THE LYCAN KING’S SECOND CHANCE MATE



ASHANTI'S POV.

"Thank you." I mumble to the guard who just opened the door for before stepping out of the car. Fresh air caresses my face as I look around the premises and I engage in a small fight with my flying hair strands before succeeding in tucking them behind my ears. It's Sunday afternoon and I cannot help but wonder why the organisers for the competition decided to call and impromptu meeting here at the banquet hall.

As usual, they are other competitors arriving while another's are already walking into the hall with their design crews.

If I go in there and find out we are here for a surprise competition phase, I would simply pass away.

Sweet goddess, I hope that's not the case. I'm not in the right mind to design anything right now. I was sleeping when they called!

"Let's go in." Says Ryan as he comes over to meet me. My other team members who just arrived are leading the way into the hall while Ryan and I follow them. In the hall, we go to our designated seats and sit down to wait for the committee to arrive.

"It doesn't look like there's going to be some surprise competition, so what's up?" Ryan asks curiously after a close examination of the hall.

"Maybe they have an important announcement to make." I say with a shrug.

Since I got in here, I've been listening closely to hear if anyone will gossip about me, but so far, no one has said a single word. It seems they are just as tense as I am with this sudden call and I'm happy about that. With everything going on in my life right now, false rumour is the last thing I want to deal with.

"There's an online forum, why couldn't they just pass the information in it?"

"Maybe it's too important to be transmitted that way."

"Tss." He tuts and shakes his head.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Why do you sound so irritated?" I ask, chuckling softly. "Before leaving the house, I specifically asked you if you wanted to come along and you said yes. Why you acting like I forced you to come here?" He doesn't say a word. He wears a serious look and stares at me quietly like I was his girlfriend who was nagging. I can't help but laugh at his reaction. "You're so cute."

He rolls his eyes and groans in exasperation.

“Oh please! Don't even start!”

"I'm serious. You have no idea how cute you are when you frown." Without saying another word, he plugs in his airpods and proceeds to ignore my existence.

I touched the wrong nerve. He's not going to speak to me again until we leave this place.

After about ten minutes, the hall is completely full. The judges finally arrive and as usual, Mr. James, the chief judge, takes the podium. The entire hall falls silent as we listen to what he is about to say.

"Goodday, Ladies and gentlemen." He greets

fails

s in his calm tone that not

exude control and

More silence in the hall.

"We called this impromptu meeting to address a very disturbing issue. A behaviour that was condemned at the very beginning of this competition." His eyes flicker over to where my crew and I are seated and my entire body catches fire when our eyes meet. My breath catches in my throat and I'm about to combust, but luckily, he seizes his gaze from my face and focuses on the crowd. "On Monday, just before the competition for the day began, we were told that the TTC team's equipment was compromised. Because of that, they could not function effectively. We promised to get to the root of the issue and by that we meant finding the culprit and that has been done. The person who masterminded the operation has been tracked down and

unfortunately, that person is one of you seated here.” He firmly accuses and that breaks the silence in the hall.

The people start murmuring with each other. My team members and I exchange shocking looks.

A fellow contestant?

Wow! That person must really be audacious. He or she risked everything just to bring me down. "Without further ado, I will announce the culprit and ask her to step forward."

"It's a she!" I whisper loudly, petrified to my soul.

I done even know why I'm shocked. Women can be just as evil as men.

"The CEO and chief designer of Pinnacle Fashion. Miss Tamara Lawson, please come forward."

Everyone turns to look in her direction and so do I.

It's her!

The blond haired girl who is always on my case!

She's the one who tried to sabotage my chances of winning this competition.

That bitch!