The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 33

Janie immediately took the sketches back to her desk and fired up the modeling software.

The two worked in seamless harmony until the first light of dawn broke through the windows.

At eight o'clock sharp, Lumière's representatives arrived at the studio.

The conference room doors were pushed open.

Professor Lawrence escorted several sharply dressed French executives inside, offering them the seats of honor. The studio's designers sat tensely on either side, the atmosphere pulled taut.

Sloane was the first to take the stage.

She presented the design she had revised overnight, altering the arrangement of the gemstones to enhance its visual opulence.

Charles, the French representative, stared at the projection screen for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"Ms. Miller, your craftsmanship is flawless."

Charles spoke in fluent English, his tone polite but unyielding. "However, this is still just an expensive item meant for a display case. It's beautiful, but it lacks a compelling narrative. It does not fit the theme of 'The Dawn.'"

Sloane's face instantly drained of color. Gripping her laser pointer tightly, she stepped down from the podium in bitter defeat.

Joe didn't even dare to breathe. His overnight sketches hadn't even passed Sloane's internal review, let alone been fit to present.

"Mr. Lawrence, if this is all your studio has to offer, I'm afraid our collaboration ends here."

The entire project seemed dead in the water.

A clear disappointment settled in Charles's eyes as he prepared to stand up and end the meeting.

"Mr. Charles, please wait a moment."

Professor Lawrence stood up and plugged a flash drive into the conference room computer. "We have one more proposal."

Professor Lawrence's voice rang clear and loud across the room. "This was done overnight by our designer, Nora Xavier."

The air in the room solidified.

The pen in Joe's hand hit the table with a sharp crack and rolled onto the carpet. His jaw dropped, eyes glued to Nora, entirely speechless. The young designers who usually gossiped behind her back lowered their heads, their faces flushing a deep crimson.

Sloane was rooted to the spot. She looked from the breathtaking design on the screen to Nora's calm face. The color steadily vanished from her cheeks, replaced by a burning, suffocating humiliation.

"That's impossible..."

Joe muttered under his breath. "How could she possibly draft a structure like that?"

Janie straightened her back and announced proudly, "Nora hand-drew all the core linework and three-view drafts last night. I only helped with the software modeling. Every single detail on this piece was finalized by her."

Charles walked over to Nora, extending his hand with undeniable admiration.