One Night With My Alpha Professor novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55
Audrey
I held my breath as the judges raised their scorecards. Time seemed to slow down as I watched the numbers appear, one by
one.
9… 9.5… 10!
A perfect score!
For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Then, the reality sank in, and I felt a surge of joy and disbelief wash over me.
“Congratulations, Team Audrey!” the announcer’s voice boomed through the microphone. “You have nearly received top marks from our judges! How do you feel?”
I could barely breathe. “I… I feel…” I couldn’t even speak. Only one word seemed capable of escaping my lips: “Amazing!”
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers. My friends, too, erupted into cheers around me, hugging each other and jumping up and down. I could only stand there, stunned, until Tina threw her arms around me and jolted me out of my reverie.
“We did it, Audrey!” she squealed. “We actually did it! I can’t believe it!”
I hugged her back, laughing and crying at the same time. As we celebrated, I caught Edwin’s eye. Even with the mask on, I could see the pride shining in his gaze. I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around him as well, but before I could, the cheers died down and my team turned back to face the judges.
“Audrey,” one of the judges called out, bringing me back to the present. “We would love to hear more about your inspiration for this collection. Can you tell us a bit about that?”
I took a deep breath, stepping forward and taking the proffered microphone from the announcer.
“Of course,” I began, my voice trembling ever so slightly with a combination of excitement and nervousness. “My inspiration came from a variety of sources, but primarily from some of the fashion icons I’ve always admired.”
I went on to talk about a few designers who had influenced my work, describing how their innovative approaches had
my inspired me to push boundaries in my own designs. I started off as a bundle of nerves, but the more I talked about passions, the more I found myself relaxing.
“But most of all,” I continued, my eyes flickering briefly to Edwin, “My biggest inspiration has always been Brooks Designs. The way they blend classic elegance with modern, edgy details is just… incredible. I’ve admired their work for years, and I think you can see some of that influence in our collection today.
As I spoke about Edwin’s work, I couldn’t help but gush a little. Unbeknownst to him, he was one of my greatest muses. My admiration for his designs had only grown since I had started working with him, and it showed in my enthusiasm.
When I glanced at Edwin again, I noticed his eyes had softened behind his mask. There was something in his gaze that. made my heart skip a beat, but before I could dwell on it, the judges were continuing
“Thank you, Audrey,” the head judge said warmly. “Your passion is evident. Now, we have one more question. Who is this handsome, mysterious model? He certainly caught everyone’s attention!”
I froze for a moment, panic rising in my chest. I couldn’t reveal Edwin’s identity-that would ruin everything. For all of us.
“Well,” I said, thinking quickly, “I actually wanted the focus to be on the clothes themselves, not on the models’ faces or identities. That’s why both of our models are wearing masks. It was a last-minute decision, but I believe that true fashion should speak for itself, without relying on the identity of the person wearing it.”
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Chapter 55
There was a pause, and I held my breath, worried that I had said the wrong thing. But then the judges started nodding, looking impressed.
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“How avant-garde!” one of them exclaimed. “Putting the focus entirely on the designs themselves rather than the models- that is a bold choice, and I must say, it paid off beautifully.”
I let out a sigh of relief, smiling gratefully at the judges. “Thank you so much. We’re honored that you appreciate our vision.”
After a few more questions and congratulations, we were finally sent backstage. As soon as we were out of sight of the audience, my friends erupted into cheers again. I was swarmed by a sea of arms and smiles, practically lost in the middle of a massive group hug.
“Audrey, you spoke so well out there!” Avis squealed, bouncing on her toes.
“I can’t believe we got such high marks!” Betty added, her eyes wide with disbelief.
I grinned at them, still riding the high of our victory. “You guys were amazing. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
As my friends continued to celebrate, I noticed Edwin slipping away toward a private room. I followed him, glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone else was looking-but they were all too excited to notice.
I followed Edwin out of view of the others. He didn’t seem to notice my presence right away, because he turned his back and slipped off his mask with a heavy sigh as he peered into a nearby mirror. I watched him for a moment as he ran a hand through his dark hair, disheveling it slightly as he did so, and then undid the top two buttons of his shirt.
Finally, I cleared my throat and took a step forward, shutting the door behind me.
“Hey.”
Edwin turned at the sound of my voice, his eyes-their true color still hidden behind his brown contacts-momentarily roving over me. He cleared his throat and muttered, “Congratulations. Your team deserved those marks.”
My face instantly flushed pink at his words. There was a tense silence for a few beats before I took another step closer and said, “I meant what I said, by the way. About your company.”
He furrowed his brow a bit. “I thought Claudia was your biggest inspiration,” he said. “But it seems like I was mistaken, judging by how passionately you spoke about me.”
I didn’t know what to say; the words wouldn’t even come anyway, no matter how hard I tried. I just knew what I needed to do.
There, hidden from view by a rack of clothes, I couldn’t contain myself anymore. Without thinking, I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my breath brushing his ear. “For everything.”
For a moment, Edwin stood frozen, and I started to become worried that I had overstepped-yet again. But then his arms were wrapping around me, and suddenly I was being lifted off my feet.
Edwin spun me around, and I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me. When he set me down, we were both a little breathless, although I wondered if his head was reeling as much as mine was.
“You were amazing today, Audrey,” he said with a surprising softness in his voice, his hands still on my waist. “You should be proud of yourself”
Nooked up at him through my lashes, my heart racing. Despite the contacts he wore, I could see the warmth in his eyes. And in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. I think he wanted to kiss me, too.
I found myself leaning in, my eyes fluttering closed…
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Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on the door. We jumped apart, both startled by the interruption.
“Audrey? Are you in there?” Tina’s voice called from the other side.
I sighed, feeling more frustrated and disappointed than I had anticipated. Edwin’s posture stiffened, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same way.
“I should go,” he murmured, taking a step back and jabbing his thumb over his shoulder toward the secondary door at the back of the room that would lead him out of here without being noticed.
I nodded, taking a step back myself. “Yeah, I… I’ll see you later.”
With that, Edwin slipped out the back door, As I watched him go, I couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted.
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