The silence in the car stretched. Byron tapped his fingers on the steering wheel occasionally. After a long pause, he said calmly, "I still have some work to do at the office. You can go upstairs by yourself now." Maeve's pupils constricted. His reluctance to answer was, in itself, a response.

"Okay, be careful," Maeve said, pursing her lips. She didn't ask further. She gathered her bag and got out of the car. A cool night wind blew, and a chill settled over her heart. Her face was pale as she went upstairs without looking back. Looking at the familiar apartment, she felt something was different. So much had happened that day; she was exhausted. Especially what had just happened...

Maeve rubbed her temples. Was what Karen had said...? She thought, "No, I can't rely on inferences anymore. I can't afford to misunderstand him again. Perhaps it's the same this time. Am I overthinking? I should have trusted him. If he's unwilling to share, why should I let my imagination run wild?" Having figured this out, Maeve cheered up. She turned on the heater and sat on the carpet, flipping through design information on her iPad.

The next day, her vacation ended. Maeve returned to work, buying coffee and drinks for everyone. She received a warm welcome. She picked up Leah's coffee and cake, whispering, "No one else has cake, only you." Leah was delighted.

"I said that on purpose last time," Leah said, "because I was afraid they'd make you spend a lot. Why are you so honest?"

"Then you don't want it?" Maeve asked pointedly.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's mine now that you've given it to me." Leah accepted the cake and said, "Fiora's delaying the final payment, claiming something's wrong with your gowns. I think she's doing it on purpose, but I suggest you call and ask." After all, Fiora was a princess, and they couldn't afford to offend her. People with "princess syndrome" were the most annoying.

Maeve hadn't expected Fiora to cause further trouble. Sighing, she went to the corridor, took out her phone, and dialed Fiora's private number.

09:16 Sat,

She called several times before the call connected.

"Hello?" Fiora's arrogant and dissatisfied voice answered. "Why are you calling me when I'm busy? What's the matter?"

"Princess Fiora, are you dissatisfied with the gowns?" Maeve asked calmly.

Fiora snorted. "Dissatisfied! It's more than dissatisfied. What the hell did you make? They're not gowns at all!"

Maeve's eyelids twitched. "If I remember correctly, you wore those three gowns and received much praise at the state banquet..."

"That's amusing. You don't really think it's just about your gowns, do you? Who would even notice the trash if I weren't wearing them?" Fiora's response was unreasonable and disrespectful. Calling Maeve's gowns "trash" implied she, the wearer at the state banquet, was a beggar.

Maeve took a deep breath and asked steadily, "Then what do you want?"

"I'm not satisfied, and I'm very dissatisfied," Fiora said coldly. "Not only do you have to return my deposit, but you also have to compensate me for the damage to my gemstones!"

Maeve thought, Are you kidding me? She almost wanted to curse. Is she really a princess? She's too petty.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the other end. Fiora's phone seemed to have fallen into someone else's hands, but they didn't snatch it away. A cold young man's voice followed. "I apologize. Fiora is accustomed to being willful. Your gowns are lovely, and the Queen admires them. I'll arrange for the final payment to be transferred to you later."

"I won't allow it!" Fiora screamed. "I'm the only one who can attract so many people with the trash she made. I don't even need her money, but why should I pay her?"

Loren immediately hung up. He frowned and said, "Shut up. You're shameless, but you can't disgrace the royal family."

"You're helping an outsider and not me?" Fiora retorted.

"Are you a fool?" Loren asked.

Fiora, enraged, slapped away her manicurist. She stood and pointed at Loren. "Are you interested in that woman? Otherwise, why are you so protective of her?" Loren looked annoyed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Well, I got you, didn't I?" Fiora gritted her teeth. "I'll go tell the Queen that you've been bewitched by a commoner. You've even disobeyed your honorable sister because of her."

Fiora grabbed her bag and started to leave.

"Stop," Loren's voice was cold and gloomy.

Fiora ignored him.

Loren smiled. "Fiora, do you really think you're your sister after being a princess for so long?"

Fiora froze, her fingers clenching until they were numb.

"Loren, you, you..."

Loren stood behind her, towering over her. He looked down coldly.

"You don't deserve it."

Fiora's manicure shattered as she stared at Loren, trembling with rage. I'm the princess of the royal family, and the rose of the empire that everyone praises endlessly. I don't deserve it? Did he mean that woman deserves it? I'll report it to the Queen!

The royal bloodline incident didn't affect Maeve. Loren was trustworthy and quickly settled the balance. Not everyone in the royal family was as unreasonable as Fiora.

After receiving the commission, Maeve's finances improved significantly. She'd long forgotten Fiora's trouble.

Next month, the company would host a spring new arrivals exhibition, but no one had been appointed to organize it. Designers submitted designs weekly, and higher-ups selected the best for the ready-to-wear display.

Maeve focused on the exhibition, diligently working on her design plan. Many drafts were rejected; none presented particularly novel ideas.

Just as she was frustrated, Alex approached and knocked on her desk.

"Maeve, let me tell you something."

"Yes?" Maeve asked, confused.

"Suvin Group's editor-in-chief wants to do an exclusive interview with you. Are you free tomorrow?"

Suvin Group! Maeve's mind cleared. Is it that unique fashion magazine that celebrates women's beauty and suggests a girl can hold a rose and wield a gun with deadly precision?

Alex chuckled. "That's right. I didn't expect you to know so much about it. They're not as famous as Trend Style Magazine domestically, but they hold significant international influence. Moreover, you're the first designer in the country to be interviewed by Suvin Group."

Maeve was ecstatic.