Chapter 169
The moment Vivienne spoke, a hush fell over the bleachers. Everyone who heard her turned to look in
her direction.
What did Vivienne just say?
Hazel almost thought she had misheard. Before she could utter a mocking retort, Helen abruptly stood
up, her icy gaze fixed on Vivienne. "What did you just say?"
"I said, ''Beyond is as wrong as falling short.''" Vivienne''s long eyshes fluttered slightly as she met
Helen''s gaze and repeated her words calmly.
"What gives you, a country bumpkin, the right to judge Mike''s designs like that?" Helen''s face was a
picture of outrage.
When her family, the Edwards family, initially vied for the agency rights to Mr. Mike''s brand, it was partly
due to the potential profit but also because Helen was a big fan and had highly rmended it.
Helen had always been a devoted fan of Mike. She never missed a show and had collected every
piece he had ever designed. In her eyes, aside from the elusive Master Charles, Mr. Mike was the most
gifted fashion designer in recent years.
She was now preparing for her college entrance exams and had no ns to attend a local university.
Instead, she was aiming to study abroad at Mike''s alma mater, the prestigious King''s Design Academy
in Veloria.
Her dream was to be a fashion designer like Charles and Mike.
She had refrained from shing with Vivienne due to the presence of Percival and Cecilia, not wanting
to offend the Ellington family. However, hearing Vivienne belittle her idol''s designs was something she
could not tolerate.
"Have a problem?" Vivienne had the model on stage, dressed in a gown with a gradient color scheme,
stop. She pointed at therge bow on her shoulder and waist and asked, "The dress already has a
upper half was simple? Isn''t adding tworge bows overdoing it?"
"What do you know?!" Helen, after seeing Mike''s design belittled by Vivienne, retorted angrily, "This is
called vintage. Do you understand?"
Charlotteughed andmented on the gradient-colored dress. "I think Vivienne is right. The design
is tooplicated. There are too many highlights but no focal point."
"Nonsense!" Helen red at Charlotte. "Don''t side with her just because she''s Percival''s fiancée and
you''re trying to curry favor with the Ellington family!"
Charlotte''s face turned cold. "Don''t assume I''m like you, who is willing to befriend any scum to get
close to the Brooks family!"
"Charlotte, I didn''t offend you, so why are you attacking me out of nowhere?!" Arabe''s eyes turned
red at the blink of an eye. Her wronged expression made Charlotte''s skin crawl.
"Helen is right. Mike''s talent is highly sought after internationally. If you think his designs are bad, why
don''t you try designing clothes? Why don''t you be designers? My family invited Mike to design for
my engagement party. I won''t allow you to insult him at will."
“If you can''t do it, just admit it." Hazel was afraid of Percival and Cecilia and didn''t dare provoke
Vivienne directly. But she wasn''t afraid of Charlotte. A malicious glint shed in her eyes as she
challenged her. "If you''re so confident, then why don''t you improve the dress?
"Show everyone your improved version. Let''s see if it''s better than Mike''s original design."
Charlotte fell silent immediately. She couldn''t design clothes, and even if she could, she wouldn''t dare
risk offending Mike by altering his design.
Unexpectedly, Vivienne spoke to a waiter, who quickly brought her a pair of scissors and a sewing kit.
This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.
She epted them and calmly walked onto the stage.
"Vivienne, what are you doing?" Helen eximed in shock, reaching out to pull Vivienne away. "Get
down from there! How dare you touch Mike''s design?!"
Vivienne ignored her and snipped off therge bow on the model''s shoulder with a swift clip of her
scissors.
"Vivienne, I''ll kill you!" Helen screamed in fury. "How could you?!"
She turned to the model and yelled, "Are you insane? Why are you letting her ruin Mike''s dress?!"
The model, an Italian woman, didn''t understand English and could only stare at Helen with puzzled
eyes.
Even if she didn''t understand thenguage, she shouldn''t have let someone damage the dress she
was wearing. Yet she simply stood there, allowing Vivienne to have her way.
Below the stage, the crowd was growing as more people were drawn by Helen''s screams. Everyone
looked at Vivienne with furrowed brows. Regardless of the circumstances, altering someone else''s
design was an insult to the designer.
In their eyes, Vivienne''s actions were incredibly rude.
Yet, due to Percival and Cecilia''s presence, none of them said anything.
"What''s going on?"
A kindly but somewhat weathered voice sounded from the edge of the crowd.
Everyone turned to see the crowd parting to make way for Ashley and Ronald, who were
apanying Judith. Scott and Melissa followed close behind, with Beatrice and her two sons trailing
after them.
"Grandma!" Arabe spotted Judith and immediately clung to her arm. Her voice was tinged with panic.
"You have to stop my sister. She''s gone mad! She''s about to ruin Mr. Mike''s dress!"
Judith frowned. Mike might only be a designer, but he was a valued guest they had gone to great
lengths to invite. He shouldn''t be insulted in such a manner.
But when her gazended on the girl wielding scissors on the runway, she was taken aback.
It was her!
The same girl who had saved her back in Havenwood.
"Why didn''t any of you stop her?" Ronald asked, his brows knitted together in confusion.
Arabe opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. Her eyes darted nervously
between Percival and Cecilia, her expression a mix of fear and helplessness.
"Who would dare stop the fiancé of Mr. Ellington?" Hazel interjected. A cold smirk yed on her lips as
she spoke for Arabe.
"Grandmother, you must stop my sister immediately. Look how upset Helen is!" Arabe pleaded, her
face full of concern. "Mike came here because of her family. If she offends Mike and it leads to a fallout
between the Edwards family and him, then wouldn''t I be the most wicked person ever?"
Helen was indeed on the verge of tears. Her hand clutched her dress as she rushed onto the runway,
intending to intercept Vivienne.
Vivienne was just in the process of tearing off therge bow on the dress and removing the excess
design elements.
As she turned around, revealing the dress that had been hidden behind her, Helen froze. Stripped of its
excessive embellishments, the dress was transformed into a strapless beauty. Its design suddenly
became much more elegant and streamlined.