A few days after that, Lloyd did not bring up the topic of transferring shares to Leanna anymore, seemingly as if he had wanted to play it down. As for Leanna, she was not in a hurry to settle this, as she had waited long enough for this, so another two days wouldn't make a difference. Moreover, she was busy with the competition.
On the day of the semi-final, all the participants arrived at the scene and handed in their work. This time, it wasn't the same as the previous round, which had some odd tests. Instead, the staff was waiting at the spot to register each of the artworks.
"Thank you all for your hard work during these ten days. The result will be announced in three days, so please prepare for the final."
The organizer had said before that when the semi-final result was announced, the three designers who had entered the final round would give their work to the judges, and they would check the works on site before announcing the result. Hence, there was no way that the participants could relax within these three days. Instead, they needed to be on high alert.
Just as Leanna had handed in her work and was about to leave, Sofia came up and said, "McK, I was going to treat you to dinner, but it looks like we aren't in it for now. Let's have a meal together after the competition is over. I'd be like everyone else without your help, so I really owe you one."
Listening to her words, Leanna looked over and saw a few people with grim expressions. It was clear that they were not satisfied with their work and knew they would have no hope of entering the final round.
"Don't sweat about it. It's what I'm supposed to do," she replied.
Sofia's skill was undeniable. Although the other designers would discuss their work in private, it looked like it didn't end well.
"I'll be leaving then. See you at the final," said Sofia.
"See you at the finals." Leanna nodded gently.
After Sofia had left, Leanna took a few more steps forward before she heard Queenie's voice, which was filled with irritation. "I said that I'm in the middle of a competition. Can't I go home and visit him when I have the time? Do you know how important this competition means to me?" Before the person in front of her could say anything, Queenie continued, "There are still a few more days left before the final competition. Can you please stop bothering me?"
After her words fell, there was a short moment of silence before a male voice spoke up. "Good luck at the final." Then, the man turned around and was met with Leanna's gaze.
At that moment, Queenie also saw Leanna. Then, she frowned and took a step back, distancing herself from Ron.
Ron seemed to have sensed her intentions when he turned his head and looked at her. Then, he lowered his hat and left the scene quickly.
"Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on others' conversation?" Queenie crossed her arms together and demanded with an unfriendly tone.
"All I know is that this is a public area, and I don't have the responsibility to move my way out for you," Leanna replied faintly.
Hearing her words, Queenie sneered in disdain, "Aren't you a bit too full of yourself? It seems to me you're delighted with your work."
"By the nervous looks on your face, are you dissatisfied with yours?" Leanna retorted.
When Queenie realized Leanna had refuted her, her face darkened. However, Leanna did not intend to talk to her any longer and turned around. At that moment, Queenie shouted, "Are you that confident that you will be the last man standing?!"
Hearing her words, Leanna stopped in her tracks and said, "When have I ever said such a thing?"
"Well, isn't that what you think?"
"I never thought about this before. I just feel that we should be competing by using our skills and expertise. Let the strength speak for itself, okay?" Then, Leanna looked at her and added, "Instead of worrying about me, why don't you visit your father?"
As Queenie listened to her words, her face twisted in anger, and she growled, "That is none of your business!"
Listening to her words, Leanna twitched her lips and didn't say anything. As she left, she thought to herself, Does she think I'm willing to mind her business?
When she returned to the studio, Zoe came up with a hesitant expression. Seeing the look on her face, Leanna asked, "What's wrong?"
"Louis is here," Zoe whispered.
Hearing her words, Leanna was startled momentarily. Just as Leanna was about to ask Zoe why he was present on a weekend, she saw Zoe's expression and knew that something had happened. Hence, she just looked at Zoe and said, "Okay."
Then, Leanna walked toward her office.
Inside the office, Louis had his back against her, so she couldn't see the expression on his face. As she entered the room, she shut the door behind her and asked, "Why are you here, Louis? Don't you have classes to attend?"
At that moment, Louis raised his head slowly while pursing his lips into a thin line. Then, he took a photo out of his bag and showed it to Leanna. As Leanna lowered her eyes and looked at the photo, she saw that it was Lloyd and her. By the scene of the picture, she guessed it must have been taken by someone on the day of the auction.
Thinking about it, she sat down and said softly, "I didn't mean to hide this from you, Louis. This is too complicated, and I didn't know how to tell you."
"So, he is your biological father, right?" asked Louis.
At that, Leanna opened her mouth but didn't explain, which indicated a silent agreement. This isn't the right time to tell him about this, she thought.
After a while, he asked, "Is Jethro still coming to you?"
"No." Leanna shook her head.
"Okay." As Louis spoke, he stood up and left.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Leanne called out, "Louis…"
However, Louis had his back against her, and his tone was monotonous as he spoke. "I'm fine. I was just here to check with you. Since I still have classes at night, I'll be going then." Then, he left.
Although Leanne chased after him, she lost sight of him as he left quickly.
At that moment, Zoe walked over to her and asked, "What happened? I saw that Louis looked grim when he came."
"I guess he knew about my relationship with the Crossley Family," Leanne replied.
Hearing her words, Zoe scratched her head in confusion and said, "Well… I'm sure it's not a big deal. Maybe he will even be happy for you."
"That's not the point," said Leanne as she shook her head. Then, she went back to her office and dialed Daphne's number. When Daphne answered the phone, she asked, "Is Louis still with the crew?"
"No, he isn't. He has finished his part for quite some time. What's wrong?" Daphne replied.
"It's nothing. I was just…" As Leanne spoke, she sighed quietly and continued, "Forget it. I'll hang up now."
On the other end of the call, Daphne was confused about why Leanne had called her. After keeping her phone away, she asked the staff next to her, "Has Louis been in the crew for the past few days?"
"I'm not sure, but I saw him by the school gate in the afternoon. Speaking of which, isn't he filthy rich?" the staff said.
When Daphne heard the staff's words, she was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
Then, the staff said, "I saw a man come looking for him in the afternoon. He was driving a luxury car and was in a suit. He looks like one of the most successful people. Looking at him from afar, I thought he and Louis looked alike, so I'm guessing that the man is his father, right?"
When Daphne heard the staff's words, she immediately knew that the man wasn't Louis' father, as she had heard about Leanne's father. At that moment, she grabbed her stuff while saying, "Tell the director that I will be leaving first."
"We are having dinner together, though. Where are you going?" the staff asked.
"Something came up. I'll treat you guys next time. For today, you guys go on without me," replied Daphne.
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