Chapter 1279:


    “Holy cow! She really knows what she’s talking about. I brought up that fountain thing before. Nobody took me seriously.”


    “I genuinely believed nts inspired the series. Turns out I was totally off base, huh?”


    “She’s spot-on! I just did a quick search. Maia nailed every detail.”


    Maia scanned the hall. She tacked on one more point. “These days, people treat this series more like a ‘lucky charm.''”


    She finished speaking. Her eyes moved to Kiley. They were crystal clear, seeming to look straight through Kiley’s scheming. A question came out. “Should I be the one to give the firstmentary on this piece?”


    Kiley’s face went rigid for a second. She pulled herself together fast, though.


    The answer Maia had given was spot-on. She’d even exined the symmetrical beauty concept behind the design. This proved something important—Maia genuinely understood jewelry design, at least for this particr collection.


    Kiley brushed it off internally. The real evidence would surfaceter. She’d wait and see how Maia tried to worm her way out of that one. The saying held true: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.


    Kiley addressed the crowd. “Ms. Watson, we appreciate your introduction.” Her attention turned to Anti. “Anti, what’s your take on Ms. Watson’s response? Anything you’d like to add?”


    She deliberately ignored Maia’s offer. The microphone went straight to Anti instead.


    Down in the audience, Rosanna’s frown deepened. Heat flooded her face. Embarrassment washed over her.


    Maia actually knew her stuff about jewelry design? For real?


    This possibility had never crossed Rosanna’s mind. The reality stung. She was the one who’d been totally in the dark. Not Maia.


    Damn! Prison hadsted four years for Maia. How much knowledge had she picked up in there? Did she seriously know everything now? It seemed impossible.


    Read thetest updates at gα?ησν???s


    A wave of self-hatred hit Rosanna right then. A dark thought crept in. Maybe Maia wouldn’t have be this aplished without help. Rosanna had set her up. She’d gotten Maia thrown behind bars for four years.


    Up on stage, something shifted. Anti’s gaze slowly lifted. She acknowledged Maia’s presence for the first time since this whole thing began. Her lips pressed together. The microphone came up slowly in her hand.


    “Maia Watson, I presume?” The question came from Anti, who, despite being only seventeen, tilted her chin up with the practiced condescension of a seasoned professor. It was a technique she had perfected through her extensive attendance at high-profile gs and international events. Amanding opening exuding professionalism and confidence was often enough to silence dissent and secure agreement.


    Even if she made an error, her admirers would reinterpret it as a stroke of genius, a unique insight only a top designer could possess.


    A yful yet unmistakably arrogant note entered her voice. “It seems you’ve done some basic research, but you’re merely reciting facts. You’vepletely failed to grasp the distinctive soul of this collection.”


    Her words immediately captured the room’s attention.


    What did she mean? The distinctive soul?


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