Hello, CEO! Don’t Play With Me!

“Are you tense?” Harvey asked, glancing at Giselle beside him. The girl was seen fixing the long dress that she was going to wear in the middle of the show.

The final night was half an hour ago. It started with a lot of speeches that Giselle and Harvey didn’t really care about. For the most part, they were just pleasantries. But Giselle couldn’t ignore when Andrew came forward as a special guest. Expressing his gratitude for being given the trust to be involved in such a big and grand event.

What Andrew said was not just talk. The stage, according to Giselle, was indeed magnificent and luxurious. Apart from the arrangement of lights and the many sponsors involved, it seems that Ford does not want to lose in terms of displaying its power as the organizer of the Miss World class event.

“Tense?” asked Giselle as she finished smoothing the hem of her dress. She didn’t want to get into trouble as she circled the stage and stood among the contestants. The only thing that worried her a bit was that on the left wing, where there was a small staircase connecting to an even smaller stage, all the contestants were required to go around the stage to show off what they were wearing.

And afterward, one by one, they faced the test of questions posed by the judges. During the waiting period for the judging and elimination rounds, they were all back in the saddle to strut their stuff from the collections of the sponsoring boutiques.

“Not really.” Giselle chuckled. “Maybe you?”

Harvey grinned. His eyes looked at the invited guests who seemed focused on watching one by one the contestants who began to come out in order. “I’m just lazy that this show is coming to an end.” Then he chose to focus on the decreasing order. Which meant it would soon be his turn.

“Oh, your manager came?”

“That’s for sure.” Harvey chuckled. “She wanted to see firsthand what I could do to please her.”

“But you won’t.” Giselle tapped Harvey lightly on the shoulder. “Whatever the outcome of this event, we know who the winner is.”

“Tsk!” Harvey chuckled. “How arrogant of you to win a bet so soon.”

“Participant number 12, Harvey Princessa is expected to be ready,” informed one of the staff.

Which was greeted with a big grin from Giselle. There was also a small round of applause to encourage Harvey to stop worrying about his agency. Why should he be sneaky like last year if in reality, he’s still in the same place.

It’s useless, right?

Unless his cheating brings Harvey to the highest point of a model’s career in this country. Getting tons of jobs, a fair contract with the agency, including protection and some other perks, might be something to think about. But what Harvey got was just like any other SEO model who was just starting out and needed a lot of guidance.

Apart from managing professional models, Justin’s agency also offers classes and talent and interest development for junior models. Most of the time, if they have potential, they will definitely get a decent job and are guaranteed about all kinds of things because SEO does not want to abandon its models after getting a job.

“Cheer up, Harvey,” said Giselle in a cheerful tone. she didn’t care if her voice got snide looks from other contestants including Kristen and Charlotte.

After Harvey came out of the curtain, greeted by loud applause from the guest bench and the audience, there was silence among the contestants. Some of them also knew that Giselle had prepared her best for her performance, including for the test. It would be a lie if Giselle wasn’t tense. Moreover, the question was asked and witnessed by many parties, especially Justin and everyone she knew. Also watched by many pairs of eyes out there.

“Since the broadcasting rights are with me, I make sure this show is really exclusive to airing at the same time. many also hold joint viewing events at certain cafes or at agencies with quite large supporters,” Andrew said as their conversation flowed.

“I’m a bit worried about the final night actually.”

“What are you worried about?” Andrew asked curiously. “Andy said that during the quarantine, you did a lot of things well. In fact, some of the coaches praised how well you were doing there.”

Giselle’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re really scary, Mr. Stalker.”

That remark was met with laughter by Andrew. “I have the right to know what my staff is doing during the contestants’ quarantine period, because the content that we will share must also be mutually agreed upon.”

The conversation was replaying in Giselle’s mind now. If Andrew had so much influence over the broadcasting rights, it meant that being a finalist of only ten out of twenty-five contestants could already garner a lot of attention. But she felt discouraged, seeing that many of the other contestants were more competent than her.

Although Giselle believes the winner will be Kristen, she admits that Kristen has the potential to win. The girl speaks five languages fluently. She had been honored several times in the community, including establishing a foundation for abandoned children. Well… although Giselle believed that the foundation was one of the streams of wealthy funds belonging to the owner of the organizer; Mr. Woddy.

“I hope Harvey doesn’t make the finalists this time,” Charlotte said, looking at Giselle sarcastically. Deliberately. Blatantly to provoke Giselle’s emotions. She really didn’t like their closeness, not only because she didn’t like Harvey, but also because she didn’t expect her plan to get close to Giselle in order to easily get into the SEO agency to fail miserably.

“I hope the same thing,” Giselle said with a chuckle. “After all, there are many who are more competent than Harvey.”

“And you thought it was you?”

Giselle giggled. “You’re so funny. When did I say I deserved to come out as one of the finalists? I just don’t know what kind of questions will be asked.”

Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. She chose to return to wait for her turn to perform while watching the other contestants strut their stuff on stage. Soon, her name was called. The most annoying thing about all of Giselle’s behavior in her eyes was how casually the girl waved to her in an encouraging manner.

“You look relaxed, Giselle.”

She thought there would be no more disturbances. But Giselle was wrong. Instead, it was Kristen who stepped closer to her. Her eyes had a humorous look in them but Giselle knew there was a strong sense of hostility there. Perhaps it was because she had never heard anyone else’s warnings about Harvey. The friendship between Giselle and Harvey was formed without any coercion. Although she was a little surprised by Harvey’s confession, she believed that her friend would never do anything sneaky again.

Until tonight’s event, nothing strange happened. Everything went smoothly as it was.

“Not really.” Giselle smiled faintly. “I’m pretty tense going into tonight.”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“If you’re close to me, I’m sure you’ll benefit a lot from our closeness.”

Giselle looked at Kristen with a look of disbelief. “You… said that to me?”

“Wrong?”

“Not really but it’s just weird to get in the ear.” She let Kristen be near her. She did not even hesitate to return the gaze of the blonde girl who was indeed blessed with this mesmerizing beauty.

“I’m actually surprised that such an ordinary girl could be recruited by SEO and be on the same level as models who have already traveled the world. I’m even sure that your flying hours are very minimal compared to me.” Giselle’s interlocutor smiled faintly this time, whispering softly just to convey a message that she had wanted to say long before this event took place. “If you were closer to me, you could have placed third or second. At least your name is useful for SEO instead of just qualifying as an ordinary finalist.”

“Unfortunately, Kristen,” Giselle chuckled. “I don’t have high goals for this event. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to take part in all the activities well and make one precious friend, who has nothing to do with our relationship.”

“Are you sure?” Kristen asked in a dubious tone. “I’m not sure Harvey is that easy to be friend. If you have more time, I’ll tell you how Harvey really is.”