Jonathan's instruction rang through the microphone and to the speakers in the event venue. He'd not said a word during the other participants' showcase, yet now he was asking to meet Kelly in person!Did that mean the award was right on the horizon for Kelly? The audience gazed at Kelly in sheer admiration, the latter which was buzzing with excitement.Jonathan Finch had called personally for her. Did that mean she'd finally caught his attention? She took a deep breath to compose herself. She couldn't look too shocked now that Jonathan was looking at her.Smiling pleasantly, she was about to accept Jonathan's offer when the man spoke again, "But before that, let us see the final participant's creation!"He then went out of the lounge and backstage.Kelly frowned lightly, asking, "Final participant? Weren't there only 28 of us? I should be the final one, right … ?"Next thing she knew, the participant list had been displayed on screen. Kelly grew rigid with fright when she saw tha
"So you two are sisters? No wonder you share the same surname! If that's the case, would you be willing to stay here and witness your sister's creation?" the host asked, surprised.Kelly gnawed angrily at her cheek. Rose's grip around her arm tightened, making her grit out, "Of course I will!"The host nodded at Rose."Your mask, Ms. Rose … "Rose took her mask off, revealing her pale and fragile visage. Miles couldn't help but stand up, watching her in utter shock. No one noticed him when he did this, however.All of a sudden, a design sketch appeared on the screen onstage. It was drenched in blood, the bright color making everyone reel away."What … is this?""Why is there so much blood?"Rose turned to look at the screen and was left shocked. "What's going on?" A judge asked.Kelly immediately put on a worried act."How could you be so careless as to let your design get so dirtied, Rose? What if people think you're disrespecting the competition?"The judges instantly fr
But he was nowhere to be found in the audience. Still, Rose was certain this was the work of her star escort husband.Just then, someone applauded in the audience. As if awoken from some spell, the rest of the audience erupted into riotous claps, giving their approval to Rose's creation.Kelly never anticipated things to turn out like this. How could Rose have drawn up a design in such a short amount of time?She stared intently at the design, then, as if latching onto a bone to pick, said, "It is a beautiful necklace. Yet why does it seem to be more of a pair of rings?"As stunning as this necklace was, it wasn't derived from the design sketch itself. That meant it was bound to be disqualified!The judges all had a look of uncertainty on their faces now as they discussed amongst themselves.Rose turned back to the stage. She hadn't forgotten her purpose here today. She sneered, about to retort when Miles suddenly called out from the VIP seating area, his voice loud and clear."
Kelly was panicking inside under Miles' gaze. All of a sudden, a thought came to mind: if she admitted that she was Ms. Flora, she'd win this competition for sure!Kelly couldn't help but feel delighted, knowing that Jonathan was watching her right now from somewhere behind the scenes.She said humbly, "Yes. I didn't want to reveal my identity at first, but I forgot to leave out the signature in my sketch this time. By the time I thought about changing it, it was too late, so … "Kelly knew her lie wouldn't stand up to question one day, but by that time she would've already won Jonathan's heart over. So, she had nothing to fear!To her surprise, when she finished speaking, Rose chuckled lightly beside her. Kelly was about to ask her why she was laughing when Miles laughed as well. It was dripping in sarcasm and disdain. "Did you know, I happened to meet Ms. Flora in person a couple of days ago, right here in Aquastead? You're not who I met up with at all," Miles exclaimed.The c
The host received Jonathan's instruction. Without the slightest delay, he said, "It turns out that Rose is Ms. Flora. This flame symbol is her trademark, and it's identical. How could it appear in Ms. Kelly's work? The only explanation ..."He had barely uttered these words when another exceptionally pleasant voice chimed in."The only explanation isn't that Rose stole Kelly's design, but rather, Kelly stole her design ..."As the words trailed off, the owner of the voice had already taken the stage. Everyone gazed in astonishment at Ezra, who was dressed in an all-white suit. However, Ezra only had eyes for Rose. He strolled over to her while ignoring the others and purposefully bent slightly, his handsome face coming level with hers. His amorous eyes sparkled with a mischievous charm."Is that so, Rose?"Rose's breath caught as she was taken aback by his smile. Perhaps from this surprise, a sudden dizziness overcame her. Subconsciously, she took a step back, losing her balan
"Clearly, I was about to become the champion and gain immense fame; I could even catch Mr. Finch's attention. It's all because of you ... all because of you that everything has been ruined! You've ruined everything, so how about using this hand to make amends?"Kelly viciously grabbed Rose's injured left arm. "Without this hand, your talent and beauty won't matter anymore. Let's see how those men will protect you!"She exerted more pressure, causing Rose to tremble with pain. Blood oozed from the wound, and Rose tried to push her away. Nevertheless, she was too weak at that moment.Just as she was about to lose consciousness from the pain, Kelly was suddenly kicked away with great force."Ah!" she exclaimed.In the next moment, Rose found herself in familiar arms. In a daze, she saw her star escort husband's worried face. "Hubby," she subconsciously called out before slipping into unconsciousness.Kelly had initially intended to curse. However, when she saw the person in fron
An hour later, the auction was coming to an end. When Rose woke up, she overheard a conversation between the two nurses who were staying to look after her. "Oh my goodness, 500 million! The couple's rings sold for a staggering 500 million!""And the fire opal necklace, they were all bought by Mr. Finch ..."They were excited as they gossiped. They had overheard the commotion from the auction outside; there were at least three parties continuously bidding, creating an insane atmosphere."I wonder who the final lucky owner of that couple of rings will be ...""That's obvious, given how nervous Mr. Finch was for Ms. Shaffer just now ..."They exchanged glances while brimming with envy. However, upon seeing Rose had awakened, their expressions suddenly changed.The hospital director had warned them not to mention Jonathan in front of Rose. Furthermore, they couldn't reveal to her that he had saved her."Ms. Shaffer ..." one of the nurses said, looking concerned.Rose's mind was f
"So, why do you want to find him?" Jonathan asked, his voice laced with frustration.A chill emanated from him, sending shivers down Rose's spine. She didn't have time to ask him what was bothering him as she explained, "Of course, to retrieve the couple rings. I heard that the rings were auctioned, and I want to keep them for myself. I need to stop them from signing the contract."Jonathan scoffed and said, "It's just a pair of rings. What's the big deal?""How could it not be a big deal!" Rose's immediate instinct was to keep those rings. It wasn't because of her design, but rather the strange feeling she had developed when she saw the finished product.The host mentioned that someone had turned her design into a finished product. While she hadn't confirmed it, she was certain that the person was her star escort husband. She glanced at Jonathan.Their marriage had been nothing but a transaction, but she still wanted to keep something. With the one-month deadline approaching,