Haley nodded and responded in her indifferent tone, "Oh."Stella, who had originally intended to boast in front of Haley, was left speechless. She thought to herself, "Oh? What's with that attitude?"It felt like punching a pillow, leaving Stella with a deep sense of frustration.She glared at Haley, determined to prove herself. "So what if you've inherited JY? Today, I'll show you what real skill looks like."Haley remained unfazed by the challenge. "Sure, anytime."She was curious to see what Stella was up to.At that moment, a staff member came out and addressed the contestants waiting in the hall, "The competition is about to begin. Please get ready."The previously noisy hall fell silent as everyone prepared to enter the venue according to their assigned numbers. There were over 20 contestants, including some well-known industry designers and a few fashion design students from nearby universities.Haley quietly encouraged her team, "Don't be nervous during the competition.
After saying her piece, Haley turned her attention away from Stella, not giving her any more thought. Marrying Shane had never been about money or status for her. Initially, she just wanted to get back at James and Xena. But later, everything Shane did for her won her over. She ended up falling for him almost without realizing it. After that, everything fell into place naturally.Thinking of Shane, Haley could not help but smile, her dimples showing, radiating a sweetness that was hard to describe. Onlookers could not help but be drawn to her. Some reporters even raised their cameras to capture her image.Stella, observing this from the side, felt a surge of jealousy. Life truly was unfair. Some people were born with everything. Haley had been the princess of JY Group from birth. Even after being betrayed by James and abandoned by her father, she was still cherished by Shane.Stella’s thoughts were interrupted by the announcement from the staff, "Contestant number 23, Xena Carte
The intensity of Haley's presence made the staff member nervous. If something went wrong at the competition, her paycheck would definitely be affected. She hurried to the back and quickly returned with the items Haley had requested."Miss Haley, here are the things you needed."She glanced at the countdown timer and noticed there was less than half an hour left, her heart tightening with worry. "Miss Haley, will you have enough time?"Haley glanced at the clock, frowning slightly. It would be tight, but she was confident she could manage."It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Just be more careful next time," she reassured the staff member in a low voice.The staff member let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Miss Haley, thank you so much." Not wanting to waste any more of Haley's time, she quickly left.Stella had been keeping an eye on Haley's situation. Seeing Haley's sketch ruined brought a smug smile to her lips. It seemed luck was on her side today! She was sure she would win th
"Find out who did this! I want to know who dared to mess with my woman," Shane commanded, his voice seething with anger.Even through the phone, Dean could feel his boss's rage. After hanging up, he rubbed his arms, noticing the goosebumps that had formed. Someone was definitely going to pay for this.On stage, Haley was still deeply focused on her sketch. The time left was rapidly dwindling. Creating an outstanding piece in just half an hour was almost impossible. All the contestants here were highly skilled, so Haley could not afford to take them lightly.As the countdown approached its final moments, everyone watching the competition held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen displaying Haley's work. Despite knowing the near-impossible odds, they could not help but feel anxious for her.With only ten seconds remaining, Haley's hand continued to move with precision. Many spectators shook their heads, thinking she had no chance, and began to shift their attention to the oth
Louis was about to say something when a cool female voice interrupted from his side. "Mr. Lowe, it's best not to jump to conclusions before we've seen all the entries."The speaker was Luna Jenkins, the founder of a fashion company, known for her sharp looks and even sharper tongue. Mr. Lowe's expression stiffened. "Miss Jenkins, what I said is the truth. Can you find a design better than Stella Campbell's?""Why don't you continue looking at the remaining entries?" Luna gave him a cold glance, seemingly seeing through all his schemes.Feeling a bit guilty under her icy gaze, Mr. Lowe reluctantly continued, though his confidence wavered. "Fine, I'll look. I doubt there's a design better than Stella's—"He abruptly stopped talking. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the design in front of him.Seeing his reaction, the other judges quickly gathered around. When they saw the exquisite design, flawless in every detail, their expressions turned to shock. How was this p
Luna, known for her strong personality, did not change her attitude regardless of the other person's status. At this moment, her stance was unwaveringly firm.Louis opened his mouth to say something but ultimately stayed silent. Luna was right that he had no evidence to prove Haley had cheated. Yet, he remained convinced it was impossible to produce such an outstanding piece in just half an hour. Even as a top designer with over 20 years of experience, he doubted he could achieve that.How could a 20-year-old girl like Haley do it?When the judges' scores were announced, the other judges gave Haley's work scores of 9 or even perfect 10s. Only Louis gave a score of 2.Haley was momentarily stunned when she saw Louis's score. Just as she was about to speak, a staff member asked, "Mr. Louis, could you explain why your score is so different from the other judges'?"Louis sneered and said, "Maybe my standards are different. In my view, a piece created through cheating is worthless."
"What are you so proud of, Haley? It's just empty talk!" Stella thought to herself. Stella could not believe that someone as young as Haley could genuinely be that skilled. Even industry veterans would not dare claim they could produce an outstanding design in just half an hour. Why should Haley be any different?A judge in the audience asked, "Miss Haley, can you tell us if you cheated?""No, I did not," Haley replied firmly.Louis sneered and spoke in a harsh tone, "Creating such an excellent design in half an hour? That's impossible."Despite the skepticism, Haley remained unruffled. She calmly replied, "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't.""You...!" It was the first time Louis's professional ability had been questioned openly, and he was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "You're a rookie in this industry. How could you have such skills? Are you just trying to create a buzz for your company?"The audience erupted in murmurs again, a
Although the contestants were already exhausted and reluctant to continue competing, some held onto the hope that if Haley really had cheated, the additional competition would expose her. The design competition strictly prohibited plagiarism and cheating. Anyone caught would be disqualified and banned for three years. This was a huge temptation for those who wanted to win.After much deliberation, most of them agreed to the additional round. Only Stella's face turned pale when she heard about the new competition."I disagree! Why should we all suffer for one person's mistake?"Haley narrowed her eyes slightly, her cool voice tinged with a hint of coldness. "I am the victim here, am I not?""Don't change the subject. We just finished one round and are already exhausted. We're not in the best condition to compete again.""I am also exhausted. Besides, I completed two design sketches in the same amount of time, so if anyone should be more tired, it should be me, right?"Stella sta