William murmured softly, "Hmm?"

His gaze remained fixed on Elise displayed on the screen.

Beneath the brilliant stage lights, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"Reaching the finals is one thing," Samuel Wilson remarked at that moment. "But maintaining last place with such precise calculation? That's truly divine artistry!"

Having worked for William for years and eventually rising to become his special assistant, Samuel was undoubtedly highly capable.

He was almost certain Elise had intentionally held her ranking just above elimination, skillfully avoiding attacks from financially-backed competitors.

One could even say she ascended to the pinnacle with minimal effort, effectively slapping the Mitchells' faces against the floor and grinding them into dust.

William's lips curved into a slight smile—Elise was definitely far more clever than he had anticipated.

At the studio, the three designers exchanged their celebrity partners.

Since Elise had the least popularity, she was paired with Amanda, the most popular celebrity.

Andal Scott remained partnered with Kathy Barnes, while Sophia was paired with Stella Murray.

This round also consisted of two phases.

The first phase would determine the third-place winner, with the ultimate victor decided in the second phase.

As the first phase commenced, designers had thirty minutes to create a dress using fabrics available in the studio.

There was no specific theme—scores would be determined solely by the judges' and audience reactions.

Elise quickly scanned the available fabrics and immediately began working without hesitation.

Sophia shot her a brief glance before starting on her own design.

Thanks to Amanda's connections with the production team, they had prior knowledge of today's challenge and had even prepared a design in advance.

Naturally, Sophia finished first, instructing Stella to change into the completed dress.

When Stella emerged, the audience erupted in enthusiastic approval, clearly impressed by Sophia's creation.

Still, Sophia maintained her humility. After all, she couldn't reveal that she not only knew about the competition details beforehand but had subtly consulted an internationally renowned designer for this stunning work.

The design was indeed perfect, and she realized she needn't worry about Elise surpassing her.

Perhaps she had been overestimating Elise all along!

But then the crowd roared again, this time even louder than before.

Sophia turned to see Elise emerging from backstage with Amanda.

Amanda wore a pure-white gown that appeared to be fastened simply with safety pins, yet it perfectly accentuated her figure.

What truly set it apart was the sparkling dust covering the white fabric. Under the stage lights overhead, it glimmered with a faint, dreamlike radiance. It resembled an ocean of stars manifesting and twinkling across Amanda's body, shining vividly against the darkness.

It was a visual feast, leaving everyone in the studio utterly astonished by the spectacle before them.

Sophia's design suddenly seemed dull by comparison.

'No!!!'

Sophia's panic became evident.

Elise shouldn't have been capable of this level. Something was wrong.

It must be William helping her behind the scenes!

This couldn't possibly be Elise's own design!