Chapter 103

Victoria Kensington was clearly upset, but they were in a public place. Throwing a tantrum would ruin her image. She forced a sweet smile. "What's going on, Isadora? Take your time and explain."

Isadora Vasquez felt all eyes on them. She understood why Victoria was being so polite. For a moment, she was speechless. One of the socialites seemed to guess the news. "It can't be," the woman probed. "Did Victoria lose the competition?"

"That's impossible," another heiress exclaimed. "She practically had it in the bag. How could she lose?" The crowd gathered closer. They began pulling out their phones to check the news.

The complexions of the socialites instantly paled. Victoria sensed the shift. She snatched the phone from Isadora's hand. Her eyes scanned the headlines. The entire internet was obsessed with Isabella Montgomery's new tagline and platform. Furthermore, Isabella's endorsed fashion line, 'Midnight Iris,' had completely sold out.

In stark contrast, the sales of Victoria's 'Crimson Blush' collection were minuscule. Only a hundred sets were purchased by her most loyal fans. It was a total defeat. Her expression said it all. The onlookers immediately began making excuses.

"Victoria, we just remembered something urgent. We have to go. We'll catch up later." They scurried away like frightened mice.

From a distance, a low voice carried over. "Hmph. She was trying on gowns way too early. Did she really think she'd win this year's prize? Someone finally put her in her place!"

Rage consumed Victoria. Her palms curled into tight fists. Her jaw clenched so hard it ached. Those disloyal social climbers always flocked to the next big thing. She would make them pay one day.

A boutique assistant approached timidly. "Miss Kensington, are you purchasing the gown? Store policy states that even VIPs cannot try on a gown for more than five minutes..."

Victoria's face darkened like a storm cloud. Even this lowly shop girl dared to disrespect her! In the past, she would try on gowns for over ten minutes without a word. The audacity! Isadora saw Victoria's fury and feared she might collapse.

"We'll take it!" Isadora declared to the assistant. "Of course she's buying it! Here's my card. Please give us some privacy." She handed over her card and quickly guided Victoria into a private fitting room.

Once inside, Victoria's composure shattered. She grabbed the nearest object and hurled it across the room. "That witch, Isabella! How dare she! How could she be so vile! How could she defeat me!" she screamed.

'The winner should have been me,' Victoria seethed internally. 'Everyone's admiration should be mine!' If her plan had succeeded, the Guci launch would have been a triumph. The 'Most Valuable Commercial Model Award' would have been hers. Now, everything was ruined.

Isadora watched the meltdown with deep distress. "Victoria, I never expected Isabella to pull such a stunt. I know you're furious. Let it all out. Once you're done, we need to find a solution."

"A solution?" Victoria spat with bitter defeat. "What solution? Have you seen what the netizens are saying? They're all laughing at me! Can't you see how Isabella is overshadowing me completely?" She roughly tossed Isadora's phone back to her.

Isadora didn't have time to react. The phone struck the back of her hand with a sharp thud. Pain shot through her, but she felt no anger. Only profound sorrow filled her heart. The more she saw Victoria suffer, the worse she felt.

She picked up her phone and stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around a trembling Victoria. "Tori, if you need to cry, then cry. You don't have to hold back with me. If you need to hit me or scream at me, do it. This is my fault as your manager. I failed you."