Filed to story: The Breaking Point (Maya & Julian) Book PDF Free
With a cold expression, Maya brought the pattern before Selena and began taking measurements. However, as soon as she finished measuring the sleeves, Selena shook her fan and said, “How about we go to the pavilion over there? It’s really hot here, and I don’t want my makeup to melt.” Without waiting for Maya to express her opinion, she tore off the pattern and handed it back to Maya before walking away confidently.
Meanwhile, Nina looked at Maya with a triumphant expression and followed Selena. After walking a distance, Selena stopped and told Maya, “By the way, move the chairs from over there, will you? After that, get me some fruit and ice cream. Let’s continue when it cools down. I don’t want to break a sweat and smudge the lines on your pattern.”
Now that they were not in the middle of a live stream, Maya dared not let her guard down. What if these people were up to something? Designers were not allowed to use their phones, but models could freely access the internet.
As she contemplated, Victor’s voice sounded beside her. “Let me help you. If you don’t comply today, Selena will not cooperate.”
Maya looked at him, her expression cold. “Aren’t you afraid your designer will be mad at you for helping me?”
“If she does, I won’t cooperate with her work. Don’t worry,” he replied. As they were chatting, he had already taken the chairs with a bright smile. “Your leg is injured, but she still asked you to move chairs. It’s an attempt to worsen your injury.”
Suddenly, she thought about how he had helped her twice before and nodded in gratitude. “Thank you for your help.”
Without saying much, he carried the chairs away. After she tidied up the pattern, she quickly followed him.
Meanwhile, before the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows, Julian watched the scene below – Maya and Victor chatting and laughing – with icy eyes. Cameron sneakily glanced at him and saw his cold and intimidating demeanor. At once, he averted his gaze. I wonder whom he’s angry at.
After watching for a while, Julian turned and walked away. When he arrived in the banquet hall on the first floor, he saw Victor and Maya washing fruits by the open kitchen sink. She was in a good mood, chatting animatedly with him.
Though Julian stood in the private kitchen, she did not notice him at all. After she finished washing the fruits, she intended to leave.
“Be careful. The floor is slippery.” Victor approached, steadying her.
Maya instinctively glanced at Victor, feeling that he might be making a big deal out of nothing. So, she withdrew her arm calmly and said politely, “Thank you, but the floor isn’t slippery.”
With a resigned expression, Victor could only take the fruit basket from her hand. “This basket is dripping water, and the floor is marble. Considering your leg injury, these factors combined could lead to problems. Go get the pattern, and I’ll carry it for you.”
She agreed with a simple hum and did not push further. Unbeknownst to her, Julian narrowed his eyes as he watched them leave one after the other. His face was dark and brooding, as if a storm were brewing beneath the surface.
Victor placed the fruits on an iron chair in the pavilion and moved aside. Seeing Maya slowly approaching, Selena stood up with a smile and handed her an orange. “Peel this for me, and then we can get to work.”
Maya had no intention of helping her, but Victor took the initiative, grabbed the orange, and started peeling it. At that moment, Selena looked at him meaningfully, and halfway through the peeling process, she suddenly spoke, “Victor, are you helping Miss Quinn because you want to gain some clout from her?”
He handed her the half-peeled orange and replied, “I just can’t stand seeing you bully her. She’s just an assistant, and everything is under her boss’ orders. Is it really fun to bully her this way?”
“Does it concern you whether it’s fun or not? If you want to create a fauxmance with her, you gotta consider whether she’s interested in you. She’s been eyeing Julian from the very beginning. You think you can compare to him?” Selena sneered, her eyes filled with sarcasm.
Maya had already prepared herself for things not going smoothly, but she did not anticipate Victor getting involved. At her provocations, he blushed slightly but did not back down. “I want to create a fauxmance? I wonder who used Mr. Graham’s reputation as the hotel owner for publicity. Unfortunately, he only has eyes for Miss Quinn and hasn’t even appeared in the same frame as you.”
This remark struck a nerve with Selena, who was so angry that she wanted to throw the orange he held right into Maya’s face.
Instantly, Maya felt that Victor had caused trouble, so she stepped forward and whispered to him, “You don’t need to argue with her, and besides, she’s Miss Smith’s model. How she treats me has nothing to do with you.”
She said this in a way that made it clear that he was an outsider. When she looked at him, there was a hint of hurt in his eyes, yet she avoided his gaze, pretending not to understand his expression.
Of course, Selena was not going to let Victor off easily, for she knew why Maya had suddenly stopped him. At once, she took out her phone and called Julian. With a raised chin, she looked at the two, threatening, “I’ll have Julian come and settle this.” Her words were barely out when the call was connected.
With a delighted expression, she coquettishly called his name on the phone. “Hey, Julian. Miss Quinn and a male model are ganging up on me, acting like a couple, and targeting me everywhere. Can you come over for a moment?”
Whatever Julian said on the other end seemed to please her even more. The other designers and models were eagerly waiting to see what would happen next. Meanwhile, Victor watched as Maya pressed her lips together, not saying anything. Then, he asked her anxiously, “Did I cause you trouble?”
She glanced at him but did not say much. Theoretically speaking, Victor, being familiar with this industry, should not have been so naive. Yet, he had openly offended Selena just to stand up for her. I’m just an assistant. What’s in it for him?
Before long, Julian arrived with Cameron. In reality, he had been nearby all along.
Upon seeing him, Selena walked over with red eyes, pouting as she said, “Julian, he said our relationship is a publicity stunt. Miss Quinn also sided with him to bully me because she wanted to create a fauxmance with him. I’m Luna’s model. How can her assistant defend other models?”
At her words, Julian glared at Victor, who felt like he was freezing all over, unable to move or even maintain eye contact.
As Maya looked at Julian, she calmly said, “Miss Palmer, I asked you to confirm the measurements for the pattern, but you wanted me to fetch water, wash fruits, and move chairs. Who’s the real bully here?”
Julian then questioned her, “And what about him? What did he say?”
Nina quickly spoke after Julian, “Miss Palmer didn’t lie. Everyone present heard it. Victor said Miss Palmer used your reputation for publicity and claimed that you only had eyes for Miss Quinn, completely ignoring Miss Palmer.”
Without looking at her, Julian turned to Maya, saying, “You answer.”
Looking into his eyes, she spoke politely, “Victor’s words were unintentional. You’re an important figure in the program, Mr. Graham. Why bother arguing with a model?”
“A model who sows discord shouldn’t stay in the program,” he said indifferently.
Just when Cameron wanted to step forward and ask Victor to leave, Maya looked at Julian and maintained her calm tone as she replied, “In fact, this whole incident started because Miss Lowery claimed to have seen you leaving my room last night around 4.00AM, but I knew nothing about it.”
At her words, Julian narrowed his eyes, surprised that she tried to outmaneuver him. Nina, realizing she was implicated, immediately waved her hands and clarified, “I didn’t say that. You’re babbling!”
Maya’s eyes showed a hint of confusion. “Did I hear you wrong? Miss Palmer has been jealous and hasn’t been cooperating with my work because of that accusation. I’m in a difficult position, too.”
Julian’s gaze bore deeply into her.
Though she felt her scalp tingling under his intense stare, she stayed calm and continued, “Victor explained that he did meet you in the elevator last night, and since we stayed close by, you accompanied me for a while. Who would’ve thought that Miss Palmer would accuse him of chasing clout from me?”
At her words, he wondered, If it weren’t for seeing how attentive Victor was to her, I might’ve actually believed her words. Did she shift all the blame onto me just to protect him?
“Is that all?” he asked Maya.
As she pressed her lips together, she nodded. “That’s all. This matter has nothing to do with Victor.”
“But it’s true that he said Miss Palmer used me for publicity, right? If I don’t take action today, everyone will think they can drag me into a mess like this,” Julian answered indifferently.
From his words, she detected a hint of warning. Does he want to make Victor pay at all costs today?
Nina, thinking that Julian might punish her too, immediately spoke up, “I didn’t say that, I swear. I only mentioned seeing a man leaving her room around 4.00AM.”
“You clearly mentioned Mr. Graham, or else Miss Palmer wouldn’t have been jealous and refused to cooperate with my work.” Maya insisted, not letting Nina off the hook.
Just then, Selena chimed in, “I must’ve misheard, and I’m not refusing to cooperate. I just wanted some fruit to eat. You’ve misunderstood me. I have great respect for Luna and, by extension, for you too.”
Maya turned to Julian and earnestly suggested, “Mr. Graham, why don’t you check the surveillance footage? Even though I’m just an assistant, being accused of having a man enter and leave my room at 4.00AM is quite frightening.”
Instantly, he gave her a cold stare. Wow, her performance today has truly surprised me.
“You can decide what to do with Victor after finding the truth. He was only helping you and me clear our names, which led to a dispute with Miss Palmer, and he said some unintentional things,” she added. With just a few words, she had turned Victor into the savior who helped clear up his rumored relationships.
However, he did not seem pleased with her words. Instead, he gave her a cold glance. “You guys talk nonsense and expect me to investigate the truth for you?”
She was momentarily speechless.
Suddenly, Selena piped up, “As long as we check the surveillance footage on your floor – ” She did not finish her sentence as the cold, disapproving look from Julian silenced her.
“Miss Quinn, are you determined to defend this model?” He kept his eyes fixed on Maya.
As she lowered her gaze, she maintained a calm expression. “I don’t have the authority to defend anyone. I’m just an assistant. However, this program is ultimately for entertainment purposes, and changing participants midway due to disputes might create a negative impression on viewers.”
He gave a cold laugh and nodded. “You’re usually so quiet, but you surprised me today, Miss Quinn.” With that, he turned and left.
