Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 47

Contact the organizers. Lockwood's will increase our sponsorship investment. Give first place to Cynthia Ross.

After sending the text, he pocketed his phone with a nonchalant expression.

Since she wanted it, he would make sure she got it.

Something others would bleed for was, to him, just a matter of a single text.

Cynthia looked up at him, her eyes welling with deep gratitude.

Dominic smiled and reached out to gently pat the top of her head. "Don't be nervous. You deserve the best."

Ten minutes later, the head judge stood up from the center of the panel, and a hush fell over the room.

"We will now announce the final winners of this year's Metropolitan Jewelry Exhibition."

The massive screen lit up again. As names flashed in sequence, the tension in the room spiked.

The host flipped open the final awards envelope. "Let us now reveal the winners of the Northport Independent Jewelry Designer Invitational. The third-place winner is—"

The screen updated instantly.

"Lauren Lennox, with 'The Astral Moon'."

Applause broke out, but Lauren froze entirely in her seat.

Third place?

How the hell was she third place?

She had prepared for this competition for ages. From the very beginning, she had her sights set on first place, expecting second at the absolute worst.

And now, they ranked her third?

Lauren clenched her fists, her heart burning with unbridled indignation, yet she was forced to plaster on a gracious smile for the cameras.

Soon, the host's bright voice rang out again. "Next, we will announce the first and second-place winners simultaneously. Taking home the grand prize of this year's Exhibition is—"

The host purposefully drew out the pause, dragging the entire audience to the edge of their seats.

Meanwhile, down in the audience, Seraphina was absolutely paralyzed.

She half-suspected she had misheard the announcement. Her eyes shot up to the massive screen, boring into the glowing letters.

Cynthia Ross.

First Place Winner.

How could it possibly be Cynthia?

From the start of the event to this exact second, whether it was the crowd's visceral reaction or the professional feedback, 'Chrysalis' had undeniably outclassed 'Homeward Bound.'

Even right after her presentation, she had caught several judges enthusiastically praising her design philosophy.

She had prepared for so long, burning the midnight oil for countless nights, continuously overhauling her sketches.

Those late nights soaked in coffee, the crumpled drafts overflowing from the trash can, the sheer willpower it took to tear down and rebuild her concepts over and over—it had all just been reduced to a cruel punchline.

She sat there in a daze, only snapping back to reality when the host repeatedly urged her to come up to the stage and accept her award.