Chapter 289: Nothing Like Friendly Competition

The next day, Eve woke up to a quiet morning.

Cale slept on the other bed available in the room. They had requested that they shared one when processing the application. Most of the models had done the same since their managers would be their emotional support system during the camp. Rivalry was bound to happen and it was better to, at least, have one person on their side.

Eve was about to find that out today.

She did light stretches before taking a shower. Her heart raced in anxiety over the rankings. When she looked back to what she did, she found flaws to her performance. What if it wasn't what the designers wanted? What if the judges thought she overdid it? 

The worst case scenario would be her name appearing at the bottom of the list.

Repeating that in her head like a chant, she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and prepared for backlash. Side comments were bound to come her way. She steeled her nerves for those bullets and spat out the toothpaste foam in her mouth.

Her gaze went to the wall clock that hung outside the bathroom.

It was almost time for breakfast.

"Cale… Cale…" Eve whispered, shaking her manager's shoulder.  She placed one knee on the bed and leaned down closer. "Come on, we have to go down soon."

He grunted in his sleep. A pink silk eye mask over his face, he rolled over to his other side and continued his slumber. Eve shook her head and tried again. "Cale, if you don't get up, I won't save you any chocolate pudding."

Cale bolted upright and pulled off the mask to reveal his squinted eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

"I mean, if you take too long, I'm bound to eat it."

"Cruel. Just cruel."

Eve merely beamed. "Good morning to you too."

She exited their room in a similar outfit from yesterday, a black tank top, tight jeans and sandals. The other girls also walked down the hallway and chatted among themselves. Eve slowed down her pace, waited to see if they'd fill the elevator. 

She could just wait for the next one and avoid the awkward atmosphere.

Everyone came from different parts of the world. It amazed her how well-known the camp was and how its influence was widespread. Thankfully, the girls didn't notice her when they entered the lift and pushed the down button.

A breath of relief flowed from her lungs.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention.

"Evangeline, right?"

Whirling her head, Eve met a set of black eyes with purple hair cropped into a bob. She wore strong black eyeliner and blue lipstick. The stick of a lollipop dangled from the corner of her mouth. Her outfit consisted of a cropped top, denim jacket and mini shorts.

And if Eve was right, the woman was also paler than her.

The person grinned mischievously, her eyelids half-hooded. "You don't remember me."

"I'm sorry?" Eve managed to squeak.

"No, it's fine," the person said, pushing the button for the other elevator. She waved her hand to brush off Eve's apology. "It was a one-time thing and it was long ago. Don't stress yourself over, okay?"

Eve scrunched her eyebrows. They were about to share the same lift. She couldn't let this awkwardness continue for another few minutes. So, she attempted a shy laugh. "I actually do want to know when it was."

The woman looked at Eve from the corner of her eye. The elevator doors opened. She stepped inside first and waited for Eve. When the latter came in, she pushed the down button and gave into the question, "The Rainbow Collection for Athon Luxury."

Eve stiffened. "You were one of the models."

"Yes, a rookie like you. And here we are now. Such a small world, huh?" The woman giggled. She tucked her hands inside the pockets of her denim jacket. "And before you ask, my name is Tiffany. Tiffany Quartz."

"Nice to meet you." Eve nodded in her direction.

Tiffany flashed a smile in return. "You too."

The lift opened at the hotel lobby where a crowd flocked to the spot across from theml. Everything gleamed for the interior design as if it was all covered in a sheet of glass. Gold, white and flowery colors dominated the design theme. And among them, a white scroll hung on the wall with a golden frame. The edges were burnt to resemble an old parchment.

The names of 50 ladies were listed accordingly with their scores.

Tiffany headed right into battle, shoving people from left and right to get to front. Noise flooded her ears as the models gave mixed reactions. She became irritated at how they stayed in place despite seeing their names already. Couldn't they take it to the cafeteria?

Eve followed behind Tiffany. It was easier than creating her own path. She could wait later but she wanted to get it over with. Her brown eyes immediately went to the bottom, widening when she didn't see her name. 

Her gaze slowly travelled up and she almost thought that she missed her name until...

"Well, then…, I guess that makes us rivals." Tiffany smirked beside her. She felt a weight on her shoulder as the former propped her arm on it. "Nothing like a friendly competition, aye, Eva?"

Eve stared at her name that took second place, just below Tiffany. 

She gulped and replied, "Right back at you, Tiff."

Tiffany frowned at that. "Don't call me, Tiff."

"Then, don't call me, Eva."

The atmosphere became cold at once. Eve squared her shoulders and a silent staredown ensued. She didn't know how things escalated this way but she didn't have a good feeling about Tiffany since they bumped into each other. Her instincts told her to keep her guard up.

This woman most likely had two distinct faces. She had dealt with that once. 

She wasn't about to make the same mistakes again.

Clicking her tongue, Tiffany gaped at Eve. The latter's public persona had always been quiet except for her notable relationship. It seemed like she was about to see someone bring her claws out to play. Camp was far more interesting than she imagined.

And she looked forward to it.

Tiffany crossed her arms over her chest and nodded her head once. "Alright, Ms. Hotshot. Let's see who takes home the better score today."

Eve returned her smug expression with one of her own. "Bring it, Ms. Candy Floss."

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"I can't believe I called her, Candy Floss," Eve wailed with her forehead on the table. Her breakfast tray laid untouched beside her head. She had her mind wrapped around the earlier incident, wondering what had gotten into her.

Cale sat across from her. He scooped a spoonful of chocolate pudding and said, "Tiffany Quartz, huh… I heard about her. Another rising model like you from a different agency. You were bound to get a rival and, to me, it makes sense that it's her."

Eve propped her chin on the table and blew on her bangs. "But it seems like she's been targeting me from the beginning. How did I not know that?"

"Silent rivals do exist," Cale explained. He put the pudding down and folded his arms over the table. "Also, Luna did favor you a little over the other models at the time."

"She did?"

He snorted to the side. Then, gave her a look of disbelief. "Of course, she did. Mikael wouldn't have reacted the way he did when you first met if that wasn't the case."

"Right. Mikael." Eve flinched. Had Rose contacted him yet? She imagined that he wouldn't rest until he found out who gave his number away. And for that, Eve was glad she was in a different country. She could always control the volume if he decided to call and berate her about it.

"Just focus on today's photoshoot, alright? Tiffany is not Jane. She's far more sensible. Plus, rivals are normal to have. Even Ambryan has rivals. At least, Eros does, which he has to deal with all the same."

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Back in Maize City, Ambryan faced his own problems.

His new secretary was in her adjustment period. Luckily, Riffle had spare time to help her in that process. Madison left the office for a business meeting with investors. Heavens knew that all possible stops had been pulled in favor for the new tv series.

But that didn't mean their movie projects had taken a hiatus.

"Richard, you can't do this to me," Ambryan said, a deep scowl on his face. He paced behind his chair with his hands on his hips. The computer monitor showed Richard who sat in his own office, watching his friend come in and out of the frame.

His steel gray eyes closed briefly. Then, he sighed and rubbed his right temple. "Yan, it's out of my hands. It's the board who has decided. I can't bend the rules."

Ambryan glared at the screen. "But to Peitho Entertainment?"

Venus Investments was one of their top investors. They also financed other smaller production companies but nothing that threatened to take the funding Eros has earned over the years of their business relationship.

At least, until now.

"Look…," Richard began to say. He opened his hands and repeated what he had heard during the meeting. "They think you're playing a little too safe. The audience are sick of sappy and comedic romance. They want more drama… and Peitho had a script that met all those requirements."

"And so Venus decided to fund my top rival's project?" Ambryan retorted.

"Venus decided to fund the most promising movie production. And it wasn't yours." Richard paraphrased. He bowed his head and paused, scratching the back of his neck. He didn't like how he had to be the one who delivered this news.

"I'm sorry, Ambryan." And he meant it while thinking of a way to salvage the blow. "If you can come up with a better script before the papers are signed, I guarantee that I will make sure they hear about it first before finalizing the contract."