He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 184

The call ended.

A great partnership? They weren't even collaborating on anything right now...

Gripping her phone, Scarlett felt a subtle ripple of confusion. Just then, Irvin pushed open her office door and walked in, flashing a brilliant smile.

"Scarlett, I've got fantastic news!" he announced. "The other major shareholder of our studio—my brother—is flying back today! With both of you heavyweights at the helm, Croft Design Studio is destined to become the top architectural firm in the industry!"

Scarlett was utterly bewildered. Just moments ago on the phone, Julian had mentioned he was returning. Now, Irvin was saying his brother was coming back?

Wait... could it be?

She practically shot up from her chair, staring at Irvin in absolute disbelief. "I get it now! You founded Croft Design Studio with Julian! Your brother is Julian Croft! So, for the past five years, the person critiquing my designs was your brother. Right?"

Everything instantly clicked into place in her mind. She grasped the missing link, her whole body buzzing with excitement.

Irvin had been wondering how to explain it all, but he hadn't expected her to be so sharp and figure it out on her own. He smiled and nodded, spilling everything. "Exactly. My brother was the one reviewing all your submissions over the years. With my skill level, how could I even understand what you master-level designers were doing?"

"He didn't know who you were either. It wasn't until you offered to buy in and sent over your documents that he realized it was you. At first, he told me to keep it a secret so you wouldn't feel pressured. But now he says it's fine; since we're partners, we should be completely transparent."

"Welcome to Croft Design, Scarlett! My brother is back for good this time. He's not taking on any other outside projects. He wants to dedicate himself entirely to design, working alongside us here to create even more incredible architectural masterpieces."

After Irvin left, Scarlett's mind was racing. She truly never expected that for the last five years, the person who had meticulously refined the flaws in her work late at night—the "mysterious mentor" who ultimately inspired her to quit the Flynn Group and join this studio—was actually Julian.

The world really was incredibly small. No wonder she had always felt a strange sense of "familiarity" whenever she saw him. They had been strangers in daily life, yet they had long shared a profound, unspoken connection in the realm of architectural design they both loved.

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