During the meeting, they talked about working on new sketches to be submitted after the winter season's launch—this time for the spring line.
"And you," Madison said, fixing Tiana with a sharp look, "keep up with the CEO and the next department inline. I hope this time you won't mess up."
"Of course I won't," Tiana said with a bright smile, beaming.
"Take that, Annabel!" her mind laughed triumphantly.
"EOP: enemy of progress!"
As everyone started filing out of the meeting room, Tiana paused, waiting for Annabel to clear out.
With an innocent smile, she called out, "Did you figure out what caused his change of mind?"
Annabel glanced back, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, that's easy — he saw my work! Ha!" she declared triumphantly, striding off with a victorious grin.
"Tiana, keep it professional. This is a workplace, not a battlefield," Madison warned sharply from behind.
Tiana flashed a cheeky wink. "Sorry, but this win is mine. Especially when my main rival thinks she's got the upper hand."
Madison's eyes narrowed, clearly not approving of Tiana's attitude.
Annabel lingered nearby, her expression darkening with growing anger.
"I bet she seduced him," she muttered under her breath, shooting Tiana a dangerous glare.
Hours passed, and still no response from him.
Tiana's thoughts darkened. "Maybe he's actually mad at me."
The fear of Annabel's mocking laughter started creeping in.
Just before lunch, her Apple Watch buzzed—an email.
"About time, Mr. Perfectionist!" she muttered eagerly, yet nervously, as she opened it.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Ahh!"
A dry, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Not only was there a bold red "REJECTED" stamp plastered across her design, but the message below read: "No longer needed."
"What?!"
Suddenly the door swung open with a bang.
"Hey! Keep it down in there, Tiana! It's lunchtime!" Jennifer's sharp voice cut through her moment.
Tiana spun around, annoyed.
"Ever heard of knocking?" she shot back.
Jennifer's eyes flicked to Tiana's screen, then her cheeks puffed out in mock sympathy.
"Oh man! A rejection? What a show." She closed the door with a smirk and a mocking laugh.
"Sure, world-famous designer in the making."
"All thanks to that jerk," she thought, burning with a mix of rage and embarrassment.
In no time, she head out to lunch. During lunch, Tiana couldn't hold back her frustration and vented to Hannah over the phone.
"Can you believe that jerk?!" she yelled, her voice shaking with anger.
"'No longer needed'—and with an exclamation point, no less!"
"Alright, calm down," Hannah soothed. "You just need to talk to him—explain how much effort you put in all night. Besides, he did accept some of your work, right?"
Tiana took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll be fine..."
With that, she hung up.
Hannah sighed on her end, knowing Tiana's anger.
Meanwhile, Tiana found herself in a new annoyance.
"Excuse me, that's my order," a young woman said sharply as she reached for a bag Tiana had just picked up from the counter.
"Uh…" Tiana blinked, confused, holding the wrong bag.
"Oh, am sorry,"
Tiana smiled back, trying to mask her irritation.
"All Thanks to that jerk, for making loose my sense of identification."
"No worries, that belongs to my older brother anyway," the girl said, taking the bag gently from Tiana's hands.
"Oh, I see. Sorry about again," Tiana replied, relieved as she grabbed her own bag.
As Tiana walked away, Linda pulled out her phone and dialed Ethan.
"Brother, I think I'm lost in your massive company," she said teasingly.
Ethan's voice came through cold and calm. "Can't even run a single errand?"
"Easy for you to say. You own the place," Linda muttered under her breath.
"Stay there. I'll send my secretary down to help."
"Alright... I'll be waiting," she smiled, then glanced back toward the food court, zoning out. "Maybe I should've asked that lady who just walked off. She looked like she works here."
Meanwhile, Tiana waited for the elevator and was startled as it opened—Lux stepped out.
"Don't you miss me?" he asked with a charming smile.
Tiana stepped inside without a word.
"He doesn't exist. He doesn't exist," she repeated in her mind, trying to stop herself from snapping.
Suddenly, a whisper brushed her ear:
"You know, the more you resist, the more I'm drawn to you."
"Another jerk. Is this some family trait" she thought, keeping her face cold despite the urge to lash out.
"That sounds like a personal problem you need to solve," she said coolly, glancing at him.
"Here's some advice, Mister Chaser." She turned to him with a sweet smile.
"If a girl says no… she has her reasons."
Ding!
"And as for me, I'm just not interested in a man like you."
She stepped out of the elevator and looked back at him.
"Now do your worst."
A confident smile played on her lips as the doors began to close.
"Not when I'm already a few steps ahead—your uncle's girlfriend scheme." she thought, opening her eyes and catching Lux's smirk with her own unhinged grin.
"Ahh! Take that, loser!"
She walked off, pride radiating from her every step.
"Now that was cool, Tiana," she told herself, striding away with confidence.
"Then again, why would he disguise himself just to visit the company?" she wondered, baffled.
"Whatever. I don't care — I've got another jerk from the same bloodline to deal with."