Chapter 425 - 425: Is This Yours?

After entering the backstage, the fifteen competitors took out their accessories and began to select the clothes on the coat racks.

Savannah opened her minaudière and fetched out the accessories she prepared. They were only simple hairpins and headbands, and she didn't even wear earrings. She didn't buy any expensive jewelry for the competition. What's more, she didn't want the jewelry to rob the place of the dress.

Just then, she heard a cry of surprise.

"Wow, Katrina, your necklace is so beautiful!" 

Looking over, Savannah saw two girls standing in front of a dressing table, on which there was a glistering necklace in an opened silk jewel box.

"Is it a sapphire? It's so big and amazing! The style looks new!" Another competitor said admiringly.

In a moment, most of the competitors put down the clothes or accessories in their hands and gathered around the beautiful tall girl, Katrina Kaif.

"Oh my god, it's definitely a plus to have something so beautiful and eye-catching to go with your dress! Rest assured, you will certainly get through to the final!"

"Katrina comes from a family of designers. Her parents and sister are all famous designers. To the final? She's sure to win!" Another girl said.

Though Savannah didn't have any expensive jewelry like that, as a designer, she was familiar with the latest trend, and she saw that the necklace was the latest style of a European brand.

It seemed to be subject to availability, difficult to buy for common people.

With such a dazzling necklace as an accessory, it was really easy to get the jury's attention and added her chances of winning the prize.

However, such brilliant jewelry was so attractive that judges might focus on it rather than the coordination of the clothes. It was not necessarily a good thing.

All competitors knew it well, but no one mentioned this point in front of Katrina. Probably because of her family background, no one dared to offend her while they were jealous of her.

Katrina was used to people's praise and admiration. With a satisfied smile, she tossed her head haughtily.

Then her gaze fell on Savannah, one of the few who didn't pay attention to her.

"You flatter me," Katrina smiled softly, "it's a costume design competition, and what we should focus on is the gowns, not jewelry. What's more, we have so many great competitors in the semi-final round that I might not even get into the top three."

Following her gaze, those gathered around her looked over and saw Savannah. The organizer had made public the participants' key information, including graduated school and experience. The young woman called Savannah Schultz had been learning design in Italy, and she returned home to participate in the design competition. Though she had not graduated from college, it was said that her school displays were favorably reviewed by the local designers. Many of the competitors had seen the drawings Savannah submitted in the open auditions. The costumes she designed were unique in pattern and style, following the current trend in design.

It was said that she was working in the design department of Zagreb Film, a professional production company in LA, and had participated in the costume design work of My Girl, a new web series. She did not lack experience.

What's more, she used to be a still model. That was to say, compared with ordinary designers, she was more outstanding in terms of figure, manner, and temperament and knew how to show herself with the dress she chose.

This girl was a real dark horse, and she was, in truth, a strong competitor to Katrina. There must be a hard fight between them for the first place.

The organizer had prepared hundreds and thousands of clothes for them to choose from. After a while, everyone made their choices and successively entered the fitting rooms on both sides of the large dressing room backstage.

Savannah chose a white and black halter dress, picked out a scarf, and walked into a fitting room. When she got dressed, she walked out, bypassed the crowd, and stopped at the furthest mirror to arrange her hair.

"Ah! Where's my necklace?" Someone gave a little exclamation. 

Savannah looked over and saw Katrina, who had changed into a glamorous dress, stood there with a pale face.

"What's the matter?" A field staff walked over.

Several competitors came up and gathered around her.

Katrina's eyes turned red as she pointed to the opened empty silk jewel box on the dressing table in front of her. 

"I left my necklace here before I went to choose my dress. When I went back, my necklace was missing!"

"Ah? How could that expensive necklace be missing? You didn't slip anywhere, did you?" A male competitor asked in concern.

Katrina shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes. "I just put it in the box and left."

"Is it... stolen?" A female competitor screamed in a low voice and immediately covered her mouth.

"Who's the thief? No... Who would do such a thing?" The others began to whisper in surprise. But that necklace couldn't just disappear by itself. There must be someone who took it away.

All the competitors were busy with preparation just now, and no one noticed who had touched Katrina's necklace. People were moving busily in and out. Anyone passing by had a chance to take the necklace away.

For privacy protection, there were no monitoring cameras in the large dressing room. Two security staff came and signaled for quiet. 

"Miss Kaif's jewelry is expensive. Somebody's suspect of theft, so we have to have a search." One of the security staff said flatly.

Though amazed and humiliated, all the competitors lined up as required, waiting for their searching, and nobody dared to say no. 

Savannah stood there quietly too.

More security staff came and began searching each competitor's handbags, their changed clothes, and used fitting rooms.

Suddenly, a staff shouted as he lifted the curtain of a fitting room holding a glittering necklace. "Is this yours?"

Katrina turned about and ran over, took it, and exclaimed with joy, "Yeah! It's mine!"

Savannah immediately knitted her brows. The fitting room from which the security staff walked out was the one she had used!

Why was Katrina's necklace found in it?

Instantly, all people's eyes full of suspicion and conjecture fell on Savannah!