Chapter 300: Flower power (2/2)
…
Still, as old and wily as she was, Nancy was serious enough to do her duty. So, after the audience calmed down, she lifted her head and gave her decision. ”For the final judgment…” She glanced at Ben and Charlotte at the back, who clenched their fists in nervousness.
”I choose to award…” She turned to Darryl and Stacy at the front, who leaned forward on their toes.
”Out of a score of one to ten…” She glanced at Ben and Charlotte again, whose hands were getting tired from over-exertion…
”Spit it out, grandma death!”
…
The random shout from the audience alerted Nancy that her time to soak in the limelight was ending, as she sighed under her breath, but announced her decision. ”This photograph…gets a ten!”
The audience erupted!
”Whoa!”
”Are you serious?!?”
”He actually beat Darryl!”
No one could believe it! The massive favorite to win the competition had been dethroned! Despite having such a beautiful model too!
Darryl's face was dead. 'I…actually…lost?' He stared at the ground, lost. Everything was over now. All his plans ruined…
Meanwhile, Stacy's face was also unsightly; No longer beautiful but twisted in disgust, due to not only losing but doing so to such a nobody in front of everyone here. Why'd she even come here in the first place? 'Oh yeah…' Turning to look at the loser redhead next to her, her frown deepened.
It was this bastard who coerced her out here but ended up full of sh*t! Instead of winning, she became a laughingstock! So why should she stay here a moment longer? Scoffing, the blonde stood up from her chair and stomped away, leaving the room as she cursed in her mind. 'The subscription fee is rising next month, assholes!'
...
The entire event was suspenseful and ended with a bang, resulting in the victory being seized by a black sheep from out of nowhere. It was so riveting that people wouldn't stop talking about it as they gathered their things to leave. At the same time, the few contestants whose photos hadn't been reviewed yet squinted in confusion as they remained in their seats. ”I didn't get my chance to go ye--”
”Shut up! Read the room, fool!”
...
No one cared about them anymore. It was like a sports match with a one-sided score as the stadium began clearing out. No one cared about the heartbroken and the damned... The audience was too busy recovering from the shock of the result. After all, not a single person saw it coming, except for one…
Grinning, Ben turned to Charlotte. ”You see, I told you that you were special...”
Hearing that, her heart fluttered, as she gazed at him with moistening eyes… Compared to winning any contest, those few words were the real prize for her, because no one had ever told her that before.
As for Ben, his words weren't empty either. He truly believed Charlotte was a special model, and his comment to Darryl about model quality was spot on too. Although Darryl's model was sexy, there was nothing more. She had no character. No special charm. She looked like any of a hundred other pretty girls you'd find on Instagram within a few minutes. Meanwhile, Charlotte's photos, displayed real soul!
In the end, recognizing that was what allowed Ben to secure the victory today. Hence, although he may have been dense in many aspects, over these past few months, he'd learned one thing:
Girls are all flowers, and all flowers bloom.
Only, each flower is different. With a different place or time where it blooms most beautifully, gracefully, and enchantingly.
There are flowers that bloom in private.
And flowers that become more attractive bundled together.
If there are flowers that shine in a bouquet, then there are also large flowers best suited for a vase.
In Charlotte's case, she was a fragile flower, one that sparkled brightest when flipping you the bird.
…
In any case though, a garden can never have enough flowers.
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*Author's Thoughts: I hope everyone has been enjoying this arc. However, it's not the end, because there's still some unsettled business. Yes, I'm talking about a fugitive whose face remains recognizable...which in Ben's perspective, was the same as being unslapped...
How could he accept that?