Chapter 85

The vibration of her phone snapped Megan back to reality. She nudged the man above her. "Babe, the competition's starting soon."

Tristan's voice was husky and low. "Let's skip it."

Megan pressed her fingertip against the lips that were about to drop a kiss. "Everyone's waiting. If we don't go down now, they'll start thinking something's up."

"We're married. What's there to guess?"

Megan blinked her clear eyes at him. "Guess you're a quick finisher."

Like a cold bucket of water, that hit Tristan straight in the face. He lowered his head to lightly bite her annoying little mouth. "You should get a license before speaking with this mouth." He rolled over and stretched out beside her, throwing an arm over his eyes to calm his racing thoughts.After a few deep breaths, he sat up.

Megan had already changed into the starlight gown she designed. She tilted her head, smiling at him.

The warm glow of the setting sun in Diandu shone through the curtain slit, casting a soft orange light across the room. The dress gave off a faint shimmer,like stars sprinkled in the dusk-breathtaking.

The only thing reflected in Tristan's eyes was her, like she held the galaxy. He couldn't help but say, "You're stunning."

Megan tapped a finger playfully on his brow. "So.was it love at first sight?"

Tristan thought about it. Probably more like love at first kiss, though 'kiss' wasn't exactly the right term.

He chuckled. "Something like that."

Megan clicked her tongue teasingly. "Love at first sight is just lust with good PR. You're not an exception!"

Tristan: "..." This mouth, seriously.

He pulled out a pair of black velvet heels from the bag and knelt to help her slide them on.

Her delicate ankle was almost too pretty to look at.

He stood back up, offering his arm. "Shall we, Mrs.Reid-the most gorgeous woman on the planet?"

Megan linked her arm with his and the two walked out of the room together.

By the time they got downstairs, Mr. Brown was already waiting beside the car, holding the door open.

Megan gracefully got in, followed by Tristan.

Mr. Brown gently shut the door before getting into the driver's seat and pulling off. Once inside,he raised the privacy partition.

Fingers intertwined, Tristan looked over at Megan."Nervous?" Megan blinked slowly. "Define nervous-is it edible?"

Tristan gave her a look, trying not to laugh. "LiMo gives you this much confidence?"

Megan laughed, already expecting him to bring that up. This jealous guy probably wanted to sue her alias for stealing attention.

She leaned on his muscular arm like a cozy kitten."Isn't your strength what keeps me going most of the time?"

"My strength,huh?"

Her mischievous hand snuck under his shirt, fingers tracing the firm lines of his abs. "That core power from your waist..."

Tristan's heart raced like crazy. His gaze darkened,heavy with want. "Keep this up, and I'Il end up eating you alive."

Megan knew when to stop, but she adored seeing him lose composure. She pulled her hand back and wrapped both arms around his. "Later tonight, okay?"

Tristan took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm inside. "You're such a tease, you little minx."

Meanwhile,Cameron was driving a second car, which carried four very chatty women.

Jane was practically swooning. "Tristan is just...wow."

Rebecca and Zoe rolled their eyes. "Please. Wipe your drool. That kinda man isn't in your league."

Up in the passenger seat, Mia asked Cameron, "You catch any of that?"

Cameron looked genuinely confused. "Nope. Not a word."

Mia shot him a thumbs-up. "Exactly why I appreciate reliable background characters like you."

She turned back to look at Jane. "Only that man is worthy of our goddess-Lila Moore!"Cameron froze for a second behind the wheel, a sharp breath caught in his throat-he might've just uncovered a seriously wild secret.

Being at Tristan's side for so long, naturally he'd picked up a bit of foreign language skills. Sure, his pronunciation still needed work, but he could understand most of it.

So, Megan -the drama queen herself-was actually the big-name designer, Lila Moore?!

Right now, driving was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to chew on his fingers out of shock. This was insane!

Noticing his stunned face, Mia asked, "Hey, you okay over there?"

Cameron quickly snapped back, "Yeah, yeah, al good."

"What's your name?" she asked, brow raised.

"Cameron!" "Nice name." Mia gave a sly smile then turned to the other three. "His name's 'Ice Cam'!"

Cameron:"..

The car finally pulled up to the Imperial Capital Exhibition Center.

Even though this wasn't an international event, it was still a major national competition, pulling in its fair share of celebrities and media figures.

A red carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the front doors. Fans and reporters from major media outlets across Verduria lined both sides behind crimson barricade lines.

The black metallic Maybach came to a smooth stop at the entrance, and the second Tristan stepped out,the crowd erupted. Even the organizers made their way over to greet him.

Tristan held Megan's hand as she stepped out of the car, guiding her onto the red carpet. Meanwhile, the driver pulled away. Their entrance turned heads immediately. Under the blinding flashes of cameras, the starlight dress Megan wore sparkled brilliantly, stealing every bit of attention.

Right behind them, Mia and three international models followed closely, making the scene even more eye-catching.

After all, Mia was the face of the Lila Moore brand-every major LX launch had her name on it. Add three global supermodels to the mix, and they obviously drew a flood of camera flashes.

"Isn't that dress Mrs. Reid's wearing a Lila Moore original?" someone from the crowd whispered.

"I heard that starlight gown is meant to be a love letter to someone special."

"Mr.Reid really knows how to spoil her!"

Tristan's hand on Megan's waist squeezed just a bit tighter. He leaned down and whispered low, "Did that designer ever tell you what the dress actually means?"

Megan caught the jealous tone immediately. This man was becoming a world-class vinegar jar. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe,and gave him a quick kiss on his thin lips. "All I know is, it's from the person I love most."

That shut him right up-and pleased the hell out of him too.

He smiled like a cat that got the cream. He was sure that kiss would be seen by Lila Moore himself.

Megan sighed in her heart. Seriously? What a grown-up baby.

Meanwhile, in front of a swarm of mnics and pressing cameras:

"Ms. Ford, are you looking to collaborate with whomever wins tonight?"

"Will LX be signing the winner as a designer?"

"Are these models here to support any particular contestant?"

They bombarded her with questions.

Mia lifted her hand calmly to cut them off. "We're just here to show support, nothing more."

"So... who's lucky enough to get this kind of support?"

Mia smiled gently. "Megan. It's our pleasure to work with her."

"Would Lila Moore be helping Mrs. Reid with the design work?"

Mia could hear the shade behind that question loud and clear-were they implying the design wasn't Megan's and had just been bought or ghost-designed?

And they didn't even acknowledge Megan as a contestant, just 'Mrs. Reid'-like everything she had was thanks to Tristan.

Keeping her cool, Mia answered clearly, "Megan graduated top of her class in Fashion and Jewelry Design from Meridian University. She was also an exceptional exchange student at Boris University. We believe in her talent."

"Then will LX be recruiting her as a designer in the future?"

Mia laughed to herself. LX was her company. She was Lila Moore. Who was she even gonna hire,herself?

She gave a light nod. "Any outstanding designer-LX will never hesitate to bring them on board."

With that, Mia led the three models into the exhibition center.

At the same time, two tall figures walked toward them from the opposite direction.