Chapter 749 Masterpiece
Oh, no… The hefty price of coveting Nathaniel’s woman.
Hendrick’s target was indeed Christina, but if he tangled with Nathaniel, his dream would turn into a nightmare.
If Nathaniel were to discover his intention toward Christina, being flayed alive would be the least severe punishment Hendrick could expect. That Grim Reaper will undoubtedly do away with me.
“Ah… I haven’t done drafting my project proposal, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to discuss the collaboration with Mr. Hadley so rashly. After all, Mr. Hadley’s time is precious, and I can’t afford to waste it.” Wearing a resentful expression, Hendrick was forced to cast aside his lewd thoughts. “Since you’re busy with work, Mrs. Hadley, I won’t disturb you further. Let’s meet another day.”
Victoria sneered, prompting Hendrick to flee in a panic.
Watching his pathetic retreating figure from behind, Christina couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why did you scare him? Just let him be. He has the intention but certainly lacks the courage to act on it.”
Victoria snorted. “If he had lingered a few more minutes, I would’ve beaten him up. Has he got the nerves of steel or something? I can’t believe he dares to try to covet you without considering who your husband is.”
Her impression of Hendrick couldn’t be worse. Every time she thought of his lecherous smile, Victoria felt
nauseous.
“I’m counting on the fact that he won’t do me any harm, which was why I didn’t confront him outright earlier. Hendrick is a David and Winston’s relative, so keeping him around may still be useful.”
“But you didn’t have to sacrifice your dignity to accomplish that goal- Mmm!”
Christina abruptly covered Victoria’s mouth with her hand. The latter glared at Christina, threatening Christina to let go with her stern gaze.
Christina dragged her aside. “Victoria, this mall belongs to the Hadley family, and there may be people around who are a*sociated with Mr. Hadley. Are you trying to tell everyone that Mr. Hadley is about to be cuckolded by me by making a huge fuss about this? Please spare me. If Mr. Hadley gets mad, even I can’t handle his wrath.”
Realizing how recklessly she was, Victoria smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. I just spoke my mind without thinking much.”
Christina reminded her, “Don’t repeat this mistake again. We can’t let another person know about our meeting with Hendrick here today.”
Victoria nodded.
Three days pa*sed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the fashion show soon arrived.
Christina finally knew what was the big surprise Victoria had arranged for her.
It was Hera’s jewelry sponsorship. Not only did Hera generously lend jewelry to Victoria to support the event, but she also personally came to the venue to watch the show.
The initially quiet venue was instantly packed with visitors. Journalists arrived in waves as the flashes of
their cameras flickered incessantly
“What do you think of this surprise, Christina? Victoria arched her brow smugly
“Absolutely amazing!” Christina enthusiastically pecked Victoria’s cheek a few times. “This is your reward my dear Victoria”
“That’s not enough. You have to treat Hera and me to meal after this event ends” Victoria seized the opportunity to make her demand. “We want a luxurious and scrumptious seafood feast. I will not accept anything less
“Of course. I’ll make sure you can eat to your heart’s content, Christina chirped. “The fashion show is about to start. Let’s get down to business first. We need to go backstage and do a final check.”
Christina was walking ahead when Victoria tugged at her all of a sudden. She turned around in confusion. “What’s the matter, Victoria?”
Victoria’s gaze was fixated forward. “Christina, isn’t that Melanie? Why is she wearing the final piece 1 designed for this fashion show?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she uttered those words through gritted teeth.
Shifting her eyes following Victoria’s line of vision, Christina indeed saw Melanie wearing Victoria’s masterpiece, Floral Goddess.
The billowing hem of the pink gradient dress was adorned with handmade roses and shiny white rhinestones that sparkled under the bright light like a dazzling starry night sky. The strapless design of the dress also accentuated the charm of a woman’s clavicle perfectly. Finally, an artificial floral wreath was the crowning touch, giving the wearer an overall vibe that was elegant and yet not excessively glaring.
With Melanie’s temperament, she could certainly pull off the gracefulness of the dress. However, on closer look, the overall vibe lacked a sense of liveliness but was laced with an additional hint of sultriness.
Unfortunately, that hint of sultriness went against Victoria’s original intent for the design.
Victoria, in high heels, stormed up to Melanie, causing several staff members who were applying makeup on Melanie to be startled.
“Who swapped the model for the final piece without consulting me?” Victoria swept her piercing gaze across everyone present as her loud reproach reverberated backstage. She reached out to pull at the dress on Melanie. “You are not qualified to wear my dress. Take it off now! At once!”
Melanie curled her lips composedly. “So, this is your masterpiece, Ms. Lesley. I understand your feelings at the moment, but I didn’t intentionally steal someone else’s chance to take the stage. The original model is my junior, but she hasn’t been feeling well in the past few days, so I’m taking her place.”
Replacing a model at the last minute was an error in the preparation of a fashion show and could risk turning a great event into a mess.
Victoria uttered solemnly, “I’m the designer for this dress, so I have the right to prohibit a model from wearing my work on stage. Melanie, you’re unworthy to put on my dress.”
The grin on Melanie’s countenance was laced with traces of resentment. “But the event is starting soon, and my makeup is already done. Are you sure you want to replace me at the last minute? Wouldn’t it be a pity if the masterpiece couldn’t be presented to the public in the most perfect manner?”
Melanie had to admit she liked the dress Victoria designed. That was why she resorted to despicable means to substitute the initially selected model, making herself the model to wear the final piece.
“I’d rather this dress become a pile of rags than let you tarnish this design’s original intent and meaning” Victoria grew more agitated as she spoke. She began yanking the dress off Melanie, causing chaos to erupt
at the scene.
As Christina was pregnant, she didn’t dare to get involved in the altercation that was evolving into a scuffle.
At that moment, Rayne hastened over. “Christina, what’s going on? Why are they fighting?”
“Contact the security guards to come and break them up. Hurry up!” Christina instructed Rayne. The latter swiftly ran to call security.
A few minutes later, the entangled Melanie and Victoria were finally separated with great difficulty.
Victoria was scratched and bruised, and Melanie wasn’t in better shape either. Her makeup was ruined, and it was already too late to redo it.
Rayne didn’t understand the grudges and disputes between Victoria, Christina, and Melanie. All she saw was the crumpled masterpiece that now resembled a lump of pickled vegetables.
She almost pa*sed out in fury. “What should we do? You’re supposed to go on stage in half an hour. There’s no time to iron the dress and redo the makeup!”
Christina walked over and glanced at Melanie coldly before asking Rayne in an undertone, “It’s fine whether the masterpiece is presented or not. As for Melanie, I want to know how she managed to bypa*s me and Ms. Lesley’s personal selection to become the model for the final piece of the show.”
