Filed to story: The Breaking Point (Maya & Julian) Book PDF Free
The castle was then refurbished and expanded into a hotel. The entrance was held up by a few gigantic pillars with immaculate patterns engraved on them. The first thing the guests saw was a row of wooden fences and the clocktower standing atop the brownish-red roof. There was a grass field outside the entrance, surrounded by roses and vines. It looked exotic, romantic, and solemn at the same time.
Luna stopped and looked around. She then turned back and whispered to Maya, “The renovation must’ve cost at least a few dozen million.”
“I heard the Grahams bought this place. The Stewarts partnered up with them to run the show, but this place wasn’t open to the public previously.”
“No wonder I haven’t seen this beauty before. Did they acquire it just for this show?”
…
Maya and Luna heard sounds of discussion coming from behind before they even opened the door. The models were whispering to one another, praising the spectacle of a place.
Luna and Maya entered the room the production team had arranged for them. Everyone else shared regular rooms, but since they were special guests, the production team had prepared a suite for them. The suite was located on the top floor of the castle, and there were only three of them in the whole corridor. The other two were locked.
“We can’t be the only ones on this floor, can we?” Luna stared at the dim corridor, her jaw dropping. She was starting to imagine ghosts grabbing her. Spooky castles. Yeah, this is 100% a horror movie set.
“Maybe everyone else is out?” Maya shrugged. It had been a long day, and she just wanted to rest. She had no time to care about anything else.
There were two bedrooms in the suite, and the bedding products all came from Simmons Bedding Company. They were all made of silk. There was a tearoom and a bathroom in the middle of the suite, and the fridge was filled with all kinds of drinks.
Luna happily locked the door and tossed her luggage to the side, then she sank into the plump couch. “Hey, I heard the girls. This place belongs to that filthy rich husband of yours?” Luna looked around the resplendent room and touched the oil painting above the couch.
“No idea. He never tells me about his business.” Maya unpacked the luggage. They had to stay here for a while, after all. She dismissively answered, “We’re getting divorced soon anyway. Not like this place has anything to do with me.”
Luna sank deeper into the couch, sighing in enjoyment. She muttered, “Yeah, I know, but this is shared property if its lease is renewed during your marriage. I can’t believe you can turn a blind eye when he’s using your money to spend on Selena.”
“So? What’s not mine can never be mine. Come on, get ready to sleep. Shooting starts tomorrow.” Maya gave her friend a resigned look, but she helped lay out the bed for her.
The ladies washed themselves up and went to the living room, sorting out the things they might need for the shooting the next day. Just then, they heard the ding of the elevator coming from the far end of the corridor.
The sound of heels clacking against the wooden floorboard was grating, especially at night. Before Luna could even check out who the person was, they had gone into their room and closed the door. “They’re late. Maybe they’re up to some hanky panky.” Luna crouched in front of the peephole to check who it was, but she heard nothing.
“It’s probably a crew member. Stop messing around. There are cameras everywhere, and if they catch you doing something you shouldn’t, you’re getting canceled.” Maya didn’t bother to find out who the guest was and sorted out the final file, then she dragged Luna back to their bedroom.
The next morning, ladies were woken up by the incessant ringing of someone’s phone. A groggy Maya picked the phone up, but when she saw the time, she jumped up. “Hey, you didn’t set the alarm!”
It was an unknown number so Maya paused for a moment, but she picked it up in the end. “Good morning, Ms. Quinn. We’re the crew members who’ll be attending to your needs during filming. Work is about to start soon, but you and Ms. Smith haven’t had breakfast yet,” a woman said gently.
Maya heard a lot of noises in the background. “Oh, um, sorry. We’ll skip breakfast and go straight to the set.” Maya pursed her lips awkwardly. Great. First day on the set, and we’re late. She hung up after that.
She did wake up just now thanks to her circadian clock, but when she noticed it was still dark outside, she went back to sleep all too happily. When she got up, she realized that the curtains were drawn shut. The thick curtains blocked out the sunlight, and if she hadn’t checked the time, she would have thought it was still in the wee hours.
“What? I did.” Luna got up reluctantly, rubbing her eyes. She yawned and picked up her phone. She fiddled with it for a moment before realizing that her phone was dead. “Oh, crud. Phone’s dead and I didn’t charge it.”
“Get up. Production team just called. Say goodbye to your breakfast.” Maya sighed and got out of bed. She took out a comfy white dress from her suitcase and quickly changed into it. They had no time to put on any makeup, so the ladies washed themselves up and only lathered a layer of sunscreen on before they went out.
It was fortunate they weren’t far away from the set, and the ladies managed to arrive on time after a lot of chasing. There were two dining halls in the place, and a few ushers were waiting at the doorstep.
“Staff ID, please.”
Luna quickly took out her staff ID and handed it to the crew. When they noticed the names, the usher’s stern look was replaced by a look of worship. They pointed at the dining hall on the left and led the way.
“Ms. Alana! The hall for designers is right here. Please follow me.”
What was the perk of being late? Undivided attention by everyone in the hall once they went inside. The people were already seated, and even though Maya was prepared, she still felt a bit awkward when everyone was staring at her.
“Ms. Alana and her assistant, Ms. Quinn, correct? We were just waiting for you. Come in. Here’s your seat.” The host quickly led the ladies to their seats in the first row, seeing they were still dazed.
The mention of Alana started a discussion among the crowd. Most people had only heard of Alana’s name, but they had never seen what she was like. If the rule of ‘no moving around’ didn’t exist, they would probably be surrounding the ladies by now.
Oh, things are getting rowdy. “Please, everyone, stay quiet.” The host cleared her throat and made a simple introduction. “Good morning, guests. I’m Twylla Summers, the host of the show. And now it’s time to get to know the rules of the show.”
The host was wearing a dark green dress, and her announcement managed to quiet everyone down.
The moment Maya took her seat, she noticed a long cabinet standing on the left side of the stage. It was covered by a red velvet cloth, keeping what was underneath out of everyone’s sight.
Since the rules were about to be announced, Maya moved her sight away and took out a beautiful notebook from her bag, pretending like she was an actual assistant.
“First, we’ll be splitting you up into teams of designers and models. To ensure fairness, we’ll be drawing lots.” The host held a remote control pen, going through the slideshow on the screen. She then picked up a prop on the table, showing the crowd where they would be drawing lots from.
“That’s a fair arrangement.” Luna nodded, apparently happy with the lot drawing arrangement. She whispered, “We won’t get on the same team as Selena unless we’re unlucky enough.”
“Don’t jinx it.” The mention of Selena almost gave Maya a headache.
After that, a crew member took a transparent plastic box onto the stage. There were a few colored balls in that box. “To make things interesting, we’ll be drawing another lot to decide how we’ll be doing this competition.”
The host extended her hand into the box, pulled a ball out, and opened it before everyone. “The model of the team will be drawing the lots, and there’s a slip of paper in every ball here. The slip tells you the number of the scene. What the designer must do is design the makeup and decor of the scene drawn by their model. The results will be graded by a professional panel and the audience. The team with the highest points after these rounds will be the winner.”
She then showed the audience the other slides, though those were just talking about the process of the competition and things to look out for.
“What’s with all the rules? My butt’s getting sore.” Luna couldn’t sit still anymore. If there was anything she hated in her life, it would be lectures and classes.
“And now, the answer to the burning question you’re having: the prize for the winner.”
Luna was about to take a restroom break, but that captured her attention.
“The winner will gain a spot on Parovine Fashion Week’s top designer team, and the expenses for the trip will be sponsored by East Joy Talent and its partner, Graham International.”
The host kept everyone in suspense for a minute before she announced the prize. It plunged everyone into another discussion, and there was anticipation in their eyes.
Attending Parovine Fashion Week would give these designers a great boost in the industry, especially when they were attending as a member of the top designer team.
Just when they thought that was all the reward, the host held up her microphone again. “Other than that, the winner will also win Ocean’s Heart.” She went to the cabinet covered by the red cloth and pulled it off, revealing what was underneath.
Everyone stared at it in curiosity. There was a lacquered tray with a heart-shaped diamond the size of a pigeon egg sitting in it. Under the light of the stage, the beautiful diamond glimmered, spreading its light in every direction.
For a moment, that diamond was not just a precious stone; it was something filled with spirit and radiance.
The crowd went wild.
Luna stopped all complaining, her eyes as wide as saucepans. She stared at the cabinet in disbelief as she held Maya’s arm tightly. “I-I’m not dreaming, am I? Is that really Ocean’s Dream?”
O*, too tight. Maya had to smack her friend lightly so that she would let her go. “Yes.” Even though there was some distance between her and the stage, judging from her experience, the diamond was a valuable one because of the light that was shimmering off it alone.
The diamond’s origin story had something to do with the castle. Legend had it that this diamond was the accessory of the castle’s first master, and it was turned into a family heirloom that was passed down from one generation to the next. However, due to the family’s bankruptcy, the diamond had to be auctioned off as well.
The diamond was auctioned off at a high price, and now it was used as this competition’s prize. Maya only wanted to join this competition to boost L.Moon’s fame, but now she and Luna had a new target.
“Do your best to get that diamond, Maya. You can get a whole villa if you sell that off, let alone a regular house.” Luna stopped gaping out of disbelief and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder.
Maya pursed her lips, and her fighting spirit was finally evoked. This diamond might be nothing but a collectible for the rich, but it was valuable enough to set her up for life. If she could get that diamond, she would have enough money for her grandmother’s treatment abroad.
When she talked to her grandmother’s attending physician, she was told that Johnson Hospital had treated someone with her grandmother’s condition before, but the treatment alone would cost 15 million.
The doctor only brought it up as a reference, but Maya never forgot about that. As long as her grandmother could be healed, she was willing to leave this place and settle down somewhere she could live with her grandmother in peace, even if life was dull.
