Chapter 63

Amelia and Isabella turned around, and when they saw Pearl coming up behind them with a glass of wine, they were both a bit taken aback.

Isabella thought of Amelia's jinxing ability and looked at her in surprise, asking, "Did you mention her again?"

Amelia shook her head, equally shocked. "Why would I? Trying to stir up trouble for us?"

Pearl, meanwhile, was completely ignored by their conversation.

"Are you two just here to freeload? Trust me, I can get security to kick you out," Pearl snapped at Isabella, gripping her glass tightly.

Isabella gave Pearl a cold stare. "We were invited as contestants. Why do we keep running into you everywhere?"

Amelia nodded. "Maybe we should hit up a church tomorrow, get a priest to read us some Bible verses to ward off evil spirits. Maybe even sprinkle some holy water to break the curse."

Isabella agreed with a nod.

Pearl's face darkened. They were treating her like some kind of curse.

Just as Pearl was about to retort, Isabella leaned in and whispered, "Don't forget your current situation. You're the laughingstock of the city's elite. If you keep arguing with us and draw attention, who do you think they'll mock first, me or you?"

Pearl's expression shifted. She didn't want to be here, but there were rumors Michael was hosting. Paxton had ordered her to come to see Michael.

Pearl took a deep breath, her hand gripping the glass so hard her knuckles turned white. She shot a fierce glare at Isabella and Amelia, stomped her foot, and stormed off.

"Wearing stilettos and still stomping around, she's gonna fall," Amelia muttered, rolling her eyes.

As Pearl walked away, she suddenly felt her heel snap, causing her to lose balance and fall sideways into a wheelchair.

Amelia, mid-drink, almost spat out her wine. "Is my mouth really cursed?"

Isabella frowned, not because of Amelia's so-called curse, but because Pearl had fallen on Bianca, who was also at the banquet.

"Is that Bianca? What's she doing here?" Amelia asked, annoyed.

Isabella shrugged. "The host invited some wealthy folks and members of the four major families. Bianca might've come with John."

Isabella never expected Bianca to be a contestant, let alone that Bianca had plagiarized her work.

When Pearl fell on Bianca, she didn't hold back.

"You're just like Isabella. A despicable person, a cripple, both disgusting to look at," Pearl spat at Bianca before limping away to find a place to change her shoes.

Bianca was left speechless and started to resent Isabella, knowing she was being dragged into this mess because of her.

"Just wait, Isabella. When the competition results are announced, you won't believe your eyes," Bianca muttered, a glint of malice in her gaze as she watched Isabella.

Meanwhile, as the guests finally settled in, the banquet officially kicked off.

The host had set aside a section for the contestants, each with their own designated seat. To Isabella's surprise, Bianca wasn't sitting with the invited guests but in the contestants' area.

"Bianca's a contestant? How is that even possible? Can she even draw?" Amelia asked, bewildered.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "She can't even doodle right. You think she can design? Back in school, I used to do her art homework for her."

Amelia gave Bianca a puzzled look. "So, is she just here to freeload like me?"

Isabella glanced at Bianca, her brows knitting together. She certainly didn't think Bianca was here just to freeload at the party; this woman definitely had another motive, but Isabella wasn't sure what it was yet.

Soon, the event host took the stage. After introducing a bunch of new products, he started announcing the winners of the makeup and image design competition.

"Now, announcing the 10th place. The winner is Ellie Thomas." Following the host's announcement, a young woman in a black and white dress walked up to the stage.

All contestants who didn't place would get a set of the host's new cosmetics. For those who did place, the 10th place prize was $10,000, with each higher rank getting an extra $5,000. Starting from 5th place, the prize was $50,000, increasing by $10,000 for each higher rank. The first-place prize was $100,000.

As the host called out names and contestants went up to get their awards, Isabella finally smiled when it was time to announce the second-place winner.

"The second-place winner is Isabella Taylor! She will receive an $80,000 reward! Thank you for your support and for the design you created." At the host's invitation, Isabella went up to receive her award.

Amelia clapped enthusiastically from below. She hadn't expected Isabella to actually win second place.

"Next up is our first-place winner, also our champion tonight, who will receive $100,000 in prize money and an important position in our company! Her name is Bianca Taylor!" As the host announced Bianca's name, the stage erupted in applause once again.

Isabella and Amelia's faces instantly fell.

"How can someone who can't even draw win first place? Is there some shady business going on here?" Amelia fumed.

Watching Bianca being pushed onto the stage, looking all smug, Isabella started to piece things together. 'Bianca must've bought a design from somewhere, entered the competition, and then John must've pulled some strings with the organizers to get her the win. Damn it, I knew there might be some shady dealings, but I never thought she'd actually win!'