Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Vivian Linton Reaps What She Sows
A hard slap landed squarely on Vivian Linton’s face.
Vivian Linton had come on stage with Tristan Sterling, so she was caught completely off guard by the blow.
Sharp pain shot through her, and her ears were ringing.
She instinctively covered her cheek, staring in astonishment at Shirley Sheffield’s contorted face.
"What is going on?!"
With tears welling in her eyes, Shirley Sheffield screamed at the stunned Vivian Linton.
’What kind of designer is she?’
’The cheongsam she designed is such trash!’
’It was bad enough that Holly Sinclair’s design completely crushed hers, but now it had to rip apart on her body?!’
’Didn’t she say she was going to ruin Holly Sinclair’s cheongsam and humiliate Wendy Wyatt?’
’So why is *she* the one being humiliated now?!’
’I’ve been exposed in front of everyone!!’
’To accentuate the figure and waistline, cheongsams are tailored to be form-fitting, so she was wearing almost nothing underneath...’
The more Shirley Sheffield thought about it, the more she spiraled.
"I... I don’t know..." Vivian Linton stammered, tears in her eyes. Her mind was still a complete blank.
Shirley Sheffield was so furious she wanted to slap Vivian Linton again.
But Tristan Sterling caught her raised hand in mid-air.
"Miss Sheffield, this was an accident."
Tristan Sterling said impassively, pulling Vivian Linton protectively behind him.
Holly Sinclair watched with cold detachment, finding the scene exceptionally ironic.
"You!"
Shirley Sheffield was furious, but she didn’t dare openly challenge Tristan Sterling’s authority.
She could only turn and throw herself into Nathan Fletcher’s arms, weeping pitifully.
Nathan Fletcher glanced at Tristan Sterling.
They had been like brothers for years. A single look was all they needed to understand each other.
’A problem that can be solved with money isn’t really a problem.’
’Shirley Sheffield had been wronged, so they would compensate her and soothe her wounded pride.’
The two men reached a silent agreement.
After a brief moment of shock, Vivian Linton finally realized what was happening.
Her head snapped toward Holly Sinclair and Wendy Wyatt.
Her eyes blazed with shock and rage.
’It was them!’
’They did this!’
’It had to be!!’
With this realization, Vivian Linton rushed to Shirley Sheffield’s side to examine the ripped cheongsam.
A moment later—
"This isn’t an issue with the Vervain design! Someone deliberately sabotaged it!"
Vivian Linton shouted furiously.
"What did you say?" Shirley Sheffield asked, startled.
"Look at this rip! The seam was clearly cut by hand!"
Vivian Linton was trembling with rage, her resentful gaze fixed squarely on Holly Sinclair.
"Who?"
Tristan Sterling asked quietly.
To claim sabotage, one must have a suspect.
Vivian Linton immediately leaned closer to him, sniffling pitifully. "I don’t have any connection to the other studios. We have no history, no grudges... They would have no reason to harm me. Except for..."
She trailed off, hesitating to continue.
But her gaze fell upon Holly Sinclair.
’Holly Sinclair can’t stand me. She’s slapped me several times, and Tristan knows it all.’
’All I have to do is hint at it, and the blame will naturally fall on Holly Sinclair.’
Sure enough—
Tristan Sterling’s gaze shifted to Holly Sinclair.
His placid expression betrayed no emotion.
Holly Sinclair clenched her fists and sneered.
She met his gaze, her lip curling into a mocking smile. "What? Planning to blame me again without a shred of evidence?"
’Whenever Vivian Linton points a finger at me, he always takes her side.’
’It seems today will be no exception.’
Tristan Sterling’s expression darkened.
’That wasn’t what I meant.’
’Can’t she ever just talk things out properly?’
’When did she start treating every conversation with me as an opportunity for sarcasm and mockery?’
Seeing his silence, Holly Sinclair grew even more convinced that he was still taking Vivian Linton’s side.
She pressed on, "Tristan Sterling, you can be blind and foolish at times, but surely you can distinguish between beautiful and ugly at today’s cheongsam exhibition."
The public isn’t blind.
Holly Sinclair’s designs were clearly superior.
Vivian Linton’s expression froze.
’No matter how arrogant I am, I know my skills are no match for Holly Sinclair’s...’
"So, Vivian Linton, do I really need to sabotage your work? Don’t you think..."
Holly Sinclair finished with a smirk, her words striking a fatal blow, "you’re overestimating yourself just a little!"
Vivian Linton was utterly humiliated.
She looked at Tristan Sterling with her red-rimmed eyes and choked out pitifully, "Tristan..."
She called out to him, naturally hoping he would protect her.
Just like all the times before, he would trust her unconditionally and defend her.
But to her surprise—
Tristan Sterling still said nothing.
’Without a doubt, he agreed with Holly Sinclair.’
Vivian Linton’s heart plummeted. Jealousy and hatred filled her chest.
"Only people with inferior skills spend all their time trying to harm others. In the end, they try to steal a chicken but lose the rice they used for bait," Holly Sinclair jeered meaningfully.
The implication in those words was too strong.
’Tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice bait...’
Vivian Linton’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
’Does that bitch Holly Sinclair mean she saw through my scheme all along?’
’So she was prepared for it?’
"What do you mean?"
Tristan Sterling’s brow furrowed.
But Holly Sinclair just let out a cold laugh. "You wouldn’t believe anything I said anyway, Mr. Sterling. So why bother asking me?"
She turned and pulled Wendy Wyatt with her. "Wendy, let’s go!"
With that, they headed backstage.
Tristan Sterling’s sharp gaze landed on Vivian Linton’s face.
"Tristan, I didn’t... I don’t know..." Vivian Linton stammered in a panic, tears streaming down her face.
’I know Holly Sinclair was the one who sabotaged my cheongsam, but I don’t dare tell Tristan.’
’Because if Tristan investigates, the trail will lead right back to me.’
’So now, I have to suffer this injustice in silence. I have no choice.’
’AHHH!!’
’HOLLY SINCLAIR!!!’
...
「Backstage」
"Why?"
Holly Sinclair stared coldly at Joanna York, who stood before her with her head bowed.
Being backstabbed by one of your own is a terrible feeling.
Although she hadn’t worked with Joanna York for long, she had always treated her with sincerity, especially since Joanna was the distant cousin of her old university senior.
But she never imagined that on such an important day, Joanna would put a laxative in Wendy Wyatt’s water, trying to ruin Holly’s debut collection.
"I’m sorry, Holly Sinclair... but people are always looking for a way to climb higher," Joanna York finally said, looking up with a stiff smile.
A flash of disappointment crossed Holly Sinclair’s eyes.
Joanna’s words made it clear she had no intention of revealing the mastermind behind the plot.
’I know who the mastermind is.’
’It couldn’t be anyone other than Vivian Linton.’
But with Joanna refusing to name Vivian Linton, Holly had no proof. There was nothing she could do.
Fortunately, she hadn’t come out on the losing end this time.
Instead, she had turned the plot back on itself, making Vivian Linton reap what she sowed.
Taking a deep breath, Holly said, "Out of respect for my senior, I’ll let you off the hook this once. Just email me your letter of resignation."
She would never keep a traitor on her team.
Not even a relative of her old senior.
Looking deeply ashamed, Joanna York turned and left.
"Good thing you’re so quick-witted."
Wendy Wyatt felt a rush of satisfaction as she recalled the defeated looks on Vivian Linton and Shirley Sheffield’s faces.
"It’s not that I’m quick-witted. I just know Vivian Linton’s dirty tricks all too well," Holly said, a derisive smile playing on her lips.
From the moment she’d heard Vivian Linton would be participating in the cheongsam exhibition, she knew Vivian would try to pull something.
There was no way Vivian Linton would just stand by and watch her steal the spotlight.
So when Vivian Linton had provoked her in the lounge area, Holly had stayed on her guard...
