Chapter 121
Valeria’s skin was so flawless that it almost looked translucent.
How had Rory never noticed before? She was stunning.
He cleared his throat. “Valeria, we don’t have each other’s WhatsApp, do we? Let’s exchange
numbers.‘
Valeria didn’t have her phone with her.
She gave an apologetic smile and said, “My phone’s out of battery, so I left it to charge at my desk.”
Lindsey chimed in, “I’ll send him your contact card.”
After lunch, they returned to their workstations.
Valeria had just sat down when Queenie pressed a hand to her shoulder and clicked her tongue. “It seems like there’s something going on between you and that guy from Wexler & Wexler
LLP. Spill.”
Valeria gave a helpless smile, looking at Queenie’s gleefully nosy expression.
“We just happened to run into each other at the bus stop this morning. I haven’t seen him in years. He was dropping his kid off at school too. His daughter’s in the class next to Selena’s.”
Selena was in Class 5, and Rory’s daughter was in Class 4.
Queenie said, “I asked around for you. I’ve got connections. That Rory guy is 32, divorced, and has a six–year–old daughter.”
Valeria nodded.
She wasn’t particularly interested.
Queenie could tell that romance clearly wasn’t on Valeria’s mind these days.
Valeria might already have a child, but beauty like hers was still rare.
If Valeria wanted to just depend on her looks, she wouldn’t have to be toiling away as a designer at L&M Design Studio.
Queenie was a realist. Seeing that Valeria was busy, she didn’t press further.
That evening, Valeria finally turned in her first draft.
It was the freelance project Sabrina had assigned her. She had to design a white swan feather ball gown that was heavily embroidered and beaded. It did come off as a bit extravagant at
Chapter 121
first glance, but with the right stage lighting and makeup, it would be perfect.
Sabrina glanced at the sketch and paused, then looked again at Valeria. “Did you really design this? In such a short time?”
Valeria was puzzled. “Didn’t you ask for it to be submitted today, Ms. Lawson?”
Sabrina’s expression shifted slightly. She said nothing more to Valeria, just waved her off.” That’ll be all for now. You don’t need to follow up with the client’s assistant anymore.”
As soon as Valeria left the office, she received a bank transfer notification on her phone.
It was far too low.
She turned back and reentered Sabrina’s office. “Ms. Lawson, we agreed on a price for this project-”
“Valeria, did you really think you’re some kind of design prodigy? You’re just a junior at this company. That’s your rate. And do you seriously believe this design is any good? I just spoke with Ms. Grant’s assistant. She’s not satisfied at all. I’ll have to revise it myself.
“And who told you it was okay to barge into your supervisor’s office without knocking? Mr. Ford took a chance bringing you into this company, breaking the usual hiring rules for you. You should be grateful.”
Valeria wasn’t one to fall for this kind of manipulative talk.
But she couldn’t afford to quit on the spot either. Real life didn’t allow for that kind of impulsiveness. She needed her year–end bonus.
Even if she were to resign, it would have to be after the holidays.
For now, Valeria clenched her fingers tightly.
Then, curling her hand into a fist, she gently knocked on the glass door. “Excuse me, Ms.
Lawson.”
Only then did Sabrina nod in satisfaction. Once Valeria had left, she quickly dialed a number.
“Wendy, I’ve designed a gown for Gabby. I just sent the draft to your email. Take a look and let me know if any revisions are needed. If it works, I’ll send it to the factory right away for sample production. I’ll make sure she has it before the tour.”
“Sabrina, I must say, you’ve really developed your own design style,” Wendy said, opening the email. The draft caught her eye immediately. Her praise flowed freely.
“It’s all thanks to you, Wendy. You’ve always been my greatest mentor.”
That evening, just as she was about to leave work, Valeria received a message from Rory, inviting her out.
She declined.
She recalled what Queenie had said. Was it possible Rory really had feelings for her?
She opened WhatsApp, typed out two lines of a polite refusal, then deleted them.
It was just an invitation to dinner. If she responded with a formal rejection, wouldn’t that be a little presumptuous?
And so, a few days passed.
By Friday, Valeria had promised Selena they’d go see a movie after school. A new animated film had just been released.
But at 5:00 pm that day, Valeria got stuck in the elevator. There were five or six other people
with her.
Suddenly, the elevator jolted. Then, everything went pitch black.
Two women screamed.
Chapter 123
