bChapter 61 /b

Adam blushed shyly and said to Skr, “I’m so blessed to be your baby, Mom.”

Skr was genuinely surprised.

She wondered, ‘Why does Adam feel so attached to me? He clings to me all the time, but keeps his distance from Elianna.

Skr thought back to the way Elianna interacted with Adam, and how Adam responded to her.

The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Adam had been here for ages, but Elianna hadn’t even checked in on him. There was not ba /bsingle call, not even a text.

Skr thought, ‘Isn’t that way too cold? How could a mother be so distant from her own child? And every kid wants to be close bto /btheir mom. Unless…

Last night’s dream nted a seed of suspicion in Skr’s mind, and now it just kept growing, reaching higher and higher.

She thought, ‘Adam’s five now. If my child had survived, he’d be five too. Could it be those people lied about my baby’s death and gave the baby bto /bElianna instead?‘

Skr’s heart raced with excitement.

‘Whether Adam is really my child or not, I have to find out,” she thought. “Even if he isn’t, that’s okay.’

She nned to wait until Adam recovered and then take him to a reputable hospital for an on–site DNA test.

She was determined not to let Adam suffer any more harm, not even the slightest bit.

She would have to get rid of those bodyguardsb, /bso they couldn’t warn Yosef and Elianna and ruin her n.

With her n set, Skr felt noticeably lighter.

Seeing the relieved look on her face, Adam brightened up too.

Freya skipped breakfast downstairs. After yesterday’s confrontation with Skr, she couldn’t stand the sight of Skr and had no desire to share a table.

She asked the maid to bring her meal up to her room instead.

Since she’d been eating in her room while working on her designs these past few daysb, /bneither Carlos nor Yana found her behavior suspicious.

They took turns showing concernb, /burging her not to push herself too hard. “Just do your best,” they said.

Freya once again felt like the center of attention, just like when Skr wasn’t home before.

This only strengthened her resolve to perfect her design draft and prove herself.

On the day of thepetition, Freya went all out. She wore her best clothes and wless makeup.

Skr, meanwhile, showed up without any makeup at all, her natural beauty still absolutely breathtaking.

Freya scoffed, thinking, ‘Honestly, that face is her only redeeming quality. I wonder if she’ll feel humiliated and go home crying when she gets eliminated

bin /bthe first round.‘

The image made her want tough out loud.

Skr looked at her, puzzled by Freya’s giggles and muttering to herself. ‘What’s up with her? She looks like ba /bbmadwoman/b,‘ bSkr /bbthought/b.

Skr handed Adam over to her parents and drove boff /baloneb. /b

Freya, however, called for a driver. She would not drive by herself like Skr.

Upon arriving at thepetition venue, Freya scanned left and right but couldn’t spot Skr. She even approached a staff member.

Bapellow shirt, white jeans, and white heels? She’s a bit taller than me band /breally pretty

She asked, “Excuse me, have you seen a girl wearing

“No, I haven’t,” the staff replied curtly.

Freya pressed, “Really? Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yeah,” the staff confirmed firmly.

Freya burst intoughter, “I can’t believe Skr chickened out. She didn’t

even dare to show up.”

She finally had something tough at Skr about, and she couldn’t wait to rub it in when she got home.

As the official judging kicked off, Skr was still nowhere to be seen. The smirk on Freya’s lips grew even wider.

When her turn came, she strode up to the judges with confidence and introduced herself.

The judges picked up the design draft bearing her name.

One judge remarked, “I think this design is quite good. It’s simple, but it doesn’tck creativity.”

“Minimalist, yet it appeals to mainstream tastes. I think it deserves a high score,” another added.

The first three judges, knowing Freya was a Lambert, didn’t dare to be too harsh in theirments.

They all agreed her design should advance to the next round.

Then came the vote from the masked judgeb, /bba /bfirm rejection.

Sydelle recognized the familiar style in the design draft and her eyes filled with mockery. Switching to Lunpish, shemented, “This design has bzero /b

how can you possibly create true art?”

aesthetic value. I’ve also heard about your past giarism. With such hical behavio. Wit

“Sydelle, it’s not as bad as you say, is it?” one of the male judges protested, his face darkening. “You don’t have to go for public humiliation.”

He kept his voice low for thatst remark.

Sydelle acted as if she hadn’t heard. “Well, I’m just being straightforward.”

The other judges wanted to speak up, but seeing how tough she was, they realized she wasn’t someone to mess with and didn’t dare challenge bher/b.

Sydelle held veto power as a judge. Her presence was a condition for boosting the event’s profile.

She was a world–famous designer.

If she said no, Freya basically had no chance.

The other judges hastily revised their opinions.

Freya was stunned. She had personally reached out to the judges beforehand, asking them to bgo /bbeasy /bon iher/ii. /i

Yet here she was, eliminated in the very first round.

“This isn’t fair.” Freya raged. “How dare byou /bcall my design trash? And why are you ming me for bmistakes /bmade bby /bbother /bdesigners bat /bbmy /bbpany/bb?/bb” /b

Her voice cracked with growing indignation, tears streaming down her face. “How unprofessional to let personal feelings baffect /bbyour /bjudgmerk is

Sydelle’s lips curled in contempt beneath the mask. “My critique waspletely objective.

“I’ve already exined why you didn’t advance. Anyone with eyes can see the ws in your draft.

“And I have to wonder why the other judges gave you such high marks. Unless… there are some shady dealings between you?”

“How dare you nder me like that?” Freya shot back.

Sydelle tilted her head. “Weren’t you the one who started throwing mud first?

“Save your breath and practice more. Maybe next time you’llst past the first round.”

Freya wanted to argue, but Sydelle just waved her off, signaling for the next contestant.

Forced to step down, Freya seethed with resentment.

She was not willing to ept this.

During thepetition break, Freya flung open Sydelle’s lounge door and mmed it shut with such force that the impact echoed through the room.

The noise made Sydelle look back. “Not done throwing a fit on stage? Now you’re wrecking my ce?”

Freya didn’t hesitate. She lunged at Sydelle, fingers wing for her hair.

Sydelle caught her hand mid–air, blocking her attack.

Undeterred, Freya thrashed wildly, and in the chaos, iher /iswinging hand knocked Sydelle’s mask off. When the face beneath was revealed, Freya froze in stunned silence.

曲

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