The Queen's Back

Mona said to Leander with a smile, completely ignoring Barbara beside him, "Thanks for your encouragement, Mr. Ford. I hope to bring honor to Nathontown too." "Alright," Leander said. "Make Clem Group proud. Make Nathontown proud. I've got high hopes for you."

When Mona first joined Clem Group, Leander had a low opinion of her.

But after she designed a gown for Artemis and participated in the Nathontown Design Competition, his view of Mona completely changed.

Mona was very likely the dark horse of the Design Competition this time, rising all the way to the top.

She nodded at Leander and walked straight to the backstage.

As Barbara looked at Mona's slender and determined back, she smiled faintly.

It was almost indistinct. If one did not look carefully, one would not be able to notice at all.

"Mr. Ford, I'll go draw the competition order now," she said.

Upon getting Leander's approval, Barbara walked toward the staff.

After a long wait and rising tension, the long-awaited Noretin Design Competition began with enthusiastic applause.

Sitting in the contestants' area, Mona looked at Maxwell across the stage. He immediately smiled at Mona, his lips slightly parted. Then, he looked at the beautiful roses in his arms.

It was Mona who asked Maxwell to hold them for her. She asked him to give them to her when she came off the stage.

Across the stage, Mona could see clearly that Maxwell was mouthing, "Honey, go for it."

After understanding what Maxwell was trying to communicate, Mona nodded at him.

As the opening speech concluded and the applause faded, the designs from each designer began to be showcased.

There were designs in red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, purple, black, white, gray, and neon... Every color found in nature was used. The styles of the gowns also varied greatly. It depended on whose design was ingenious and would capture the attention of the spectators and the judges.

Mona watched as one gown after another was showcased on stage, with each designer given only three minutes to introduce their creations.

These three minutes were crucial. It depended on what designers said to make the spectators and judges remember them.

After watching the first two groups of twenty gowns, the one that left the deepest impression on Mona was a black gown.

The designer was given three minutes but only took a few dozen seconds to introduce the gown. "This is a black wedding dress from hell."

It was this one sentence that made Mona involuntarily think of a tragic love story.

Soon, it was time for the third group, and Mona was about to go on stage.

As Mona's name was called out loudly, she walked elegantly onto the stage with a smile. Her eyes were focused on the gown she had designed.

The white fabric was dyed with vibrant colors, and the skirt flared out, making the gown stand out at a glance among the other gowns.

Mona named her design "Color."

This was what vibrant colors meant to her. It was also her attitude toward life, which was filled with positivity and optimism.

After traveling back in time, she wanted to live a dazzling life, like a rainbow after the rain.

"I'm sure everyone has seen it. This is our fifth contestant from the third group, Mona, presenting her design, 'Color.' Let's give her a warm welcome."

As soon as the emcee finished speaking, deafening applause came from the spectators, accompanied by murmurs of conversation.

"This gown is so beautiful. It's like a rainbow."

"The point is, it makes me feel good just by looking at it."

"This is my favorite gown among all the gowns I've seen. I'll reserve it first. After the competition, I want to buy it."

"What a coincidence. I like it too."

"You're not going to snatch it from me, are you?"

"Well, 'Color' isn't yours. I like it too, so let's compete fairly."

As soon as the emcee finished speaking, Mona took the microphone. In the sea of people, she spotted Maxwell sitting in the front row at a glance.

Her eyes focused on Maxwell as she said, "The initial motivation for designing this gown is my love for life—"

As soon as Mona uttered a remark, a young judge from the panel stood up and interrupted her, saying, "You have been disqualified from the competition."

Various discussions immediately broke out among the spectators. They were all wondering what Mona had done to be disqualified by the judges.

The statement came as a complete surprise. Of course, Mona would not walk off the stage right away. Gripping the microphone tightly, she asked, "What's the reason?"

She was not someone who would accept unfair treatment without seeking justice. There was no way she would comply and give up on the Design Competition, which she had been preparing for so long, without getting a reasonable reason.

The young judge did not mention the

reason. Instead, she met Mona's defiant gaze and chuckled. "Don't you know the reason yourself, Ms. Clem? If I were to say it out in front of over ten thousand people today, your design career would be over."

Mona met the young judge's gaze and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Moreover, this person looked at her with hatred.

The hatred was palpable. Mona didn't think she was mistaken.

But this was indeed a stranger's face. She had never seen it before.

This hatred came out of nowhere.

The judge's voice echoed in the lecture hall. Now, not only were the spectators whispering among themselves, but the judges were also quietly discussing while looking at the gown next to Mona. Maxwell immediately contacted Nigel to look into this judge. He thought, 'Who is so bold as to disqualify my wife from the competition?'

"If you can't tell me the reason, I won't withdraw from the competition," Mona said firmly.

She thought, 'kput so much effort into this gown, from selecting the fabric and colors to even applying the pearls on the gown myself. Without a valid reason, a few words from a judge could scare me into withdrawing from the competition? Dream on!'

"Alright, you're the one who wanted a reason. If you can't make it in the design industry in the future, don't blame me."

With that said, this judge called Molly Sinner wore a calm expression and immediately opened her laptop. She then scribbled and tapped on it.

Before long, a photo of a gown appeared on the big screen. If one did not look carefully, it was exactly the same as the one beside Mona. The signer at the corner of the photo was Molly, and there was also Danielle's private seal.

It was acceptable if two gowns were somewhat similar, but if the two gowns had over ninety percent similarity, then it indicated plagiarism.

Almost as soon as the photo was displayed, Mona's pupils instinctively dilated. She clenched her fists tightly and stared intently at the photo of the gown on the screen and the private seal of Danielle.

She instinctively thought, 'No way.

How come the two gowns are nearly identical? I designed this gown from start to finish without referencing other people's works. How come it looks similar to the one on the screen? Even the color layout is identical. Clearly, someone has copied my work.'