Lyra's assistant handed over the dress to Elisa and Agent Yan left with Lyra with the excuse that they needed to reach there early as she was the main protagonist of the drama.
As soon as they reached the car, Yan Lui couldn't help but hissed out.
"Why do you have to cause problems for me? Can't you just stay put for a few days?"
"…"
Lyra did not say anything as she looked out the window of the van. And Agent Yan continued with his rebuke.
"Uncle was right. I've indeed spoiled you rotten that you've become so lawless now."
"Yah! Yan Lui. What do you mean by that?" Lyra snapped.
"Ain't what I said right? Have you ever thought of the consequences of the steps you took? Didn't you see the comments of all those media outlets? Everyone's questioning you. Questioning me on how the company treats Viviana so unfairly while you enjoy the palanquin ride."
"…"
"I just told you to remain quiet for just a few days. Only till the heat comes down. But no!!! Princess had to let her jealousy get the best of her and pull out a stun for the world to see."
Lyra's eyes began to tear up under the agent's harsh tone. She had never been scolded like this since the two became close, closer than any normal agent and artist would ever be.
Unaware of Lyra's feeling, the agent kept going on, ranting out his anger… And to some extent blaming Lyra for the scolding he got from his uncle two days back.
"Didn't the question of how the media would ask if Viviana is absent from the event ever come into your mind? How would you answer if they ask why she didn't come? That you got jealous of her and poured a bottle of foundation on her dress to vent your anger?"
Yan Lui said his piece and caught the breath he had missed. Then he saw the look of hurt on Lyra's face. And once again, his heart felt the prick. All his anger immediately flushed down the drain as he saw her turn away from him.
"Do you also think that she's better than me?"
It was a soft whisper. The question had been stuck in Lyra's mind since the previous night.
Agent Yan was thrown off by the sudden inquiry that he could not give his reply. And his silence only made Lyra's gloom worse. She turned to him and looked into his eyes as though he had betrayed her.
"You do?"
"No!" Yan Lui immediately responded and pulled her into a warm hug.
"How could I ever think that she's better than you? Of course, you're much better than her. The best."
His answer made Lyra relax a bit. It was so different from the hug Mr. Yan gave her. She just closed her eyes and basked at the warmth Yan Lui was giving her.
After a few minutes, the two calmed down.
"But why did you do this though? Cause you didn't want her to attend the event?" Yan Lui asked.
"No" Lyra shook her head. "That was never my intention."
.
.
.
"What is this?"
Viviana questioned herself as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She then turned to Manager An and asked.
"What do we do now?"
The older woman did not respond back to her. Her eyes were stuck on Viviana's chest as she frowned.
Since the dress was fitted according to Lyra's size, there was a bit of difference in the size between the dress and Viviana. Especially the chest part. It looked tight. As though her bosoms would burst open through the fabric and pour out.
Not to mention the color of the dress. It was white, the same color that Lyra had left with. If Viviana were to wear the same color of dress from the same collection of cloth as Lyra, there would surely be so much discussion on that.
"Do we have another choice?" Elisa asked, more to herself, trying to think of a solution.
"Was it really an accident?" An Mey asked in a low voice.
"Didn't seem like it?" Vivi replied.
The manager sighed. She could not understand what kind of problem Lyra had with Viviana. The girl had what Viviana did not have, the company's support. Especially Director Yan's. She had never heard about any disparities between the two during their trainees. Only after Viviana debuted one year after Lyra, the latter had adopted various methods to exploit the former of her fame.
"What's her issue with you?" An Mey asked.
She had been finding everything about this girl mysterious.
"Honestly, I have no idea." Viviana responded. "One day she woke up and decided that I was her enemy."
Manager An sighed. Yet another unanswered question. She had been piling those a lot in her mind.
But her mind resifted back to the problem. The dress.
"What suggestions do you have?"
She looked around at the people present in the room. There were two other women besides Viviana, Elisa and herself the makeup artist and the hair stylist.
And they both shook their heads.
"Are you going to go wearing that now?" An Mey asked the victim of the problem. "Although it's a bit awkward…"
Manager An paused and looked at it again.
"Never mind. It's better to wear a casual dress than to wear this and go."
"Can I just not go?" Viviana suggested.
"Don't!" The manager pointed her finger at the defiant actress. "even think about it."
Vivi nodded to the warning. But in her mind she was singing, 'But I already thought about it.'
"There's only about an hour and half left." An Mey looked at her watch. "Let's go back to the apartment and change your clothes."
"Okay."
Viviana nodded and turned to get behind the curtains to change her dress. But she was pulled away by An Mey who almost screamed out as she walked fast.
"We don't have time to waste on changing clothes now. Do it in the apartment."
The trip down the building took them three minutes and the trio rushed into the van and hurried off. During the ride, Viviana was quiet, which was nothing new. But both An Mey and Elisa didn't know that the actress was brewing something in her mind.
When they reached a particular junction, Vivi suddenly stopped Elisa who was driving.
"Let's change the location." She suddenly suggested.
"Huh?" Both the manager and assistant could not understand her.
Then, without saying another word, she leaned forward to the front area and pressed a location on the navigator.
"Let's go there."
Elisa who was driving the van looked at the newly entered destination and her eyes went round.
"Sister Vivi. This is_"
The actress cut the younger girl's exclamation short.
"Just go there."