Chapter 157
+25 BONUS
I was pretty sure Soleil wasn’t asleep. She had to be quietly listening in, waiting for tea…
Silence enveloped Soren and me, thick with awkwardness. The air felt stifling, and I grew uncomfortably hot.
Was it nervousness, or was the wine finally catching up with me? I tried to suffer through it quietly, but my back was beginning to sweat.
“Um, is the AC working? I’m feeling a little stuffy…”
Soren’s driver was a young man with tanned skin and a muscular build. He looked like a soldier doubling as Soren’s bodyguard.
He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, obviously stunned. “It’s 22°C, Miss Jones.”
Shit. That was supposed to be the optimum temperature!
Before I could respond, Soren added, “Turn the temperature down a little, please.”
“Alright.”
“Not too low. Soleil might feel cold,” I interjected.
Soren turned slightly in her direction and smirked faintly. “Your acting’s not too shabby.”
“Oh, just get on with your chit–chat. Right now, I don’t exist…” she muttered, her eyes still closed.
I knew it! She was faking it!
Luckily, this brief exchange had broken the ice.
I seized the opportunity to start a new topic. “Do you have any special role to play during the centennial?”
Soren turned to look at me.
Streetlights outside darted across his face, illuminating him at different angles in seconds. The shifting shadows, the flickering lights–he looked like a mesmerizing piece of animated art.
He smiled. “Do you?”
“I wouldn’t think much of my role. After the lecturer added me to the Instagram group chat, I found out about the performance. 0
“Every faculty should prepare one, right? Ours is a fashion show, obviously. The academy chooses the model, while we provide the clothes. I’m to provide two sets,” I replied.
“A walk in the park for you, I imagine,” he commented.
“Yeah. But honestly, I’d gladly offer ten different outfits in exchange for not having to perform on stage!”
I was a critically acclaimed fashion designer specializing in bespoke clothing. This was easy.
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t put modeling behind you, given your looks.”
I shook my head. “No, no. I know I can’t. I look pretty… and that’s about it.”
I’d worked as a part–time model during university, too. Harry had refused to give me any allowance, and I hadn’t
wanted to rely on Edward’s money.
Thus, I had taken up all sorts of odd jobs. I had the height to be a model, but it was my face that worked best to my
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Chapter 157
advantage. I was already attracting attention without makeup–if I dolled myself up, I could make jaws drop.
Jean had once said that I was perfect for any job that required looking good, so I had worked as a model for two years. I had been so short on money at the time that I had even considered going professional.
Ultimately, I was disqualified–my chest was too busty.
Most models had smaller chests, which helped maintain the clothing’s silhouette and gave the set a more high- class appearance. Additionally, models had only a brief window to walk the catwalk. They needed to move quickly, and a larger chest would draw attention away from the clothes themselves.
