Despite the ongoing scandal in the fashion world, the national competitions continued as planned; however, the semi-finals of the competition were redone, with one of the losing teams brought back to the game. It was the one closest to the Merissa team's marks. All four groups were reshuffled. Wilson still maintained first place, with Lily in second, Fairies in third, Funray in fourth, and GV Fashion, who had replaced Yellow Hills, in fifth. According to the previous arrangements, Wilson gets a pass to the finals, while the rest of the team competes against each other. This time, Lily's was matched with Fairies Fashion School, and both will have to compete for a spot in the finals. The host walked onto the stage with a bright smile, almost as bright as the light in the hall. "Hello everyone!" He greeted me with a wave of his hands and a cheer. "As you all know, due to some circumstances, we have to replace a team in the semi-finals so that we all can have a fair competition." He
Immediately after the semi-finals, Lily was summoned to the police once again, where she met Mrs Smith, looking pale and unkempt while waiting for her.She scoffed, gave her a side glance and walked past her to the officer in charge of the case. "Hello, Miss Tuner, thank you for coming on such short notice," the officer greeted."Hello, I'm glad I could be of help in any way possible. Are there any developments with the case?" She replied, sitting down in front of the officer. "Well, like I said at the time, the investigation has been completed, and the testimony you gave matches up with everything, so you can proceed to press charges against Miss Smith.""But…. There’s uh…." The officer hesitated not knowing how to say his next words."But?" Lily asked with a raised brow, and the officer gave a tight smile. "Her parents are hoping you don't press charges. They want you to settle it without going to court, they are ready to pay any amount in compensation," the officer voiced. Lily
"Finally! It's the day we have all been waiting for!" The host announced. "It's the finals, and today, to get an overall winner, Wilson's fashion team will be going against Lily's!" Cheers of excitement erupted all over the hall as the fans of each team raised banners and lights to cheer the teams on. "I am as excited as you all are," the host laughed. "This year's competition has been the most exciting national competition in the fashion world so far. Not only do we get to witness talented individuals competing against one another, but we also get to witness some amazing drama. I can retire without regrets now." "Anyway, I don't want to bore you with my long talks. I can already feel all your impatience. So without wasting much time, we will invite both teams to the floor." He continued."The theme given by the team is a futuristic concept. We want our designers to bring the future into the present. We want to be carried away by the dreams and aspirations that involve the future,"
"Are you here to gloat about your victory?" Marissa sneered as Lily sat in front of her with a smug smile and a mocking expression."There's nothing to gloat about; even if I did gloat, I earned the right to do so," Lily replied, her posture elegantly relaxed yet domineering."How does it feel to be locked behind bars?" She mocked with a small laugh, "I'm sure you have never imagined yourself in your position right now. I also never thought there would come a day I would have to personally deal with the insignificant Smith family, but here I am," She chuckled mockingly, making Merrisa grit her teeth in annoyance."What do you want from me?" She sneered, and Lily shrugged. "I came to see your loser face, and it's hilarious just as I thought it would be, but then again, I came to inform you that you succeeded when you pushed Lily down those stairs." Lily's face dimmed as she said the last part.Merrisa's face paled, and the grip on her clothes tightened. "What do you mean?" She asked
"Congratulations on your big win!" Celina cheered as she walked into Lily's studio to see her buried knee-deep in paper-printed orders. "Oh my, did I come at the wrong time?""You came at the right time; I need a distraction from all these," Lily replied with a smile as she gestured to the papers scattered around the office. "How was your trip to London? Did you enjoy the break?" She asked, and Celina rolled her eyes before letting out a frustrated sigh."For the most part, I did enjoy the trip, but it's all work. The shoot for the magazine was so stressful since I had to film in several locations, and I just got a new assistant as my previous one got married. It's still taking time to get used to the new face." Celina replied."I watched your competition though, and I must say, I wish I met you earlier before you established your clothing line. At least I would have been able to get you to work for LAM," she teased, and Lily chuckled."Well, I guess I am glad we didn't meet earlier.
Lily froze up as she took in Mark's stunned expression. Her hands became clammy as her heart rate sped up. "I... Uhm... I was only talking to myself. I just remembered a scene from the novel I read online," she stuttered, hoping he never heard the parts where she had just outed herself. It took Mark several minutes to recover from his surprise, and by the time he did, she was already packing to leave.He grabbed her by the arm and raised a brow. "Leaving after you dropped such a bomb?" He asked, not knowing whether to be amused or angry."What bomb?" Lily asked, deciding to play ignorant. "It was a scene from the novel I was reading to pass the time," she repeated, and Mark rolled his eyes.As Celina returned to their table, she was met with a scene that was interpreted as two lovers arguing. “Oh? Did I come at the wrong time?” She asked with a raised brow as her eyes strayed towards Mark’s hand holding Lily's arm.“It's nothing, I was just leaving,” Lily replied with a flushed fac
"This is the list of people I would like to keep among the existing staff members," Lily voiced as she placed a big brown envelope in front of Mr. Wallace. "And these are the lists of people I want you to recruit for the new phase we are starting." She added before taking her seat opposite him."Apart from those people on the list, every other person in the company should be let off. I've done background checks on all of them and decided that keeping them will not be beneficial to the new developments," she explained."They are all just as corrupt as their former employer. I can't afford to keep them," she breathed out.Mr Wallace looked through the files with furrowed brows before nodding approvingly. "I didn't hear from you for a week after you gave the money for the refurbishment, and I thought you were leaving all the work for me," he remarked. "Who would have thought you'd be this thorough?" he chuckled.Lily shrugged as she took a sip of her water. "It's a start-up company, t
William stared at the computer screen, with his hands clenched to stop them from trembling. Ever since the first message he received from the hacking incident, he has been getting messages similar to that every week. And each time, the message gets even more detailed than the last. He let out a frustrated groan, unable to take his eyes off the picture on the screen. That picture sent him right back to that day.The supposed family dinner that triggered the beginning of his misery.It was a picture of Victoria's dying moment. The blood stains and the poison. All are vividly captured and turned into a painting on the canvas.At this point, it was no longer a guess about whether or not someone else knew about the incident. It is a confirmed fact that someone out there knows something.How much did they know was still up for debate? 'Was it necessary?' That was the note attached to the picture. And the question he had been asking himself as of late.Was it necessary? Was it worth it?
"Is that Mark's private car?" Lily asked with a frown as she watched the video gotten from the camera close to the factory address sent to her.{The plate number index matches that of Mark's private car. However, this video was made about three weeks ago.}Frowning, Lily replayed the video again. It was a car driving on a highway in the middle of the night. Seeing the date, she recalled she had a date with Mark that night and after he had hurried off. All through their time together, it was even more restless than usual. "Is this all you found?" {There is a similar video of him returning back to the city. But he hasn't gone back to the factory after that.}She jumped off her chair, got changed into a comfortable sweatshirt and pants, and a black sneaker. She picked a small hiking backpack from the closet and her wallet as she exited her apartment.{You are going to the factory?}"Yes," Lily replied calmly. "I at least need to figure out why they sent the note even if I don't know w
"Can you arrange a meeting with Annabelle Wilson?" As she sent the message, Bryan replied almost immediately. Lily glanced at Bryan's text and smirked. "De Ox tonight, between 8 PM and 9 PM. Perfect."She quickly tapped out a reply: Thanks. It's such perfect timing.Bryan: Need help?Lily: I'll be fine on my own. With her plan in motion, Lily pulled up the files containing Henry's promiscuity, one she had meticulously prepared for Henry’s misdeeds. Photos, text messages, and financial transactions—everything she needed to plant the seed of doubt in Annabelle’s mind was compiled neatly in a folder.At exactly 8:15, Lily walked into the dimly lit lounge, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. She gave off an air of confidence, dressed in a sleek black dress that hinted at authority and poise. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Annabelle Wilson—a striking woman in her early forties, elegantly dressed in a champagne-coloured gown.Annabelle looked up as Lily a
"I think now is the perfect time to get the computer," Lily announced over the phone. "Given the news about his wife's scandal, Henry and William will be too busy to guard the company like a guard dog." "You want me to send people in there pretending to be electricians to retrieve the computer?" Bryan asked, and Lily hummed. "It will be a bit difficult for me to retrieve it at the moment." Lily replied. "Heard you've not been out of your apartment since the announcement. That's a week ago; that's unhealthy." Bryan sighed. "I'll come pick you up later today, and then we can discuss whatever your plans are." "There won't be a need for that," Lily gritted out as she worked away on her laptop. "I can't afford to be distracted right now.""Is this about Mark's engagement to Roseline?" Bryan asked, making Lily pause as her eyes narrowed at the screen of her laptop. "This has nothing to do with Mark or his engagement." She breathed out, massaging her forehead as she felt her eyes stingi
Lily walked into the living room with an extra sway in her hips as she remembered the event from the previous night. A small smile played on her lips, feeling giddy and excited about the news from the previous night's banquet. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV while waiting for the news with a warm cup of tea in hand. However, instead of the scandal she was expecting, she was met with Mark and Roseline's red carpet photos. Frowning, she turned up the volume just in time for the reporter to announce:"Next on the line of news is Mark Watson, the newly appointed CEO of the Watson Group. The genius businessman has finally announced his engagement with Roseline Anderson, the popular A-list actress."Lily’s smile froze, the warmth from her tea doing little to quell the chill that spread through her chest. Her hand tightened around the cup as she stared at the screen, unable to believe what she was hearing.“Engaged?” She whispered, her voice shaky. “That’s not possible.”The
{Now we wait.} "Can you hack into the security cameras around here?" Lily asked as she returned to the main banquet, still holding the glass of wine in hand. As she walked in, she noticed Henry looking around the hall with a furrowed brow. His shoulders tense and his fingers tightly wrapped around the wine glass. She scowled, her eyes narrowing as she lifted the new wine glass to her lips just in time for Henry to look her way. He visibly breathed out a sigh of relief while his eyes held expectations at seeing her take the drink. {You should know that's a piece of cake. You want me to monitor Kate's movement?} "Yes, get the recordings and send them to the media. I want it to be the first news tomorrow morning."{Consider it done, my lady.}"How long will it take you to hack it?" Lily asked as she began walking towards the toilet area, where she could easily escape the crowd and get out of the banquet.{By the time you make it out, I'll be done.}"I need to pretend I'm affected by
"We got an invite from Hamilton to attend their end of the year banquet," Mr. Wallace reported as he gave the invite to Lily. Lily accepted the invitation, her eyes scanning the elegant gold-embossed card. The Hamilton End-of-Year Banquet—a perfect stage for her next move. She set the card down on her desk and looked up at Mr. Wallace, her expression neutral but calculating."Who else from the company received an invitation?" she asked."Just you, Miss Turner. It’s marked as a ‘personal guest’ invite," Wallace replied. "Of course it is. Henry wouldn’t miss the chance to match me with his son." Lily snickered as she read the details of the invite. Wallace hesitated, his expression full of worry. "Do you plan on attending? It’s bound to be a huge event, and given the recent public opinion about them, it may affect the image of our company if you are seen mingling with them." Lily chuckled softly at Wallace's concern, leaning back in her chair. "The Hamiltons love theatrics. If Henry
"Can you arrange a meeting with Annabelle Wilson?" As she sent the message, Bryan replied almost immediately. Lily glanced at Bryan's text and smirked. "De Ox tonight, between 8 PM and 9 PM. Perfect."She quickly tapped out a reply: Thanks. It's such perfect timing.Bryan: Need help?Lily: I'll be fine on my own. With her plan in motion, Lily pulled up the files containing Henry's promiscuity, one she had meticulously prepared for Henry’s misdeeds. Photos, text messages, and financial transactions—everything she needed to plant the seed of doubt in Annabelle’s mind was compiled neatly in a folder.At exactly 8:15, Lily walked into the dimly lit lounge, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. She gave off an air of confidence, dressed in a sleek black dress that hinted at authority and poise. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Annabelle Wilson—a striking woman in her early forties, elegantly dressed in a champagne-coloured gown.Annabelle looked up as Lily a
"All the traces of the investigation and the clue we've gotten so far lead towards the Andersons," Dexter announced, his voice muffled over the shuffling of documents on the phone. "But we haven't gotten any conclusive evidence that will have them legally checked yet which is why I am saying we are in a dead end." "There should be something you are missing," Mark replied as he shrugged off his jacket, his eyes narrowing on the opened file on his laptop. Despite staring at it, none of the words registered in his mind. After his altercation with his mother, the one that landed her in the hospital, he had been focusing his attention on the investigation. And as if a higher power was involved and supporting them, they were able to have several breakthroughs. However, despite the evidence they've gathered, none of it was solid enough for them to point fingers. Dexter let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, Mark, I’ve tried hacking into their financials, their private communications, even th
"I'll advise you to let go of your stubbornness and pay the money for the costume," David breathed out, his voice strained as he messaged his temple, trying to ease out the build up tension from the past few days. It's been three days of constant back and forth with Lily's Fashion team and his PR team about the issue of the costume, and despite knowing Roseline had been the one at fault, he had tried to play the game in the way that would benefit them. Who would have known that the person behind Lily was someone strong enough to throw his crap back in his face. His eye twitched in annoyance as he noticed there is another topic about the issue trending on almost all special media. To make matters worse, the other side didn't even hire internet trolls to boost the popularity of the whole fiasco. Instead, the situation had attracted enough audience purely based on Roseline's and Lily's reputation. One is the award winning actress from a wealthy family and the other is the winner of