July 1, 20xx

Bordeaux, France

The man double checked the red and blue invitation card that the beautiful woman---clad in white and blue evening dress---handed, by running it through the scanner. After confirming she"s the last minute addition for Y Fas.h.i.+on House, the designer of the bride"s wedding gown and entourage, the black suited guard allowed her in, hearing a gentle "thanks" from the woman on the process.

The tightness in the security was given with the backgrounds of the couple and the guests. Both hail from affluent families that controls the economic and political situation in China. The bride, Vivian Li is an heiress to the Li Family while the groom, Tang Qi is the Vice President"s son. The two decided to hold the first event in this country because the place held special meaning to them. It was where they met for the first time.

Adding to the strictness, the President announced early on that he will be in attendance tonight.

Even if it"s far away from home, there are large number of reporters and fans who travelled all the way to Bordeaux just to get a scoop and picture of the couples and the people attending.

The throng of people entering the carpeted aisle would pause on the left --- to have their pictures taken by professional photographers in front of the wooden wall backdrop adorn with white roses --- before continuing the stroll along the footpath that leads to the big hall.

But unlike most people, Yan s.h.i.+ skipped the photo taking part and entered the venue. She likes clicking her own camera but not fond of being the subject.

She walked along the S-curved walkway lined with lamps, and flowers and marveled at the sight. The hedges and trees that surround the Château were decorated with lights making the whole place illuminated. A soft melody from the piano was blending into the cool breeze of summer which was full with the scent of flowers.

Something in her flickered upon the remembering that it was the same concept she wanted for her wedding.

She simply smiled at the memory and felt it was a good thing. That it never happened.

Her ex and sister tried calling her many times before their wedding day but after sending them a short congratulatory message, the two not once contacted her again.

To her, what happened no longer mattered. She"d learn to let things go.

There are many things in life that she wanted to do and the two don"t deserve her attention.

Like tonight, she only has one goal. To approach Anthony Chen, one of the mentors in WDN Designing Compet.i.tion and get a recommendation letter.

The Designing Inst.i.tute, where she graduated from yesterday -- after completing their modular, online designing course -- informed her the policy of this year"s contest has changed. An acknowledgement of the mentor is needed to enter the biggest designing contest.

In the beginning, she thought she"ll have to settle with other compet.i.tion, though the best platform to kick off her designing career is through the former. The top three will be given the opportunity to work with well-known fas.h.i.+on houses to showcase their own designs. The benefits are enormous that it attracts thousands of designers every year but the guidelines and the battle itself, is very stiff.


But a chance rose when she mentioned her worries to her college pal, Injin. Captain Yu made calls and two hours later, an invitation was delivered to the apartment with attached details of the three mentors attending tonight. It was like gold falling from the sky.

She gave out a low sigh.

The woman appeared cold on the surface but she has a heart. Always doing good things to others without asking for something in return.

Now, she must not waste this opening.

She headed to the opposite direction and murmured to herself "Let"s do this."

Li Jie watched in amus.e.m.e.nt as the woman he"d been searching for ----the moment her information fell on his hand--- took a tray from a kitchen staff and entered the back area where the private villas are.

A minute later, she moved agilely and in timed motion to avoid the infrared sensors scanning the place. She was able to determine the points where they will be pointed at and avoided it. It surprised him that the doctor knew where the blind spots were at the back of her hand.

"What a sheer luck tonight."

He had no interests of mingling with the guest so, he swapped roles with a cousin and be in-charge of the security this evening albeit the boring task.

But who could have thought, he ended up thanking this dull job.

Earlier, what caught his attention in the beginning was the body wrapped in that line dress. It was nothing flamboyant or plunging but it emphasized the curve too much. Though the woman"s frame is similar to any Asian person, she has an ample chest and thin waist.

That moment, it crossed his mind, which man would allow his girl to appear on an event unaccompanied with that body. He won"t.

To his surprise, as if sensing his intent gaze from the monitor, the woman turned around and lifted her head with a smile that brings out the attractiveness of the small mole on her upper lip.

Suddenly his heart went haywire at that sight.

How could he not know who it belonged to?

It was to the woman who saved him three months ago and disappeared from the country. His men searched for Dr Yan s.h.i.+ but she couldn"t be found. The day he saw her photo, the fist size organ which holds his life started thumping uncontrollably and his desire to meet her intensified. It"s the same reaction he has every time he gazes at her heart shaped face framed with long, brownish tresses. Her black rimmed gla.s.ses couldn"t hide the fact she"s appealing. She"d invaded his dreams.

At this moment, he"s half-convinced he"s in love with her. If he"s not, then why is his reacting like this?

Jack Ho who was watching the woman with his boss said "I"ll stop her." when he saw her turn to the left lane, where close family members were housed.

"Don"t."

When he saw her stop outside the villa where he was at, he stood and said "Watch the venue. Make sure there"s no accident." Before he left the room, without waiting for the other man"s affirmation.

Yan s.h.i.+ had never been to the place before but the map Captain Yu provided helped her greatly. She disabled the alarm with the pin from her purse and got in a minute later.

In the dimly lit living room, there was a faint smell of tobacco wafting in the air that blended with the scent of perfume. It was too strong that it made her rub her nose.

A man"s voice sounded.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Yan s.h.i.+ cleared her throat. She was suddenly at lost of words. She didn"t know if the man"s appearance was the reason or she suddenly felt guilty for breaking in someone"s residence.

She was leaning on the latter because she"s not the type of person who would do something bad unless there"s a life at stake. And she was not surprised to find the man"s looks to be more feminine than her.

Despite of his monolid, almond shaped eyes staring at her with intensity, the gentleness in them can"t be concealed.

"I wanted to show you something. "

She noticed his brow furrowed and she was worried she"ll mess it up so, she moved forward and handed the thumb drive from her clutch purse.

Without speaking, he took it, exposing his white slender hands to her.

Seeing him plugged it in his laptop, she spoke "The files are sample of my works."

He went over the sketches and they appeared fresh to his eyes.

Her designs speaks a lot and it has future. The possibility of outdoing the current fad is enormous. Not only aesthetically speaking but also it"s trendy style making it appealing for all ages.

As a designer, he knows when he stumbled on a gem. She has talents.

"Do you want to join the WDN Compet.i.tion in Monaco?" he asked a minute later.

She nodded in response.

Inside the study someone was watching what"s going on in the living room.

A sinister smile appeared on his face and he lifted his phone.

The beep of an incoming message was heard and Anthony Chen gave his phone a furtive glance.

It read "Get her signature."

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Extra scene :

LJ: Author-san, why again?

TC: Well, you told me you wanted to hid in the study room.

LJ: I didn"t.

TC: You did. You said it in my dreams.

Li Jie: "...."

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