Way Back Into Love (Essie)

Leaving the villa, Sunny went straight to Bella, hoping to find Hanson. She had a lot of questions to ask him.

Hanson had already anticipated her arrival. Sitting on the main chair, he looked indifferent and there was a slight sneer on the corners of his mouth.

"How dare you give me the score eight whereas Essie gets to have ten? After all, I am your fiancée! I deserve more than her!" Sunny was writhing with both hatred and jealousy.

Her words left Hanson unmoved. Slowly, he took a sip of his tea and said, "I was considerate enough to have given you eight. If you hadn't been my fiancée, you would have received the score zero from me." "What... What do you mean?" Sunny stammered, unable to believe her ears. 'Did he actually say those words?' she wondered with fear.

"Don't think you can fool me. I know all about the dirty tricks you have used to win. And the worst part is, you didn't follow the original design. An average tailor would have done a better task than you. It is beyond me why you wish to belong in the design circle. This is not for you," Hanson said with a sneer.

Sunny's face flushed scarlet.

"My father is rich. I can do whatever I want. With the wealth we have, I can get way ahead of those poor girls!" Sunny said. Indirectly, she was referring to Essie.

"But as a judge, the only thing I look for is your capability. As for how much money you have, that's none of my business." Today, the little respect he had for Sunny disappeared. Her words made it evident she was a proud woman. His eyes flashed an extremely malicious and cold light. The way her family had brought her up was disgusting. Their son was a black sheep and their daughter was a stupid pig. If ever they lost the money they had, they would become beggars. They had no skill nor patience to learn anything.

On Sunday, Eva arrived Starbucks, where she was supposed to meet up with Essie.

When Eva arrived, Essie was already there. Flashing a smile, she gave her friend a tight hug.

They last met at the fashion week. Since then, she had been working in a studio in another city. The filming hadn't come to an end till yesterday.

"Are you done with Hanson?" Eva asked, unable to hide her curiosity. The other day, her agent dragged her to the other end of the party, asking her to take a video. When she came back, she learned that there was a serious matter happening to her best friend. When she was about to go to the apartment to comfort her, she received a temporary notice that she was going to shoot in another city. The sole comfort she could give was through phone.

But now, she was glad to be sitting face to face with her friend. Stirring the coffee in her cup, Essie said, "I've chased him for five years. I'm tired now."

"On that eventful day, after you were taken away by Zac, Hanson fainted. That goes to show he cares for you." Eva sighed.

Hearing that, Essie was a little startled. She didn't know about this. Perhaps he had feelings for her. But he had gotten himself into a mess. Her existence would only increase the burden on his shoulder. Considering all of this, it was best for them to break up.

"I don't think we are meant for each other."

"Where is that cold and handsome guy? I heard that he declared on fashion week that you are his woman," Eva said, trying to change the topic. She let out a snicker.

"It's not like you haven't seen his girlfriend before. She is not easy to deal with. On top of everything, Mandy suspects I am having an affair with him. Several time, she started a fight with me. I don't want to be a part of this chaotic mess," said Essie, shaking her head violently.

"Well, you can be the final winner," Eva said sympathetically patting her on the shoulder. "Haven't heard of the saying that two dogs strive for a bone and a third runs away with it. Let's hope that happens here!' Eva was trying to lift Essie's spirit.

With a wry smile, Essie shook her head. "Even though my relationship with Hanson is over now, it doesn't mean that I can forget him. At present, I should focus on my career."

At the mention of career, Eva remembered that she had come here to congratulate her friend. Since they had no champagne, she raised a cup of coffee and said, "Essie, let's have a drink to celebrate your success and fame!"

Flashing a smile, Essie raised her glass and gently clinked it with Eva's. "I'm just a winner of the first battle. I'm far away from being famous."

"Do you want to become a star? My agent admires you after watching your competition. You are talented and she will be more than happy to take you in," Eva suggested with a grin.

Essie poked at her forehead and said, "Eva, I remember that you have made a lot of troubles in the entertainment circle. You once splashed red wine on sponsor's shirt, hit Mr. Xu's penis and the head of Mr. Zhang. If your agent knows that I'm with you, she will decide to destroy the contract immediately."

Eva smirked, feeling a little awkward. The entertainment circle was indeed messy. Fortunately, she was a gangster. She could protect herself. As for her best friend, she was weak and not strong enough. Therefore, she'd better stay away from the circle.

While they were talking and laughing, they didn't notice that there were two pairs of eyes secretly staring at them.

The bald man winked at the man beside him. Then he stood up, took the coffee and started walking. When he passed by Eva, he pretended to stumble and spilled the coffee on her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He kept apologizing, looking extremely sorry.

"It's alright," Eva replied seeing he didn't mean to do it. After wiping her clothes with a tissue, Eva stood up and went to the bathroom.

The bald man took the opportunity and sat on the chair which was occupied by Eva earlier. He squinted at Essie and said, "Are you the beautiful designer of Beauty on Runway? I'm your fan. I like you and your work very much."

Upon hearing this, Essie was a little surprised and thought, 'Oh my God! How could I be recognized so soon?'

She nodded but wasn't quite pleased with his compliment. His gaze kept examining her body.

The world was a crooked place and she had to be careful.

"I'm sorry. But this is my friend's seat. She will be back soon."

The bald man realized he had to hurry up. Things would be difficult once Eva came back.

He took out an envelope from his pocket. The words Beauty on Runway was printed on it. "Honey, as you ordered, I gave the crew of the program a sum of money yesterday to help you with the competition tomorrow. The theme of tomorrow's match is to design according to jewelry. Some very specific rules are in the envelope. You will definitely win if you follow them."

Essie was shocked and stood up at once. "Are you insane? I don't even know you. If you don't leave right now, I will call the police!" She took out her mobile phone and wanted to call 911. Another man, sitting not far away from her, stood up immediately and put his arm around the bald man's shoulder. "Sorry. My brother is insane. And today, he forgot to take medicine." With an apologetic face, he went away with the bald man.

As soon as they were out of her sight, they looked at each other with a victorious smile on their faces. They had gotten what they wanted! The photos were ready.

What they didn't know was that there was another pair of eyes in the cafe who had witnessed everything.

When Eva came out of the bathroom, she saw that Essie looked a little disturbed. Feeling concerned, she asked her what was the issue. But Essie decided not to dwell on it. Shaking her head, she said, "Nothing. Just came across a neurotic."

"You are now famous. As the saying goes, big trees are easily damaged by wind. You have to be careful in the future," Eva reminded her.

Essie nodded again. Today, she realized fame wasn't easy. Life wouldn't be all that great if she got fame and success.

The next day, at television station, people were bustling.

Essie remembered last time when she came here, the paparazzi treated her as a passer-by, paying her no attention.

But today, things were quite different. Paparazzi paid her all the attention, coming in front of her car and knocking on the car window. She couldn't even get off the car.

'Fame is so overwhelming,' she thought, unable to handle this spotlight.

Zac was fully armed this time, wrapped in baseball cap, toad glasses, and a large mask. Nobody could see his handsome face. He had to avoid the paparazzi at any cost. If he ended up on the news, chances were Valery would find him. He couldn't take any risk.

He also changed his car to a low-key Cadillac. The paparazzi had a tendency to pry. If Essie came in a limited edition Bentley, then he would definitely make it to the headlines. Once again, Valery would be notified of his whereabouts.

Every now and then, Essie glanced at Zac. The way he was dressed up made her feel quite uncomfortable.

'Is he afraid of being seen with me?' she couldn't help but wonder.

"Don't worry. If the paparazzi will inquire about our relationship, I'll be more than happy to tell them you are my brother!" she said, wanting to make him see she wasn't too fond to have her name attached with his. She tugged at the rim of his big hat.

Behind the big mask, Zac was at loss of words. He didn't know how to tell her she wasn't the problem.

Then, Essie got out of the car and headed toward the TV station under the protection of Zac and the staff. He didn't answer any questions that came from the paparazzi. There was a rule that the journalists were not allowed to interview without permission. Hence Zac succeeded in remaining silent.

When the crew of the program was announcing the theme, Essie was eagerly waiting to hear it. And when they announced it, she was stunned.

'Is that a chance...

Is there a chance that man wasn't insane?' she wondered with some anxiety.

She had a faint sense of uneasiness in her heart.

As soon as she entered the studio, she immediately put aside her negative emotions. She chose a sapphire necklace, which was called the Asian Star. Inspiration flooded her mind at the sight of it.

She wanted to make an appealing evening dress that had a mix of archaic Chinese charm and modern flavor. Her mission was to make something with unparalleled beauty.

Not far away, Sunny was looking at her with a ferocious look. When Essie was cutting the cloth, Sunny poured a cup of hot coffee. Instead of stopping, she continued and poured some onto the tailored cloth Essie had worked on.

The newly cut cloth was dyed with coffee and Essie's hand had been scalded.

"What's wrong with you?" Nicole screamed when she saw what had happened.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident. No need to make a scene," Sunny replied feigning innocence.

"You were seated near the tea room yet you walked around us. How can this be an accident? I know what you are trying to do!" Nicole spat out, writhing with rage.

She hastily called the staff and applied ointment on Essie's hand. Deep in her heart, she cursed Sunny's parents and her ancestors.

Essie, on the other hand, remained calm. After all, she had been accustomed to her dirty tricks. When she was in Bella, this used to be a regular business. She suffered a lot under Sunny's brutality. "Can you continue to do now?" When Nicole saw that Essie's hand was blistered, she was very worried.

"It doesn't matter. I feel much better after applying the ointment. However, this cloth is useless now and I have to cut a new one." Essie tried her best to look relaxed. If she panicked then Nicole would too. Nicole put a piece of gauze on her hand and realized that she liked this partner a lot. She was strong and competitive but at the same time calm.

Because of the wound on her hand, Essie slowed down her pace, but she still managed to finish her evening dress smoothly.

On the day when the judge would announce the winner, Essie was full of confidence. She was quite satisfied with the evening dress. Even if she couldn't bag the first place, she wouldn't be eliminated. Nicole, on the other hand, seemed positive that her work would receive first prize. It was the most beautiful evening dress she had ever tried. "How about designing a dress for me at next month's Golden Eagle Festival?" she requested.

"That would be my pleasure," Essie consented with a bright smile.

The new judge was a professor and designer Jacob from Istituto Marangoni hired by the Emperor. He was quite famous and almost everyone in the fashion industry knew him and his work. His presence was what made this show to be a top-notch design competition in the fashion circle.

However, when the special guest arrived at the venue, Essie's heart skipped a beat.