CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: HELP ME THINK OF A SOLUTION

Serena felt as if her heart had been stomped on mercilessly.

She abruptly pushed Caleb Lockwood away.

The wine in Caleb’s hand spilled, drenching him.

His white shirt was stained and his suit was soaked, but the calm, confident smile on his lips remained unwavering.

Serena glared at Caleb Lockwood, her hands clenched into fists.

It was always like this.

Caleb could easily provoke her emotions, yet he remained composed himself.

Serena bit her lower lip.

The commotion drew the attention of Peter and Claire Shaw.

Cynthia Fulton noticed that Justin Nash, who was with her, kept glancing towards the balcony, as if there was something—or someone—he cared about deeply there.

Cynthia also looked over.

She saw Peter stand beside Serena and Claire stand beside Caleb.

Claire immediately pulled out a handkerchief to help Caleb wipe his clothes and contacted Mr. Miller to prepare a new set.

Peter looked Serena up and down.

He was concerned that Caleb might have done something to hurt Serena.

However, Serena’s clothes were neat, and her hair wasn’t disheveled, only her face looked bad, and her eyes were slightly red.

"Are you okay?"

Peter asked softly.

"I’m fine."

Serena’s chest was still heaving with agitation.

It was hard to tell whether her anger was directed at Caleb or at herself.

Peter observed Serena for a moment, then told Caleb, "I can compensate for President Lockwood’s loss."

Caleb looked as usual, first glancing at Serena, then turning to Peter.

"It’s okay, Serena will help me clean it," he said.

Peter’s expression changed.

Serena retorted sarcastically, "Has President Lockwood’s business failed recently that you need to be so frugal?"

"Because this suit was a gift from Claire, I can’t bear to throw it away,"

Caleb said confidently, without changing his expression.

Claire’s gaze flickered slightly but didn’t expose Caleb’s lie.

This suit hadn’t been a gift from her.

However, she was pleased to see Serena provoked by it.

Serena tugged Peter’s sleeve.

"Let’s go!"

"Okay."

Caleb’s gaze fell on Serena’s hand.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

Serena and Peter returned to the banquet hall, where Peter introduced her to many influential figures in the jewelry collection world.

It was then that she overheard Leo Grant, the president, giving Claire a challenge.

"Since Ronan has such high hopes for you, and I happen to have an opportunity to showcase your talent," Leo said.

Upon hearing Leo’s words, Claire’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Next month is my wife’s and my wedding anniversary. I’ve given her countless pieces of jewelry, and she’s grown tired of them all, so I want to commission you to design a piece that will truly catch her eye. How about it? Are you willing to give it a try?"

"I am, of course I am," Claire readily agreed.

"President Grant, could you also give me this opportunity to try?"

Suddenly, Serena interjected.

She knew this might seem rude and could potentially provoke animosity from the other party.

However, she needed this opportunity.

The condition Matthew Lowell set when investing in her studio was that she participate in this year’s LD Jewelry Fashion Week.

She had checked, and the LD Jewelry Fashion Week granted only two slots to new brands each year.

One of these slots had already been reserved by a newly joined investor.

This meant there was only one slot left.

And the president of the Jewelry Collectors Association, Leo Grant, held this slot in his hand.

As long as she got his recommendation, she could participate in this year’s LD Jewelry Fashion Week.

Leo Grant eyed Serena for a moment.

The number of designers eager to curry favor with him was countless, and he couldn’t possibly give everyone a chance.

However, Serena was wearing FY’s flagship piece, indicating she likely had some connections with FY’s upper management.

"You are..."

Serena handed her business card to Leo.

The name and brand on the card gave Leo some impression.

"Mr. Peter mentioned you to me."

Serena was taken aback and instinctively glanced at Peter, her heart filled with gratitude towards him.

Peter, who was socializing with others, sensed Serena’s gaze and raised his wine glass toward her.

Caleb watched Serena exchange looks with Peter from afar, his knuckles on the hand holding his wine glass becoming increasingly prominent.

Ronan Ross introduced to Leo Grant, "Miss Jennings is actually Mr. Peter’s girlfriend, her design level is very high, but personally, I still admire Miss Shaw’s designs more."

Once again being compared to Claire Shaw in public left Serena feeling uneasy.

However, the fact that she couldn’t surpass Claire’s works was established reality, and feeling bad wouldn’t help.

For now, she had to create new opportunities for herself and seize them with all her might.

"Miss Jennings has no technical issues, but design is about the collision of inspiration. Miss Jennings’ designs are too rigid, like textbooks, whereas Miss Shaw’s designs are more spirited, as if born with it, perfectly integrated, showing me the designer’s unique soul and the limitless heights of talent,"

Serena listened to Ronan Ross’s evaluation and saw Caleb give her a cold, mocking smile.

Each compliment for Claire was like a reminder of Caleb’s previous warnings coming true.

Caleb showed little interest in Ronan’s words.

He was merely watching Serena.

Watching how she would react after hearing these evaluations.

Serena listened intently, with humility.

Caleb lowered his gaze, his deep eyes filled with unfathomable, complex emotions.

Claire Shaw maintained a smile on her face, but it had long since frozen.

Among the people present, only she knew that Ronan Ross had confused her and Serena’s designs.

In other words, all of Ronan’s praise at this moment was actually directed at Serena.

Claire dug her nails into her palm behind her back.

In the end, after Serena’s persistence, Leo Grant still gave her a chance.

The day after the banquet, before dawn, Serena drove to City C to find the most famous gemstone supplier locally, AOD.

AOD wasn’t the largest mining company, but it had a good reputation in the industry, consistently sourcing rare and unique gemstones.

Serena made contact with them and personally went to the factory to select, choosing a top-grade Buran star ruby.

This level of ruby wouldn’t be very rare for Leo Grant’s wife, but internally there was a rare heart-shaped fissure, which Serena believed would make it a suitable wedding anniversary gift.

However, the other party made an exorbitant demand, and Serena didn’t have sufficient funds, so she paid a deposit to have them hold the raw stone for three days for her.

That afternoon, Claire Shaw also arrived here accompanied by Caleb Lockwood.

"I’ll take the ruby with the heart-shaped fissure inside," Claire told AOD’s people.

"Sorry, this stone has already been reserved."

Although AOD’s people didn’t disclose the other party’s information, Claire realized who it was.

"Caleb, help me figure something out!" she coquettishly tugged at Caleb’s hand.

"Don’t worry," Caleb patted Claire Shaw’s shoulder and turned to ask AOD’s people:

"Is the person who reserved this stone Serena?"