“Maybe.” Molly Walker curled her lips and snorted in her heart.
She didn’t bla him for taking a bath with soone else, but now Michael Gallagher was blaming her?
Watching Michael get into the Jenkins family’s car without looking back, Molly gritted her teeth and walked towards the RV.
Before reaching the door, she couldn’t help but look back.
It seed that Michael sensed her gaze and also looked in her direction.
As their eyes t, Michael looked away.
Molly scoffed and stepped onto the RV. Joshua Thompson quickly supported her, fearing that their unborn baby might get hurt.
As the non-invasive DNA testing results had not co out yet, and the baby’s fate in her stomach was uncertain, Molly’s eyes moistened.
Her competition failure and Michael’s treatnt of her wore down even her strongest defenses, leaving them full of holes.
As she got into the car, suddenly a voice called out, “Miss Walker, Miss Walker, wait!”
Molly stopped and looked at the woman rushing towards her.
Short hair, a suit, long legs in high heels, sharp and heroic.
“Miss Walker, hello, I’m Mr. Crane’s assistant, Alyssa Evans.” The short-haired assistant handed her a business card, politely saying, “Mr. Crane would like to purchase your design from today’s competition. We wonder if you would be interested in selling it to us, at the price you na.”
Offering to pay any price was a sign that they didn’t care about the cost.
Hearing the na “Mr. Crane,” Molly kept her composure and smiled.
Harry Lambert had told her that the event sponsor was nad Stephen Crane.
“Miss Evans, are you talking about Stephen Crane?”
Alyssa Evans nodded, “Yes, Mr. Crane really appreciates your design.”
Molly smiled, not understanding: “If he appreciates my design so much, why would he sabotage in the competition?”
Alyssa didn’t expect such a direct question, and her face froze imdiately.
The atmosphere suddenly beca awkward.
Having worked with Mr. Crane for a long ti, Alyssa was experienced enough to maintain a polite smile. “Competitions are always fair; Mr. Crane would never do such a thing. Besides, scores are given by the judges, not Mr. Crane. There’s no such thing as sabotage!”
Molly kept silent and smiled.
No matter how much Alyssa tried to cover it up, the details revealed her guilty conscience. Knowing Alyssa was just an employee, Molly decided not to press the point.
“Miss Evans, that design ans a lot to .”
“Miss Walker, I know you’re upset today, and Mr. Crane knows you’re unhappy with the outco. But Mr. Crane said that as long as you na your price, no matter how much, he will buy your design. It’s another form of compensation for you.”
Compensation…
If she didn’t understand what was going on, she’d have lived in vain all these years.
It was Stephen Crane’s way of openly admitting he had sabotaged her competition without caring about the consequences. He was ready to compensate her, no matter the price, since he could afford it.
“I know Mr. Crane has money…”
Molly’s smile turned mocking, her eyes pitch black and as deep as ink.
Stephen Crane dedicated his life to designing and established a well-known luxury brand that even celebrities had to line up for custom orders. His personal net worth was astronomical.
“I also know that no matter how much I ask for, Mr. Crane will buy my design.”
Upon hearing Molly complint Stephen Crane, Alyssa raised her chin, feeling sowhat proud.
Mr. Crane valued soone’s design and wanted to buy it, that was a great honor.
No one could resist money.
Mr. Crane’s reputation was well-known both inside and outside the industry, and there was no design he couldn’t purchase if he set his mind to it.
After all, no one would quarrel with money.
“Miss Walker, Mr. Crane is eager to see your design in our luxury brand. We won’t waste your hard work.” Alyssa coaxed gently, “I believe you know Mr. Crane owns many luxury brand subsidiaries; once your design receives global acclaim, your own value will multiply.”
Any designer would find it difficult to resist such a tempting offer of fa and fortune.
“What do you think, Miss Walker? Have you made up your mind?”
“It is indeed quite tempting.”
Alyssa Evans wore an “I knew it” expression.
“In that case, let’s sign the contract.” Alyssa Evans took out a prepared contract and pen from her bag, but before she could open it, Molly Walker already refused.
“Although I’m tempted, I’m not short of money.” Molly paused and added, “Nor fa.”
Indeed, wealth combined with fa is attractive.
Alyssa didn’t expect Molly to refuse; she thought she must have misheard.
“Miss Walker, do you want to… reconsider?” Alyssa’s face showed a trace of urgency. “Mr. Crane’s accomplishnts in design are among the world’s best, and the price is up to you to decide. You’ll miss this opportunity and won’t have it again.”
“You think my sister will lack your money?” Joshua Thompson, who had been listening, knew Molly’s general thoughts and saw Alyssa trying to pester; he harshly retorted, “My sister has no shortcomings except too much money she can’t spend. Mr. Crane dominates the competition. Why not just continue his shady dealings, eliminate my sister from the finals, and then buy her design? This kind of behavior, giving a beating and a sugar, would be despised even by an ordinary designer, let alone Mr. Crane.”
“People say Mr. Crane is impartial in design, but I think that’s all there is to it. You’re cheating my cousin because you’ve received so benefits, right?” Natalie Lambert took over, sneering.
Alyssa’s forehead furrowed at these words.
She didn’t know whether Mr. Crane had received benefits or not, but she was sure Molly Walker, an unknown designer who erged from nowhere, could not represent Orientopia in international competitions.
National competitions did not tolerate accidents.
Even though she admired Molly’s talent, so rules were still rules, and neither Mr. Crane nor Orientopia’s senior executives dared to take risks.
But she couldn’t say such things openly; these unwritten rules could only be understood by oneself.
Alyssa took back the contract and regretfully said, “Mr. Crane loves talent. Since Miss Walker isn’t interested, I won’t force the issue.”
She understood Mr. Crane’s character; if he really wanted sothing, he would find a way to get it.
Molly was hard to win over; in that case, let Mr. Crane himself do it.
“If Miss Walker changes her mind, please contact at any ti.”
Molly didn’t respond; Alyssa smiled politely at her and turned away.
Molly lowered her eyes, thinking of how her design would be buried like this; her heart felt as if it was suffocating, unable to breathe.
As a designer, all she hoped for was for her designs to be recognized.
But today’s competition disappointed her.
She had heard about the competition’s dark side, but this ti, she experienced the darkness firsthand.
No wonder talented designers did not deign to participate in such competitions.
Behavior like Stephen Crane’s, rigging the competition and then buying the design, probably happened more than once.
She disdained it and did not want her design to appear in public this way.
“Cousin Ivy…” Natalie saw her in low spirits and held her hand. “It’s good that we didn’t participate in such an unfair competition so as not to ruin our reputation.”
“Everyone knows you’re the real winner.” Zoey smiled and held her phone up for her to see. “The internet is going crazy, and everyone is waiting for you to crowdfund so they can buy your jewelry.”
Seeing the scrolling comnts, Molly’s eyes brimd with tears.
“Such a design didn’t win, so there must have been dark dealings.”
“Even if it didn’t win first place, it should have at least made it to the top three. I was looking forward to the international finals, but now I don’t care.”
“Did Molly touch the interests of so capital because she designed affordable jewelry?”
“What’s wrong with affordability? We ordinary people can only afford to buy gold at most, and we can’t afford those noble jewelry outside of necessities. Molly democratizes jewelry, allowing ordinary people to buy and collect, how great is that!”
“Exactly, I used to not dare watch such competitions; those designs were bought by luxury brands, costing tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, which our class can’t afford to play with. I don’t know about Molly, but I know the jewelry she designs is affordable to us, and that’s enough.”
Scrolling through the comnts before her eyes, Molly felt emotionally stirred with tears in her eyes.
She never thought so many people would like her designs.
Right, what does winning a championship have to do with it? As long as people like her designs, that’s enough.
Having accepted so many jewelry design orders over the years, she had long achieved financial freedom.
And now, she wanted to design more aningful things.
As for ranking and reputation…
Well, she didn’t want them anymore.
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