“Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Mr. Oconnor, you’re too kind, it’s our duty.”
After a few pleasantries, Nelson walked over to Grape.
A tall figure stood before her, but Grape didn’t notice. She was intently focused on the Lego in her hands. Nelson pointed to a spot beside her, “Try placing it here…”
When Callie returned to the Golden Key event, she was met with a sarcastic remark, “Some people really think they’re big shots now, no sense of time at all.”
It was Lily.
She looked at Callie with disdain, her eyes burning with flames of anger that seemed ready to consume her.
Callie ignored her and politely apologized to everyone, “Sorry.”
Then she got straight to work.
Lily felt frustrated that her efforts had no effect on Callie. If Anthony hadn’t discovered her plan that day, she would have obtained the evidence to ruin Callie. Callie wouldn’t be standing here unscathed.
But now, she had no evidence.
Lily let out a cold snort, a calculating look flashing across her sullen face.
No matter what, she was determined to get Callie off the judges’ panel.
There were many excellent entries in the second round. After a unanimous decision by the judges, the final list for the competition was selected.
After finishing her work, Callie prepared to go home. Just as she reached the underground parking lot, a figure blocked her path. “Ms. Alice, please wait a moment.”
Callie raised an eyebrow.
She didn’t recognize the man in front of her. “Who are you?”
The man smiled warmly, his eyes friendly. “Ms. Alice, I’m a fan of yours. I’ve seen almost all your designs. Your design concepts and styles are top-notch. You’ve always been my role model…”
Callie politely thanked him for his compliments.
“Ms. Alice, I’ve also entered this Golden Key competition. I designed the St. DeBurg Bridge…”
Callie recalled the design.
It was grand and impressive and had made it to the finals.
“Your design is very innovative, one of the best among many entries. If you give it your all in the finals, you’ll surely achieve good results.”
The man smiled and glanced around before pulling a thick envelope from his pocket. “Ms. Alice, I hope you can vote for me in the finals…”
Bribery?
Callie didn’t need to guess what was inside the envelope.
Her expression immediately turned serious.
“Fair competition is the greatest respect for this contest. A clear mind is the best sincerity for your work. If you focus on these underhanded methods, you won’t be able to create good designs.”
With that, Callie turned to leave.
But the man chased after her and forcibly handed her the envelope, ignoring her refusal.
The thick wad felt heavy.
Callie’s face changed completely.
She firmly returned the envelope to him and sternly said, “Bribing a judge will get you disqualified. If you don’t take it back, I’ll have to report this to the committee.”
“Please-”
The man looked guilty as he spoke.
“Sorry… Ms. Alice.”