Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Billy beamed with pride at the thought of his exceptional daughter. "With a daughter like you, I know our company is in good hands," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Dad, I'm your daughter after all. I'll do everything I can for the company," Ruby said with endearing dutifulness.

Billy's face wrinkled with amusement, but his smile faltered as he caught sight of Josefina. And his brow furrowed. "Josefina's here too?" Billy mused, recalling the initial rounds of the competition. Hadn't Josefina's firm been eliminated?

The contest had started with twenty fashion houses, and several had already been cut from the race. Now, from the remaining contenders, the top three were to be selected.

Lauren's smile vanished, and she said with distaste, "Seeing her here really puts a damper on things. How did someone like her even get in? She must've cheated, hired a ringer or something." Ruby, noticing the attention they were attracting, quickly tugged at Lauren's arm to quiet her. "Mom, please, let's not talk like this here. We're surrounded by prying eyes; what if someone overhears?" Lauren scoffed, "Ruby, you're just too soft and kind-hearted. If she managed to get into this competition, there's got to be something fishy. Who knows, maybe she's cozied up to the judges to snag this opportunity."

"Enough, Lauren," Billy chided, a frown creasing his face. "Don't embarrass Ruby with your gossip." It was a high-profile event, no place for idle chatter.

Lauren, for Ruby's sake, clamped her mouth shut.

Standing next to Erica, Billy asked in a low voice, "You got confidence in today's event?"

Erica hummed affirmatively. Today was Ruby's day to shine. Erica had laid the groundwork; now it was up to Ruby to follow through.

"I'm going to say hi to Josefina. You guys go ahead," Ruby said before striding over to Josefina's team, her gaze filled with condescension.

The venue was brightly lit, and as Josefina sat there, Ruby's black heels came into view.

"Josefina, I'm surprised to see you at the competition," Ruby said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Josefina slowly lifted her head. With makeup on, her features were well-defined: thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an upward tilt at the corners, exuding a natural air of dominance.

"Even you can be here, why can't I?" Josefina retorted, rising to her feet, towering over Ruby even in her heels.

Josefina's defiance irked Ruby. How dare a woman who climbed the ladder through men talk back to her? Where was Josefina getting this confidence from?

Ruby's frown deepened as she stepped closer to Josefina and sneered, "This is a competition, Josefina, not a place where you can sleep your way to the top. It's all about talent here. Think you can handle that?"

Josefina took a couple of steps back, covering her nose with a look of disgust. "You have bad breath. It's awful."

Alex, who had been standing aside, couldn't contain his laughter at Josefina's quick-witted response. "You really should do something about that breath, Ruby. It's unbearable," Alex said loud enough for those nearby to hear, drawing their attention to Ruby's flushed face.

Ruby, livid, pointed at Josefina. "You are lying!"

Josefina responded with disdain, "Your breath is too foul. Please, get away from here. You're polluting our air."