Hailey stopped what she was doing and glanced at the time.
The final countdown had begun.
Two minutes left.
She looked over at Serena again.
She saw Serena still leaning back lazily in her chair, her eyes closed.
It looked like she had fallen asleep.
Hailey couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh.
Had she just given up?
If she didn't know anything, why was she putting on an act before?
She actually dared to compete with her!
Did she think Hailey would back down? Did she think she could intimidate her with sheer attitude?
Pfft!
This was the price for pretending to be something you're not!
Hailey scoffed, looking at Serena with a provocative sneer. "Giving up? I guess that makes sense. A low-life like you, raised in the middle of nowhere, wouldn't know a thing about our high-society world. All you can do is admit defeat."
"I don't know what you were trying to prove, daring to compete with me! Apologize to me right now, and since the Wynn family did raise you for so many years, I'll do you a favor and let you have this one."
Her voice was dripping with false sincerity.
Serena's long, dark lashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened.
Her clear, cool eyes were like a deep pond, rippling with an unsettling light.
When their eyes met, Hailey's voice caught in her throat, and she fell silent.
She swallowed hard.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, and a strange chill crept up her spine. Hailey shivered involuntarily.
Serena's gaze landed on Hailey, cool and lazy. Her eyes held an expression of ultimate mockery.
"High-society world?"
She spoke, her voice cool and dignified, tinged with a faint smile. "Hailey, you've only been back with the Wynn family for a few months, and you already think you're part of the upper class? Do you really think you can learn everything about that world in just a few months?"
Hailey's expression changed.
Ever since she had returned to the Wynn family, the one thing she hated most was people mentioning her past.
She never wanted anyone to know what she had been through!
She worked so hard to fit into high society, to package herself perfectly, all to escape her past!
But Serena's words were a deliberate attempt to make everyone aware...
That she, Hailey, had grown up in an ordinary town, enduring hardship after hardship.
Wasn't Serena just bitter about being sent back to the slums and trying to drag her down from the world of the wealthy?
Furious, Hailey slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet.
"Time's up!"
Suddenly, Dr. Kerrick's voice rang out, cutting off Hailey's tirade.
The one-hour countdown on the large screen stopped.
The young assistant immediately stepped forward, covered both trays with the red cloths, and carried them to the display table in the center of the stage.
Hailey's anger was stuck, hanging in the air. Her face paled and flushed in turns.
A few seconds later, she took a deep
breath, shot Serena a venomous glare, and sat back down. "Since the Competition on is over, it's clear, th that your so-called fairness is anything but! demand that the organizers apologize to me immediately! Apologize to all of us designers!"