Meanwhile, Liz was getting an earful from her father, right in front of Larry Wickman. She felt like an ostrich desperately wanting to bury her head in the sand. At this point, she wasn’t sure if she still had any dignity left to show Larry.


    And yet, Larry simply chuckled every now and then, as if he were watching a lightheartededy skitpletely unfazed. That nonchnt reaction made Liz’s heart sink deeper.


    Her crush was slipping away... floating off into the distance... and she couldn’t even chase after it.


    That little ir for dramatics—yeah, Liz definitely inherited that from her father. But setting that aside, she stole a nce at Athena, who was still deep in thought. And really, who could me her? Liz had just told her that Hera left due to an emergency.


    Knowing Hera, an "emergency" could only mean one thing: someone from her lovers was in serious danger.


    And who were her lovers again?


    The male leads, of course—well, maybe everyone except Leo. So, if she pieced it all together, it could only mean that Leo was the one in danger, might be in critical condition, even. His life might be hanging by a thread, and his fate unknown—was he dying? In surgery? Worse?


    Athena, being the person who probably knew Hera best, couldn’t help but worry. Hera was emotional—passionate to a fault. And sure enough, Athena’s instinct was spot on, she really does know her best friend best. Because Hera didn’t just do something reckless.


    She charged into the heart of a gunfight—and didn’t hesitate to take part in it.


    If Athena ever found out what Hera actually did, she’d probably drown her in spit and scold her all night long. But for now, Athena’s mind was tangled in deeper thoughts.


    She couldn’t help but wonder—was Leo’s ident tied to the plot of the original storyline? Was it a ripple caused by some butterfly effect? Or was this truly Leo’s fate, even though he wasn’t even a named side character in the original script?


    Either way, she was genuinely worried about Hera. But at the same time, with Hera gone, someone had to keep an eye on Alice. Athena wanted to see just how well Hera’s design would fare in thepetition—after all, she knew Hera’s n.


    And if she couldn’t be by Hera’s side, then the least she could do was make sure everything went smoothly on this end.


    Soon after, the chatter in the venue died down as the host made his way to the center of the stage, holding the envelope containing the rankings and revealing who would be crowned the champion of the event—the one who would move on to the finale in France. The audience sat on edge, holding their breath in anticipation.


    "First off," the host began, "I want to thank you all for your patience. I know you’re all eager to find out your rankings, so you can start preparing for the finale, that’s every designer’s dream." He paused for dramatic effect, and a few people in the crowd fidgeted nervously.


    "So, let’s not drag this out any longer, or you might just get a scare..." He chuckled, and the audience followed suit,ughter filling the room. With a grin, the host slowly pulled the paper from the envelope, building the suspense even more.


    "Alright, we’ve got some truly strong contenders here," the host announced with a grin. "So let’s begin and reveal the top three rankings!"


    The audience erupted in apuse, the excitement in the air almost tangible. The host began announcing the top three designers, and soon only the runner-up and the champion remained. The room fell into a heavy silence as everyone waited with bated breath.


    "Congrattions to Alice Quinn for winning..."


    Alice’s eyes lit up instantly. She rose from her seat and slowly made her way up the stairs, the host watching her with admiration in his gaze. Unlike Hera, Alice had used her real name to register for thepetition—strategically, to boost her visibility in the entertainment industry.


    The moment her name was announced, Alice turned to the camera with a look of feigned shock—but the grin stretching from ear to ear betrayed her delight.


    She gracefully ascended the stage, taking her time to unt her gown and entuate her features, every step radiating elegance and confidence. She was the picture of a beautiful and talented contender.


    Alice fully intended to use the photos from this moment for marketing—nning to pay some trolls to spread her name and boost her poprity online.


    Athena, however, was unimpressed. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, seeing right through Alice’s performance. Under her breath, she muttered, "What an attention whore."


    Herment didn’t go unnoticed—Zen, seated right beside her, caught every word and struggled to contain hisughter. He bent over slightly, clutching his stomach in an effort not to burst outughing.


    Unbeknownst to them, one of the photographers had snapped a picture just at that moment. And from the camera’s angle, it looked like Zen was leaning in to steal a kiss from Athena, who sat there with arms crossed,pletely unaware.


    Since Athena’s identity had already been made public, it didn’t take long for her being there to catch attention, and this would surely stir up unexpected reactions online.


    Because of that unexpected moment, Alice’s spotlight was unintentionally halved. Some of the reporters and photographers shifted their attention, their lenses now focused on the unaware Athena and Zen.


    Before long, the inte caught wind of the candid photo, and people began shipping them, dubbing the pair "The Boss Heiress and Her Puppy."


    In the blink of an eye, Athena had stolen part of Alice’s limelightpletely unintentionally.


    And just then, the host announced, "Congrattions to Alice Quinn for winning First Runner-Up! And now, our Champion is... Andarta Aria!"