Chapter 53
Chapter 53
With that, the outcome was clear. Everyone thought it was over, but Stella had one more surprise up her sleeve.
“And there’s one more secret detail: hidden inside the bracelet’s clasp is a piece of luminous agate. When it’s in the dark, you’ll see my own hand-painted star trail, representing the brilliance that can’t be seen,” Stella announced.
As Stella spoke, the crowd fell completely silent. The crowd was eager to cheer, to celebrate witnessing the creation of such a flawless piece. But their throats were dry, and the sheer shock of it all left them speechless.
Finally, Ethan Caldwell spoke up, his voice filled with awe. “Ms. Spencer, I have to admit-your skills have completely astonished me. But I’m curious, can this craftsmanship and the intricate design be mass-produced?”
After all, that was where the real value lay. A one-off design was impressive, but its true market value came with mass production.
“Real artistry is always one-of-a-kind,” Stella replied, her voice confident.
Ethan felt his excitement waver for a split second, but Stella quickly reassured him, “But I’ve already created a streamlined version that can be mass-produced. Here’s the file, Jeremy,” Stella said, passing it over.
As Jeremy reached out to grab it, a shadow flickered past, and before he could react, Ethan had snatched the file right from Read full story at (.)net
his hands.
“Mr. Ford, you’re steering the ship, but the market is my domain. Let me take a look first,” Ethan said with a grin, though his hands moved quickly.
As Ethan flipped through the pages, his eyes sparkled. “I swear, I can already see piles of cash flying straight into Lumière Group.”
“Alright, alright, you’ll have all the chances in the world to show off your skills,” Jeremy said, trying to keep Ethan’s
excitement in check.
“Yeah, yeah!” Ethan nodded. “With Ms. Spencer on our team, we’ll never run out of incredible designs. Lumière Group will be shining on the international stage soon.”
The room buzzed with approval. Nobody dared underestimate Stella anymore. Her ability to create two perfect pieces in half a day, with flawless design and top-tier craftsmanship, left them in awe.
Just as the mood was heating up, Cameron dropped a bombshell that cooled everything down. “Since I lost, I’ll leave Lumière Group, just like we agreed,” Cameron said.
Technically, he hadn’t lost yet. The judges hadn’t made an official decision, and the final result hadn’t been declared. But Cameron’s pride wouldn’t let him pretend otherwise. He knew, from the moment he saw Stella’s work, that he had lost.
They were flawless, dazzling, and so intricate that unless he scraped for the tiniest detail, he couldn’t find a single thing wrong.
“I think you’re a little too worked up right now,” Jeremy said gently. “How about I give you a couple of days off to cool down and clear your head?”
Despite Stella’s addition to the team, Jeremy didn’t want to lose someone as talented as Cameron.
“No need,” Cameron cut him off, his tone icy. “A loss is a loss. I keep my word.” Turning to Stella, he declared, “The chief designer title is yours now.”
“I’m not trying to compete with you,” Stella said, gently shaking her head. “The chief designer title isn’t that important to me. You really don’t have to leave.”
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“Are you saying if I leave Lumière Group, I’ll have nowhere else to go?” Cameron replied coldly.
Stella was taken aback. She hadn’t thought of it like that.
Before she could explain, Cameron’s anger flared. “I admit your designs are perfect, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only one who can make something like this.
“Arrogant, huh? Acting like the world revolves around you. I’m curious to see how far you’ll go,” Cameron snapped. Without waiting for Stella’s response, he turned and walked off.
“Isn’t he kind of overreacting?” Stella asked Jeremy, still puzzled by Cameron’s outburst.
Jeremy let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. “You kind of rocked his world. He’s just worked up right now. I’ll give him a couple days off to cool down.”
“Okay,” Stella replied with a small nod. With Jeremy dealing with it, Stella could finally relax and stop worrying.
Stella chatted briefly with the crowd, then slipped away with Jeremy by her side, letting him gently lead her out of the room.
As they left, the chatter in the room shifted. No more negative talk-now, it was all praise.
“Turns out we’re the real fools here,” someone muttered.
“Seriously. We all thought she was just someone who pulled strings to get in, but it turns out she’s the real deal,” another chimed in.
“We really do need to keep our eyes open and stay humble. Good thing she’s so chill about it and didn’t hold it against us, or we’d never live it down in the design team,” someone else said.
“Jessica, what do you think of those two jewelry pieces? Aren’t they gorgeous and totally breathtaking?” someone asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, they’re amazing,” Jessica replied, snapping back to reality.
Her coworker strolling beside her shot her a curious look. “What are you thinking about? Don’t tell me you’re trying to figure out how to cozy up to her.”
It wasn’t a weird question–Jessica was well-liked in the design department, and honestly, she got along with almost
everyone.
“Yeah,” Jessica said, steadying herself and smiling back. “She’s awesome, of course I’m gonna think about how to stay on her good side.”
“From what I had seen, she had that approachable vibe. If she wanted to make friends, I was sure she wouldn’t turn anyone away,” a third remarked.
The words made Jessica pause, as if a light bulb went off in her head.
She had only heard about Stella’s supposed flaws from Noreen, which led her to side with the latter. But seeing Stella’s true talent now, Jessica was taken aback.
With abilities like hers, it wouldn’t be long before Stella became the chief designer at Lumière Group. When that happened, her value would be immeasurable.
Jessica couldn’t help but kick herself for ever getting on Stella’s bad side.
Jessica had considered running away before Stella found out about her actions, or maybe pulling off a big deal with Noreen and then quitting.
Hearing her coworker’s words was like a sudden wake-up call for Jessica.
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If Stella weren’t so kind, there was no way she could’ve survived putting up with Noreen’s family for seven years straight.
By befriending her now, Jessica believed that even if the truth came out, Stella would likely forgive her.
Besides, Noreen wasn’t about to give up on kicking Stella out-she’d definitely keep pushing Jessica to figure something out.
Jessica realized she could totally work things to her advantage and play both sides. Her future was looking much brighter
now.
Chapter 34