Crystal Lennox’s disappointment was almost palpable.
She remembered when Carmen had first interviewed–her portfolio barely scraped the industry standard. Yet Carmen had pleaded for a chance, promising she’d work twice as hard. Crystal had wanted to give a young talent a shot, mentoring her personally, helping her grow little by little. Carmen had her quirks, but nothing unmanageable.
Over the years, Carmen had been paid better than anyone else at Kismet Collective, with the best benefits the company offered.
But ever since Celestine returned, Carmen had crossed every line, time after time–stooping to underhanded tricks that Crystal found inexcusable.
A person could lack talent, Crystal thought, but not conscience.
Her eyes hardened. Carmen, meanwhile, seemed unimpressed–certain Crystal was just bluffing. Let them try to act tough now, she thought. When the results were announced, they’d be the ones in tears.
“Well, I’ll just wait and see, then,” Carmen reassured herself, and a smug smile crept onto her lips.
“They’re back!”
Someone near the door spotted Lisa hurrying in, a bright blue file folder in hand.
Lisa didn’t pause; she made a beeline for Celestine.
“Apologies, Miss Selwyn. There was a clerical error by one of our staff–your submission was accidentally left off the register. But the team loved your design. It’s been rated as an S–tier piece. Regardless of whether you advance in the competition, The Prescott Group will be offering you a contract. Would you be interested?”
Carmen’s smile froze.
Impossible.
st be
Before Celestine could even respond, Carmen leapt in, voice sharp: “There. some mistake! If the design was so amazing, how could no one remember it? How could it just be ‘overlooked‘?”
1/3
10:19 T
Lisa’s eyes flicked over her, cold and unimpressed. “And you are…?”
Lisa had personally checked Celestine’s entry, double–checked with every team member. Yet not a single one recalled seeing that sunrise piece.
Which only made things more suspicious.
When people are continually prompted about something, even if their memories are
foggy, some vague impression usually lingers–not total denial. Which meant someone was lying.
Without betraying any emotion, Lisa glanced toward two anxious–looking staff members lurking by the corner.
She strode to their desks.
In a hidden file folder of rejected submissions, she finally found Celestine’s design. The moment she opened it, the maturity and brilliance of the artwork took her
- breath away.
“You really didn’t see this?” she asked.
The male employee stammered, “Maybe… maybe I saw it, but I forgot.”
Lisa arched a brow and gave a chilling smile. “Did you really see it?”
He swallowed hard, face turning pale as the piece flashed through his mind.
“Go collect your last paycheck from HR, Lisa said, tossing the folder onto his desk. She wasn’t responsible for other departments, but anyone who dared meddle with her design team clearly had a death ‘wish.
The man’s face drained of color. He scrambled to plead, “Lisa, please! I messed up, I admit it! It was only this once–please, don’t make me leave!”
Lisa was unmoved.
A submission of this caliber deserved a place in the finals. If such a piece had been quietly eliminated and the truth came out, the Prescott Group’s design department would be facing a scandal impossible to contain.
She didn’t tolerate people like that.
Lisa had classified the piece herself, then rushed to the event–arriving just in time to catch Carmen’s outburst.
Carmen’s lips twitched as she forced out her name. “Carmen.”
10:20
Chapter zoz
“Ah, Miss Carmen,” Lisa replied, smile unreadable. “I can’t say your designs left much impression, but your name certainly has. You’ve made quite a splash online lately–though not for the right reasons.”
Carmen’s entry hadn’t stood out. She was only kept on at the request of the business department–every company needs a little drama for publicity, and she’d provided just that. Her spot on the shortlist was a courtesy, nothing more; she’d barely scraped onto the list at all.
Carmen’s face turned a mottled red, humiliated. Lisa hadn’t said it outright, but the implication was clear.
She’d made the cut–so why did they still look at her that way?
“Miss Lisa, young people can be a bit hotheaded. Please don’t take it to heart.”
