Filed to story: The Breaking Point (Maya & Julian) Book PDF Free
She almost felt like they were tricked to join the show just so Julian’s mistress could insult them. What does he think she is?
“Julian put this in my room. Doesn’t matter that Selena’s not working with us now.” Maya shrugged, looking calm.
The draft was important for Maya. She was surprised Julian would give it back to her, and it helped her with her predicament.
She tried to wipe the mark off, but she failed, so she quickly recreated it, muttering, “I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Luna felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders, and she sighed. “This is my fault. If I’d kept up with my design work, I wouldn’t have dragged you down.”
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Maya thought that the production team wanted to watch how Luna worked so she stood up, telling Luna to get ready.
Luna quickly sat up straight on the couch and spun her pen, then she picked up a draft. It was the dirtied one Maya had set aside. Eh, it’s the same thing anyway. She quickly made some finishing touches to the draft.
Maya tucked the other drafts in her folder, composed herself, and opened the door, but when she was met with that woman’s eyes, her smile faded. “Miss Palmer? My boss is still busy at work. Do you need anything?”
Selena took on a warm attitude like she was a different person. “Oh, Maya. I just wanted you to take my measurements, and I want to see what Luna’s doing.”
Noticing the cameraman behind Selena, Maya swallowed her words and moved away. “Fine.”
Like a fangirl, Selena leaned on the door and waved at Luna like a lucky cat. “Just here to see you, Luna. So, how’s the… Oh, I see you’re done with your draft.” She was staring at the draft Luna worked on. The mark on it wasn’t that visible, but she knew that it was the mark left by her shoe.
I stepped on that paper on purpose before I left, so this means that Luna was the one in Julian’s room. That explains a lot of things. No wonder that lowly assistant took that attitude with me. So, this b*tch has hooked up with Julian!
Selena held her hem tightly, her nails almost digging into her skin. If it was anyone else hooking up with Julian, it was a different story, but Luna was different. She was famous, and the production team invited her as a special guest.
I praised her designs more than once, and in front of Julian too. Did he start taking notice of her because of that? If that’s the case, then I made a bad move.
Selena was reminded of the fashion gala back at East Joy, where Julian did take an interest in Luna. She managed to attract his attention back then by pretending to sprain her ankle. But she still hooked up with him? And to think I praised her work to high heavens!
There was fury in her eyes, and when she spoke again, her voice was laced with iciness. “That’s fast. It hasn’t even been two hours since we began. It’s almost like you finished it beforehand.”
Luna held her pen and looked at her. “Hey, practice makes perfect.” If she finds out that Maya can make about eight drafts of this level in an hour when inspiration strikes, she’s going to get a stroke.
The cameraman came over to film Luna at work. Selena looked away and blocked the camera, refusing to let Luna show off her skills. Then she looked at Maya, still smiling, but she was distant compared to before. “Let’s go. Gotta keep up with our work while the designer is busy.”
It was Luna’s session with the crew so Maya couldn’t stay. She glanced at the draft that Luna was holding.
With the cameraman around, Selena was much more cooperative. Maya measured her shoulders, thereafter Selena looked at the cameraman and plopped down on the couch. “That’s all for today. I feel unwell.”
The cameraman put their props down and turned the camera off, then they left. For once, Selena didn’t trip Maya up. Instead, she played with her phone and left Maya alone.
Maya sat in the corner and drew on her sketchpad.
Lunchtime came, and everyone gathered at the dining hall. Maya followed Selena inside and saw a familiar figure while she was looking for Luna.
It was Julian.
Kevin was standing in front of him. They were in a private dining room, talking about work.
“What are you looking at?” Luna blurted and wrapped her arm around Maya’s shoulder.
Maya looked away. “Nothing. Did the shoot go well?”
Luna sat beside her and said, “Not bad.”
Maya was wearing a short-sleeved top and a pair of wide-leg pants. She was taking some cutlery for Luna, and when she leaned ahead, a part of her midriff was revealed, and its lines swam down into her belly.
Even though it was just some skin, she looked alluring enough. Julian noticed that when he looked at her, and he spaced out for a moment.
When Kevin realized no one was responding to him, he waved his hand before Julian. “Oh, so that’s what you were staring at. They just came, so do you want to sit with them? The production team’s saying you’re flirting with
Selena. If you sit with them, that rumor’s going to be gone like the wind.”
Julian smacked Kevin’s hand away. “If they want to win, they have to do it with their own skills, not creating scandals to win. I was in a meeting so I didn’t know what Selena did, but I can’t believe you didn’t suppress fan engagement for this scandal. I’m starting to question your professionalism.”
Julian put his cutlery down. “If this show loses money because of this little episode, you can say goodbye to all of my future investments.”
Kevin clicked his tongue. “Don’t blame me for your own scandals.”
“There is no scandal,” said Julian coldly. He would not give Luna or Selena any advantage.
Kevin licked his lips and gave Julian a cryptic smile. “What if it’s Maya who’s trying to create scandals to win?”
Julian gave him a look. “You have too much time on your hands to be thinking about that. Time to go.”
“But I haven’t eaten my fill!” Kevin quickly followed Julian out and asked, “So is it a yes or a no?”
“It’s something between us. None of your business,” Julian snapped.
Kevin chuckled. So that means he’ll do it if Maya wants to create scandals with him to win.
Things were just as hectic on the other end. Maya seized the opportunity to pass another piece of paper to Luna while no one else was looking. Luna’s expression remained blank, but it was as if they had an unspoken agreement – she slipped the piece of paper into her pocket and covered her shirt over it. They both edged closer to one another and were about to exchange a conversation when they heard Selena’s high-pitched voice.
“I noticed that you finished all of your design drafts when I visited you earlier today, Luna. That’s impressive. I heard that the theme left a lot of the other designers stumped – they couldn’t come up with anything, even after working on it for up to one week.” Selena’s statement carried an implicit message that everyone else could understand. Yet, when Maya glanced at Selena’s expression, she noticed that there wasn’t a hint of malice on her face. In fact, she seemed to have genuine admiration for the other woman.
The rest of the crowd no longer said much. The designers simply stared at Luna, who had a smile on her face. Everyone couldn’t help but recall what Selena had asked Luna the night before. Did she really contact Julian to ask him about the theme last night? Was she trying to come up with the drafts before us? Maya could sense the suspicion and hostility in the rest of the designers’ gaze, and she froze for a moment. Selena is obviously trying to tell everyone that this competition is rigged. She’s telling them that the winner has been pre-determined and that they wouldn’t be able to win the grand prize regardless of how hard they try.
Since Luna identified herself as Alana, she hadn’t visited Julian’s room, nor did she see a point in explaining herself to Selena. So, Luna simply lowered her cutlery before looking Selena in the eye. “You should provide some evidence for your statements, Miss Palmer. Otherwise, you’re just defaming me.”
The theme, ‘Sweet Whispers’, was clear enough that any designer who had some experience in the industry would know how to get started with their work. If they hadn’t exchanged identities, Maya would have still been able to produce an initial draft within one hour. All she would’ve had to do was to discard her other issues and focus hard for a while.
Selena’s eyes were bright with joy and awe. “You sure are one of my favorite designers! I went to visit Julian last night, and I accidentally stepped on a piece of paper that had been left on the floor beside his shoe rack. I saw a mark on your draft earlier today, and I thought that it was the same piece of paper I had stepped on… I felt really disappointed then.” Selena twisted her face into one of dejection as she continued speaking. “I was worried that the designer I admired wasn’t actually all that talented. I only became a model because of your designs. I may not have any talent in your field, but I sure do look up to you, Miss Smith! Not only that, but I would be so shocked if you turned out to be a fake!”
Luna stared at Maya without saying much. Maya, on the other hand, seemed unfazed even after all that Selena had said. “When you met her today, the production crew for the designers had arrived as well. Logically speaking, she wouldn’t have had the chance to switch to a new draft, right?” Maya asked.
Selena recalled the events of the morning before she nodded. “That’s right.” Maya let out a slight chuckle. “That’s great, then. Since there wasn’t any time for her to change her draft, the draft that gets aired would certainly have the mark that you were talking about, right, Miss Palmer? Wouldn’t the truth be out once we look at the recordings?”
Selena blinked a few times without much change in her expression. She carefully recalled the sequence of events earlier that morning and made sure that she hadn’t missed out on anything before she spoke once more. “Fine. However, since you claim that this isn’t the truth, then there’s nothing I have to worry about. I don’t have any ill intentions. I simply want this to be a fair competition, and I want to believe that my idol has genuine talent.” Selena’s tone was sincere and genuine – the crowd seemed to be fonder of her after hearing her words.
Maya simply smirked at the other woman. “You’re a blessing to the design industry, Miss Palmer. You voiced out your concerns in order to ensure that everyone else’s efforts don’t go to waste, and you tried to make sure that this show proceeds in a rightful manner. I think that’s a fantastic move from your end.”
Meanwhile, the cameraman was beyond excited to capture the argument. These were the sort of scenes that would generate a lot of conversation. Selena turned around to look at Luna, who had been silent for a while. “I’m not overthinking the situation. I’m simply very fond of you, Miss Smith. I only got concerned after noticing the issue with the draft.”
“Miss Palmer.” Luna got to her feet and came face-to-face with Selena while beaming at her. “I’m sorry. I’m not an idiot, and I’m able to distinguish women who are simply pretending to be innocent and well-intentioned. I’m fine if you’re targeting me as an individual, but your words are also impacting my reputation. I hope that I’ll be able to receive an apology from you once the program is aired and the truth is out.” Luna didn’t care about how other people perceived her, and she wasn’t afraid to offend Selena or the wealthy figure who was supporting Selena. So, Luna didn’t hesitate to expose the pretentious front that Selena was putting on. After that, she let out a scoff before she led Maya out of the restaurant with a nonchalant look on her face.
The tension in the room was at its peak at that point. Everyone began to whisper among themselves as they all attempted to guess what Luna would do. Selena was fuming on the inside! Luna is the one who doesn’t know where she stands. How dare she act all righteous when she was the one who tried to seduce Julian? However, Selena knew that she couldn’t reveal her anger in front of the camera. Sabrina had already given her a warning earlier that day – that she had to contain her emotions and not lose her temper. If Selena lost her temper, she would be fulfilling Luna’s wishes! She would reveal the front that she had been putting on!
However, Selena also knew that her smile would only seem forced if she attempted to put one on then. Instead, she got to her feet before gazing at the camera with a look of hurt and sorrow on her face. “I can apologize right now if that’s what Miss Smith wants. I just really didn’t want my impression of my idol to be ruined. Furthermore, we’re all on the same team – I wouldn’t want to harm her in any way. I shouldn’t have addressed this in public, and I apologize for that. After all, I’m sure every design ever produced feels like a precious gem to the designers themselves.” Selena bowed to the camera, but there was a grim look in her eyes when she turned away from it.
I can’t believe how things turned south after Maya’s statements. I hadn’t expected Luna to be so careless with her reputation, too. She didn’t hesitate to criticize me at all. Wouldn’t that just bring me more haters?
…
In the meantime, Luna’s expression darkened after both she and Maya returned to Luna’s room. “What should we do? I think there was really a mark on the draft that I submitted.” Luna had been worried that she would accidentally expose something if the filming crew took too much footage of her, so she had been quick to submit her draft earlier. Her ears were ringing then. We spoke so confidently earlier, but it just feels like we might have dug our own graves, she thought.
