Camille’s movements were smooth and fluid, and Freda’s gaze followed her every move. She looked at Camille with confusion and asked, “What’s going on?”
After locking the cabinet, Camille pulled on it to make sure it was secure before finally letting go. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she apologized to Freda with a smile.
“I’m sorry about that. Leo gave me this yesterday, and it’s actually the design for the competition he’ll be entering. It can’t be leaked before the competition starts, so I’m really sorry about that. But… since you’ve already seen it, could you please keep it between us? Otherwise I’ll definitely get in trouble or even fired.”
Camille pleaded with Freda with her eyes shining like they could talk while also clasping her hands together in prayer.
Freda had her own plans but faced with Camille’s plea; she nodded firmly.
“Don’t worry; I won’t tell anyone else about this. As soon as I leave this room, I’ll forget all about it!”
“That would be great!”
Camille went from looking dejected to smiling brightly after hearing Freda’s response for which she received a phone call shortly after.
“Oh okay! Alright then! I’ll head down now.”
“Um…do you want to come down with me to pick up my package from downstairs?” Camille politely asked Freda as she stood up.
Freda finally realized and shook her head in an instant, “No need, you can go first. I need to use the bathroom.”
After Camille left, Freda looked around and found that the key she used to lock the drawer was placed on the mouse pad. Seeing no one paying attention, Freda quietly took the key, carefully inserted it into the keyhole, opened the drawer, took out the blueprint, and placed it in her handbag.
After doing all this, she gently locked the drawer again, returned the key to its original position, and when she stood up to leave, she deliberately tidied her hair, leaving the design room with an air of composure.
Five minutes after Freda left, Camille returned. Seeing an empty chair next to the workstation, she smiled slightly. Once she sat back down, the first thing she did was open the drawer.
Seeing that the design draft was gone from the drawer, she revealed a knowing smile and continued working in a very good mood.
Mission accomplished!
After leaving Leo’s studio, Freda walked on the road, thinking about what had just happened, and a triumphant smile appeared on her face.
[Jane, no matter what, you’re still going to lose to me, aren’t you?]
When she arrived at Susan’s studio and saw her in the office, Freda took out the design draft from her bag and placed it on Susan’s desk. “I’ve got the design draft that Camille told me about earlier. It’s the dress you wanted to change.”
Susan was surprised when she saw the design draft and looked at Freda incredulously. She never expected that Freda would have been able to get Leo’s competition entry.
But after a moment of surprise, Susan felt an intense joy surge through her heart as she hurriedly put the design draft into her drawer.
Freda watched Susan’s actions with a knowing smile on her face. “Since I helped you get what you wanted, now it’s your turn to help me with what I asked for before,” she said.
Susan nodded in agreement because once she had Leo’s designs; everything else would be easy for her.
“I will keep you posted,” said Susan as soon as Freda left.
After Freda left, Susan took out the design draft and carefully examined Jane’s design style. It had to be said that Leo’s design approach was very clever, always showcasing creativity in the details. But so what?
After a day’s work, Susan finally refined the existing design draft. She added her own style on top of Jane’s original design. Now, she was eagerly awaiting the start of the design competition.
On the day of the design competition:
After two rounds of model competitions and design draft evaluations, without any surprises, a leading design master among the judges stood up and announced, “The champion of this design competition is – Leo, the main designer of Leo’s design studio!”
“Wait!” Susan had been standing in the crowd, and it wasn’t until after the chairman of the judges made the announcement that she spoke up. Confidently, she walked out of the queue, looked around, and said, “I report that Leo, the designer, copied my work in the design draft he submitted!”
The people sitting below showed expressions of surprise and astonishment. There was a growing murmur in the audience, and the judges looked at each other, even taking out the design drafts placed on the table to examine.
Noticing something, the chairman of the judges paused, his expression becoming unusually complex. Susan stared at his reaction, thinking she had hit the mark, maintaining a smile on her face.
She was determined to bring Leo down this time!
“Miss, please return to the queue for now,” after a while, the chairman of the judges finally said something. Susan didn’t sense anything unusual, so when she turned back to the contestant queue, she gave Jane a meaningful look.
Strangely, after she returned, there was no response from the judges’ panel. Susan waited for a while but didn’t hear a single word, leaving her somewhat puzzled.
It wasn’t until the exhibition that Susan’s expression finally turned awkward.
This time, all the entries were anonymous. The models would first showcase the designs, and then the completed garments would be displayed on racks. However, when the etiquette host pushed out all the clothing display racks, Susan did not see anything resembling the red dress.
What was going on?
She involuntarily furrowed her brows, her hands slowly clenching. Subconsciously, she glanced at Jane, who sensed Susan’s gaze but didn’t bother to look at her.
Susan shifted her gaze and looked at the nameplates beneath each display case until she saw the one labeled “Leo’s Design Studio.” In that corresponding display case, there was a stunning fishtail gown in shades of sky blue, with a flowing hem adorned with numerous sequins. Susan froze.
She vividly remembered that during the model showcase, the entire venue had dimmed, and the dress’s hem, over a meter long, sparkled like a galaxy, captivating everyone, including herself.
How could this be?
Susan felt stifled, and she vaguely sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed. At this moment, every detail connected in her mind, appearing reasonable but also hinting at something amiss.