Chapter 50

The camera lingered on Xander several times, capturing the confident grin on his youthful face. He stood tall with that unmistakable spark in his eyes-he was finally stepping into his own spotlight. But no one looked prouder than Vanessa. After comparing the other contestants' designs and then glancing back at Xander's, she knew there was no contest-he'd nailed it. To avoid any potential bias, the judges weren't from the Brooks family. They were respected professionals brought in from abroad. The setup served two goals: first, to scout promising talents within the Brooks clan-since many participants had family ties-and second, to maintain the integrity of the competition, keeping any talk of favoritism out of the picture. This way, the event could push for the best outcome both reputationally and commercially. Still, Caleb never expected that such a "fair" setup would be the very thing that boosted Xander and Vanessa to the top. The judges didn't hesitate-they unanimously handed the ch