Chapter 288
Hannah stormed into the makeup room, barely pausing as the door banged against the wall. Shock painted her face the instant she took in the scene before her.
Alice hunched over in the chair, her skin a patchwork of swollen red welts. Clusters of small blisters had already started to bubble up along her arms and neck.
Hannah's arrival drew a hoarse whimper from Alice. Her hands clamped so tightly to the armrests that her knuckles looked almost bloodless. "I can't face anyone looking like this. I just can't."
Panic laced Hannah's words as she demanded, "Where is the doctor? Why hasn't anyone from the medical team shown up yet?"
A trembling makeup assistant answered with a shaky voice,tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, "T-They're coming!I called for them, I swear!"
Meagan kept darting glances between Alice's rash and the clock on her wrist. When she finally spoke, her words tumbled out in a rush. "Ms. Scott, there's less than half an hour before Alice goes on. The press is out there, and half the crowd is here just to see her! What are we supposed to do?"
With the finale hanging on this one moment, the entire show threatened to collapse.
All eyes turned to Hannah.
In Hannah's head, solutions collided and crumbled. Cancel the finale? Find a last-minute replacement? But who could step in
finale? Find a last-minute replacement? But who could step in now? Who could handle the stress? What would the media say?No.Falling apart was not an option.
Just as the room seemed to spiral into hopeless silence,Hannah snapped her head up. Her voice cut through the panic like steel. "I'll take her place."
Gasps rippled around her. For a moment, nobody seemed sure they'd heard her correctly.
Even Alice, still shivering from pain and fear, stopped crying.She stared at Hannah in shock.
The visual director was the first to react. "Ms. Scott,you can't!That's not a good call!"
Anxiety tied her tongue in knots. "So many guests came just to see Alice-the entire finale was designed around her.Her look,her presence-it's irreplaceable. If you go onstage now,everyone will think you've fooled them and tried to steal the spotlight. The press will tear the brand apart. This could be a disaster, worse than any lighting mishap or wardrobe malfunction!"
No defense came from Hannah. Instead, she calmly faced the director and asked, "How about you go up there instead?"
The director froze, face flushing instantly. "L.. No,I can't do it.I couldn't possibly..."
"Then it's settled." Already, Hannah was looking past the director. Right now, nothing mattered more than finishing the show. Only by pulling through could everyone's sleepless nights mean something in the end.
Hannah didn't spare anyone another glance. Her voice rang out,crisp and unshakable. "Listen up, everyone. We have thirty minutes. Get me ready for the runway. That's it."
Every person in the room snapped into action.
Hannah drew in a deep breath and shut her eyes, trusting the team to work magic on her.
On the runway, the chorus looped one extra time-an unscheduled repeat.
Some of the most recognizable faces in the industry,veteran supermodels with poise to spare, stepped onto the runway once more, following an emergency backup routine.
Positioned in the forefront, Claude lifted his champagne flute,his fingers tapping out a slow, steady rhythm againstthe glass.
Polished as ever, he wore an easy smile, though a brief shadow of uncertainty flickered in his eyes. Timing felt out of sync.Doubts crept in. Was Alice still not ready?
In a dim corner of the venue, Erica's gaze drifted casually over the models making their second appearance. Amusement danced at the edge of her lips, growing a touch sharper with every extra loop. It looked like Hannah's show was starting to fall apart.
From his perch on the mezzanine, Vincent remained distant from the noise and lights, his gaze heavy as it scanned the stage below. Time crawled by while Alice remained missing.A heavy sense of foreboding began to creep over him, tightening its grip with every passing second.
Restlessness stirred among the guests, spreading like an invisible shiver through the rows.
"Wait, aren't these the same models we saw earlier?"
"Where's Alice? Isn't the finale supposed to start by now?"
Whispers mnoved from seat to seat, breaking the collective trance that had gripped the room moments earlier.
Just then, all the runway lights went out in an instant. The enormous hall was instantly swallowed by darkness.
Only one structure remained visible. The glowing outline of the massive centerpiece-a giant cocoon, faintly radiating cold,silvery threads of light.
Silence swept over the crowd at once. Every gaze was drawn,instinctively, to the centerpiece.
Suddenly, mechanical gears ground into motion, their hum barely audible. Layer after layer of the cocoon peeled back,unfolding with deliberate drama. Blinding white light burst from its core.
People flinched, shielding their faces from the glare. A wave of astonished gasps traveled through the room.
Then, right in the center of that brilliant light, a poised,statuesque figure stepped forward, every movement controlled and deliberate.
Spotlights swiveled, locking onto the lone silhouette.
Recognition dawned in an instant, pulling a shocked cry from every corner of the room. Why was it Hannah?