Chapter 140: Cecilia and Isadora's Quarrel
A sharp gust of wind rushed toward her face.
However, the crisp sound of a slap that Isadora had expected never came.
Cecilia was faster.
Just as Isadora's palm was about to touch her cheek, a slender hand precisely caught her wrist with tremendous force—far beyond what Isadora had anticipated—leaving her momentarily stunned.
Isadora cried out in pain.
There wasn't a ripple of emotion in Cecilia's eyes, only an unfathomably cold abyss.
She had been prepared for Isadora to lash out in humiliation and anger. Her past life experience had taught Cecilia all too well what crazy things people could do when consumed by jealousy and resentment.
Isadora stared at the face so close to hers, and the indifference in those eyes sent a chill through her from the depths of her heart.
But the next second, that chill was replaced by an even more intense rage.
She had actually been caught by this bitch!
"Let go of me!" Isadora struggled constantly, trying to use her other hand to scratch Cecilia's face.
"Haven't you always thought that my face was the obstacle between you and Rufus?" Cecilia let out a scornful laugh, her mocking words clearly reaching Isadora's ears. "Well, I'm standing right here. Take a good look."
Her contemptuous tone completely ignited Isadora's fury.
"Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you grab me? I'm a designer who studied abroad and returned home, graduated from a prestigious school, with industry credentials!"
"And you? What do you have? A bitch with nothing but a pretty face who never even studied design, and you dare act so arrogant in front of me? You're not even worthy of carrying my shoes!"
"You're nothing but a fraud who takes shortcuts! Don't think you can reach the top just because of a pretty face!"
"Let me tell you, you'll never measure up to me! I'm a real designer, and you're just a fake who got ahead through shady means, a disgusting fraud!"
Isadora screamed and lunged at her again without restraint.
Cecilia didn't give her the chance.
Cecilia's hand gripping Isadora's wrist suddenly twisted, and at the same time, her other hand rose without hesitation.
A crisp, loud slap exploded in the quiet work area, even echoing.
Time stopped at that moment.
Isadora's entire body was knocked sideways by the tremendous force, a strand of hair falling messily down to cover half her cheek.
She was completely dazed.
She had actually been slapped hard by Amelia, the person she looked down on, right here in the competition backstage.
Cecilia shook her slightly numb hand.
She hadn't planned to get physical, but she would never just stand there and take a beating. She wasn't that Cecilia who let people walk all over her anymore.
Anyone who dared raise a hand to her, she'd cut it right off.
However, when Cecilia's gaze fell on Isadora's face, a trace of subtle surprise appeared.
Isadora's originally high and delicate nose bridge, after that violent head-turning motion, was now showing a strange crookedness.
Her nose tip was no longer aligned with her philtrum, but clearly tilted to one side.
Fake?
Cecilia immediately understood. This face that Isadora was so proud of was actually a carefully sculpted fake face.
This discovery was more absurd to Cecilia than the slap itself.
"You, you dared to hit me?"
Isadora finally snapped back to reality.
She covered her burning cheek, staring at Cecilia in disbelief. Shock filled Isadora's eyes first, then erupted into volcanic rage.
"I'll kill you!"
Her eyes turned red with anger as she charged forward, completely ready to fight to the death.
Cecilia sidestepped easily, dodging her attack while grabbing her other arm again.
"Isadora." Cecilia's voice was very low but full of pressure. "I already warned you."
Her words were calm, but they made Isadora freeze instantly.
"I'm not someone who likes to argue with words." Cecilia's gaze swept over Isadora's face, twisted with anger. "You accuse me of plagiarism, of relying on men, even suspect me of plastic surgery—none of that matters to me."
"Because the innocent are naturally clear, and your abuse only exposes your incompetent rage. It means nothing."
"But..." Cecilia's tone shifted slightly, and her grip on Isadora's arm tightened. "Getting physical is another matter."
"That's the line."
Isadora was so blocked by her words that her chest felt tight. Humiliation and anger intertwined, making her blurt out: "Line? You're a woman with no ability who's standing here because of her looks, and you're talking to me about lines? Who do you think you are!"
"Who do I think I am?" Cecilia repeated, as if she'd heard an interesting joke. "Ms. Penrose, you don't seem to understand the situation yet."
"In design, my work earned Sidney's praise, while your work was overshadowed and dimmed. That's a fact."
"In public opinion, you carefully hired people to post malicious comments online to slander me, only to be countered by me publicly with legal terms. Now there are more people online criticizing you than criticizing me. That's also a fact."
"In physical strength, you tried to hit me, ended up being caught and slapped instead. That's an even more recent fact."
With each "fact" Cecilia stated, Isadora's face turned more livid.
"Now, you tell me," Cecilia's gaze became sharp, "someone who has completely lost to me in professional ability, brainpower, and physical strength—what right do you have to question 'who I think I am'?"
Their argument and that loud slap finally alarmed other contestants who hadn't left yet.
In an instant, several people poked their heads out from their respective studios, curiously looking this way.
When they saw clearly who was confronting whom, especially seeing Isadora's swollen face and her somewhat unnatural-looking nose, everyone gasped.
Whispers immediately arose, filled with uncertainty and shock.
"What's going on? Aren't those Isadora and Amelia? How did they start fighting?" a young designer quietly asked their companion.
"I think I heard a slap just now. Looking at Isadora's face, she must have been hit."
"Oh my god! Her nose—is it crooked? Am I seeing things?" someone with sharp eyes lowered their voice, as if discovering some shocking secret.
Several gazes in the crowd immediately focused on Isadora's nose, making the atmosphere even more bizarre.
Of course, some people didn't see it that way.
A designer who had met Isadora a few times frowned: "Hard to say, right? Isadora is a chief designer after all. How could she strike first? I think Amelia is being too arrogant because she won the competition."
Their companion immediately countered: "That's not necessarily true. Wasn't there a big fuss online before? Isadora was caught hiring people to post malicious comments slandering Amelia. I think Isadora lashed out in humiliation, tried to hit someone and got hit back."
"Keep your voice down!" another person quickly stopped them. "We don't know who's right or wrong yet. Don't talk carelessly."