As soon as Beverly walked up, Jacob’s mom nabbed her. She heard everything she said loud and clear, her cheeks turning a shade of red.
"Well, would you look at that, a bride-to-be still blushing."
The older folks joked around, bursting into laughter. Even Brad tried to suppress his smirk. The crowd was loud. You couldn't avoid their chatter even if you wanted to.
Sitting not too far off, Chloe heard everything, a cold smirk on her face. She didn't deny Jacob was a real catch, but this family, always talking up their own and putting down others, made it just hard to respect them.
If memory served, the old man sitting in the middle was Miles' grandfather. Miles had been off on his own for a while, but that aside, this was his grandson they were belittling. Didn't he care at all?
Just goes to show, people could be so cold.
Perhaps because he was a makeup artist at Starlight International, Miles' appearance did draw some attention. Faced with reporters, he stayed silent, not saying a word as he walked into the venue.
People from the Baines and Rogers families all looked his way. Miles stood tall in the venue, dressed in a white mandarin collar suit. The fabric had a reflective gold thread design. As he moved, the colorful threads shone in different hues. It was a hard look to pull off, but on him, it exuded a strong sense of style.
His hair was impeccably styled, and his face lightly made up, covering the fatigue from the past few days. He looked radiant as he appeared in everyone's view. Looking stylish yet profound, his handsome face attracted the attention of a few women around him.
Beverly's eyes flickered, her gaze meeting Miles' mid-air.
Jacob's mom, upon seeing Miles, was taken aback for a moment, then snorted dismissively. But noticing Brad sitting next to her, she said, "Miles, you're here. Come say hi to your grandpa..."
Miles' gaze shifted to Brad, who was sitting still. If he wasn't mistaken, Brad had just glanced at him. Now, with this act, was he making it clear he didn't want to see him? Still, after a moment's hesitation, he walked over. "Grandpa..."
Only then did Brad look up at him. "Are you sure you're competing today?" The question was loaded with displeasure.
Miles' eyebrows furrowed, his expression and voice as steady as ever. "Yes."
Brad squinted. "And if I say you can't compete?"
Miles blinked. "Why wouldn't you let me?"
Though, if she were to judge by appearances, she admitted, Miles was a good choice. But too bad, she couldn't be with him.
She was used to the attention she got naturally being with Jacob. She could share the glory Jacob brought, but Miles, he had nothing.
Just as she was about to look away from Miles, he moved his gaze to Brad, saying coldly, "So by your logic, since Jacob is definitely the final champion, does that mean everyone competing today is here to make a fool of themselves?"
On hearing this, everyone's gaze turned their way, their faces showing dissatisfaction and doubt.
"You..." Brad hadn't expected Miles to say that. Faced with all those gazes, he was clearly uncomfortable. "You're just in this competition for personal reasons. Do you really think you can compete fairly with the other contestants?"
Miles' eyes flickered, looking at Beverly again, only to see her feeling guilty and conflicted.
"Miles, I was really grateful to you before, but now... Jacob and I are getting married soon. I hope you can wish us well... if you can, I hope you can drop out of this competition, because no matter what, our relationship... we were just not meant to be..."
Hearing this, Miles let out a soft chuckle, then looked at Beverly, his face wearing a cool, sarcastic smile. "You're overthinking it. I know we're not from the same world. And I sure as hell wouldn't waste a single second on a woman who only cares about profit and vanity."
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