Chapter 1263

No.1

The harsh comments continued unabated. In the VIP section, several men in baseball caps shifted uncomfortably.

One stood up abruptly. "I can't listen to this anymore. Our boss doesn't deserve this disrespect."

Maxwell Carter pulled him back down. "Sit. Isabella's orders were clear. No interference. Unless you want to explain why we ruined her plans."

The man grumbled but complied. "They have no idea who they're mocking."

"Patience," Maxwell said calmly. "They'll eat their words soon enough."

The fashion show progressed flawlessly. Each model embodied their assigned jewelry's essence. Some walked with regal grace. Others exuded modern chic. The audience remained enthralled.

Sophia Kensington made her entrance. A crimson mini dress showcased her enviable figure. She blew a kiss to the crowd. The gesture elicited cheers and whistles.

Meanwhile, the private lounge remained eerily quiet. Nathaniel Blackwood rested with his eyes closed. Christopher slept soundly on his lap, drooling slightly.

Sebastian Blackwood observed the models through a magnifying glass. "Nathaniel, check out this one's proportions! Perfect hourglass shape!" He nudged his brother. "And this model's legs go on forever!"

No.2

Nathaniel showed no reaction. His breathing remained steady. Christopher stirred but didn't wake.

Suddenly, an announcer's voice cut through the music. "And now... The moment you've all been waiting for! Isabella Montgomery!"

Nathaniel's eyes snapped open instantly. Christopher jolted awake beside him. Both focused intently on the stage.

Every head in the auditorium turned. All eyes fixed on the runway's entrance. The air grew thick with anticipation.

Backstage, Sophia watched the large screen with a venomous smile. 'This is it, Isabella. Time to face your humiliation.'

She envisioned Isabella's career ending tonight. Public disgrace awaited the so-called heiress.

The music shifted to something ethereal. A hush fell over the crowd. All breathing seemed to stop.

Then... A silhouette appeared from the shadows. Gasps echoed through the silent hall.

A silhouette of pure ethereal grace materialized on the runway.

No.3

Under the spotlight, she seemed almost unclothed, every contour and shadow of her form starkly visible. A swan-like neck. A waist so narrow it defied reality. Legs that stretched for miles in elegant lines.

Not an ounce of superfluous flesh marred her perfection. She was a masterpiece carved by divine hands. A figure born for the runway.

But was she truly bare? Had she resorted to this for victory?

Nathaniel’s expression hardened. His hands flew up, shielding Oliver’s and Sebastian’s eyes. A foreign, searing anger ignited in his chest. Isabella’s words echoed, ‘Strolling on the beach in a bikini.’

Had she always been this brazen?

The audience sat in stunned silence. A few mouths hung open, the word ‘goddess’ trapped on their lips.

On the live stream, comments exploded. [Holy hell! Can we report Chanel for indecency?]

Then, Isabella took another step forward. The illusion shattered. She wore a gown the exact shade of her skin, expertly wrapped around her torso.

A long, silken cape of the same ethereal hue flowed from her arms. It billowed with her movement, a swirl of spectral smoke, dreamlike and utterly captivating.

No.4

The sheer, skin-toned dress didn’t diminish her elegance. It elevated it. She was a celestial being descended from the heavens. Regal. Untouchable. Exquisite.

The lights plunged into total darkness, swallowing the hall.

A single, soft beam found the jade necklace at her collarbone. The faint green stone glowed with an enchanting light. Her dazzling dress, somehow, did not overpower it.

Then, a firefly sparked to life from the jade. Then another. And another. They swirled around her, a growing constellation of light. Dozens became hundreds, then thousands, flooding the pitch-black venue.

The air filled with a slow-dancing universe of ethereal light. The hall transformed into a scene from a fantasy realm, a magical world that stole the breath from every lung.

Awe was inescapable.

“My God… It’s stunning!”

“Fireflies! Where did they all come from?”

“Is this a movie set? How is this possible?”

No.5

“This is unbelievable! Completely surreal!”

The Chanel team was just as baffled. That dress wasn’t theirs. Those fireflies… they were clueless. How could Isabella have hidden thousands of fireflies in a necklace? It was impossible.

Only Nathaniel understood. He recognized the cutting-edge 3D holographic imaging. It projected hyper-realistic, three-dimensional illusions into space.

Very few corporations had access to this technology. How did an adopted woman like Isabella command it so flawlessly?

Alexander and his associates stared, utterly confounded. They had been desperately trying to acquire this exact patent from major tech firms. And here she was, wielding it for a fashion show? And with such devastating effect.

Alexander’s face darkened. Was this captivating, breathtaking vision really the same plain, unattractive Isabella Montgomery he’d discarded?

Julian Hawthorne, backstage controlling the projection, froze. His heart lurched into his throat as her balance faltered.

In the private booth, Nathaniel instinctively shoved Oliver aside, his body coiling to spring into action. The distance was too great. He’d never make it in time.

A collective gasp ripped through the magical atmosphere. Every spectator held their breath.

No.6

Would she fall?

Sophia, her jealousy momentarily forgotten, felt a vicious thrill.

‘Finally! The humiliation!’ she crowed internally. A fall here, in front of everyone, would end Isabella’s pathetic career before it began.

All watched, hearts lodged in throats, as her body tilted irrevocably toward the ground. Just as she was about to crash…

Isabella spun with liquid grace, the silk cape whipping upward in a fluid arc.

The fabric hung suspended for a heartbeat, a shimmering ribbon against the dark.

Then, with a sharp tug, she used its momentum to swing her body clear of the stage.

She soared.

The silk became her wings, carrying her in a lazy, hypnotic circle above the gasping crowd.

No.7

The cape billowed like a stormy sea beneath her.

A thousand fireflies swirled, a constellation of living stars framing her flight.

She was a phantom, a creature of myth stepped out of a forgotten tale.

Breathtaking. Otherworldly.

She moved with the effortless elegance of smoke, a goddess smiling down at her captivated subjects.

In one seamless motion, she hooked her legs mid-swing.

She reached down and slipped off her heels. “Who wants them?”