Chapter 365

The queen hurriedly left the room. Vivian Laurent walked slowly toward the wardrobe.

A pair of terrified eyes peeked through the gap in the wardrobe door.

"Stay back!" The girl's voice trembled as she curled into a ball.

Vivian walked past her without hesitation and turned on the bedside lamp.

The door clicked shut softly. Vivian sat on the edge of the bed. "My name is Vivian Laurent. I'm a fashion designer."

Ragged breathing came from inside the wardrobe.

"I'd like to design a dress for you." Vivian's voice was gentle. "May I see you?"

"Liar!" The girl suddenly shrieked. "You're a doctor! Another doctor my mother hired!"

Vivian pulled out a tablet from her bag. "Medicine is my side job. My main profession is designing for AN Atelier."

"AN?" The girl's voice wavered with uncertainty.

Vivian swiped open her portfolio on the screen.

The haute couture gowns made the girl hold her breath. Those flowing skirts and intricate embroideries matched the images she'd secretly saved on her phone.

"The Starlight Collection from last month..." The girl unconsciously leaned forward.

Vivian turned the tablet toward her. "Would you like to see the sketches for the new season?"

The girl's fingers trembled slightly, but she didn't leave the safety of the wardrobe.

"I..." She suddenly covered her face. "I'm too ugly to wear beautiful things."

Vivian opened her photo gallery. "I looked worse three years ago."

A bloated face appeared on the screen.

The girl peeked through her fingers, then gasped. "That's...really you?"

"Hormonal facial edema." Vivian said calmly. "It lasted two full years."

The wardrobe door creaked open slightly wider.

Pretending not to notice, Vivian kept scrolling. "I couldn't even look in mirrors back then."

A scarred hand suddenly reached out and touched the screen.

Vivian held her breath.

The familiar face finally emerged fully into the light—it was the defiant disfigured girl from Nightfall Lounge last night.

But her timid expression now made her seem like a completely different person.

"Your scars..." Vivian suppressed her shock. "They can be treated."

The girl immediately covered her face again. "They can't! Everyone calls me a monster!"

Vivian gently grasped her hand. "Modern medicine can—"

The moment their skin touched, Vivian's heart skipped a beat.

The texture of those scars...felt wrong.