chapter397

Minnie's face went white with panic. She shook her head hard, voice trembling. "No, Miss L, please, I'm sorry. I really am. I know I messed up!" She just couldn't lose this job. She'd given too much for it.

Cloyd finally relaxed. "Alright. I'll get security to take her out. She won't be working here again, ever."

In the contestant section, Evalina watched Minnie sob and plead as security dragged her out. The sight made Evalina's hands go cold. What if Miss L came after her next? What if she refused to vote for her? Evalina almost wanted to slap herself for ever getting involved.

Once things calmed down, the eleven judges took their seats. Blake sat in chair number one, Lydia in number eleven, the two of them far apart.

The international fashion competition was about to begin.

Two hosts walked on stage and kicked things off with a short speech. Then Cloyd came up to lay out the competition rules. Every design had to be original, with a clear and unified concept from the first sketch to the finished piece. The judges wanted to see clever use of cultural elements, as well as a sense of where fashion was headed. Designs had to be both creative and practical, with the potential to actually sell in the real world.

The competition was split into three rounds.

In the first round, each designer had to sketch an outfit based on the event's theme, all within a tight time limit. The sketch had to show the front and back of the outfit, include a collection name, inspiration, an explanation of how the design related to art, and a step-by-step description of how the garment would be made.

As soon as the host called "start," everyone got to work.

This year's theme was "Summer Future." Each contestant had just sixty minutes to complete a full sketch, front and back.

Lydia turned down the volume on her phone and kept playing her game. She honestly hated being a judge. It was just so boring.

Jenny, Marissa, and other

contestantss, were sitting together. They were nervous, but at least they had each other. The venue was huge and packed with people They couldn't spot Lydia anywhere, but just knowing she was somewhere in the crowd, watching, made them

feel a little less anxious.

Some contestants finished their designs in under an hour. Others didn't make it in time and were immediately out.

There were 120 contestants to start. After the first round, 38 were gone. Sixty minutes was barely enough. Normally, a single design would take days, maybe even longer. But this wasn't just any competition. The standards were way tougher. Only the best could handle the pressure Lydia, for example, could pull together a design in just a few minutes.

The remaining 82 contestants now had their designs displayed on the giant screen on stage. The audience, made up of 50 members, and the 31 11 Judges would vote to pick the top 50 who would move on. Each audience member got two votes, worth one point each. Each judge had one vote, worth ten points. The rankings

would be based on total scores.

As the hosts took turns explaining each design, the audience cast their votes. Then

it was time for the judges to give their comments and make their picks.

"Now, let's invite our 11 professional judges to vote for our contestants."

With that, the lights over the judges' table finally came up, brightening the once- shadowy area. Instantly, every contestant turned to look.

Even from far away, Jenny and her friends immediately spotted a familiar, cool silhouette.

"Marissa, look... is that Ms. Norwood?" Jenny's jaw dropped. She could hardly believe her eyes.