The Last Time I Loved Him (Autumn and Ryan)

I was fully immersed in the final preparations for the fashion show-selecting the venue and models and organizing the runway. Winston brought me a tableful of food, surprising me. "How did you know this was the place?" I asked in delight.

He raised an eyebrow, "Of course, I know. I happened to see you many times in college; you just didn't notice."

Feeling a bit flustered, I sipped my soup. After getting together with Winston, I'd been curious about when he started liking me.

In my memory, we'd only met five times- surely not enough to warrant following me across countries. His friends told me he'd never had a girlfriend, and with his looks and talent, he could have a line of girls stretching down the street. I couldn't quite understand. He explained, "I first saw you in high school, just a brief encounter, but I never got the chance to approach you. Then, we ended up at the same university, but by then, you were already with Alex. I couldn't exactly be a third wheel and ruin your relationship, could I? Every time I saw you two together, I'd get the urge to break you up. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself, so I went abroad to stay away from you. But I kept tabs on you these past few years, and once I found out you were single, I made sure to pop up in your life every chance I got."

Later, I discovered a photo of me from freshman year, taken during a cheerleading event, tucked into his wallet. I hadn't known a thing about any of this-back then, my whole world revolved around Alex. Even my social life was built around him and his circle. "Vivian, look up. You're about to dunk your face in the soup,"

Winston said, pulling me up by my neck with a gentle smile.

Embarrassed, I changed the subject, "Alright, alright! Do you think the show wil go smoothly tomorrow? My eyelid's been twitching non-stop." He chuckled, wiping the corner of my mouth with a napkin, "You need to work on your distraction techniques. Eat up, and when you're done, I'll help you double-check tomorrow's show flow."

We reviewed the rehearsal, checked the details of each outfit, and ran through the various procedures again, finally putting my mind at ease. Tomorrow, leaders from various industries would attend, and this was our chance to open up the domestic market and elevate our brand's profile.

But, as it turned out, things went awry before the show even began. Both hosts had last-minute emergencies and couldn't make it. I quickly arranged substitutes-no big deal. But then, the models started backing out with excuses, each willing to risk paying several times the breach penalty. Some claimed family emergencies, others said they'd twisted an ankle or caught a cold.

I was beside myself with worry.

It was obvious something wasn't right. Winston gently stroked my hair, keeping calm and offering patient reassurance.

"With less than half an hour before the show, it's impossible to find replacement models. I'll go inform the audience and cancel the show."noveldrama

My anger boiled over, and I gritted my teeth, "It has to be Alex behind this!" With no other choice, we prepared to cancel the show. The haute couture dresses had strict body measurements for each model, with each outfit specifically matched to their physique. Just then, my assistant handed me the phone, "Miss, someone's calling for you. It's Alex." I held back my fury, resisting the urge to hang up. How dare he call me!

"Alex, what are you trying to do?"

"Vivian, come back to me, and I'll give you the best resources. I can give you everything you want." His tone was calm but filled with certainty. He was always like this- using dirty tactics when he couldn't have what he wanted.

I kept my voice cold. "Alex, whatever we had ended three years ago on that night. If I have to delay the show, so be it. Use your connections to block me if you want-I dare you."