishly. "
"We are getting sued for plagiarism?" Mr. Wallace asked in bewilderment as he read the contents of the letter the lawyer had brought to him. "Why would we get sued for plagiarism? We didn't steal anything from your company.""Mr. Wallace, what you are getting sued for is right in there," the lawyer replied with a stoic expression. "Your latest software, 'Dream,' is a copy of our latest product, and it was released just a few days after our. The action is suspicious, and your company will need to prove you created your version." Sighing, Mr. Wallace frowned deeply, trying to make sense of the situation. There was no way they could have plagiarised their product when they were supposed to release the software a few weeks before their company released theirs.It was due to the delay from the team and Lily's absence that the release date was delayed. Besides, StarLite's product is way better than theirs; who should be the one suing for plagiarism?Massaging his temple, Mr. Wallace met t
"We meet again," Lily chuckled as Roseline walked into her office. "I was surprised when my assistant said you are here to see me."Roseline smiled wryly, her eyes locked onto Lily's. "I'm sure you were. Even I was surprised that I'm seeking you out first. Be happy you are the first to make me bend like this." She snarled and sat down opposite Lily without being invited too.Lily's expression remained amused, but a hint of curiosity crept into her voice. "What brings you here, Roseline? I thought we settled our... differences last time."Roseline's smile faltered, and for a moment, Lily glimpsed a flicker of rage. "I would not call that settling differences," she replied. "However, I'm here to offer you a proposal."Raising a brow, Lily relaxed into her chair, eyes full of curiosity. "Proposal?" She echoed, and Roseline hummed while fishing out a small white envelope with the Anderson logo on it. "That's a fifty million dollar check and some sure investment links. I'm offering it
Lily pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes towards the document placed in front of her. She sighed, looking from the papers towards a solemn-looking Bryan on the other side of the table. "Say something," Bryan urged, feeling uncomfortable by her silence. "I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to say," Lily replied. "I've gone through all sorts of possibilities. Every possible scenario I could ever think of has played continuously in my mind while awaiting the result of the investigation. And now you are providing me with this?" She breathed out. "I swear it would be more believable if you said one of Henry's people betrayed him. Hell, it would have been more believable if you said it was his wife that decided to make his life miserable by threatening him with that information." She continued, her brows furrowing deeper as she continued to glare at the papers laid in front of her. "Honestly, I would have believed anything but the fact that all those threat notes and pictu
"I heard there is a new board member joining the company." Henry asked with a frown as he scanned through the company document Williams had brought. "Yes," Williams replied, preparing himself for the earful that he knew was coming. "How did it happen? Did I not tell you no more selling of shares? And definitely not to outsiders?!" Henry asked as his frown deepened in dissatisfaction. Williams pursed his lips, making no attempt to give excuses for his incompetence. How was he supposed to explain to his already angered father that he wasn't aware of the shares circulating underground until it was sold out? That would only expose him to more of his father's rage, and seeing the sore mood the man was already in, there is no way he would risk it. Henry's face reddened with anger, his voice rising. "Who is this person? What's their stake in our company?" Williams hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "The new board member's name is Lily Turner. She's a wealthy investor w
"What brings you here?" Frederick asked as Mark casually walked into his office. "What do you think?" Mark replied with a smirk. "I don't believe we are close enough for me to just stop by for a greeting, are we?" He added and took a seat opposite Frederick. Frederick glared at Mark, hating how the latter was talking to him so casually. Swallowing his anger, he relaxed into his seat and raised a brow. "I don't remember having an appointment with you. So it will save us both some time if you go straight to the point; we are both busy men after all." Mark hummed and brought out a flash drive from his inner pocket. "We did have an appointment, but I guess your subordinates are incompetent; they couldn't even inform you about such things. Anyways, I'm here to talk about the collaboration for the government project." He announced."As much as I would like to handle both the construction and security system installation, I do not have the time to do it now that I have another branch to
"Marry me, and we can use your family's influence to pressure him out," he offered. "In the end, you'll get what you want while I also get mine." Roseline paused, her eyes narrowing the longer she heard Frederick talk. By the end of his speech, she burst out laughing uncontrollably, making Frederick's eye twitch in annoyance. "What's so funny?" He gritted out as she forced herself to sober up from her hysterical laughter."Oh, it's not funny," she replied coldly. "I'm just laughing at the absurdity of the proposal you just made. "I may not want to get married to those old fools, but I'm not desperate enough to settle for you, Frederick." She announced.Frederick balled his hands against the table, his eyes twitching uncontrollably while his lips curled into a sneer at the insult thrown his way. "You are saying I'm comparable to those men with one leg in the grave; how remarkable, Miss Anderson," he snarled, and Roseline shrugged."You are free to interpret my words anyhow you want,
"What's wrong with you?" Frederick asked with a frown as Roseline stormed into his office with a flushed face, slamming the door behind her without a care.Roseline, not saying a thing in reply to his question, dropped her bag and walked towards his wine shelf to serve herself a drink. "I'm glad you are comfortable enough to waltz around here like you own the place," Frederick hissed, his tone full of sarcasm and annoyance."They spent last night together," Roseline gritted out after downing the whole glass of wine. Reaching to serve herself another glass, she decided against it and took the whole bottle with her as she sat on the couch opposite Frederick's working area."You are talking about Mark and Lily, right?" Frederick asked with raised brows as he relaxed into his chair, and Roseline nodded in reply before taking a big gulp of wine. She scowled as the pictures she had received resurfaced in her mind. "Mark hasn't slept outside his home, not even at his parent's since he move