Chapter 319 – An Unbreakable Vow with the Heartless Tycoon

“Seriously, I’m fine,” Leilani says.

Sophie nods, but she doesn’t look convinced. She smooths Leilani’s hair and adjusts her skirt, walking her toward the stage entrance. The audience is still screaming and cheering for Crystal. It sounds even louder by the door than it did backstage.

“Wait, does Rebecca know anything about you and Mr. Bamford?” Sophie asks.

“I don’t think so,” Leilani answers.

“Good, let’s try to keep it that way,” Sophie says.

A stagehand rushes over and tells Leilani that she needs to be on stage in sixty seconds. Leilani swallows hard and wipes her hands on her skirt. Her mouth has gone bone dry, but her palms feel clammy.

Sophie wraps her in a warm embrace and says, “Belief in yourself. You’re the best.”

The stage door opens, and Crystal marches past. She bumps into Leilani as she passes, and Leilani stumbles backward before she catches her balance. Crystal smirks and mouths the word “sorry.” Leilani ignores her and takes her place behind the podium.

She takes a deep breath and clicks the button on the remote control. Her design appears on the screen. The cufflinks look like small coats of armor. In the middle, there’s a wine glass made out of rose quartz. A small whip wraps around the stem of the glass, and a bouquet of flowers appears above it.

Leilani clears her throat and says, “My design tells a story. Miss Arlington and Mr. Bamford met at a benefit dinner when Miss Arlington was young. From the first moment she saw him, she knew she had feelings for him. The glass in the middle represents the moment they met.

“The whip represents Miss Arlington. She’s an accomplished rider—one of the best horsewomen in the world. Mr. Bamford realized he had feelings for her when he saw her on horseback. The flowers in the bouquet above are the symbols of the Bamford and Arlington families—the bouquet represents their union.”

There’s more to explain, but Leilani feels a lump forming in her throat. The spotlights are hot and blinding, and her head starts to spin. She braces herself against the podium, fighting the urge to run offstage. The silence onstage is unsettling—she can hear people whispering.

“That’s so meaningful,” a female voice gushes. “The design is a little rougher, of course, not nearly as refined as Crystal’s. But my God, the story is just beautiful.”

“I don’t know,” a male voice says. “I think I prefer Crystal’s. That color-changing detail is so unique.”

Leilani squints out at the audience, trying to see past the bright lights, but the speakers’ faces are impossible to see. She reaches for the remote to end the presentation. She’s about to turn the screen off when she hears Rebecca’s accented voice rise above the murmur.

“Leilani is so considerate,” Rebecca says. “I really like her design. What do you think, Waylen?”

Leilani strains her ears to hear his response, but she doesn’t catch a single word. She turns the screen off, and the lights in the room flicker back on. She nods and smiles at the audience and leaves the stage to lukewarm applause. A stagehand ushers her to a front-row seat, and she sits down next to Crystal.

“If Mr. Bamford chooses your design, he’s blind,” Crystal whispers.

Leilani ignores the comment and watches Sophie take the stage. Sophie raises her hands for silence, and the audience obeys.

“You’ve all seen the designs now, and I think you can all agree that both are impressive,” Sophie says. “But here at D.O., we value our clients above everything else. So now it’s time to find out which design Mr. Bamford and Miss Arlington prefer.”

Sophie gestures toward Waylen and Rebecca’s seats, and Waylen stands. He’s dressed in a crisp black suit, and he radiates power. The audience begins to whisper, and he waits until they silence themselves.

“Frankly, both designs are only okay,” he says. The audience gasps, and he clears his throat. “But if I had to choose one, I guess I’d choose Miss Peters’ work.”

If he had to choose, Leilani thinks. He’s so rude. I know he wants to insult me, but there’s no need to insult Sophie’s entire company too. Leilani looks up at the stage and sees that Sophie looks a bit fl.u.s.tered—her cheeks are pink, and her eyes are wide.

“May I ask why you chose Miss Peters’ work?” Sophie asks. “What is your reason?”

“My reason?” Waylen asks. He smiles and says, “I suppose it’s because Miss Peters is a very generous designer.”

The audience begins to applaud, and Leilani groans. To the audience, it sounds like he’s praising the thoughtfulness of her design. But she knows his comment is meant to be a jab. He’s mocking her for designing the cufflinks for his new girlfriend.

Sophie wraps her knuckles against the podium and says, “It’s my pleasure to announce that the final design will be—”

“Wait a minute!” a voice shouts.

Leilani turns and sees one of Crystal’s interns standing on top of his seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Crystal’s face light up.

“This entire competition was unfair,” the intern shouts.

The intern continues, “Leilani cheated. She seduced Mr. Bamford, trading s.e.x.u.a.l favors for his vote in the competition. I can prove it, too.”

The news is like a bomb. Within seconds everyone is talking—some audience members even climb onto their chairs to shout to their friends across the room. Sophie raps her knuckles against the podium, but she can’t calm the frenzy.

Leilani slumps down in her chair, trying to make herself invisible. She can feel dozens of eyes on her, and she can tell that most of the audience hates her. Crystal taps her on the shoulder and makes a clicking sound with her teeth.

“Oh, Leilani,” Crystal says, shaking her head with mock pity. “I thought you were better than this. I can’t believe you broke the most important company rule over some silly competition. You know what this means, don’t you? You’ll lose the contest, and you’ll never work in this industry again.”

Leilani ignores Crystal and looks across the aisle at Waylen and Rebecca. Waylen raises his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twitches up in a smile. He shoves his hands into his pockets and strikes a casual pose. Rebecca stands next to him looking stricken—her face is pale, and her large eyes shimmer with tears.

Sophie taps on the microphone, and a booming sound echoes through the room. The audience members stop talking and turn expectantly toward the stage. Leilani looks up at her friend and mentor and feels a wave of panic.

Sophie knows that Waylen is my ex, she thinks. But what if Crystal found out about the kiss in the parking lot? Sophie will hate me for lying to her and, Oh god, Rebecca will be heartbroken.

“These are very serious accusations, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Sophie announces.

“May I say something?” Rebecca asks. “Miss Stone, I know you want to win, but there’s no need for this nasty sort of trick. Honestly, I think your design is exceptional, and you should be proud of the work you produced. My boyfriend chose Miss Peters’ design, but I know it was a difficult decision for him. Miss Peters went above and beyond with her design, and my boyfriend’s decision is not a negative reflection on your work.”

Leilani covers her face with her hands. I don’t deserve Rebecca’s friendship, she thinks. She’s far too good. I swear if I get away with the kiss in the garage, I’ll never go near Waylen again. Rebecca will never have to worry about me betraying her trust. But even as she makes the mental promise, she knows it’s not true. Her stomach churns with guilt.

“Miss Arlington, you’re one of the loveliest clients I’ve ever worked with,” Crystal says. “And trust me, I’m not doing this to win. The truth is incredibly important to me, and I think everyone deserves to know the truth about Leilani. You especially deserve to know if your boyfriend was unfaithful.”

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