The Queen's Back

Maxwell implied that he wanted to pick Mona up to go home.

Meanwhile, Mona was embroidering blossoms onto the dress and didn't check her phone, completely unaware that Maxwell had messaged her.

When a knock sounded at the door, it brought Mona back to reality. She opened it to find Maxwell standing there, which filled her with joy. "What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. She opened the door and pulled him inside.

Inside, both Elara and Vespera were

surprised to see Mona and Maxwell holding hands so tightly. It seemed that, contrary to the rumors, their marriage wasn't just a political arrangement. They appeared to share genuine feelings for each other. "Let me introduce you, my husband, Maxwell! Mona said, looking into their eyes.

"Mona, your... husb husband?" Elara asked in shock. The term "husband" implied they were married Elara thought, 'But haven't they just gotten engaged not long ago? Confusion swirled in her mind. Vespera didn't speak, but Mona could see the astonishment in her eyes as well. "Yes, my husband. We've 've already tied the knot, Mona confirmed

She didn't mind others knowing about her marriage to Maxwell. In fact, the more people who knew, the better.

Maxwell met Mona's bright, sparkling eyes and instinctively tightened his grip on her hand. Mona was finally willing to acknowledge him in front of others, and a smile crept onto his face as he introduced himself, "Nice to meet you. I'm Maxwell, Mona's husband." In that that brief moment of f conversation, Elara's mind I was already spinning with a whirlwind of dramatic scenarios. She imagined that Mona and Maxwell's marriage was an act of revenge against Teddy, that Maxwell had insisted on getting married because he had secretly loved Mona all along but never showed it. Over time, under Maxwell's deep affection, their relationship gradually blossomed. Hey, Elara what are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought that you didn't hear what I said. Mona waved her hand. in front of Elara's face. Elara quickly snapped back to reality, grinning at Mona. "Oh, nothing, I just spaced out. What did you say?"

Mona repeated herself, "I said it's getting late. You two should head back. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow, understood, Miss Whitlock?" Elara nodded. "Got it!"

Afterward, she quickly gathered her things and pulled Vespera along as they dashed out. She wanted to create some private time for the couple to let their feelings deepen.

Once they left, Mona began packing her things, preparing to go home with Maxwell

"Shall we head back?" Mona asked.

"Yes." Ma Maxwell replied, taking a step forward to hold her hand.

While they may not have expressed much verbally, their actions revealed a growing intimacy

Over the past week, Elara and Vespera had been working tirelessly, often staying up late. Mona only returned late on the first day. After that, she returned on time or even earlier because Maxwell insisted she shouldn't stay out late. They were too shy 76%)

to say anything and just kept working hard.

As time crept into the final day, the dress was almost complete, with just the finishing touch left, the white flowers around the waist. It was already past ten in the evening, and to their surprise, Mona hadn't left yet, something both Elara and Vespera found quite unexpected at this late hour.

"Mona, Elara, you two should go home and rest. I'll handle the last part, Vespera said.

Elara shook her head and said, "Mona, you should go rest. I'll take care of the rest."

The fire incident with the original dress had partly been her fault, and she felt it was unfair for Mona and Vespera to bear the consequences. She couldn't just leave and let others do the work

Mona looked at Elara and could see that she was eager to start working. "Elara, your eyes are red. You should go get some rest. If you take over now and make a mistake, it won't be good. Let Vespera handle it instead."

Upon hearing Mona's words, Elara instantly felt her words made sense. With Artemis scheduled to try on the dress. tomorrow, if she made a mistake, it would mean losing this opportunity altogether. Thinking it over, Elara nodded in agreement, deciding to take on other tasks to make it up to them later. Mona,Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

why don't you go rest too? I can manage alone, Vespera asked after Elara left.

Mona feigned a yawn and stretched. "Alright, I'll just take a quick nap in the back, and we can leave together once you're done.

"Okay, go ahead. I'll finish up soon," Vespera said, forcing a smile

Mona nodded and settled onto the sofa in the break room, glancing at her phone before closing her eyes. She saw a message from Maxwell and smiled

After a while, as Vespera admired the finished dress, she realized she had underestimated Mona's talent. With her design. skills, Mona would surely become a top figure in the industry one day. At that moment, Vespera held a pair of scissors, poised above the vibrant red dress, contemplating a drastic cut. Although most of the work was hers, she felt compelled to destroy it. After all, it was a harsh reality that people could sometimes be driven to destroy for the sake of f profit.

As long as she succeeded today, her family would no longer have to worry about food and shelter.

With resolve, Vespera plunged the scissors into the dress, and Elara, returning at that moment, gasped in disbelief. She stared for a long time before shouting, "Vespera, what are you doing? Fuming, she stormped over, snatching the scissors from Vespera's hands and glaring at the ruined half of the dress. She felt like slapping Vesper

Faced with Elara's anger, Vespera replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing. I just didn't like the dress and wanted to cut it. Then she seized the scissors back and swiftly made a few more cuts.

As her words echoed, Elara slapped Vespera across the face. The sound startled Mona, who had been napping in the break

TOONIL

Mona groggily stepped out to see the two women facing off, along with the ruined dress on the floor, but she wasn't particularly surprised.

Elara had come back because Mona had messaged her that she was resting in the break room. Knowing Elara valued loyalty, Mona knew she would return.

This also provided an opportunity for Vespera. Had she not ruined the dress, everything would have gone smoothly after a week of work. But if Vespera had indeed damaged the dress, Elara would certainly see it upon her return. This would carry