The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1793

The spotlight shifted, bathing the stage in a striking blue hue. Out came the second contestant's piece, modeled by a tall, statuesque woman draped in a daffodil-yellow evening gown. The dress, with its daring thigh-high slit in the front and a mermaid tail dragging gracefully behind, perfectly accentuated the model's figure.

Clad in the soft yellow of the gown, the model exuded an air of fresh elegance, reminiscent of the first breezes of spring.

But it was the jewelry that stole the show. Adorned with dazzling shades of lavender, the pieces shimmered with an ethereal light. Thalassa was visibly taken aback, her pulse racing with a mixture of shock and awe.

Instinctively, her grip tightened around Lysander's hand, which he had been holding all along. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the runway, from the jewelry that seemed to echo her own designs, leaving her rooted to the spot.

Lysander, feeling Thalassa's tension, also turned cold, a chill emanating from him as he too noticed the uncanny resemblance between the jewelry on display and Thalassa's creations.

Onstage, the model continued her walk, confident and poised, while Thalassa stood frozen, disbelief and anger swirling within her.

How could it be that the second contestant's piece looked exactly like her own design? Every detail, from the color palette to the style, was identical. And yet, she wasn't the one being credited.

The realization that her design had been showcased first, before she even had a chance, was suffocating.

It couldn't just be a coincidence that their designs were so similar. But how could this have happened?