CHAPTER 257

Chapter 257 An Unexpected Runway Walk

When Matthew saw these lines, his face went green. He then snapped the book shut and tossed it into the trash can.

After that, he stood up and walked to his desk to resume his work.

Minutes passed, and despite being busy until three o’clock in the afternoon, there was still no incoming text message from Veronica.

Matthew, who was feeling a little melancholy, leaned back in his executive chair, turned the signature pen in his hand, and involuntarily glanced over at the trash can.

After that, he stood up with hesitation, walked to the trash can, and picked up the book again.

Fortunately, there was no trash in the bin, so the book was still clean.

He flipped to the title page and continued reading…

…

Veronica had no idea what had happened here.

She had some free time after being preoccupied with everything else, and she remembered the message Matthew had sent her at the time.

She took out her phone and sent a reply, ‘I was busy in the morning, so I didn’t see your text.’

Not long after the message was sent, another message arrived, ‘There is a newly opened restaurant that serves delicious food. Do you want to have dinner together tonight?’

Matthew’s invitation was too direct, and Veronica could sense his enthusiasm. However, she declined. ‘I can’t make it. Yvonne invited me to a jewelry exhibition tonight.’

She had a headache from his intense pursuit and didn’t know what to do.

This message was like a stone sinking into the sea after it was sent, and there was no response.

At half past five o’clock in the evening, Yvonne arrived on time at the Encounters Bridal Store’s entrance.

Veronica then went downstairs, got into Yvonne’s car, and headed for the jewelry exhibition.

As it was a large-scale jewelry exhibition hosted in Bloomstead, many jewelry companies were competing. Only excellent exhibits would have the opportunity to participate in this jewelry show.

Many people had already taken their seats when they arrived at the jewelry exhibition venue. Veronica was about to sit down when Yvonne whisked her away to the backstage area. “Let’s head backstage and take a look.”

“What exactly are we doing backstage?” Veronica seemed perplexed. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Well, just follow my lead.”

Yvonne took her arm and led her backstage.

Later, a large crowd gathered, including models wearing jewelry on display, staff members, and some designers, including make-up artists and costume designers.

Yvonne found her friend after walking around the crowd. “Hi Ivana, how’s everything going?”

She greeted her friend, but then she noticed the woman with short gray hair had a worried expression, saying, “Oh, I’m so worried! A model has sprained her foot and can’t walk at all. The jewelry show will

start soon. Where should I look for someone to replace her?”

“Huh? What happened?” Yvonne frowned, surprised by what she had heard. Thinking for a moment, she continued, “Are there no temporary models? You can afford to pay more to hire one.”

Ivana clasped her hands and sighed in frustration. “It’s not a matter of money right now. Even if I pay one hundred thousand, I won’t be able to find a model.”

Veronica, who was standing next to Yvonne, heard their conversation. She rolled her eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked, “One hundred thousand for a model to walk in the show?”

“Well, over thirty thousand.” Since Ivana was looking for a better model, the fee for a show exceeded thirty thousand. “The model sprained her foot and it’s now swollen, so she has been sent to the hospital,” she added.

At this moment, a voice from the backstage said, “Attention to all companies, the jewelry show is now commencing. Please be prepared to allow the models to enter the venue one by one.”

The organizer of the jewelry exhibition urged everyone backstage, which made Ivana even more nervous. “What should I do? That model is well-known in Bloomstead and can serve as the finale.”

“I’ll be the model for fifty thousand!”

Veronica spoke up abruptly.

As she finished her sentence, Yvonne and Ivan both looked at her with incredulous expressions, saying, “You… Can you?”

Yvonne yanked on her arm. “Although fifty thousand is a good reward, you can’t fool around. This is a jewelry show, and Ivana may lose her job as a result.”

“I… I’ll give it my all.” Veronica had only one sentence to explain herself.

Ivana then scrutinized Veronica before realizing her identity. She realized that Veronica had been in the news in Bloomstead lately, so she was quite famous.

It would be great if she could be the model for this jewelry show.

She paused briefly before looking at Veronica and saying, “It’s not impossible for you to model for the show, but…you must do as I say.”

It didn’t matter if she knew how to walk on the runway; what mattered was that the gimmick had to be effective.

“What exactly should I do?” Veronica asked Ivana, who was the designer.

They stood next to each other and discussed it.

After everything had been finalized, Yvonne sat down excitedly in a seat reserved in the front row.

It was only then that she noticed Matthew and Conrad sitting across from her.

They also showed up.

As the music began to play, the models emerged one by one, each wearing jewelry, and the atmosphere was enticing.

Veronica, who was backstage at the time, had already changed her clothes and was sitting in front of the dressing table wearing jewelry, but when she looked in the mirror, she saw someone appear behind her…

It was Ruka!

“What’s up, Veronica?”

Ruka came here today as the person in charge of the Charmante Jewelry Atelier, but she never expected to meet Veronica backstage.

“Is this the model your company hired?” She sneered as she looked at Ivana. “Is that all she has? How can she compare to me? Are you joking?”

Ruka had an ironic demeanor and disdainful eyes.

“Hey, there’s nothing we can do about it. Our model is injured, and we can only request temporary assistance. This is my pal.” Ivana avoided a confrontation with Ruka. After all, she was Miss Dame, and Ivana’s company could not afford to offend her.

“This is completely absurd, Ivana.” Ruka shook her head, her dark eyes fixed on Veronica. Ruka’s thoughts were difficult to comprehend.

Veronica noticed Ruka in the mirror and immediately felt her hostility. However, Veronica didn’t give it much thought; she just assumed Ruka despised her.

After Ruka left, Ivana immediately consoled Veronica by saying, “It doesn’t matter if you can’t walk like a model, as long as you exude stage presence and remember what I told you.”

“OK, no worries.” Veronica replied.

She was seated backstage for a while, waiting for the models from different companies to finish walking one by one. Then, another designer introduced their jewelry’s design inspiration and concept. It had been a 20-minute wait.

Backstage, Ivana’s name was called, and the models from her company were getting ready to take the stage.

In the jewelry exhibition hall, Matthew had the best view of the runway. Next to him were Caleb and Skyler, who happened to be visiting the jewelry exhibition today. Therefore, their encounter was purely coincidental.

After a while, Skyler noticed Yvonne sitting across from them and asked Matthew, “Bro, is the girl across from us Veronica’s best friend? If she’s here, does that mean Veronica is present as well?”