The investigators discovered clear traces of Xylia’s signature style at Xylic Studio, which pointed unmistakably to her creative hand.
This confirmed that the dress was indeed designed by Xylia.
The official statement was posted online, making it clear that Xylia’s design was fully her own work from start to finish, with no signs of taking credit for any other designer’s creations. They also invited anyone who felt there was unfairness in thepetition to share their feedback at any time.
At the end of the official post, Xylia’s design was featured for everyone to see.
The dress was a stunning example of modern chic–it featured a soft pastel green tulle skirt sprinkled with tiny nude–yellow blossoms, and was cinched at the waist with a slim leather belt. Romantic in spirit, it carried an air of effortlessly free elegance.
In no time, the official post blew up with random users piling on thepliments for this dress.
[Oh my god, this is literally my dream dress! Is there a link yet? Has it gone on sale? My paycheck’s just sitting here waiting to be spent!]
[Hallelujah, women’s fashion finally has hope!]
[This is hands down my most–wanted item of the year. Forget the iPhone 17, nothing else evenes close!‘
[‘I know this designer–her studio is called Xylic Studio. They haven’tunched an online shop yet, but their team of amazing designers create one–of–a–kind pieces tailored exactly to your requests. The best part? The pricing is super reasonable.]
‘Xylic Studio, noted!]
][‘Xylic Studio always delivers something special. Xylia runs the ce–there’s no way she’d ever risk her brand by copying anyone.]
[People are just jealous, that’s all. They <i>try </i>to stir up drama, but honestly, Xylia’s legit talented!]
The inte was on fire.
Women’s fashion had gotten so bizarretely that everyone was fed up with not being able to find something decent to wear–but as soon as Xylia’s new designs dropped, Xylic Studio became the answer to their prayers.
Everyone scrambled to add Xylic Studio’s customer service contact.
The studio, already busy, was suddenly swamped with requests.
Even though Tessa was suspected of making usations against Xylia, the organizers only gave her a warning instead of any real punishment, since they had an open policy about people voicing their opinions.
Meanwhile, Connor was officially called out for using his connections to influence things behind the scenes.
12:10 <b>Sun</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>21 </b>
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But in the same post that criticized Connor, <b>Tessa </b>actually got a shoutout from the organizers–praised for her integrity and impartiality, for speaking up and pointing out the problem right in front of everyone at thepetition, even when it involved someone close to her.
Thements under this post switched up their vibepletely.
‘LOL, she was aiming for Xylia, and somehow turned her own guy in instead.’
‘Not her man, okay? She’s denied it twice<b>–</b>said she’s single and not married. At best<b>, </b>that’s her future husband!‘
‘The official ount <b>is </b>savage. Levels of irony: maximum!‘
‘Never thought I’d witness someone totally ying themselves online–props to Ms. Schultz for that move!‘
‘Heard Ms. Schultz was a principal dancer once, but she had to bow out after missing the selection round. Now she’s just trying to get noticed in showbiz.
‘I remember catching some drama about Tessa before–didn’t she get into trouble for a hit–and–run?‘
‘For real? That’s seriously messed up. If people like her can make it in showbiz, the whole industry is done for!’
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As things heated up, online sleuths started doing a deep dive into Tessa’s history.
Connor had already made sure the inte was scrubbed of anything about Tessa’s hit–and–run scandal.
But mysteriously, someone managed to bring it all back to the surface.
All of a sudden, those users who’d been lurking for months sprang back to life, digging up hidden dirt–every buried detail of Tessa’s hit–and–run incident.
With the officials backing it all up, the inte went full–on witch hunt–nobody was safe, and Tessa was getting dragged through the mud like never before.
But Connor had already set things up so someone else took the fall for Tessa. No matter how wild the inte got<b>, </b>they could rant all they wanted but couldn’t pin anything solid on her.
Still, Tessa’s reputation was toast.
At the vi, Connor snapped at Tessa for the first time.
“You’re not the type to act without thinking. Why would you target Xylia like that, especially in public? Now your reputation is shot, and Ford Group’s Norhill branch is dealing with endless headaches because of you. When did you be someone like this<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Connor was fuming.
Connor’s face was stormy as he tore into Tessa.
12:10 <b>Sun</b><b>, </b>Sep 21
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Tessa was already feeling hurt, and the moment Connor startedying into her, tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.
She red at Connor, her voice shaking as she shouted, “You’re yelling at me just because of Xylia, aren’t you? You feel bad for her, so the minute I go after her you’re all over me, desperate to find fault!”
“Tessa, this has nothing to do with Xylia. You’re the one who messed up! Can’t you see that?”
Hearing Connor defend Xylia only made Tessa’s anger boil over.
“Connor! I knew it–you still have feelings for Xylia. You’ve been dragging your feet on marrying me because you’re hung up on her. Ever since we got to Norhill and you started seeing her, you’ve been acting like a totally different person. The way you look at her… it’s obvious you’re in love with her, isn’t it?”
Connor met her gaze, eyes cold and unyielding. He didn’t bother answering herst usation–instead, a smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
“Twice now, you denied being married to me right there at thepetition. So tell me, who’s really the one unwilling to walk down the aisle?”
Tessa felt a twinge of guilt, but she quickly brushed it off, refusing to let it show.
She honestly didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. She was about to join a new cast soon, and if news about marriage leaked, it could totally tank her career momentum.
Plus, Connor kept dragging his feet every time the topic of marriage came up–it was pretty obvious he wasn’t nning on going through with it.
Now he was just trying to flip the script and me everything on her.
“Don’t try to change the subject. I know you still can’t get Xylia out of your head. Good luck going up against Joshua!”
With that, Tessa stormed out, mming the door behind her.
Furious, Connorshed out and kicked the coffee table over. Cups and tea ttered to the floor, the crash echoing through the room.
Upstairs, Sonny stood at the top of the stairs, watching Connor and Tessa go at it.
Those bright, grape–like eyes didn’t show the slightest fear–he just looked on like an outsider watching someone else’s drama.
In just a month, he’d gone from a headstrong kid to a cold, unfeeling machine.
Even when it came to his own father, all Sonny could feel inside was disappointment.
He really missed the days when his mom was still there for him.
Just remembering her gentle hugs and soft, loving smile almost made him cry.
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He wished he’d never acted out or treated her so badly before.
If only he’d protected her when his dad was hurting her–he hated himself for not stepping up.
But now, it was toote. His mom didn’t want him anymore.
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Meanwhile, Joshua was the one pulling the strings, making sure the hit–and–run scandal involving Tessa blew up online.
He even sent someone down to Jupiton’s police station to talk to the person who took the me in her ce.
You could bet it wouldn’t be long before the real truth was about to explode online.
Joshua sure wasn’t about to let anyone who messed with Xylia get off easy.
Aaron was handling a mountain of tasks for Garcia Group.
Once he’d finished his own tasks, Joshua made his way over to Xylic Studio again.
With Connor stationed in Norhill, Joshua knew he had to keep constant watch over Xylia.
He couldn’t risk her getting hurt, not even for a second.
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