Chapter 322 - 309: A Woman Has a Child 2

"Do you think I’d be a huge hit if I became a star?" Chloe Gardner, in a great mood, twirled in front of the mirror to look at herself.

Not only did Chloe Gardner have a great figure, but she also had a beautiful face with delicate features and fair, smooth skin.

Too bad the son she’d given birth to was an expert at tearing her down.

Hannah Gardner opened a bag of snacks and lay on the sofa, watching her. He delivered a crushing blow, "Chloe, you’re so ugly. No one will ever like you. Just give up on that dream!"

"..." Chloe Gardner spun around, scowling. "Say that one more time, and I’m confiscating all your snacks!"

"Chloe, you’re so unreasonable! You won’t even let me tell the truth!"

"Looks like you’re itching for a spanking. Get over here, you little brat!" Chloe Gardner planted her hands on her hips, transforming into a tigress. "If I were ugly, how could I have given birth to a face as handsome as yours?!"

"My good looks come from my dad. It has nothing to do with you, Chloe. My dad’s the one with the good genes!"

"Nonsense! Look at your face—what part of it doesn’t come from me? Your dad had a face like a big, flat pancake!"

"I don’t believe you!"

Georgia Thorne sighed helplessly. Once this mother-son duo started bickering, they didn’t stop for a second.

"One more word out of you, and I’m sending you back tomorrow!"

Hannah Gardner knew when to quit while he was ahead. He immediately put away his snacks and said sweetly, "Mom, you’re the prettiest!"

Only then did Chloe Gardner let out a satisfied "Hmph" and turn back to admire herself.

"This is your entry for the competition? Why does it feel like it’s not as pretty as the last one? Were you holding back?"

The dress was pretty, to be sure, but it felt like something was missing.

"When you put it on, didn’t you notice something... different?"

"You mean this piece of fabric at the chest?" Chloe Gardner tugged at the front of the dress in frustration.

Georgia Thorne gave a firm tug on a red flower at Chloe’s waist. Chloe shrieked, feeling the dress loosen, and instinctively covered herself with her hands. "Georgia Thorne! I never knew you had such a twisted sense of humor, designing a rip-off dress!"

"It’s fine. Let go. You won’t be exposed." Georgia Thorne gave her a reassuring look. The red flower in her hand had transformed into a red silk sash, which she drew from Chloe’s waist up to her shoulder, letting it drape down her back.

"Now, what do you think of the dress?" Georgia Thorne had read the brief for the competition; the main focus was on creativity.

An ordinary dress would never win the top prize. To stand out, she had to present something that would truly dazzle the judges.

Georgia Thorne had designed a small mechanism into the dress. A single pull on the flower at the waist could transform the simple long dress into a short one. The final step was to drape the red silk sash over the model’s body, creating an alluring sense of mystery, a ’now you see me, now you don’t’ effect.

Chloe Gardner looked in the mirror again, her eyes widening in amazement at Georgia Thorne’s ingenuity. "Georgia, you’re incredible! One pull, and the dress has a completely different style!"

The first was elegant and demure, the second was bewitching and mysterious.

"Of course, it also demands a lot from the model herself!" Georgia Thorne said, carefully adjusting the small details on the dress. "Does anything feel uncomfortable? I can adjust it for you."

Chloe Gardner took a few steps in her high heels. She moved with ease and gave Georgia an "OK" sign.

With the competition prep finally wrapped up for the time being, Georgia Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. ’Finally, I can get to bed early tonight.’

Chloe Gardner emerged from the bedroom only after putting her son to sleep.

"Hannah didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?"

"Not at all. He was very well-behaved."

"No need to praise him. With his temper, it’s a win if he doesn’t cause trouble. He takes after me in personality, but he did get one thing from his dad: excellent self-control. I’m not like that. When I can’t hold something in, I have to let it all out." Chloe Gardner flopped onto the sofa, exhausted, and idly flipped through the TV channels.

"Chloe, his last name is Tate now, right?"

"Yeah."

"I’ve met him. And I know he has a fiancée now. You and he..."

Georgia Thorne really wanted to ask Chloe how she felt. Their situation was just like hers and Elliot Sheridan’s, only their roles were reversed.

"I know what you’re thinking. He doesn’t know I had his son, and I’m not going to let him find out. Besides, I’m moving away from my old place soon. I’m never coming back here again."

"But what if he finds out about Hannah? What if he learns you gave him a son? Is there any chance you two could get back together?"

"I think he’d be more interested in the son. As for me... forget it." Chloe Gardner shrugged. "I don’t care anymore, anyway. From now on, all I need is Hannah by my side."

"I have something on tomorrow, so I probably won’t be over in the evening. Can you help me look after Hannah?"

Laura Chase, from the same company, had also made it to the finals alongside Georgia Thorne.

Working in the same company, they were bound to run into each other. Georgia Thorne had just made a cup of tea when she turned and found Laura Chase approaching her.

"Georgia Thorne, you’re definitely going to lose this time!"

Georgia Thorne had no desire to argue with her before the results were announced, so she simply walked away with her cup.

When she got back to the office, she noticed the atmosphere was a little different.

Vivian Sawyer gestured toward the workshop. As Georgia drew near, she whispered, "That Miss Summers is here with her fiancé!"

Shirley Summers had been passing by with her fiancé around lunchtime and decided to come up personally to check on the progress of her gown.

This Mr. Tate wasn’t a local. He was a low-key person, and few knew his true background.

People of extraordinary standing often have an imposing aura that sets them apart, and Mr. Tate was just such a person.

"Miss Summers, Mr. Tate." Georgia Thorne greeted them with natural grace.

Shirley Summers turned. "Miss Thorne, I brought my fiancé here specifically. He’d like to have a few suits designed."

"Oh, really?" Georgia’s gaze shifted to the man. "What style of suits does Mr. Tate prefer? I can introduce you to several of our designers."

"Miss Thorne, you don’t design them yourself?"

"My apologies, but I’m not very familiar with menswear; I don’t have much experience in that area. But I can assure you, Miss Summers, that our company’s designers are all very talented. If Mr. Tate would like to commission a custom piece, I can take you to meet them."

Shirley Summers linked her arm through the man’s, whispered something in his ear, and then said with a smile, "We’ll definitely need to find an excellent designer."

"Of course." Georgia Thorne smiled confidently.

Her team also included two senior designers, Titus Everett and Gordon Grant. Spotting Titus just then, she called him over.

"Mr. Tate, this is Designer Everett, one of our company’s finest. Everett, this is Mr. Tate." Georgia made the introductions.

Titus Everett then proceeded to take Mr. Tate’s measurements and inquire about his preferred style of suit.

Throughout the entire process, Mr. Tate was incredibly taciturn, not uttering a single word. It was Shirley Summers who did most of the talking.

Menswear was Titus Everett’s specialty, so there was no question about his ability to design the suits.

Standing to one side, Georgia Thorne felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Excuse me, I have to take this call."

The call was from Lynn Thorne, asking her to come over for dinner that evening.

"Sis, I’ll be bringing a child with me tonight, is that alright?"

Georgia Thorne had just hung up when a chilling voice sounded from behind her. "The child... it’s Hannah!"

The sudden voice made Georgia Thorne jump. She spun around to face the approaching Mr. Tate, forcing herself to remain calm. "I had no idea Mr. Tate had taken up a hobby of eavesdropping on people’s phone calls."

"Georgia Thorne, don’t play dumb with me. I know Chloe is here. Where is the child?"

"I’m sorry, but I believe I have the right not to tell you."

’It was just as Chloe had feared. What if this man is only after the child? What if he finds him and forcibly separates him from his mother?’

After work, Georgia Thorne rushed back to the apartment and took Hannah to Lynn Thorne’s house.

Leah and Hannah were only a few years apart, and since they were both boys, they liked the same toys.

After just one evening together, Hannah and Leah had already become the best of friends.

Leah and Hannah were in the living room, playing a video game. Leah said, bursting with pride, "My dad is awesome! He can beat this entire game."

"Really, Mr. Jarvis?" Hannah asked, looking at Leo Jarvis with admiration after losing another life.

Leo Jarvis cleared his throat. "Well, this is the only game I’m good at."

Amanda Thorne pulled Georgia aside for a private chat. "Are you and your husband planning on having a baby, too?"

Georgia Thorne fell silent. Amanda Thorne assumed she was just being shy and said earnestly, "You might still be a little young, but your husband is about my age. Even if you’re not thinking about it for yourself, you should think about it for him. A man his age is at the prime time for wanting kids."

"Sis, you can’t rush these things," Georgia said. "It’s not like I can just have a baby whenever I want!"

"You need to have kids sooner rather than later. Look at your friends from middle school—you don’t even have one on the way, and their kids are already old enough to run errands!"

Georgia Thorne felt a wave of awkwardness. Not wanting to dwell on the topic of children, she quickly changed the subject.

But changing the subject to Elliot Sheridan only made her head throb even more.

Amanda Thorne didn’t know the state of Georgia’s relationship with Elliot Sheridan. When she was making calls earlier, she hadn’t just invited Georgia; she had called Elliot as well.

Elliot had made his excuses on the phone, claiming he was busy with work, and offered a few pleasantries before declining to come.

When asked, Georgia also said that Elliot was busy.

It seemed like the two of them were having problems again.

Georgia stayed at Lynn’s place for a while longer before taking Hannah home.

The lights were on in the apartment.

In the entryway, a pair of men’s leather shoes was neatly set out.