Chapter 253 A Gift for Emma
Caroline was initially puzzled upon receiving a toy car, but her bewilderment soon lifted when she read Gabriel's message:
"A gift for Emma."
Those four simple words conveyed the depth of Gabriel's affection for little Emma.
Sophia, catching sight of the toy car, directed a suspicious glance Caroline's way.
"That brand must cost at least thirty thousand, right? You're buying such an expensive toy car for Emma?"
Caroline offered an awkward laugh, "It's just a replica. I've been picking up some extra work lately, and I just got carried away when I was feeling happy."
Sophia was skeptical. She noticed Caroline had been buying many things for Emma lately. Normally, Caroline was fair, ensuring that if Emma got something, Ethan would too. Yet, this time, she had made a purchase for Emma alone.
Could Ethan have done something to upset Caroline?
Caroline also felt troubled. For the next two or three days, Gabriel had been incessantly sending gifts!
Each time she had to scramble for excuses to fend off Sophia's curiosity.
She even started to wonder if Gabriel somehow knew that Emma was his daughter.
Was there such a thing as a connection by blood? Gabriel hadn't even seen Emma's face clearly but was already so fond of her, showering her with gifts. What if he actually saw her?
Caroline shivered at the thought, wondering if Sophia could hold her ground if confronted with a man as wealthy and influential as Gabriel.
The national clothing competition's semifinals were about to start, and with just three days to spare, there was a sudden announcement: a change in the rules.
Different from the preliminaries, where designers simply submitted their works through a system and tackled relatively manageable challenges, the semifinals required contestants to sew a garment on-site. This wouldn't have posed much of a challenge since designers could come with their sketches already prepared.
However, with the updated rules demanding an impromptu design on-site based on a given theme, the difficulty had increased exponentially.
Unsurprisingly, everyone was baffled by the rule change. Yet, with the competition drawing near, they had no option but to brace themselves and forge ahead.
With the raised stakes came the promise of more participants being eliminated. Only the best of the best would proceed to the finals, which was guaranteed to be an exceptional showdown.
On the eve of the competition, Sophia received words of encouragement from both Larry and Jake.
On the day of the contest, all contenders gathered in the lobby. Sophia recognized several familiar faces from her industry.
While some of them, already acquainted, sat together, discussing the day's events, most were strangers to one another, each engrossed in their preparations.
The colleagues Sophia spotted, whom she admired, were also present, marking the first time she had seen them in person.
She was actually a little bit of an introvert, not fond of chatting with strangers, so she stood off to the side, engrossed in her smartphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you can now enter the venue."
Upon hearing the announcement, the crowd gradually made their way into the competition area.
Following the seat number she had previously obtained, she located her assigned sewing machine station.
"The judges are coming in."
Not long after sitting down, the panel of judges entered.
"Oh my gosh, isn't that the Vice President of Elegance Threads Corporation?"
"It really is her! She's the famous Designer Arya Stark, the second in command at Elegance Threads Corporation!"
"No wonder the competition rules were changed at the last minute!"
Elegance Threads Corporation was a family business with several hundred years of history. It started out by selling fabrics and then began manufacturing its own garments exclusively for royalty and aristocrats, managing to survive through several upheavals.
A few decades ago, during the last major upheaval, the descendants of the founder of Elegance Threads Corporation emigrated to the M Country, leading to the disappearance of the company for a while, before it rose again on the M Country soil.
Today, Elegance Threads Corporation had become a leading giant in the entire fashion industry.
Celebrities walking the red carpet at international film festivals were often dressed in garments produced by Elegance Threads Corporation, and numerous stars had even fought over the privilege of wearing an outfit from the company.
"I'd heard there would be a mystery judge this time, but I had no idea it would be Ms. Stark from Elegance Threads Corporation."
"Why do you think Elegance Threads Corporation is serving as a judge?"
No one knew exactly why, but everyone was aware that this was a beneficial turn of events for them.
Sophia was too far away to get a good look at Ms. Stark, but she was thrilled inside.
Her idol, Catherine, had once studied at Elegance Threads Corporation, and after completing her training, Catherine had overcome her own limitations, launched a new brand, and achieved instant fame.
It was like a shot of adrenaline for all the contestants.
"Please, quiet down, the competition is about to start. Once you receive your assignment, please orderly select the fabrics you need."
When Sophia went to pick her fabrics, she got a clear view of the judges sitting at their table.
Outside of Ms. Stark, whom she had seen online, there was another person Sophia recognized—Randall!
He was actually one of the judges!
Randall saw Sophia too. He shot her a brief smile that had an ambiguous meaning.
Sophia felt goosebumps all over her body; just thinking of that incident made her feel sick.
With someone like him as a judge, did she even have a hope of advancing?
Randall would probably try to sabotage her.
Despite this, Sophia still wanted to give it her all. Like everyone else, she clung to a sliver of hope.
What if Ms. Stark took notice of her?
In Ms. Stark's presence, what did Randall really count for?
Sophia picked out her fabric and returned to her sewing machine, then sketched a simple outline.
For a while, the only sounds on the scene were everyone sketching their designs and operating their sewing machines.
The competition was set to last a considerable amount of time. Ms. Stark couldn’t sit still. She stood up and walked toward the floor below, prompting the other judges to follow suit.
Ms. Stark started from the first row, examining each contestant's work.
"Don't mind me, focus on your own," she instructed.
One of the contestants noticed Ms. Stark coming to look at her design and, in a moment of nervousness, nearly pricked her hand with the needle.
After Ms. Stark finished with the first row and saw several judges trailing behind her, she frowned, her expression turning stern, the fine lines on her face becoming more pronounced.
"You don't have to follow me. Go do whatever you want," she said firmly.
Among all the judges, Ms. Stark held the highest status, and it was her idea to change the rules of the competition temporarily.
The original set of rules was too simple for her liking, lacking the difficulty required to accentuate the competition's significance.
Ms. Stark was decisive and authoritative. Having come from the M Country, the first thing she did upon arrival was to revamp the rules, standing firm against everyone's objections.
When she arrived next to Sophia, she noticed her embroidering methodically, not flustered like the others, and couldn't help but nod in approval before silently moving on to the next contestant.
Randall also approached and stood next to Sophia for half a minute, "hmmphed," and then walked away.
Sophia, focused on her work, barely noticed Ms. Stark's approach. She wouldn't have even realized Randall was there if he hadn't grunted.
The event was being broadcasted live by the media, so no one dared to make any suspicious moves.
Margaret was watching from her office on her computer. She thought the sudden rule change might rattle Sophia, but found her to remain steady..
Gabriel came back from a meeting.
"Has the fashion competition started?" he asked Alex.
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