Chapter 1069
“You don’t know…” Talia curled her lips into a scornful smirk. This was part of her plan, too. Susan was an oaf—talented at design, but still an oaf.
Talia didn’t bother holding back the story between herself and Annabel.
“As I told you, Annabel stole my boyfriend from me. In reality…”
Talia leaned closer and poured out every detail of her grievance with Annabel, embellishing it shamelessly. No one could tell how much of it was exaggerated.
“That’s what happened,” Talia said, then stared at Susan with practiced sadness. “Because of her, I fell off a cliff, and my family sent me to Korea for plastic surgery.”
Susan was stunned by Talia’s words.
Annabel was the last person Susan would have expected to behave like that. She gripped the armrest unconsciously and murmured, “How could this be? I always thought she was just shallow and entitled. You’ve really caught me off guard by…”
Talia wasn’t surprised by Susan’s reaction. A fleeting, satisfied smile flashed in her eyes.
“Exactly,” Talia said, feigning sympathy. “When I heard she received the award, I couldn’t stand it. I had to come to you and protest the unfairness. You used to be the number one. You must be furious that you were upstaged by such a filthy hypocrite.”
She glanced at Susan as if she understood her. Talia had seen enough of the world to recognize ambition and pride when she saw them, and both were burning clearly in Susan’s eyes.
But Susan remained cautious. She might have been drawn in at first, but she wasn’t stupid enough to accept everything at face value.
“This is our first meeting,” Susan said coolly, lifting her chin slightly. “Why should I believe what you’re saying, Miss Clifford? And you claim you can help me. How, exactly?”
Talia had expected this.
Even though she knew nothing about design, she had watched the video of Annabel’s victory over Susan. Susan’s designs had looked noticeably less striking than Annabel’s.
Lаtєѕt chɑptєrs іn g𝑎lnοvєls.𝑐ο𝗺
“Are you interested in Annabel’s design?” Talia asked calmly. “If you know what kind of clothing she’ll present, you can beat her by making a few changes to make yours even more appealing. If you want her draft, I can help you get it.”
Talia’s proposal was, admittedly, incredibly tempting.
Susan had studied Leo’s designs in depth. Leo paid far more attention to detail than she did, even though both of them genuinely cared about fashion design. Susan wanted desperately to get inside Leo’s head—especially now, when her own draft for the upcoming competition had hit a snag, and she had no one to consult.
Almost unconsciously, Susan’s gaze dropped to the sketch on the table.
Talia watched her closely, a faint gleam flashing in her eyes. She was confident Susan wouldn’t be able to resist. A woman as proud as Susan would want nothing more than to defeat the person who had taken her crown.
“What do you say?” Talia pressed, sensing Susan’s hesitation. “Are we making a deal?”
Susan lifted her hand, curling a finger as if pulling temptation closer. She couldn’t deny how strongly she wanted it.