Chapter 110

Chapter 110

The man's expression instantly darkened, and he glared viciously at Isabella, cursing, "You bitch! What the hell are you talking about!"

"Am I talking nonsense?" Isabella let out a cold laugh, crossing her arms and taking half a step forward to shield Beatrice. The contempt in her eyes was practically overflowing. "Don't think we don't know—neither of you made it to the Creative Presentation round, did you?"

"Can't advance on your own merit, so you just stand here being bitter about others, throwing dirt at a girl. Is that all you're good for?"

Her words were like a sharp blade, striking precisely at their weak spot.

The two men had been staring at the big screen earlier, searching from top to bottom without finding their names. They were seething with frustration.

Seeing Beatrice and her group laughing happily only made their jealousy burn hotter, which was why they couldn't help coming over to cause trouble.

Having been exposed by Isabella in public, the man instantly flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead. He raised his hand to slap Isabella across the face, cursing under his breath.

Before his hand could rise halfway, several well-built men in dark suits emerged from the crowd, positioning themselves in front of the group and gripping the man's wrist.

These were the guards Liam had arranged in advance to protect Beatrice around the clock.

The two designers froze instantly, their faces filled with terror at the sight of the burly men who had suddenly appeared.

Isabella looked at their cowardly appearance and smugly raised an eyebrow. Crossing her arms, she let out a cold laugh and looked at the man whose face was twisted in pain. "Do you know who I am?"

The man trembled in pain, staring at her in shock. "Who... who are you?"

"You don't even know who I am, yet you dare act so arrogant toward my friend. How laughable." Isabella sneered and lifted her chin.

"I suggest you apologize to my friend right now. Otherwise, forget this competition—you won't be able to set foot in Eldoria's design circle ever again."

The man saw the contemptuous looks from those around him, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He never imagined that this delicate-looking white girl would have such powerful backing.

The two blond designers were restrained by the black-suited guards, their faces pale with pain. They tried to threaten back, but a cold glance from the guards silenced them instantly. They were dragged out of the venue, stumbling and crawling.

The onlookers, seeing there was no more drama to watch, gradually dispersed. But when they looked at Beatrice and her group again, their eyes held a trace of wariness, and no one dared to gossip anymore.

Order was restored in the venue. Emily finally sidled up to Isabella, asking curiously, "Hey, Isabella, was what you said just now true or false? Can you really make those two guys never work in Eldoria's design circle again?"

Isabella burst out laughing at her words and reached out to gently pinch Emily's plump cheek, her voice full of amusement. "Emily, you're so adorable. You believe everything people say?"

Emily was startled by the pinch, then frowned and slapped her hand away, puffing out her cheeks. "Hey, hands off! So you were just bluffing them?"

"What else?" Isabella shrugged. "If my family could really casually block a designer from making it in the industry, my dad wouldn't have fought tooth and nail to stop me from studying design in the first place."

Emily nodded in sudden understanding, looking thoroughly convinced. "Oh, that makes sense! I was wondering how anyone could have that much power to blacklist someone just like that. So you were just scaring them!"

Beatrice sat nearby, listening to their conversation, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. But in her heart, she knew things probably weren't that simple.

Isabella might not have that much influence, but behind her stood Damien. Those two designers had publicly humiliated Beatrice and even tried to hit Isabella. Given Damien's temperament, he would never let this slide.

But there was no need to point this out. Right now, the most important thing was this afternoon's Creative Presentation round.

Before long, the host returned to the stage, smiling as she announced that all twenty finalists for the Creative Presentation round had been revealed. She also notified all advancing contestants to return to the venue at 1 PM sharp to draw lots determining their presentation order. The morning session was now concluded.

As her words fell, both the audience section and contestants' area instantly buzzed with activity as people rose to leave.

Emily's stomach had been growling for a while. She immediately stood up, grabbed Beatrice's arm, and headed for the exit. "Let's go, let's go! Bea, let's get some food! I've been so nervous all morning. We need a good meal to fuel you up for this afternoon's competition!"

"I know a super authentic French restaurant nearby, it's amazing! I'll take you guys!" Isabella immediately chimed in, her face full of excitement. "Their beef Wellington and foie gras are among the best in all of Luminous City!"

Beatrice was flanked on both sides by the two women and smiled helplessly, turning to look at John beside her. "What do you think?"

"Whatever you want." John smiled gently, his gaze full of indulgence. "We'll eat whatever you'd like."

The group quickly agreed and followed Isabella out of the venue. After walking less than ten minutes, they arrived at the French restaurant she'd mentioned.

It was peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was packed, nearly every seat taken. The server led them around in circles before finally finding a four-person booth by the window.

They had just sat down and received menus from the server, not yet having ordered, when a low, familiar male voice sounded beside their table.

"The restaurant is full. Would you mind if we shared your table?"

Beatrice's hand holding the menu paused slightly. She looked up and met those smoke-blue eyes directly.

Damien stood by the table, wearing a deep gray bespoke suit, his posture upright. His distinguished, aloof aura stood out strikingly in the noisy restaurant.

Behind him stood Liam, looking tense.

Isabella saw him and instantly clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes dramatically. Just as she was about to complain, Damien shot her a cold glance.

The warning in his eyes was unmistakable. Isabella immediately swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, pursed her lips, and huffed as she lowered her head, pretending to study the menu without saying anything.

Beatrice instinctively scanned the restaurant. Sure enough, the entire dining hall was packed, even the bar seats occupied. There really were no available tables.