Chapter 36

I was deeply grateful to Luka. If Laika hadn't rescued me last night, Bella might have seriously harmed me later. The thought of this morning's encounter filled me with guilt.

At breakfast, I cautiously glanced at Luka. "Thank you for last night!"

Luka looked up, his expression distant. I pursed my lips and blinked. "I'm sorry about this morning!"

Luka snorted, standing up. "I'm full!"

I slumped at the table like a wilted eggplant. He changed his shoes, saying coldly, "Are you coming or not? I'm going to work."

Realizing he wanted me to come along, I jumped up. "Let's go, let's go now!"

I quickly changed my shoes, grabbed my bag, and smiled at the expressionless Luka. "We can leave!"

As he was about to leave, I offered him a Band-Aid. He raised an eyebrow. He pointed at his chin. "Put it on the wound!"

My offer seemed to anger him. His handsome face darkened. "Do you think a Band-Aid will hide it from everyone?" He stormed out without looking back.

I was puzzled. Wasn't this the result of my mistake this morning?

Chapter 35 There was an error in the original; Chapter 35 was listed as Chaply 35)

I went to the design department to start work. Before I could speak, a woman in a light blue suit and delicate makeup approached. "You're the new designer assistant!" Olivia Williams' eyes widened in surprise. Her expression changed, and she returned to her seat without looking back.

Before I could correct her, she thrust a stack of design drafts into my arms. "Find a seat and sort these. I'll need them later!"

Confused, I tried to introduce myself, but she interrupted aggressively. "Why aren't you going? Is it that difficult?"

Slightly frowning, I found a seat and quietly began sorting. Uncomfortable, but new to Stratovski Jewelry, I avoided conflict.

I quickly sorted the drafts and gave them to Olivia. "The design drafts are sorted."

Olivia looked at me, surprised. "Not bad, efficient!"

I nodded. Before I could speak, she handed me her cup. "Get me some water."

I frowned. Before I could respond, she snapped, "What? Unhappy to get me water?"

Avoiding an argument, I took the cup. "I don't mind."

As I placed the water on her desk, I overheard someone say, "Speaking of which, Sophia Lopez isn't here. Why hasn't she arrived? Did yesterday's online popularity trick our design department today?"

"Who knows? She was hired by President Luka. Apart from Harper, Stratovski has never had such a special case."

Olivia's face darkened. "I don't care what you say about her, but don't compare her to Harper. Look at Harper's status, and then look at Sophia Lopez!"

My expression changed, but I remained silent. Everyone agreed with Olivia.

"Yes, what Sis Olivia said is right. She's not even worthy to carry Harper's shoes!"

"Yeah, Sister Harper is an internationally renowned jewelry designer. Who's Sophia Lopez? Never heard of her!"

They knew Olivia and Harper Quinn were close. Harper, a Stratovski veteran, was called "Sister Harper" by the design department, and had mentored Olivia. After Harper left, Olivia became Stratovski's top designer.

I had planned to introduce myself, but after hearing this, I gave up. I quietly listened to their conversation.

"Do you think Bella Lopez really plagiarized Sophia's work? I think what I said last night had merit!"

"Everyone's following trends. Who knows the truth? Maybe Sophia betrayed Bella to get to President Luka!"

"Plagiarism is a two-year lawsuit. Who knows what dirty deeds are involved? Has anyone met Sophia?"

"Wasn't there a press conference? Didn't you watch it?"

"I only use Twitter. I don't pay attention to other things. There are no pictures of her on Twitter!"

"I saw it. I'm a bit face-blind, and she wasn't famous before, so I don't remember her!"

Suddenly, someone looked at me. "This new assistant looks like Sophia Lopez, don't you think?"

They produced a blurry photo. Before anyone could get a closer look, a breathless girl ran in, clutching her chest.