Hailey's eyes were rimmed red as she glared viciously at Serena. She watched as the younger woman stood surrounded by those towering industry legends, like the moon encircled by stars.
Completely untouchable.
Hailey clenched her fists, a suffocating wave of resentment crashing over her, rendering her numb to everything else.
Her gaze was filled with absolute hatred.
*That bitch...*
*She did this on purpose!*
*She planned this from the very beginning!*
Serena clearly had the evidence all along, but she intentionally held it back just to watch Hailey make a fool of herself, just to watch her reputation burn to the ground!
"Are you satisfied now? You've ruined me! You've completely destroyed my life!" Hailey broke down, her shrill, raspy voice cracking as her face contorted in madness.
Serena's brow barely twitched as she cast a lukewarm glance in her direction.
Her clear eyes held not a single trace of a victor's gloating. They were nothing but calm and indifferent.
"Are you even worth it?"
Her red lips coldly parted to deliver those few words.
The insult instantly made Hailey bare her teeth in fury.
Black Jack giggled again, her eyes brimming with sheer mockery. "Next time, ask yourself if you're even worthy of being a target before you play the victim!"
"Someone like you? You're not even qualified to be Serena's rival!"
Every single word felt like a brutal, jagged blade of humiliation stabbing straight into Hailey's pride.
She watched as Serena turned and walked away, escorted by the most prominent figures in the jewelry world.
She moved with such effortless elegance and aristocratic grace.
As if she were born to stand in the spotlight, commanding the admiration of everyone around her.
Meanwhile, Hailey was being manhandled by law enforcement, dragged further away with every step.
A thoroughly pathetic loser.
Swarms of reporters charged forward, cameras raised high.
As Hailey was hauled away, she caught one final glimpse...
The venue's massive screen suddenly shifted its camera angle, panning directly over the audience—
Marianne shrieked as she leaped out of her seat.
Patrick Wynn's face was livid. Snatching up his suit jacket, he turned and stormed off.
But a mob of ruthless reporters immediately blocked his path.
Marianne was deathly pale, looking as if she were about to pass out on the spot.
Benedict Wynn shielded his mother, violently shoving his way through the crowd.
Marianne frantically tried to hide her face from the flashing cameras.
But it was completely futile.
They were no match for the rabid frenzy of the press.
Dozens of microphones were practically shoved down their throats.
Nearby, the members of the Cole family looked positively sick.
Desperate to sever ties they
immediately turned and fed in the
opposite direction.
But earlier, they had paraded around the venue loudly claiming the status of Hailey's future in-laws.
There was no way the reporters were going to let them escape that easily.
The questions hurled at them were merciless and sharp.
Adrian Cole shoved away the lenses pushed into his face, taking massive strides toward the exit.
His expression was dark, and the look he shot in Hailey's direction was filled with absolute, unadulterated disgust.
Hailey lost all the strength in her body. Like a literal piece of trash, she was dragged out of the competition venue.
Over the venue's speakers, Daphne's
voice rang out once more:
"Apologies for taking up your
valuable time, and to the other
contestants for delaying the
competition."
"As a token of our apology, once the event concludes, my mentor will host a private dinner for all the participating designers. If any of you have questions during the meal you are more than welcome to converse with her directly."
"And of course, there will be a banquet arranged here for everyone else in attendance."
Even without seeing the stage.
Hailey could hear the deafening cheers and cries of joy exploding over the audio
feed.
She could hear people screaming-
"Long live the legendary Queen!!"
"Queen is incredible!"
"Queen is a god!"
Biting down hard on her lip in despair, Hailey was shoved into the back of the police
cruiser.