*2 WEEKS LATER*
*Huston corp*
This is the core company, heading all of the assets all over the world...
Adrian who was sitting at his desk, as his hands worked majestically on his laptop, and he looked extremely handsome as he typed, his perfect jaw line, and his eyes that could draw anyone in...
A light knock interrupted the silence...
Adrian without budging said "Come in", because anyone who could get to the top floor, either have an appointment or something important to do...
Because you can't get past the tight security...
Fedrick came in and greeted "Good Afternoon"
"Afternoon" Adrian replied as he glanced at Fedrick...
Fedrick took a sit opposite Adrian...
"Snake gang are on the move, they're planning to use today's competition as a chance to infiltrate, our company, so they can find out which gang is backing us to acquire our company, this is what I heard from an Intel, but he didn't know who was sent as the spy" Fedrick said...
Adrian smirked "Hmph, nice try, they should come"...
"You are still the same indifferent Adrian, aren't you attending today's opening competition for fashion designers?"...
"Nah I will attend on the last day, did you schedule the meeting with the Lawton family?" Adrian asked...
"Yeah, it's scheduled for next week Tuesday, 9 am" Fedrick said
"Alright then, check with the base" Adrian said to Fedrick as he resumed his work...
"Sure" he stood and walked towards the door and added "one last thing, your beauty will be competing" Fedrick said as shut the door as his laughter resonated through the hallway...
*Stella's home*
Today marked the beginning of the competition, Stella prepared hard with her mum, she got to discover a lot of things from her mum these past weeks, It seemed her fashion designing skills came from her mum...
She stopped her part-time jobs, and put all her strength into the competition...
Her mum successfully convinced her dad, saying that it would increase Stella's chances of getting a rich suitor, if she wins the competition...
And that's literally the only reason Stella's dad supports her...
Stella was dressed in her beautiful pink floral sundress, it was a bit above her knee, with a rope tied behind her neck. Her beautiful skin was evident, she packed her hair in a ponytail and let down two curls at the front, you could say she was ready to steal hearts at this moment, looking as stunning as ever..
Stella's mum gazed at her beautiful angel as she was happy to have Stella as her child...
She walked up to Stella and held her face "My angel, an eagle always flies till it gets to its destination and no matter what it keeps flying. So no matter what happens, keep flying my love and one day you will get there"
Stella immediately hugged her mum and said " Thank you so much mum" Stella held her mum's shoulder and added "With those reassuring skills and techniques you've taught me these past weeks, I think I would be able to secure a nice job mum"
"You are going to win because you are talented" Stella's mum replied...
After exchanging encouraging words they left the room. Then, Fiona came to pick Stella up and they both left for the competition...
*Grand Hall*
The Grand Hall is one of the biggest halls in this city. It's majorly used for large events...
Today about five thousand participants are present, but only a hundred will qualify...
There was noise as everybody looked for a perfect spot to sit...
Fiona bid Stella goodbye and wished her good luck at the entrance of the Grand Hall.
Faced with the immense crowd, Stella struggled as she squeezed herself in to find a space to sit...
It looked more like the battle of survival of the fittest rather than a competition, as contestants struggled to get a seat, Stella finally secured one...
She was sitting beside an guy who was undeniably handsome. Stella couldn't help but steal glances...
A while later, everyone was seated, the entrance door was closed...
A tall slim beauty came on the stage as she explained the rules of the first stage...
She also made it known that any malpractice would lead to immediate eviction...
A question paper was passed around, and all you had to do was answer the question correctly to get to the next round...
There were cameras everywhere, the security was tight, there were CCTV cameras everywhere...
A loud bell rang out, which means the exam or rather test has begun...
Those who tried cheating were quietly and immediately removed from the hall...
About 50 people were already evicted...
Stella wasn't expecting this much crowd, nor did she have any idea that it was going to be more like a written exam...
She went through her questions, extremely focused...
Her brow creased, the questions were simple but extremely tricky...
Then she came across a peculiar question. The question was basically about how to merge two contrasting outfit styles...
Stella vividly remembered her mum saying "What makes you a good fashion designer is your ability to bring imaginations to life. When combining to opposite material to make a dress, you need to consider the style, and pick the one that suits the upper part and the one that suits the lower parts. Then you merge, you can either add the upper part to the tip of the lower part for blending, or add the lower part to the sleeves or shoulders, or rather leave it bare, depending fabric or style"...
The time given was an hour and the loud bell rang again which signified the end of the test, several ushers came in and collected the papers and those who continued writing after the bell rang out were evicted...
Stella, who had just stepped out to retrieve her things,l while waiting for Fiona to come pick her up, bumped into the same handsome young man she had sat beside earlier...
The handsome young man immediately apologized "I'm sorry, damsel. I didn't mean to"
"It's fine, I'm okay" Stella replied...
"Well, I'm Shawn by name and would like to you take out for a meal to apologize. That's if you don't mind?" He said with a smile. His smile was so charming, it would be hard to say no...
"I'd love to but I'm waiting for someone to come pick me up" Stella declined his offer politely...
"Ouch, my poor heart" Shawn clutched his chest dramatically...
"Are you okay?" Stella asked out of concern...
"Yeah, I am. I just got hurt by your words. How about we go grab some ice cream as we wait" he said as he pointed the ice cream stall opposite...