Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Listening to Noreen’s smug voice on the phone, Theodore, usually so confident in front of Stella, now spoke with a tone full of flattery.
He said, “Noreen, you have no idea what I’ve gone through for you. I almost got thrown in the trash because of this. Do you think you could-”
“Let’s talk after you get it done,” Noreen cut him off coldly, and ended the call.
Theodore’s face immediately turned dark. He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, “You bitch, just wait. Once Sylvia marries Ernest, I’ll make you regret this.”
But for now, he had to swallow his pride. Not only in front of Noreen but even his future in-law, Kourtney, he had to act humbly.
He really had no choice. If the marriage wasn’t settled, he never felt secure, couldn’t summon the guts to act tough.
Thinking about how Stella had dared to refuse him, Theodore’s eyes turned vicious. “Guess I’ll have to use some means if I want her to obey.”
“Achoo!” Stella sneezed. Her sneeze immediately drew the attention of everyone in the design department, proving just how much authority she had there.
“Boss, you okay? Feeling sick?” someone piped up.
“If you’re not feeling well, just head home and rest. Leave the prep work to us,” another reassured her.
“Yeah, Boss, you’re the heart of the Tear of Thorns. We can’t have you getting sick,” a third chimed in.
The team quickly crowded around, and Stella gave her nose a quick rub, flashing them a reassuring grin. “Relax, it’s just a sneeze-really nothing serious. I’m good, don’t worry.”
“You sure?” one of them asked.
“Absolutely,” Stella nodded with a smile. She soothed her team and refocused on the centerpiece necklace she was designing for the Thorn series.
She already had the main concept, so the rest of the design sketches came easily. The real challenge was selecting the right gemstones and coming up with clever hidden details for the piece.
“Boss, I’m going to the storage room for some gemstones-want me to bring something back?” The self-proclaimed Gem Expert came over to ask.
“Yeah, sure,” Stella nodded after a quick thought. “Bring me a teardrop ruby. If possible, can you also grab some 925 silver with black rhodium plating?”
Stella listed a few more materials, and Gem Expert nodded to show he remembered them. When Stella finished, he headed off to the storage room.
Stella continued refining her design. She planned to use a natural teardrop ruby for the necklace’s main stone-a symbol of blood-tinged tears.
The chain would be made of 925 silver plated with black rhodium, giving it a matte metallic sheen. Paired with the right amount of 18k gold, it would give off a dark romantic and timelessly elegant vibe.
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As for the rest of the design, she still needed to think it through.
When she finally looked up from her work, it was already after hours. The rest of the office had cleared out, and only the design team was still hard at work.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to leave, Stella was still totally immersed in her work. With the boss glued to her desk, nobody had the guts to clock out first.
Even though they knew Stella wasn’t the type to hold grudges, they still didn’t want to be seen as lazy. Being the diligent ones who stayed late would certainly earn them more respect than the ones who cut corners.
“Hey, maybe it’s time to call it a day?” Jeremy’s voice came softly, sounding just a bit helpless right by Stella’s ear.
Her mind was jerked back to the present-Stella suddenly felt the world spin, and Jeremy’s face in front of her seemed to blur into several overlapping images.
Seeing Stella unable to stand steady, Jeremy rushed over and eased her down into a chair. “Listen, I know you want to get the jewelry collection finished, but you can’t just ignore your health.”
Jeremy really wanted to see Stella the way she used to be-confident and lively-but definitely not at the cost of her health. At this rate, she might collapse from overwork.
“Don’t worry about me,” Stella insisted, lips barely managing a faint, forced smile despite how pale she looked. “I’m just a little drained. A quick rest will fix me.”
“You might be fine, but what about your team?” Jeremy asked, nodding toward the others, his concern showing despite his teasing tone.
“Huh?” Stella blinked, not immediately getting what he meant. She looked up at her coworkers and nearly froze.
Bathed in the blazing office lights, their faces looked as if they’d just crawled out of a grave-ghostly pale, almost enough to give someone nightmares. When they realized Stella was staring, each one managed to force out a pitiful grin.
If Stella hadn’t quickly clocked that these were her own design crew, she probably would’ve jumped out of her chair in fright.
Of course, even now, her nerves weren’t much better. She patted her chest, wide-eyed and confused. “Seriously, what happened to all of you?”
Before anyone could get a word in, Jeremy just gave Stella an exasperated look. “Seriously, Stella, what do you think?”
Mental work was exhausting, and when all that energy and focus were drained, it was no wonder they ended up looking like zombies-completely wiped out both physically and mentally.
The only reason nobody had completely collapsed yet was that they at least had some stamina. But expecting a bunch of deskbound creative types to look as fit as athletes was just wishful thinking.
Previously, Stella had been so caught up in her work that she hadn’t noticed, but seeing her team looking like that, she realized now-it was on her.
She was the heart of the design department, as long as she was still there, nobody dared to leave before she did.
“Sorry, guys-I got so zoned into the design that I totally lost track of time,” Stella admitted, looking honestly regretful. “If this happens again, don’t wait for me. Just head home once you’re done, okay?”
Stella never wanted to force anyone to stay late unless it was really, absolutely necessary.
Everyone needed their break at night, or they’d all burn out. And if they did have to stay late, they’d better be compensated with benefits and overtime pay.
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ate? We can have a welcome
ICS we re working on!”
Jeremy’s easygoing charm was on full display, his smile just right-warm but not overbearing. He even thought ahead for the quieter folks who might not be into the whole party scene.
“And of course, if anyone’s feeling wiped out, no worries. Just grab a cab home and get the fare reimbursed from finance tomorrow,” he added. Original content can be found at
Two of the hardcore introverts, who barely said a word even at work, weren’t interested in the celebration and quietly left. Everyone else understood.
The rest, even the more introverted ones, got caught up in the atmosphere and decided to join in.
“Mr. Ford, you’re a real champ,” someone called out.
“With this whole crowd, Mr. Ford’s gonna have to treat us big time tonight,” another joked.
“Come on, let’s roll! It’s getting late-party time,” shouted someone else.
The whole group crowded around Jeremy and Stella, laughing and chatting non-stop as they headed out together.
“It’s so noisy! Can’t you all just be quiet?” a sharp, childish voice suddenly rang out, full of complaint. The lively chatter came to an abrupt halt.
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