CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 153 A MOMENT OF PRECIOUS HAPPINESS

Author’s POV

Ethan coming off stage, clearly intending to greet me, when Georgina intercepted him.

Her eyes were slightly red, looking rather pitiful. "Mr. Quinn, I’m so sorry I messed up the preliminaries," she said.

Being scheduled as the final presenter was already a courtesy from Mr. Brook, considering her connection to Quinn Jewelry. Although the results hadn’t been officially announced yet, it was obvious from the scoring that she wouldn’t be taking first place.

Ethan glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly. "Since you know you messed up, prepare better for the next round," he said curtly.

His relationship with Georgina was strictly professional—boss and employee, nothing more. Having offered that brief advice, he attempted to leave.

Georgina wasn’t ready to give up though. She stepped closer to him, invading his personal space. "Mr. Quinn, do you also think my work wasn’t good enough? I tried so hard. I just didn’t expect Lazuli to be so harsh."

Ethan’s displeasure visibly increased as he stepped back, clearly uncomfortable with her proximity. "She wasn’t being harsh. Look for the reasons in yourself," he replied bluntly. The woman’s perfume was overpowering, making him wrinkle his nose in distaste.

Georgina’s expression froze, obviously not expecting Ethan to be so unforgiving. "Mr. Quinn, I—"

"Do you have anything else? If not, you should go," he cut her off.

Georgina bit her lip, not daring to detain him further.

After dismissing Georgina, Ethan noticed Serena emerging from the changing room with Ryan. He approached them, greeting both politely.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” he asked. “I heard from Serena this is her first time in San Francisco. Perhaps I could be your host and treat you both to dinner?”

Ryan glanced at him coolly. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve already made reservations.”

Sensing the awkwardness, Serena quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Mr. Quinn, let’s get together another time. Ryan has already booked a restaurant. Thank you for your kind offer.”

Ethan nodded. “Alright then. We can discuss potential collaboration another time.”

“See you soon,” Serena said before leaving with Ryan, her arm linked with his.

Ethan remained standing there, his gaze following them as they walked away. He truly had no ulterior motives—he only wanted to befriend Serena because, for some reason, she bore a striking resemblance to the Quinn family.

Georgina watched the entire exchange with cold eyes, taking in every detail, her face filled with resentment and jealousy. She had worked at Quinn Jewelry for years and had never seen Ethan treat any woman with such warmth and civility.

What was so special about this Serena Quinn?

"Miss Georgina, the results are out," her assistant said cautiously, clearly afraid to deliver what was obviously bad news. "And the online response is also..."

"Is also what?" Georgina snapped irritably, snatching the assistant’s phone. "Never mind, I’ll look myself."

As she scanned the screen, her expression darkened considerably.

[S City’s rising designer Georgina flops unexpectedly, going from potential winner to mere supporting role.]

[Stop defending her—wasn’t her skill level obvious in the preliminaries?]

[Are you claiming to be more professional than Lazuli?]

[When someone’s skills aren’t up to par, it shows immediately in competition. That’s what happens with Quinn Jewelry’s overrated designers.]

[This clearly shows how fair and honest Lazuli is with her critiques.]

"That Lazuli again!" Georgina hissed through clenched teeth. This competition was supposed to elevate her career to the next level, but instead, it had backfired completely.

"Miss Georgina, please don’t be upset. We should head back and focus on preparing for the next round," her assistant urged anxiously.

They were still in the organizer’s backstage area—if Georgina lost control of her emotions and someone captured it on camera, the situation would only get worse.

The online response was already negative; they couldn’t afford another mistake.

Georgina’s chest heaved as she struggled to contain her frustration. "Let’s go," she finally managed to say.

---

Serena’s POV

I let out a big yawn as I collapsed against Ryan’s shoulder in the car, pretending to doze off. The competition had taken more out of me than I’d expected.

Ryan sighed softly, his voice tinged with that protective concern I’d grown so accustomed to. "You’re exhausted, aren’t you? I knew you shouldn’t have accepted this event."

"I’m fine," I mumbled lazily, not even bothering to open my eyes. "Just resting for a minute."

There was a brief pause before he asked, "What’s the deal with that Ethan Quinn?"

"What deal?" I kept my eyes closed, which earned me a displeased little grunt from Ryan.

"You two just met, yet he seems quite eager to get close to you."

I couldn’t help but laugh softly. "Are you seriously jealous? He’s younger than me, and he was only interested in discussing potential collaboration."

Ryan made a noncommittal "Oh" and dropped the subject, thankfully.

When we finally reached the restaurant, I opened my eyes and gasped at the breathtaking view. "Wow!" The restaurant sat right on the oceanfront, where you could hear the waves crashing against the shore through the windows. Utterly romantic.

"This is gorgeous!" I exclaimed, pressing closer to the window.

Ryan’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he watched my reaction. "I heard the food’s excellent too."

I rubbed my hands together in excitement, my eyes sparkling. "Then I better dig in properly!"

Halfway through our meal, Maya called to check on me. I couldn’t help the happy smile that spread across my face as I glanced at Ryan sitting across from me.

"I’m fine, don’t worry. Ryan’s here in San Francisco on business, and we’re having dinner together right now," I told her.

Maya’s voice took on that teasing tone I knew so well. "Ahhh, I watched the design competition livestream. No wonder you sound so chipper—you’ve got company! That makes me feel much better."

"The internet is going crazy for you right now. Everyone’s calling you the brutally honest judge. You’ve gone viral!"

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Viral?"

"Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it yet! Too busy being all lovey-dovey, I guess. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your dinner. Call me if you need anything."

"Sure thing," I said before hanging up.

Immediately, I checked the trending topics online. Several were about me, with the engagement numbers climbing rapidly. I clicked on one and scrolled through the comments—all overwhelmingly positive.

Grinning, I turned my phone toward Ryan. "Look! Everyone’s praising me. Guess participating in this design competition was worth it after all."

Ryan barely glanced at the screen. "I know. I’ve already seen them."

I knew that look. If there had been any negative comments, he would have had them buried immediately. Still, I feigned surprise. "You saw and didn’t tell me?"

Ryan placed a perfectly peeled shrimp on my plate before handing it to me. "You’ve always been exceptional. Nothing new to report." He nodded toward my food. "Eat up."

San Francisco’s seafood was incredible. I hated dealing with shrimp shells, but Ryan didn’t mind doing it for me.

After our feast, I suggested walking along the beach—it seemed a waste not to when we were so close. Ryan didn’t protest, just slipped his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders.

"The beach gets cold at night," he warned.

"I’ll be fine. Let’s go!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the shoreline.

The sea breeze was indeed stronger than I’d expected, whipping my hair in all directions. Thankfully, Ryan’s jacket kept the worst of the chill at bay.

"San Francisco is beautiful," I remarked, taking in the moonlit waves.

Ryan hummed in agreement, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Weren’t you tired earlier? We should head back so you can rest."

"Don’t be such a killjoy," I clicked my tongue. "Let’s take some photos before we go."

I pulled out my phone and adjusted the angle. Ryan’s expression was stoic as usual, but he moved closer when I asked.

"Come on, smile," I coaxed softly.

Ryan’s arm slid around my waist as his lips curved into a rare smile. The moment captured perfectly on my phone screen made my heart flutter.

"Perfect," I said, admiring the photo. "Now we can head back."

As I set the picture as my phone wallpaper, I couldn’t help feeling that this moment—this happiness—was something truly precious.