Both women turned to look at the screen at the same time, their attention quickly followed by everyone else in the room. Yet for some reason, a wave of unease
washed over Sienna.
She nced at Queenie, only to find Queenie already watching her. Queenie’s lips curled into a faint smile, and Sienna felt a cold sweat break out down her back as she hurriedly averted her eyes.
There was no way. That assistant had been sent out of the country overnight–it was impossible, absolutely impossible!
The entire hall was plunged into darkness, save for the glow of the big screen.
Awe Studios‘ logo appeared, the unmistakable emblem of Queenie’spany.
Music swelled, and the promotional video for the Tree of Life Collection began to y.
As the audience noticed the simr color palettes and the almost identical collection names, a murmur of spection rippled through the crowd. People leaned in to whisper to their neighbors, while more than a few reporters, sensing scandal in the air, trained their cameras directly on Queenie seated in the verys
row<i>. </i>
“Whose showcase is this?” Fortune whispered, a sinking feeling in her gut. But
Sienna had no time for doubts now.
“Turn it off! Shut it down, now!” Panic crept into Sienna’s voice as she yanked the power cord from theputer, shutting it off. But the screen remained unchanged–the video kept ying as if nothing had happened.
“What are you all standing around for? Shut it off!” Sienna shouted. Only then did her staff snap out of their stupor and scramble to find the screen’s power switch.
Unfortunately, they iled like headless chickens, unable to do anything about the screen. Meanwhile, in the control room, Ste lounged back with her legs crossed, calmly munching on an apple as she watched the chaos unfold on the security
monitors.
“Useless idiots,” Sienna’s voice echoed through the hall, drawing irritated frowns from more than a few guests.
“Get a grip! Are you trying to make things worse?” Fortune hissed, gripping her arm. Sienna shook her off with a furious re.
Chapter 86%
<b>She </b><b>was </b><b>used </b><b>to </b><b>having </b><b>her </b><b>way</b><b>–</b><b>no </b><b>one </b><b>ever </b><b>dared </b><b>defy </b><b>her</b><b>. </b><b>Now</b><b>, </b><b>humiliated </b><b>in </b><b>front </b><b>of </b>everyone <b>at </b>her own event, how could she possibly <b>keep </b><b>her </b><bposure</b><b>? </b>
Thankfully, the promo video finally ended, but before either of <b>them </b><b>could </b><b>breathe </b><b>a </b>sigh of relief, a new video–this one heavily censored–shed onto <b>the </b>screen.
A woman sat nervously, fidgeting with her hands. Her face was blurred, but her voice remained clear and unmistakable.
Sienna’s eyes went wide with shock. “No… it can’t be. She’s supposed to be out of the country! How did Queenie find her? This is impossible!”
She lunged toward the screen, so fast that Fortune couldn’t hold her back.
The exhibition hall was still cloaked in darkness, the spotlight illuminating Sienna for all to see. Every frantic movement, every tremor of panic, was on full disy before the entire audience.
“Utter fool, Fortune muttered through gritted teeth, her face dark with frustration, but she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Sienna had lost allposure, while the subtitles on the screen piqued the curiosity of even the most impatient guests. Instead of leaving, they settled deeper into their seats, eager to witness the unfolding drama.
“Who are you?” appeared on the screen.
“I’m one of the designers at Awe Studios,” the blurred woman replied.
“What did you do?” Each question popped up before thest could be fully answered.
“I… I…” The woman stammered, anxiously picking at her fingers, her unease painfully obvious.
“Why did you leak the design drafts to apetitor?”
“It wasn’t leaking–I… I helped design those pieces too. I only gave away the parts I worked on, not… not the whole thing.” She shook her head, denying the usation, but the guilt in her voice was impossible to miss.