Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

Harry felt a cold sweat trickling down his back as he scanned the crowd.

Who exactly was Shirley?

He only knew one thing-Shirley was a woman.

But that didn't help much. The venue was teeming with women-seamstresses, company representatives, and industry veterans. All of them were seasoned professionals.

The judges on stage weren't much different. They were all experts in the craft.

Finding her in this sea of people would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if she were right in front of him, he wouldn't know where to begin.

As Leonard stepped forward and called for a revote, the room fell into a tense hush.

No one was fooled. A revote meant something had gone horribly wrong with the first round of voting.

But what, exactly?

No one had the answers.

As Leonard passed by, he shot a cutting remark, "I'll be reassigning your duties to someone else. From now on, you're back at entry level."

Harry stood frozen, completely stunned.

From his seat in the audience, Edward turned to the woman beside him. "Was this your doing?"

Overhearing the question, Calvin glanced over in surprise.

Could Janice really have enough influence to alter the voting process in this elite competition?

Janice was taken off guard, but she maintained her composure. "Why would you think that?"

His response was blunt. "You were on your phone just now."

Janice couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't do anything. I just don't like this whole pre-arranged nonsense. If it's a real competition, let's compete fairly. If not, then we might as well cancel the whole thing."

Her confidence made Edward's eyes darken, and a fleeting emotion passed through them.

Meanwhile, Heidi rushed off the stage and quickly found Harry.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Harry took a deep breath. "Shirley is here."

What?

A wave of panic washed over Heidi, more intense than it had over Harry. Before she could react, Emma stepped forward and said, "Shirley is my daughter."

Heidi had no time to prevent her mother's slip of the tongue, but it was already too late as Harry's piercing gaze was fixed on her.

"You're Shirley?" Harry growled, his teeth clenched.

Under different circumstances, he might have been shocked—maybe even impressed. But right now, this was anything but good news.

Disregarding all decorum, he grabbed Heidi's arm and yanked her into a secluded corner.

"Are you really Shirley?"

Emma's words had already exposed her. Denying it would only make things worse. There was no escape

now.

"Yes, I'm Shirley Olson!"

She had expected Harry to be stunned, maybe even awed by her identity.

But instead, a sharp slap landed across her face, the sting leaving her momentarily speechless.

"Are you out of your mind?" she shrieked.

"You set me up?"

Harry's voice was hoarse with rage. "I told you I was going to take down Prosper Stitch Group! But you? You tricked me! You pried information out of me and reported me on the spot, didn't you?

"Leonard just got a call from the International Crochet Union. They're demanding a revote for the public ballots!"

What?

Heidi clutched her burning cheek, too stunned to react. "Why the hell did you hit me?" she shouted.

Harry jabbed a finger in her face. "You tell me! This was your plan from the start, wasn't it? You've been working with Prosper Stitch Group all along! Do you even realize what you've done? My career is finished!" Fairness-the one unshakable rule upheld by the higher-ups at the National Crochet Union.

Harry had clawed his way up from nothing, fighting relentlessly to reach his position. And now, with a single anonymous report, everything was unraveling before his eyes.

"How much did Prosper Stitch Group pay you to betray me? Weren't you the one who swore you'd take down Ms. Smith? Was it all just a lie?"