hapter 97


    The host was just as stunned by the woman in the audience as everyone else. Veronica had taken his breath away.


    At first nce, he hadn’t even noticed Theodore sitting behind her.


    He thought that Veronica was breathtaking and wondered if she was new to the industry.


    But before he could think more about it, the voice of the red carpet producer buzzed through his earpiece. “This is a great opportunity. Bring Jocelyn and Theodore into the conversation about the dress!”


    The host immediately got the hint. He cleared his throat and said with a long, deliberate tone, “It looks like Jocelyn just spotted a familiar face… Mr. Baker!”


    He dragged out the name before continuing smoothly, “Jocelyn, your gown tonight is stunning. The inte is already abuzz with spection that it’s a Mr. Baker original. Do you have anything you’d like to say to him?”


    The host skillfully steered the conversation right to the tension between them.


    In the audience, Theodore’s expression softened a little.


    No matter how well Jocelyn yed coy, he was confident that she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to climb higher by attaching himself to him. But there was something about the woman sitting just in front of him that seemed familiar.


    His gaze slowly dropped, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.


    Everyone assumed that he was displeased with Jocelyn for wearing one of his designs without permission.


    “I wasn’t looking at Mr. Baker. I was looking at thedy in front of him, Ms. Veronica Dolton, my fashion consultant for tonight’s event,” Jocelyn said bluntly.


    Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even the host was surprised.


    “And as for Mr. Baker designing this gown, I’m not sure where that rumor started,” she continued with a note of curiosity in her voice.


    “Stop pretending, you thief! You stole Eleanor’s dress! No wonder she wore a red gown tonight! She’s trying topensate for the loss!”


    “Jocelyn! Leave the entertainment industry! Remove yourself from the Arclight Awards!”


    The host kept up a professional smile, but his heart was racing. “Jocelyn, you’re quite the jokester. Are you saying that you forgot your gown was designed by Mr. Baker?”


    “Who said that?” Jocelyn’s red lips curled ever so slightly. “My red carpet gown tonight is


    from Maison Aurelia, designed by Ms. ra Whitmore. The evening gown I’ll be changing intoter was borrowed from Heberly. My fashion consultant, Ms. Dolton, oversaw the entire styling process.”


    She paused, then followed up with a cutting question, “So… where exactly does Mr. Bakere in? Could it be a misunderstanding? Should I get the head designers <b>of </b>both dresses over right now?”


    Jocelyn’s three–pointed questions left the room in stunned silence. The host was already


    starting to sweat under the hot lights. He didn’t know what the hell was going on. After all, this wasn’t what they were told before the show.


    Sitting in the audience, Veronica could feel the eyes from every direction zeroing in on her. However, she didn’t flinch. Her expression was serene and faintly content.


    In stark contrast, Theodore, who was just behind her, looked like he could kill someone with a nce. His grace from earlier was gone without a single trace.


    Although the camera had cut away quickly, many had already caught the look on his face.


    “Someone’s mad because Jocelyn hit a nerve with the truth, huh?”


    “It’s honestly scary. If Jocelyn hadn’t looked so incredible tonight, and the host hadn’t asked, everyone would’ve assumed that the dress was Theodore’s design!”


    “How does it feel to get pped in the face in public like that? To the person who promised to eat their hats, don’t forget your dinner tonight!”


    “I knew that Jocelyn was looking at that gorgeous woman! Some of the fans here are really delusional, it’s hrious!”


    “Eleanor’s fangirls, keep barking! Don’t stop now!”


    “What are you guys all so proud of? It’s just a dress! If it’s not his design, so be it. Mr. Baker never even said she’d be wearing his work tonight. You guys are acting pressed over nothing! Get a grip! The award ceremony is the real main event, anyway.‘


    Eleanor had already stepped off the red carpet by the time the host asked Jocelyn about the dress.


    Now that she had heard the full story, the makeup she had painstakingly applied all afternoon. seemed to crack under the weight of her fury.


    Theodore was just as useless. Eleanor had thought that he was at least a notch above that idiot, Archie. In the end, it was Theodore who nearly caused her to suffer a hu failure.


    ating public


    Moreover, there was Veronica. Eleanor believed that it was thetter who was behind it all.


    Veronica knew that Jocelyn and Eleanor were at odds with each other. That was why she had gone to Jocelyn’s studio, pretending to be some so–called fashion consultant.


    It seemed that Veronica was a darned schemer!


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