Chapter 170

Habella kept her head down, focused on her tasks, not even giving Ivana a glance. Ivana’s lips curled into a mocking smile. She thought Habella was deliberately ignoring her because Isabella felt ashamed.

When Hudson walked into the conference room, he immediately spotted Isabella. He felt a mix of emotions, but recalling what he needed to do next, he calmed down. Standing at the head of the conference table, he scanned the designers below and said seriously, “Our Stout Group is aiming for the Masterpiece Award this time, and we need everyone’s effort.”

Hudson paused before continuing. “To encourage participation, we’ve set up a series of rewards for the gold-winning entry. I’ll have Ms. Ivana Stout send you the details later.”

Surprised by the company rewards, excitement lit up their eyes. Many people started murmuring; all were eager to participate.

Laura leaned close to Isabella’s ear and asked excitedly, “Do you know what kind of rewards there are?” She thought Isabella, being Hudson’s daughter, must know something.

But Isabella just shook her head and replied, “I don’t know.” She wasn’t part of the top-level decisions, so she couldn’t possibly know Hudson’s plans. They had reached a point where they couldn’t stand each other anymore; working at the same company was purely out of necessity.

Melanie rolled her eyes at Isabella and scoffed. “Isn’t it normal that a daughter abandoned by Mr. Stout wouldn’t know about these high-level affairs!” Melanie thought, ‘Do you really think anyone can seamlessly fit in with the top executives? You really have an overinflated opinion of yourself.’

Laura glared at Melanie. “You—” She was about to argue, but Isabella caught her arm and advised, “There’s no need to lower yourself to her level. Save your good mood for presenting your work later.”

Laura chuckled quietly, nodded at Isabella, and insinuated, “True, unlike some people who are oblivious to their own rudeness.”

Melanie kept deliberately opposing them. Giving her a piece of their mind was the least she deserved. If it weren’t for being at work, Laura would have loved to jump at Melanie and tear her apart. Laura thought Melanie was just asking for trouble.

Melanie’s face twisted with anger as she glared fiercely at Isabella and Laura. She suddenly stood up and shouted, “Who are you calling ugly? How dare you insult me! Such a pain in the ass!” She cursed silently. “What a wretched bitch! Before Isabella came to the company, I always had the upper hand.” Now she thought she had some backing.

Laura made a funny face at Melanie, seeming to enjoy making her even angrier, which only frustrated Melanie further. Just as Melanie was about to yell at Laura and Isabella, Hudson sternly reprimanded, “What kind of chaos are you causing in the meeting room? If you’re not interested in the meeting, then leave!”

He had heard everything Melanie said as soon as he entered. He instinctively glanced at Isabella, who was sitting calmly. He frowned, wondering why she didn’t respond. Everyone else in the office was too scared to say anything, afraid of being criticized by Hudson. Upsetting him and risking getting fired just wasn’t worth it.

Melanie’s expression changed. She was confused that Hudson actually spoke up for Isabella. He used to dislike Isabella. She thought Hudson might want to save face. She clenched her fists. No matter how arrogant she was, she didn’t dare confront Hudson directly. She could only give Isabella and Laura a fierce stare before sitting down reluctantly.

Hudson took a deep breath and said again, “Everyone needs to work hard. Next, we’ll start selecting entries for the competition.” After Hudson finished his speech, he looked at Ivana, signaling her to take over, and then sat down.

Ivana stepped forward, giving Isabella a meaningful glance. With a gentle smile, she said loudly, “I won’t take up much of your time. Now let’s have Cecilia begin.”

Cecilia was first in line. No one objected to this arrangement. Cecilia nodded right away, connected her tablet to the projector, and displayed her work for everyone to see. She seemed a bit nervous since she was the first.

She pointed at the projected work with a laser pointer, stumbling a bit as she explained, “These designs were created based on the theme ‘Blossoms,’ including a necklace, earrings—”

Laura looked at Cecilia’s designs and praised, “It is so ethereal. I think many girls would love it.”

Isabella frowned slightly. Cecilia’s artwork was undeniably beautiful, but it lacked novelty and standout features. The competition was not for a store display; these were two entirely different concepts. The design was meant for a—

Ivana instinctively glanced at Hudson, leaning in to whisper, “Dad, what do you think?” When it came to design, she didn’t know much, so she didn’t dare to make a quick decision.

Hudson frowned at Ivana, wondering if she had the ability to evaluate designs. Noticing Hudson’s mood, Ivana quickly smiled and explained, “I just wanted to hear your thoughts, Dad.”

Only then did Hudson nod in understanding and wrote something down on the white paper in his hand next to Cecilia’s name; she instantly understood. She looked away and turned to the person next to Cecilia. “Next,” Ivana said.

The meeting dragged on quite slowly. After all, each designer needed to explain her ideas and elaborate on her work. Ivana called for the next presenter, and Melanie immediately stood up, walked to the central spot, connected her screen, and began talking. “My design is inspired by ‘Eden Spring,’ featuring green tourmaline as the focal point on the necklace.”

Hudson kept his eyes on the design projected on the screen, then lowered his head to write something next to Melanie’s name.

Laura turned slightly to look at Isabella and asked curiously, “Ms. Stout, what do you think of her work?” She always felt the idea was good, but there was something missing, though she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

Isabella crossed her arms, leaning back against the chair, and said directly, “It’s original, but it lacks depth. The necklace designed by Madeline alone wasn’t enough to win the Masterpiece Award. The lines weren’t smooth and had a bit of a small-time feel.”

Isabella’s short comment got straight to the point; Laura nodded in understanding. Hearing Isabella’s critique, Melanie didn’t catch all of it, but enough to make her turn and glare. With Hudson still there, she could only keep her dissatisfaction to herself.

When Ivana called out the next name, Laura walked over, fully prepared. Melanie glared at Laura and muttered unhappily, “Don’t think you’re so great. You’ll get cut eventually.” She thought, ‘What’s there to be proud of? Just a second-rate graduate from a mediocre college. There’s nothing impressive about that.’

Laura couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to Melanie. Her usually chubby cheeks, which seemed obedient, now shone with confidence. This change surprised Isabella a bit. She sat elegantly in the chair, calmly watching Laura.

Laura confidently began, “I based my design on Halloween, centering the series around ruby and sapphire embellishments—” She carefully explained each detailed part of her design.

Isabella glanced at Laura’s design, a faint smile curling at her lips. Although there was room for improvement, it was quite impressive. It was certainly the best design she’d seen so far.

After finishing her presentation, Laura hugged her tablet and quickly ran back to Isabella’s side with a big smile. Ivana gazed at Isabella, maintaining a friendly smile while a cold gleam flickered in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly as she said, “Isabella, it’s your—