The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 221

The Pierce Headquarters, top-floor CEO's office.

Behind the desk, Julian Pierce leaned back in his black leather executive chair, his long fingers casually flipping through the blue folder Nora had just submitted.

Thwack.

Julian closed the folder at hand and casually tossed the design draft onto the desktop.

He looked up, a spring-like breeze of a smile still hovering on his lips, and lightly spat out two words.

"Redraw it."

Nora stood her ground, her gaze following his movement to land on the initial draft pushed right to the edge of the desk.

The executive assistant standing to the side couldn't help but shiver, keeping his head down and breathing so lightly his body trembled slightly.

Everyone at the Pierce Group knew that while Mr. Pierce looked gentle, polite, and aloof, he was actually a ruthless predator with a smiling face. The brighter his smile, the worse someone was about to suffer.

Julian extended an index finger, tapping the carefully outlined edges of the vines on the drawing.

"Ms. Xavier, you don't even know how to avoid such sharp designs. How exactly did you become the chief designer at Lawrence Atelier?"

Nora stared at the drawing, her lips pressed tightly together.

Julian pulled the drawing back toward him, plucked a red marker from the pen holder, and drew a massive red 'X' heavily over the platinum vine design, instantly destroying the aesthetic of the entire piece.

"Submitting a piece with such a risk of injury makes it hard not to suspect that Ms. Xavier is deliberately transferring her personal jealousy of Giselle onto this birthday gift."

The perfect smile remained on Julian's face, but the warmth in his eyes was peeling away inch by inch. His words were incredibly venomous, like a black viper spitting its tongue from the shadows.

"Does this kind of personal vendetta align with the professional ethics of you jewelry designers? Is this what Professor Arthur Lawrence taught you?"

He mercilessly piled those unwarranted accusations on her head one after another, every word a blatant stab, accusing her of producing such a piece specifically to target Giselle.

Nora stood quietly in place, looking at the man before her who had completely torn off his disguise.

She used to think Julian was a modest gentleman who knew how to respect people. She never expected him to be capable of speaking so viciously.