Chapter 72 Competition
I pressed my lips together, watching their interaction with cold detachment.
Technically, Nicholas had already clarified that he and Clara were never engaged. Yet witnessing this scene unfold before me, an inexplicable sting pierced my heart.
I'd barely suppressed the discomfort when Nicholas's brow furrowed deeply beside me, his cold gaze turning toward Clara.
"Ms. Summers, please mind your wording."
I was genuinely surprised. The Harrington family and the Summers family had deep ties—would Nicholas really confront Clara publicly on my behalf?
Soon enough, a bucket of cold water doused my hopes. Nicholas's tone remained measured. "The issue at hand is that we need to stick to the facts and get to the truth."
He hadn't directly answered Clara's question. A roundabout way of saving face for her.
I understood Nicholas's concerns perfectly. After all, if this line of questioning continued, it would inevitably require him to publicly state that Clara was not his fiancée. From any angle, now was absolutely not the right moment.
Before Clara could speak, Nicholas cut in first. "Catherine is my date tonight. Ms. Stone owes me an explanation."
The spotlight swung back to Penny once again. I noticed Clara's face pale slightly, her lips parting. But ultimately, she said nothing more.
At that moment, Penny stood awkwardly to the side, wrapped in a bathrobe the Johnson family staff had brought. She looked to Clara with pleading eyes. The latter discreetly averted her gaze, remaining silent.
I sighed heavily inwardly. Nicholas hadn't embarrassed Clara while standing up for me. Naturally, I couldn't continue being aggressive either.
With a thought, I stepped forward. "Ms. Stone, why don't we both take a step back about today's incident? I won't pursue whether you slandered me, and you can stop insisting on whether I pushed you or not. Go change into dry clothes first. Don't catch a chill."
My voice wasn't loud. Yet every onlooker heard it clearly.
The sudden reversal caught everyone off guard. Nicholas's eyes flickered with what seemed like appreciation. I paid it no mind.
Turning instead to Sophia, I offered a courteous apology. Before leaving the scene, I caught a glimpse of Penny standing hesitantly in place, her gaze following me throughout. As if puzzled, as if ashamed.
I curved my lips in a small arc, my mood considerably improved. Fighting softness with softness—the ultimate weapon against women. After all, this was exactly how Sabrina used to pretend to be magnanimous in front of my four brothers from the Rosewood family.
Without realizing it, I'd learned the same trick. Though my desire to help her just now had been genuine too.
The matter ultimately fizzled out. The Johnson family's banquet ended prematurely.
Weekend rolled around. DI's competition assessment proceeded as scheduled.
When I came downstairs ready to leave, I froze at the sight of someone standing beside Nicholas.
"Blake?"
I frowned, looking at him in confusion.
Blake raised an eyebrow. "By rights I should be sitting with the judges right now, but who told us we're friends in private!"
He grinned with roguish charm. A warmth surged in my chest.
I smiled back. "So you're planning to secretly leak exam questions to a contestant?"
"Dream on." Blake mercilessly shattered my beautiful fantasy.
Nicholas beside him glanced at his watch. "Let's get in the car first. We can talk on the way."
I nodded slightly and got into the vehicle.
On the ride home from the banquet that day, Nicholas had shared his concerns with me. They matched my own speculation almost exactly. He'd then suggested accompanying me to the competition this weekend.
I understood the subtle test underlying Nicholas's offer. Samuel had actually mentioned this too, during that time. I hadn't agreed immediately then, so I maintained a hesitant attitude when Nicholas brought it up as well.
But soon, Nicholas gave me a reason I couldn't refuse. "Next month, our company is collaborating with DI, so I'll be attending this competition as a special guest judge."
After Elaine's fiasco last time, I'd been promoted early but needed to win first place to advance further. I needed to firmly establish my footing at DI now. Therefore, the ranking in this competition was critically important.
Design skills reflected personal capability, certainly, but connections often played no small role as well. Having Nicholas and Blake as my safety net would undoubtedly greatly increase my odds of winning.
I'd agreed to Nicholas's invitation. And declined Samuel's.
"Catherine?"
Blake in the passenger seat turned to call me. I snapped back to attention.
He chuckled teasingly. "What are you thinking about? So lost in thought. Worried about the competition?"
Nicholas also took a moment to ask with concern.
I smiled. "Just pondering what the exam questions might be."
Blake reassured me, "Don't worry. With your abilities, standing out among this crowd won't be a problem. I've seen the design drafts you submitted online."
At this, I perked up immediately. Listening intently for him to continue.
Blake seemed to deliberate for a moment before speaking. "Although you only came in second, in my mind, your work doesn't lose to first place."
I froze slightly. This was precisely the key reason Nicholas's words had swayed me.
Yes, while I'd qualified for the offline finals, I'd only placed second. DI had published the finalists' works publicly. I'd spent time carefully studying them. It truly was an excellent piece.
In all honesty, I couldn't guarantee I could beat it. So I could only approach from other angles. While the methods might be somewhat underhanded, what did it matter as long as I won?
I had to continually build up my arsenal against the Rosewood family.
"With you saying that, I feel much better." I looked up, smiling in response to Blake.
His words were also a show of support, weren't they?
Before entering, Blake stopped me. I turned to look at him. He stood beside Nicholas, appearing even more nervous than Nicholas himself.
"Catherine, don't hold back."
I took his advice to heart.
Nicholas stepped forward and ruffled my hair. "I believe you can handle this. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Don't worry, I'll give it my all."
After parting with them, I headed alone to the contestant area. Blake and Nicholas went to the judges' seats backstage to wait.
I collected my number tag, preparing to check out my spot in advance. I came face to face with Sabrina.
Seeing me, Sabrina's expression grew extremely complicated. As if recalling something, she suddenly smiled, her face taking on an air of certain victory.
"Catherine, you don't actually think that acting all magnanimous at the Johnson family banquet will make Penny grateful to you, do you?"
Her smile didn't fade.
"I used to do the same thing to you all the time, and you still hate me now, don't you?"
My whole body stiffened, though my face remained impassive. Sabrina was saying all this solely to disrupt my mental state before the competition. I absolutely couldn't fall for it.
I looked at her expressionlessly. "Instead of worrying about me, you should think about what you're going to do in the competition. I've seen your work. Michael had a hand in it, didn't he?"
Exposed by me, Sabrina's face immediately darkened.
"You think you can win? Dream on!"