The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 170

Helen quickly recovered and glared at Vivienne.

"You think turning Mike's perfectly fine one-shoulder gown into a common strapless dress is considered design?"

"Exactly." Hazel joined Helen on the runway, crossed her arms, and chuckled. Her eyes disdainfully glanced at the gradient dress that Vivienne had altered. "I thought you had some real talent. But this is just mediocre."

"What's the rush?" Vivienne glanced at them indifferently.

"You've ruined this dress!" Helen shrieked, unable to contain her anger. "Mike hates anyone tampering with his designs! If our collaboration with Mike's independent brand is ruined because of you, I won't let you off the hook!"

"And?" Vivienne responded expressionlessly. "Wasn't it you who asked me to change it? Why are you complaining now?"

"You just changed it because we asked? Who do you think you are?!" Helen found Vivienne's arrogance unbelievable. "Mike wouldn't even give a second glance to someone as tasteless as you!" "Heh, this is the first time I've seen someone so full of themselves." Hazel looked at Vivienne mockingly. "Let's see. If Mike praises your alteration, I'll shave my head right here on this runway!" Vivienne lightly lifted her lashes as her gaze swept towards Hazel. She suddenly laughed. Her laughter was enchanting and captivating. "Shave your head? I like that! Are you sure you want to compete?" "Definitely!" Hazel made a firm stand. "If Mike really praises you, I won't just shave my head here and now; I'll keep it bald for the rest of my life!"

"Very well." Vivienne nodded. "Then let's compete!"

She cut out an irregular step shape at the chest of the dress with her scissors, then sewed some cloth strips cut out from the butterfly she had torn off earlier, making a lapel design.

The dress had already been cut by Vivienne. It was too late for Helen to stop her now, so she just stood aside coldly, thinking about how she was going to explain to Mike later and put all the blame on Vivienne As she was pondering, she suddenly heard a wave of discussion from below the stage, pointing at Vivienne.

"This alteration actually looks really good."

"Indeed. It's the same dress, but this modification makes it completely different."

"Mr. Ellington's fiancée is quite talented."

After hearing this, Hazel's face also darkened slightly, but from her angle, where she was standing with Helen, she could only see the back of Vivienne blocking the view of the dress. She couldn't see what the dress looked like now.

Just as she was about to pull Helen to check it out, a man walked out from backstage with a puzzled face.

"Mike!" Helen hurriedly greeted him.

"What's happening? Why aren't the models continuing to walk?" Mike asked.

"Mike, I'm really sorry. Someone audaciously destroyed your dress on the spot, claiming she wanted to change your design." Helen looked like she was about to cry. "It's all my fault for not stopping her and for not protecting your work."

"It's not Helen's fault." Hazel also came over and added fuel to the fire. "It's all because of that arrogant Vivienne. She belittled your design to nothing and said that once you see her alterations, you will only praise her and not dare criticize."

Mike frowned. Like Helen, he could only see Vivienne's back and not the current state of the dress.

It had to be said that Vivienne's back was beautiful. The soft blue light of the runway cast a mysterious veil over her silhouette as her graceful shoulder blades gently undulated with the movements of her hands.

If she weren't such an arrogant person who didn't understand the concept of respecting other people's work, Mike thought he would have asked her to be the model for his first season based on this silhouette alone.

What a pity.

Her beautiful silhouette and the 'Dream Butterfly' dress she was wearing were all wasted.

Mike's eyes landed on the Dream Butterfly on Vivienne, revealing a trace of fanatical admiration. But he felt it was a real waste for a person like that to wear this dress.

After seeing Mike's angry expression, a cold smile appeared on the corner of Hazel's mouth. She was sure she had won.

Vivienne's disrespectful act on another designer's show was sure to ruin her reputation; even if she were Percival's fiancée, it wouldn't help.

The crowd below the stage, seeing Mike's livid face, also believed that Vivienne was in trouble.

After all, any designer would replace it intolerable to have their work publicly criticized and altered by a greenhorn.

Before Mike could reach Vivienne, she had finished all her alterations. She moved slightly to the side, and the first thing Mike saw was the altered dress.

The gradient cake-like skirt appeared much cleaner after the complicated design was removed.

The layered tulle gradually stacked up to the waist, and the strapless neckline was trimmed into an asymmetrical small lapel design with a V-shaped opening in the middle, revealing a hint of cleavage. Suddenly, the dress went from being mundane to elegant and dreamy.

Mike felt a spark in front of his eyes, and he was both surprised and delighted.

He strode over with his eyes fixated on the dress, unable to see anything else, and kept exclaiming around the dress.

"My God! I knew something was off after the dress was finished! My original design was really crap! This is what a true haute couture gown should be like!"

The whole venue fell silent for a moment; even the runway music stopped.

Hazel and Helen were stunned. They couldn't believe their ears.

Hazel looked particularly awful. What had she just heard?

Mike was praising Vivienne's alteration?

He was saying his own design was crap?

Was he possessed or something?

Apparently, Helen had the same idea as Hazel. She walked over to ask Mike what was going on. Could it be that Percival was threatening him with his gaze from below the stage?

The sight of the stunningly altered bustier dress left Helen frozen in her tracks, unable to hide the astonishment in her eyes.

After seeing her friend stop abruptly, Hazel, wide-eyed with shock, wandered over to Vivienne. "Helen, what are you..."

Her words trailed off as she too caught sight of the breathtaking dress. Her heart began to flutter wildly.

How could this be?

Her gaze shifted towards the front of the runway, where Arabella, her eyes shadowed with an unreadable expression, held onto Judith's arm.

Hadn't Arabella said that her sister had grown up in the countryside?

How could she possibly design clothes?

How could someone with such exquisite taste show up at a formal event in just a t-shirt and jeans? It was utterly baffling.