LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 19: Gala
Rayne looked gorgeous, with hints of seductiveness, once everything was finished.
Rayne thanked Kellin multiple times, complimenting him on his skills as an artist and stylist. After paying, she called a taxi and left for the location Ella had messaged her to meet at.
They had agreed to meet at the hotel lobby where the gala was being hosted.
When Rayne stepped through the glass doors of the hotel, everyone turned to look at her. A few women jealously tugged at their husbands' arms so they wouldn't stare at the beautiful woman.
Others whispered amongst themselves, asking if she was a celebrity.
Rayne, seemingly oblivious to the looks she was receiving, was busy scanning the lobby for Ella.
She walked over to the small bar area in the corner, where she spotted a petite young woman with a brunette bob haircut. She was wearing a knee-length black cocktail dress, holding a small drink in one hand and a leather folder in the other.
Rayne walked over to Ella and greeted her. "Hi Ella, it's been a while! Thank you for inviting me tonight."
Ella looked up and nearly spilled her drink.
"Rayne? Is that you?!" Ella asked, looking surprised.
"Haha, yes, it's me!" Rayne laughed, enjoying the expression on Ella's face.
"Wow, you look beautiful! I barely recognized you... Oh, not that you weren't beautiful before... um, sorry!" Ella mumbled shyly.
"No worries! After getting my hair and makeup done, I hardly recognize myself!" Rayne joked.
The two young women took a few minutes to catch up. They discussed life after university and the successes and failures of their first jobs.
Ella's post-university journey was a little different from the average graduate. Her father owned a rather successful design firm, and naturally, Ella went to work there right after graduating.
The reason Ella was able to get Rayne an invitation to this gala was precisely because of her father's business and connections.
Ella wanted to use this gala as an opportunity to get Rayne to join her father's company, and that was the main reason she invited her.
As they chatted, the doors of the massive banquet hall opened, and the invited guests slowly trickled inside.
As expected at a gala of this caliber, all of the guests were greeted by well-trained waitstaff, offering a variety of refreshments upon entrance.
As Rayne stepped through the doors, she saw a sea of people. Thankfully, the banquet hall was very large, so it didn't feel crowded.
Most of the people there were holding leather folders, similar to the one Rayne had.
"Looks like everyone here is trying to participate in REN Corp.'s event," Ella leaned over and said to Rayne.
"Yeah, it sure does," Rayne replied.
The two of them walked around for a bit until Ella excused herself for a moment to go find her father.
Rayne stood by the refreshments table and observed her surroundings.
A group of women came over and stood not too far from Rayne.
"Hey, did you hear? Head Secretary Mathews from REN Corp. is here personally!" one woman said in a hushed tone.
"What? Isn't he the CEO's right-hand man? Why is he here?" another woman asked.
"They must be serious about finding a talented designer. Can you imagine being chosen? If it were me, I'd make sure to include a big bedroom in the CEO's office for some stress-relieving activities," the first woman giggled.
"Don't you read the news articles? The CEO of REN Corp. is known to be the cold bachelor. Apparently, he's very handsome but has never been seen with a woman," the third woman pitched in.
"You don't think he's...?" the second woman asked.
"Shush, of course not. If he were, that would mean my dreamy Secretary Noah was off the market! And if you read April's issue of Top Business Magazine, you'd know he's into women! He said it in an interview!"
Rayne listened to the women talk with interest. She had found very little information about the CEO of REN Corp. online when she looked earlier.
These women must be very passionate if they managed to gather this much information, she thought.
Rayne continued to listen to the gossip until Ella came back with her father.
"Dad, this is Rayne, the one I told you about. Rayne, this is my father, Reginald, CEO of PRISMA," Ella introduced them.
Rayne was shocked. PRISMA? Wasn't that the host of today's event?
Reginald was equally shocked. He never expected the classmate his daughter always complimented to be such a stunning beauty!
"Nice to meet you, sir!" Rayne greeted, giving a slight bow.
"I'm glad you made it! My daughter often mentioned your work when she was in university! Are you going to participate in the REN Corp. audition?" Reginald asked.
He was curious about her work and wanted to see her design process in person before he committed to trying to poach her to work for his company.
After exchanging some more small talk, Reginald left to talk to the other executives present, leaving the two women alone.
Rayne turned to Ella. "Ella! I had no idea your father was the president of PRISMA!"
"Well, you never asked," joked Ella, laughing.
The two of them walked around the banquet hall, greeting other designers along the way.
After a while, the MC of the event picked up the microphone and made an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of PRISMA, thank you for taking the time to attend our gala."
The crowd clapped, and the MC continued.
"Now, I am sure that all of you know about our special guest, REN Corp.! I am excited to bring to the stage REN Corp.'s very own Secretary Mathews!"
This time, the clapping was enthusiastic, and Rayne even heard a few people cheer.
Noah walked up onto the stage and flashed his signature smile, making the ladies in the crowd blush.
"Hello, all! First, I would like to thank PRISMA for inviting REN Corp. to this wonderful event where the top talents of our country in design and architecture could be found. I'm sure that some of you already know about the small contest that REN Corp. is about to host, but I will reiterate for those who don't know..."
Noah then went ahead and stated the purpose and rules for the competition. All of the people interested in competing for a contract needed to bring their best design to a panel with REN Corp.'s judges.
The judges would then choose the top 100 people who they felt had the strongest designs for a chance to take part in the contest.
"Another hall has been prepared where the chosen 100 designers will compete. The design subject will be announced at that time. I hope everyone can have fun and enjoy the festive competition!"
Immediately, the hall exploded with chatter. People were asking their friends if they should enter the contest, while others were confidently boasting about how they would be the winner.
Ella led Rayne over to the table with the assigned judges. As they waited in line, they both opened their portfolios and began to skim through their designs, finding the one they wanted to use for judging.
Rayne was relatively calm, as Ella had mentioned this contest when she initially invited her to the event.
She decided to choose the design she had just finished, as she felt it best displayed her creative and unique thought process.
Ella, on the other hand, had a hard time choosing between two of her designs. They were very different from each other and highlighted a different creative aspect.
She asked Rayne for her opinion, and Rayne pointed to the first design. This design was a bit simpler than the second one; however, the unique inverted building design was very bold and novel.
It was finally their turn to present their designs to the judges.
Rayne walked up and handed her design to an older man with grey hair. He wore glasses and had a scholarly air about him.
He gave Rayne a small nod in greeting and took the design she held out for him to look at. The moment he saw her design, he was taken aback!
It was bold, unique, but had such perfect synergy! He couldn't help but look over it a little longer than normal. Being a designer himself and working in the field of architectural design for decades, this was the first time he felt so inspired by looking at someone else's work.
He glanced up at Rayne, giving her a mental kudos. He managed to retain a professional expression throughout the process but wrote her name down on the list of approved designers who would go on to the next round.
Seeing her name on the list got Rayne excited! She wasn't sure how she would fare against all of the other top designers here, and felt very validated knowing she passed!
Ella walked over to Rayne after she finished with a different judge. "Well? How did it go? Did you make the list?"
Rayne smiled and nodded. "Thankfully, I did! How about you?"
Ella nodded. "Thank you for helping me choose the design. The judge seemed particularly interested in the uniqueness of my design. I may not have made the cut with the other one I wanted to present."