chapter400

Right now, Jenny was holding onto first place, barely ahead of Evalina by just six points. If Lydia decided to vote for Evalina, Evalina would jump to the top spot.

A fair judge would never let personal feelings sway their decision. Someone who played favorites or let bias get in the way shouldn't be sitting at the judges' table. That's why most judges guarded their reputations so carefully, always trying to consider every angle before casting their vote.

Evalina couldn't help but regret her choices. Was she stupid? Why had she sided with that stupid Minnie earlier and managed to offend Miss L in the process? If she'd just kept her mouth shut, Miss L probably would have voted for her without a second thought. But now? Now it was between someone who'd ticked her off and someone from her own country. Of course Miss L would go with her compatriot.

Everyone was watching Lydia, waiting for her to make her announcement.

"I choose number twelve, Jenny."

The crowd exploded. Jenny's supporters cheered and screamed. Her design was just that good and people genuinely loved it.

Jenny's hands flew to her mouth as she tried not to scream out loud like everyone else. She had actually gotten her idol's approval. Was this real life? She was so thrilled she could hardly breathe. Maybe she was dreaming.

Evalina just looked resigned. She'd seen it coming. Of course Miss L wasn't going to pick her. All that work on her design, wasted.

Sierra watched Lydia vote for Jenny and couldn't help but scoff. "Jenny's just a receptionist at Greenward Power. She's not even a real designer. She only won because she's close with Miss L. That's the only reason she's going to be number one."

Sharee was frustrated too. She

mumbled under her breath,

"Seriously, your style and Jenny's are pretty similar, but your design is way more@legant and high-end. But because Jenny works at Greenward Power, she gets all this support from CEO Blake and Miss It's just not air. They keep saying this competition is fair, but it's all just talk. In the end, it comes down to connections. Why even bother with the rest of the contest? They might as well just hand the trophy to Jenny now and save us the trouble."

Sierra looked a little guiltt after hearing that, but she just huffed. What can we do? She's got people backing her up and I don't."

Honestly, Lydia's decision didn't surprise most people. Jenny had already been the crowd favorite. Lydia's vote only confirmed that the audience had made the right choice and that a professional judge agreed with them.

The host smiled and asked, "Lydia, can you tell us why you picked number twelve?"

Lydia answered, "This piece really

captures the freshness and

romance of summer. Every detail shows the designer's creativity and care. My choice is also the audience's choice. It's what everyone was hoping for." She kept it short since the earlier judges had already pointed out all the strengths of Jenny's work.

The audience broke out into another round of cheers. They were already dreaming about the day they'd get to wear Jenny's design themselves, hoping it would be something everyone could afford.

Just as the host was about to announce the results for the first round, someone's voice cut through the excitement from the contestant area.

"Lydia, can I ask why you didn't choose number one, Evalina?"

It was Luna, another contestant from Country D and a friend of Evalina's. Before the competition started, she'd been sure Evalina would win. Back home, Evalina was already a well-known and talented designer.