The Sinister Screen Queen

Tanya was completely blown away by Gemma's performance.

She watched the runway replay on a nearby monitor.

Her expression betrayed her thoughts. Even at peak potential, this level is... insane. Who knew tomato seeds could work miracles

Gemma had gone onto that runway an unknown stranger and she exited and left her name on everyone's tongues.

Tanya wouldn't be surprised if she ended up on the cover of a magazine.

Still, a gnawing tugged at her. There is no way peak Gemma Ward could pull off something like that.

She glanced at the remaining seeds in her inventory, her annoyance spiking.

Five left.

The seeds were incredible, but there were only 6 in a packet.

Her annoyance grew as she glanced at Allegra, who was too busy organizing the next phase of the show to notice Tanya's internal turmoil.

You owe me bestie!

Tanya approached Allegra's rival, Lucrezia Fioravanti.

Lucrezia ever the opportunist, was clearly waiting for the slightest fumble from Allegra's side to pounce.

Lucrezia's long blonde hair shimmered under the harsh fluorescent lights.

She stood surrounded by assistants who fussed over her, though her sharp tone cut through their chatter.

Tanya sauntered up with a smirk that loved trouble.

"Lucia, darling." She said in an exaggeratedly sweet tone.

Lucrezia's nose wrinkled. "What do you want,Tanya? Don't waste my time."

"Must be hard watching Allegra's team impress the crowd tonight."

Lucrezia's tongue clicked at Tanya, her blue eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? That 'team' of hers is nothing but a patchwork of amateurs fumbling through sheer luck."

"Everyone knows Versace only hires second-rate."

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Second-rate? Funny, because the audience seems to think Gemma's performance was flawless."

Tanya waves at Fioravanti's ugly model. "Meanwhile, your models? I'm getting strong 'Slut' vibes."

Lucrezia's lips curled into a sneer. "Oh, please. That girl was barely holding it together. She looked like a deer in headlights."

"Wait until my 'models' hit the stage you'll see what true professionalism looks like." Lucrezia took a few calming breaths.

Tanya's lips twitched as she got under the Italian girl's skin. "I get it. It must be terrible knowing you will always be inferior to my girl."

Lucia's face turned crimson. "Inferiore? I am the top designer in Milan! She is a joke compared to me!"

Tanya arched her smile wider. "That's why her collection is the talk of the night, while yours is... well, here."

Lucia fumbled for a retort, her anger boiling over, drawing the amusement of several onlookers.

"If I were in your position, I'd be a bitter bitch too." Tanya added salt to the wound.

One of Lucrezia's assistants murmured. "Should we—"

"Shut up!" Lucrezia snapped, her Italian accent tight.

Turning back to Tanya, she smiled coldly. "Enjoy your moment, Tesoro."

"Allegra's will be nothing more than a fleeting blip, like her career."

Tanya playful twirled her hair. "We'll see about that. Maybe focus on your own models? They could use a little help."

"That one over there." Tanya gestured to a tall, nervous-looking girl adjusting her dress. "Has her zipper undone."

Fuming, Lucrezia gestured wildly at her assistants, who stumbled over themselves trying to placate her.

Tanya, thoroughly satisfied with the chaos she'd caused, exited with a contented hum.

Allegra seems to have everything under control and it would be incredibly embarrassing if she messed up now.

In the hallway, Tanya bumped into Keira, who looked far more composed than earlier.

Keira stopped pacing nervously. "You owe me big-time little sister."

"Thanks a lot, big sister." Tanya hugged her from behind.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Keira exhaled shakily. "Seriously. How did you pull off a miracle."

"Do you really want to know?" Tanya whispered into her ear.

Keira slowly gulped. "Ye-sss.'"

Tanya waited a amount to build up tension.

Then she leaned in even closer, her breath felt on Keira's skin.

"It's a secret!"

"…" Keira blinked rapidly.

Tanya hopped away from a bewildered now pissed off sister.

"You evil Gremlin come here!" Keira chased her down.

Tanya mock waved and tried to escape, but didn't end up far because Keira had experience chasing people down and swiftly caught her.

Keira smiled, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Let's go home."

Tanya nodded in agreement, she didn't think she would have to save the night when she agreed to this.

Let's go home Casey also agreed.

The moment, however, was ruined by a young female police officer stepping in front of them.

A stern faced young woman with auburn hair tied into a neat ponytail blocked their path.

"Excuse me, ladies." She asked firmly. "Do you have a moment?"

They started drawing attention from the milling crowd.

Keira's nervous energy returned tenfold, already imagining the headlines.

Tanya stepped forward, shielding Keira. "Something wrong, officer?"

The young cop's gaze didn't waver. "A Lamborghini broke multiple traffic laws earlier. It was tracked to this location. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Tanya tilted her head innocently. "Nope. No idea."

The officer's annoyance visibly deepened. "You both match the descriptions of two passengers who exited the vehicle alongside another woman."

Tanya feigned confusion. "Lots of Lamborghinis around. We only got a lift. Don't know anything about crimes committed."

The officer's hand hovered near her cuffs, her patience wearing thin. "If you won't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to take you both to the station for further questioning."

Keira shrank behind Tanya, her face pale.

"T-Tanya, this could ruin everything." She whispered.

But Tanya held her ground. "On what charges, exactly?"

Before the officer could answer, her radio crackled to life.

She frowned and momentarily stepped away, listening intently, her expression souring as she received new information.

When she returned, she glared at Tanya and Keira.

"There's been a mistake. You're free to go." The Auburn officer barely grounded out.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Oh, good. But, you know, you should really work on your tracking systems. Accusing innocent people?"

"Not a great look."

The officer bristled. "Have a good evening." She said tightly, turning to leave.

Tanya pressed on, ignoring Keira's frantic tug at her sleeve. "Before you go, an apology for your disrespectful attitude wouldn't hurt."

Keira's jaw dropped, stunned by Tanya's idiocy.

"What more do you want." The officer glared fiercely.

"I mean, your supervisor might not appreciate such… unprofessional behaviour." Tanya smiled innocently.

The officer's knuckles whitened as she gripped her belt.

She looked seconds away from pulling her taser when her male partner approached, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go England." He said quietly, steering her away.

The policewomen shot one last icy glare at Tanya before disappearing.

As the police left, Keira let out a shaky breath. "Tanya, are you dumb? She was this close to arresting us."

Tanya shrugged, her grin unrepentant. "Eh, she was bluffing. Besides, she deserved to be taken down."

Keira stared at her, a mix of awe and exasperation. "You're unbelievable."

Tanya smirked, throwing an arm around Keira's shoulders. "Stick with me, sis. You'll learn a thing or two about handling trouble."

"Your mother would say otherwise." A voice said from behind them.

"..."