Chapter 29
A silhouette of pure ethereal grace materialized on the runway.
Under the spotlight, she seemed almost unclothed, every contour and shadow of her form starkly visible. A swan-like neck. A waist so narrow it defied reality. Legs that stretched for miles in elegant lines.
Not an ounce of superfluous flesh marred her perfection. She was a masterpiece carved by divine hands. A figure born for the runway.
But was she truly bare? Had she resorted to this for victory?
Nathaniel’s expression hardened. His hands flew up, shielding Oliver’s and Sebastian’s eyes. A foreign, searing anger ignited in his chest. Isabella’s words echoed, ‘Strolling on the beach in a bikini.’
Had she always been this brazen?
The audience sat in stunned silence. A few mouths hung open, the word ‘goddess’ trapped on their lips.
On the live stream, comments exploded. [Holy hell! Can we report Chanel for indecency?]
Then, Isabella took another step forward. The illusion shattered. She wore a gown the exact shade of her skin, expertly wrapped around her torso.
The fabric was a whisper-soft, exquisite silk. Weightless as mist, seamless against her skin, it veiled yet revealed, creating the breathtaking nude illusion. Tiny, irregular diamonds were scattered across the material, catching the low light like a thousand distant stars. She wore the night sky itself.
A long, silken cape of the same ethereal hue flowed from her arms. It billowed with her movement, a swirl of spectral smoke, dreamlike and utterly captivating.
The sheer, skin-toned dress didn’t diminish her elegance. It elevated it. She was a celestial being descended from the heavens. Regal. Untouchable. Exquisite.
The lights plunged into total darkness, swallowing the hall.
A single, soft beam found the jade necklace at her collarbone. The faint green stone glowed with an enchanting light. Her dazzling dress, somehow, did not overpower it.
Then, a firefly sparked to life from the jade. Then another. And another. They swirled around her, a growing constellation of light. Dozens became hundreds, then thousands, flooding the pitch-black venue.
The air filled with a slow-dancing universe of ethereal light. The hall transformed into a scene from a fantasy realm, a magical world that stole the breath from every lung.
Awe was inescapable.
“My God… It’s stunning!”
“Fireflies! Where did they all come from?”
“Is this a movie set? How is this possible?”
“This is unbelievable! Completely surreal!”
The Chanel team was just as baffled. That dress wasn’t theirs. Those fireflies… they were clueless. How could Isabella have hidden thousands of fireflies in a necklace? It was impossible.
Only Nathaniel understood. He recognized the cutting-edge 3D holographic imaging. It projected hyper-realistic, three-dimensional illusions into space.
Very few corporations had access to this technology. How did an adopted woman like Isabella command it so flawlessly?
Alexander and his associates stared, utterly confounded. They had been desperately trying to acquire this exact patent from major tech firms. And here she was, wielding it for a fashion show? And with such devastating effect.
Alexander’s face darkened. Was this captivating, breathtaking vision really the same plain, unattractive Isabella Montgomery he’d discarded?
Julian Hawthorne, backstage controlling the projection, froze. His heart lurched into his throat as her balance faltered.
In the private booth, Nathaniel instinctively shoved Oliver aside, his body coiling to spring into action. The distance was too great. He’d never make it in time.
A collective gasp ripped through the magical atmosphere. Every spectator held their breath.
Would she fall?
Sophia, her jealousy momentarily forgotten, felt a vicious thrill.
‘Finally! The humiliation!’ she crowed internally. A fall here, in front of everyone, would end Isabella’s pathetic career before it began.
All watched, hearts lodged in throats, as her body tilted irrevocably toward the ground. Just as she was about to crash…