Chapter 84

Mia scratched his head. "You guys got it all wrong.That's not how it happened."

The three models didn't even bother to hide their suspicion-there was blatant doubt in their eyes.

Copying or buying out a design? That was basically the cardinal sin in the design world.

And clearly, in their minds, Megan had already been judged guilty of one of the two, no questions asked.

Right then, Nova Tech suddenly bounced forward."Ma déesse, c'est Lila Moore. Taisez-vous, les trolls moches.!"

The perfect French rolling out of a robot dog's mouth-yeah,that kinda froze the girls.

Jane pointed a shaky finger at Nova Tech. "Did it... just call us ugly trolls?"

Meanwhile, Rebecca and Zoe looked like they'd just been struck by lightning. "Wait. You're Lila Moore?"

Megan's whole forehead twitched as she shot Nova Tech a death glare.Traitor trash bot!

The three models were now buzzing nonstop like a bunch of overexcited fans-turns out the designer they had worshipped from afar was just a teenager.

The rest of Megan's afternoon pretty much went down the drain-they were way too hyped and wouldn't stop orbiting around her.

She had to stress about a thousand times: under no circumstance were they allowed to expose her identity.

Even though they didn't really get her reasoning, all three swore to keep their mouths shut.

The competition venue was at the Capital Expo Center, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. At exactly 6 p.m., there was a knock on the hotel room door.

The moment Jane, Rebecca, Zoe, and Mlia saw the man standing at the door in a dark navy suit, they just... froze. Not even blinking.

The guy, though? Didn't spare them a glance. His eyes were laser-focused on Megan and Megan only.

Fair skin, high nose, those sharp phoenix eyes-Tristan didn't just look good. He radiated quiet power and class without even trying.

World's youngest billionaire, devastatingly attractive-honestly, no girl out there wouldn't fall hard.

Cameron shook his head. The way Tristan carried himself-it was like walking, breathing royalty. Dude was unreal.

But somehow, this walking god was totally wipped for a pint-sized drama queen.

Sure, Megan was gorgeous. But the world's full of pretty faces. What deadly magic did she cast on this man to win himn over?

"Cameron, take them to the car.My wife needs to get ready."

Cameron gave a nod."Understood."

He gestured politely. "Ladies, if you'll follow me."

Room door clicked shut. Tristan curved his lips into a faint smile and walked straight toward the girl he hadn't seen since this afternoon.

He scooped her up without warning, stole a kiss from those strawberry lips, and murmured, "Missed you."

Megan's porcelain-like cheeks flushed instantly.Her hands pressed weakly against his chest. "Hey, come on. Time to get ready. I have to do some quick makeup."

Tristan chuckled, didn't tease further, and let her head to the vanity.

As Megan reached for a sexy red lipstick, Tristan suddenly snatched it away. "I'll do it. Close your eyes."

"Going with the Tristan Style?" Megan raised a brow.

"You don't like it?"

Instead of answering, Megan tilted her head up and closed her eyes like a queen granting permission.

Keeping his gaze on her delicate face, Tristan dipped his pinkie into the lipstick, then gently applied it over her perfectly-shaped lips.

Megan was a little surprised. Wasn't he usually the one to wear it himself, then kiss it onto her?

But not this time.

Noticing her confused look, Tristan smirked slightly finger tracing her now-bright lips. Then he tilted her chin and kissed her again.

When he finally pulled away, he glanced at her now-faded tint and smiled. "This shade-that blend-it suits you better."Megan knew exactly what was going through his mind-that color was just too tempting. What a scheming big dog he was.

Tristan handed her a beautifully wrapped box. "Take a look. See if you like it."

She opened it, and the moment her eyes caught sight of the dress, her gaze darkened. It was the starry night gown she'd designed six months ago.

The dress was mostly black, with shimmering threads stitched to look like drifting galaxies, dusted faintly with pearl shimmer. Under low light, it gave off a soft, ghostly glow.

Like a radiant stream winding through the night sky-absolutely breathtaking.

There was only one in the whole world, and she never guessed Tristan would be the one who bought it back then.

"This dress is stunning, but it's a design from half a year ago. If you're not feeling it, I'll have Cameron bring you another one."

At the time, Megan loved the dress too much to part with it. But then a mysterious buyer threw out a ridiculously high bid, and eventually, she let it go.

She never imagined it would come back to her hands like this.

She poked his solid chest playfully. "Tell me, who were you planning to give it to when you bought it six months ago?"

Tristan leaned in, the bridge of his nose brushing lightly against hers. His tone was low, teasing."You've lived in my heart for years-who else could it have been for?"

She held back a laugh, lips curling up. Tossing the gown onto the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Babe, be real with me-was I the lead in your very first *ahem* dream?"

That question totally caught Tristan off guard.

He blinked, then played it cool. "Never had that kind of dream."

Megan rose on tiptoes, a mischievous smile dancing on her face as she kissed him softly. "Seriously? Not even once?"

A faint flush crept onto Tristan's pale cheeks, his Adam's apple bobbing hard. "Megan, it's time."

Suddenly she hopped up, catching him off-guard-he instinctively caught her by the hips.

Her fingertip traced his sharp jawline, then paused at the bump of his throat, where she gave the skin a teasing bite. "So, really not even once? HMM?"

That tiny "hmm" hit him like a spark to dry tinder,igniting something deep in his chest.

"Don't move," he muttered, voice low and strained.

She laughed, light and wicked. "Oh, I'm moving-maybe next time don't lie to me."

"You still wanna make that competition on time?"

She locked her legs tighter around him. "Tell me first."

A vein pulsed on Tristan's temple from holding himself back.

He swallowed hard. "Fine. Yes. It was you."

Satisfied,Megan hopped down and let go.

With zero hesitation, she started unbuttoning her shirt and peeled off her jeans.

The lace over her curves left little to the imagination.

She stepped close, arms slipping around his waist."Tristan, do I look hot?"

His voice rasped against her ear, "Megan, you're playing with fire."

She pouted. "But I faiI every time."

In a heartbeat, he yanked her in hard, his lips finding the curve of her neck. His kisses were slow, hot,sending shockwaves of sensation through every nerve.

Then he caught her lips in a kiss she could barely breathe through. "You're a real little minx, you know that?" He toppled them onto the bed, calloused hands trailing down her leg in deliberate strokes.

"This time...you win."

And just like that, his burning kiss crushed against hers, sending her heart into overdrive.

He shrugged off his jacket, leaned down, and devoured her lips like a man starved.