The person who caught her was none other than her partner and jewelry designer, Annette Jenning.
“It’s me,” said Annette, putting down her hands.
Lacey Jones, the designer who had wanted to lay a finger on Natalie’s and Lina’s stuff, snorted. “What’s the matter? Are you going to report me?”
Smiling, Annette replied, “It looks like you admit to it. Don’t worry. I’m not going to report you. We’re partners, after all. If I report you and you end up getting kicked out of the competition, I’ll lose my partner and won’t be able to continue competing anyway. It won’t do me any good to report you.”
“That what do you want?” Lacey pursed her lips.
She had already known that Annette would not report her, so she had breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Annette who had caught her.
“I don’t want anything. I’m just hoping that you’ll include me in your plans,” said Annette.
Lacey was shocked. “You’ve lost it. Have you thought about the consequences? If I do it on my own and get caught, you’ll get off scot-free. At most, you won’t be allowed to compete. But if we’re both caught, you’ll—”
“I know. I haven’t lost it. I just want to stop Lina from advancing any further in this competition,” Annette interrupted with a flash of hatred in her eyes.
Lacey looked at Annette curiously. “Do you have a beef with Natalie’s partner?”
Annette balled her hands into fists and hissed through clenched teeth, “That wretched woman stole a large part of my resources in a previous jewelry competition. The suppliers had approached me first. However, they changed their mind after seeing her work and chose to work with her instead. It was utterly humiliating. How could I not hate her after that?”
Lacey could empathize with Annette. “That does warrant a grudge.”
I’d feel the same way if someone snatched away my resources.
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