Chapter 915
"I'm speechless. What kind of expression is that? He clearly has no respect for others!"
"Eww. That's how you lose a crowd. I'm declaring that from now on, I will never idolize Alexander any longer. He will never have me!"
"Me too!"
"..."
Amidst the doubtful yells from the crowd, Alexander remained unfazed and slightly parted his thin lips to ask calmly, "Miss Hill, are you sure that this is the final design you came up with?"
Tiana was immediately pulled back to reality and confirmed it without hesitation. "I'm sure."
With an ambiguous smile, he gave her a few nods. "Alright, then." Subsequently, he turned to beckon his assistant over before reaching into the briefcase that the assistant always had with him. Then, he pulled out a piece of drawing paper and showed its front page to Tiana.
"See for yourself. This is a design I came up with a few years ago, and yes, it's identical to the one you just drew. So, did you spend so much time just to show everyone how you replicated one of my designs?"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe paused for a moment before turning to the camera and looking at it with his sharp eyes. "All of you keep saying that the first to show their design is the original designer. All of you have been watching the whole process and are very clear that I did not draw this particular design on stage but finished it before even coming here. So, who is right and who is wrong?"
As soon as Tiana heard that, her face instantly paled and she instinctively gulped to relieve the immense anxiety inside her. Under the intense pressure earlier, she was not in the right headspace and inexplicably began to replicate the design in her mind. It was also because she had been constantly replicating other people's work that it suddenly slipped her mind that during these seven years, all the designs she had been replicating were Amy's!
Just as Alexander said, she had just redrawn a design Amy had completed long ago in front of thousands of people, claiming that it was her original design. At this point, Tiana felt her cheeks stinging as if someone had viciously slapped her.
However, she would never admit defeat so easily, so she forced herself to calm down before stuttering, "I admit I didn't think of a good idea, but the design I drew belongs to me. How many years does your working paper date back to? Mine are back at home and dates back to almost a decade ago. I can send someone to get them if you don't believe me!"
She had replicated almost every one of Amy's designs. Although she was not sure where the working papers were, there should be an identical drawing of this design within the pile of old working papers Wendy had given her since she could replicate it.
At that moment, Prince Caleb came forward to speak up for Tiana, "I know that Amy's not feeling well and I trust her talent. Today's competition has consumed a lot of time and I don't have the energy to dwell on who has plagiarized. As I've announced before, as long as Amy joins this competition, she will be the winner, so Mr. Griffith, please be a gentleman and step off the stage."
However, Princess Diana had a different opinion. "Every competition has its own rules. We can't just bend the rules because of our identities. We should be fair." The moment she said that, Prince Caleb rolled his eyes in response.
Turning his head toward the two royals, Alexander looked straight at them. "If that's the case and as the winner, that's even more of a reason why I shouldn't leave this stage." He then raised his voice and looked below the stage and in Elise's direction before announcing seriously, "Because I am the real Amy!"
Once he finished, the whole scene fell silent. A few imaginary crows happened to fly past their heads, making the atmosphere in the room even more awkward. Even Tiana could not help but raise an eyebrow at his statement. "Have you gone mad? Everyone knows that Amy is a woman!"
"Says who?" Alexander's tone was light as a feather, but it was laced with a majestic aura. "Out of the thousands of people in this place, has anyone ever seen the real Amy? You all speculate that Amy's a woman because she only designs clothes for women. As a result, I will be the one to put an end to this beautiful misunderstanding!"
"Nonsense! I am Amy. I was born an excellent woman and have great talents in fashion design. It's me! Alexander, you're just a thief who wants my identity because you're rich and powerful. I'm telling you. That will never happen!" It was evident that Tiana had fully immersed herself in her victim mentality as she felt so aggrieved that her eyes reddened.
Alexander lightly swept his gaze over her and ignored her words. Then, he walked over and stopped before the judges to bow gentlemanly. "This year marks the first year of Cittadel and Yveltalia's friendship. I don't have much talent, but I'd like to take this chance to offer three sets of custom designs as a gift to wish our countries a long-lasting friendship and never ending peace."
Subsequently, he looked at the crowd and his gaze turned affectionate. "Now, I'd like to invite my future wife, Anastasia, and our children on stage to show everyone these three designs."
Following the direction of his gaze, everyone began to find where 'Anastasia' was. At the same time, the already prepared Elise held onto each of her children with one hand as Irvin grabbed the manuscript before they all walked elegantly onto the stage.
When they arrived before the stage, Alexander personally greeted them and led Elise to the center of the stage. Then, she kneeled and received the design manuscripts that were rolled into scrolls. After telling her kids what to do, she rose to her feet and the three simultaneously revealed the designs.
At that moment, dozens of cameras at the scene all gathered around the stage and pointed their lens at the designs from all directions so that the three designs could be clearly projected onto the big screen.
Almost instantly, the judges at the table jumped to their feet and everyone exclaimed in unison.
"T-That's simply a stroke of genius!"
"That's indeed Amy's work. Bold, arrogant, and out of the box. Hahaha. I never thought that at such an old age, I'd still be able to see Amy's new designs. I can die in peace now!"
"Everyone of them is breathtakingly beautiful. I don't even know which one I should start praising!"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"As expected from a private collection, all of the designs shown so far appear immature and low in comparison to these three drawings!"
"With such a designer present, the fashion industry wouldn't have to worry about not being able to return to its former glory!"
Speechless, Tiana was shocked to the point that her vision went blurry as those words flowed into her ears. Feeling like her world was spinning, she held onto the table with all her might so that she would not fall to the ground.
As she recalled the scene from eight years ago, it was also the moment before she reached her success that Elise suddenly appeared and took away her fame. Presently, it was now Elise's man that pulled her back into the depths of hell once again.
Tears began to stream down Tiana's face as she glared viciously at the floor. All the words she wanted to say had turned into hatred for Elise. Why does she still pester me even after her death? I just wanted the crowd's applause and attention. Is that wrong?!
Meanwhile, Alexander was paying attention to Tiana's expression. He was afraid that she might suddenly go berserk, so he urged Elise to head down the stage. "Alright. Take the drawings and wait for me below the stage."
"Good luck, Daddy!" During her sudden excitement, Alexia forgot to change how she addressed Alexander.
Though the people below the stage could not hear her, Tiana heard it crystal clear. With a twitch of her ear, she turned to stare wide-eyed at 'Anastasia' and her children.
A moment later, she acted as if she had discovered some kind of groundbreaking secret as she lunged at the three while muttering, "I understand everything now! I know what happened! It's her!"
It's Elise!