Chapter 32 Appear In Three Seconds
The man’s voice was so loud that almost everyone in the venue could hear him.
They couldn’t deny that the female winner was indeed young, but could there be more to the situation than met the eye as the man had suggested?
The latter, who had an easily recognizable square face and booming voice, continued his tirade. “Radiant Corporation has disrespected all fashion designers by randomly picking a winner. What an utterly disgusting company!
Now that the company’s reputation had been called into question, the judges’ faces instantly darkened.
“What should we do now?” Gina whispered as she turned her head.
Yosef hadn’t once lost his cool since the heckler made those outrageous claims, nor was he about to let his decision be swayed. Christina’s design was undoubtedly the best among everyone else’s! Whether it was her choice and matching of colors or her tailoring skills, she outshone them all!
Meanwhile, lan had ordered the security guards to take the man away. After all, how could they change the winner for no rhyme or reason?
It’d be ridiculous if they did!
The security guards quickly approached the heckler, but the latter refused to budge and even began. screaming at the top of his lungs, “Get off the stage, Christina Steele! You’re not worthy!”
As the incandescent light shone harshly on Christina’s face and revealed the glint in her eye, she fixed the man with a cold, hard stare.
Hushed whispers constantly rang out around her, and she knew her competitors also believed she didn’t deserve to win.
After all, she was nowhere near their level of qualifications and experience when it came to fashion design.
Tina curled her lips into a half smile and gave Christina a side-eye. “I can’t believe you still have the nerve to remain on stage. You sure are thick-skinned, aren’t you?”
“Exactly. I’d be running off in shame if I were her.”
“Perhaps being shameless is what she’s good at. It’s bad enough to be hooking up with the boss, but she has even resorted to cheating with the judges. How disgusting.
Christina, on the other hand, merely scoffed. Ha! These people have such wild imaginations! They should quit being designers and become screenwriters instead. How would I, an individual who had only just stepped into society, have the power to bribe the judges?
Just then, her sharp gaze fell on the heckler below the stage. This face… Why does it seem so familiar?
Not only was the man tall and burly, but he also barely flinched when the security guards tried to hold
him down.
With the way he had his phone out while vilifying Christina, those who didn’t know any better might even think he was venting his anger because of unrequited love.
1/4
At the start, he only said Christina cheated, but it didn’t take long before he escalated the issue and dragged Radiant Corporation through the mud.
Needless to say, the crowd soon broke out into jeers.
What shocked them, however, was when the woman standing in the limelight suddenly turned around and walked off the stage.
Oh, my. Has the embarra**ment gotten to her, or is she ashamed that her cheating scandal has been exposed? Either way, being ridiculed and insulted while on a public stage can’t be fun. Anyone in her shoes would feel mortified too.
Naturally, the four judges were just as shocked. They hadn’t been bribed, and Christina had won the competition fair and square. Why was there a need to get off the stage, then? Wouldn’t her actions. suggest she was guilty like the man had claimed?
Then again, Christina was merely a young lady in her twenties. What more could they expect from
her?
Meanwhile, Zachary had had enough of how things were developing. If the man continued to spew accusations about Radiant Corporation, their company’s reputation would undoubtedly go down the drain.
Just then, Christina suddenly returned to the stage.
After borrowing the host’s microphone, she flashed a work pa** to the audience and turned her attention to the man.
“Sir, is this your work pa**?”
Stunned, the latter quickly looked away. “T-This…
Thanks to the bright lights, everyone could see that the photo on the work pa** was that of the heckler. Even though he didn’t admit it, those in the crowd had already confirmed his identity.
It was clear as day that the work pa** belonged to the square-faced man. Not only was his name on it. but his company logo was also hard to miss.
“You’re an employee of Modern Fashionista, and as everyone knows, Radiant Corporation and Modern Fashionista have been the fiercest competitors in the fashion industry in recent years. However, I can’t believe you’d use such underhanded tactics to attack Radiant Corporation’s designers!”
When it came to domestic fashion brands, Modern Fashionista used to be the biggest name until Radiant Corporation gradually surpa**ed them over the years.
There were even a few occasions when Modern Fashionista plagiarized Radiant Corporation’s designs. resulting in countless lawsuits between the two companies. Although those were eventually settled out of court, Modern Fashionista continued to look for opportunities to bring Radiant Corporation down.
With that, the square-faced man’s intentions had become apparent.
A smirk crept across Christina’s face. “No matter who the winner is, you’d still raise your objections. Isn’t that right?”
Upon hearing that, the man’s face turned deathly pale. Sh’t. My plan to stir up trouble has been exposed! I
can’t believe I dropped my work pa** while tinkering with the elevator earlier. Worst of all, this b*tch was the one who picked it up. How infuriating!
The next second, he pushed the security guards away in an attempt to leave. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Hands off me! I’m leaving this instance.”
At the same time, Zachary stood up and ordered the security guards to apprehend the man. “Leaving so soon? You spread malicious falsehoods about Radiant Corporation and expect me to turn a blind eye to it? No way. I’m holding you accountable for it.”
After the security guards had led the troublemaker away and handed him to the police, the crowd finally quietened down.
Since Christina had proven that she won the competition on her own merits, the other designers knew better than to continue mocking her. They instantly fell silent, not at all daring to mess with the talented young lady,
Once the competition ended, the contestants promptly returned backstage to pack up. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Christina lugged her big bag and left to look for lan
“Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Zimmerman,” she said with a polite bow. “Also, thank you for hosting this competition so I can showcase my skills to the world.”
Back then, lan was the only one who had stepped forward to help her when everyone else questioned her ability. If it weren’t for him, people would truly think she made her way up by selling her body, and she’d be reduced to nothing more than an embarra**ment in the fashion industry.
Ian had recently taken to wearing a black shirt that was both flattering and also lent him an almost mysterious and cold aura.
“The person you should be thanking isn’t me. It’s Nathaniel Hadley,” he said smilingly.
Christina’s eyes widened as she stared at the man in confusion. “Huh?”
“He called me the day after your scandal broke and instructed me to put on this act of rescuing a damsel in distress. He was also the one who paid for all of the competition’s expenses.”
After lan had taken his leave, Christina remained speechless and frozen to her spot.
The day after the scandal… Wasn’t Nathaniel overseas, then? He still cared so much about me even though he was bury, huh?
Christina felt all warm and fuzzy in her heart, which instantly dispelled her prejudice against. Nathaniel.
When she finally got out of her daze, she fished out her phone and dialed the latter’s number. Within seconds, the call went through. “Where are you?” she asked. “I want to meet you.”
Nathaniel had been quietly monitoring the entire situation and even considered intervening as soon as things took a turn for the worse. To his surprise, Christina saved the day herself.
One thing was for sure-the young lady was not to be underestimated.
“What’s the matter? Do you miss me?” Nathaniel teased, his voice so silky smooth that there was no way one could be mad at him
Christina pursed her lips. Oh gosh. How is he always flirting with me, regardless of the situation?
“I’ll give you three seconds. If you can appear before the time is up, I’ll admit I miss you, she replied checkily
With that, she craned her neck to look at the entrances on either side of the building. At that moment, there was nothing but emptiness and pin-drop silence.
Nathaniel chuckled. “Start counting”
m
