The Queen's Back

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Barbara watched as everyone was awestruck, feeling increasingly furious with Mona. The admiration should have been directed at her, not Mona, who had stolen her thunder and claimed the praise meant for her. The resentment in Barbara's heart only grew stronger. She couldn't understand how Vespera had managed to ruin Mona's backup dress. And she didn't know when Mona had become so cunning, knowing to prepare two dresses. It was impressive in a way that left Barbara seething with hatred. She had never liked Mona

since childhood.

Noticing the hatred radiating from Barbara, Mona decided it was time to confront her. After all, she had long wanted to tear the mask off their relationship. Whether it was the past life where Barbara had caused her death or this life where she had had Vespera burn her dress and cut her other dress, every incident was unforgivable.

"Barbara, what's wrong? Why do you have such a strange look in your eyes? Are you uncomfortable seeing Artemis try on my dress?" Mona asked playfully

Her words were intentional, and the surrounding crowd immediately recalled Barbara's earlier comment about wanting to withdraw from the competition. Now, her displeasure was evident.

The murmurs quickly pulled Barbara back from her thoughts. Realizing she hadn't controlled her emotions, Barbara forced a smile and said, "Of course not! I'm genuinely happy for you." "Really?" Mona replied, her tone dripping with disbelief.

Barbara nodded vigorously.

Just then. Artemis got out of the fitting room, looking stunning in the dress. As she walked, her long legs were subtly highlighted, capturing everyone's attention. The white floor of the Design Department contrasted beautifully with her red dress, evoking images of blossoms blooming amidst the snow.

The strapless design perfectly accentuated Artemis's figure, making the dress look even better on her than in the sketches. She was captivating, drawing everyone's eyes as she approached.

Before she even spoke, her assistant Nicole gave her a thumbs-up. She had always known Artemis had a great figure, but seeing her in the dress brought it to a whole new level.

"Does it look good?" Artemis asked. The company had styled her as cute, and honestly, this was her first time trying a dress like this. She thought it looked great in the mirror but wondered if it matched public taste. "Absolutely stunning!" Nicole was the first to respond, with the rest of the design team nodding in agreement.

The dress looked truly breathtaking on Artemis.

Artemis glanced at Barbara, who also nodded in acknowledgment. It was clear that Mona's design talent hadn't diminished. If anything, it had grown stronger

After all the hard work to earn praise, a place in the competition and her honor, Barbara wouldn't let Mona take away what rightfully belonged to her.

"I'll wear this dress to the awards ceremony. I love it! If I need anything in the future, I'll come to you, Mona. You better not let me down," Artemis said, winking at Mona as she added Mona on WhatsApp.

Artemis had always felt she wasn't suited for a cute persona. A style change starting with this awards ceremony seemed like a refreshing idea

Once Artemis and her assistant left, Elara squeezed into the circle of people surrounding Mona, pulling her out. She was still unaware of what was happening. 08-21 Wed, Oct

The two returned to their workstations.

"Mona, is this the surprise you mentioned yesterday?" Elara asked, genuinely amazed. She had no idea how Mona had obtained an identical dress

Mona nodded and asked, "Surprised?"

"Of course! But how did you manage to pull this off alone? And did you know from the start that Vespera would ruin the dress?" Elara fired off her questions.

"After the fire, I was worried about any further mishaps, so I prepared another dress just in case. I didn't know Vespera would destroy the dress. I just wanted to be safe. I didn't mention it yesterday because I was afraid something else would go wrong." Mona explained. Over the past week, she had worked on the dress every time she returned home. Initially, it was all her work, but later, Maxwell helped her. She had worried he might not do well since he was a man, but to her surprise, he had a surprisingly deft touch and sewed exceptionally well. Once he realized Mona had little time, he would help during the day and rest at night, hardly going to the office. In reality, most of the dress was crafted by Maxwell

Mona felt a pang of regret as Artemis took the dress. If everyone knew it was hand-stitched by Maxwell, they would probably triple its value.

"Mona, you really worked hard! You have dark circles under your eyes, Elara said, concerned.

"It's fine. We succeeded, and that's what matters," Mona replied, thinking about preparing a gift for Maxwell to repay him for the time he had dedicated to her.

Word of Artemis choosing Mona's dress quickly spread through the Clem Group and online, leading to a major reversal on Twitter. The previously missing dress made a dramatic comeback, stunning everyone.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Naturally, the news reached the chairman's office, and Bernard immediately promoted and raised Mona's salary, along with Elara's. They were both officially promoted to designers.

By the afternoon, news of the promotion reached the Design Department. Everyone looked at Mona and Elara with envy. They had all seen Mona's dress design, but nobody dared to speak up. It was a shame for someone with such talent to remain an assistant, while Elara was simply lucky.

"Mona, did you hear? I can't believe it. I'm so happy! This is a good thing I never dreamed of?" Elara exclaimed, exhilarated. She had thought a small raise was the best she could hope for, not an actual promotion to designer.

Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, especially Alice, whose eyes gleamed with jealousy. If Artemis had chosen Barbara, that promotion opportunity would have been hers. After working hard with Barbara for so long. Alice had gained nothing. Alice couldn't help but think how much better it would have been if she had befriended Mona from the start.