The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 21

The design department at Sterling Holdings was suffused with an eerie, expectant atmosphere.

The client, Crescent Moon Couture, was scheduled to give their final answer before three o'clock that afternoon.

Claire Jenner had bet her entire career on this, and most of the office was eagerly waiting to watch her fail.

Daisy Dalton sat at her desk, cradling a coffee cup with her legs crossed, her voice low but laced with absolute mockery.

"Wow, you really are holding out for a miracle, aren't you? Still waiting for Crescent Moon Couture's reply."

"With your outdated designs, they won't even bat an eye. You'd be better off packing up your desk right now so you can get the hell out."

A wave of hushed whispers rippled through the surrounding colleagues.

Claire ignored the provocation as her phone screen suddenly lit up.

A text message popped onto the screen.

Miles Zimmerman.

Claire's heart skipped a beat; she couldn't believe the stoic doctor had actually initiated a conversation.

[Shirt. Progress.]

The tone was completely devoid of emotion, strictly strictly business.

But the fact that he reached out at all felt like a massive honor to Claire.

She glanced at the finished shirt hanging behind the glass window. Just as she was about to type a reply, Betty Wade suddenly jumped to her feet, letting out a wild shriek.

"We passed! We passed!"

"Claire, we actually passed!"

Betty's voice cracked with raw excitement as tears streamed down her face.

Claire rushed over to the monitor, staring at the official email from Crescent Moon Couture.

"She must have used some underhanded tactics to get their supervisor to approve her designs!"

Claire waved her phone in the air. "I just recorded everything you said, Daisy."

"Let's go down to Crescent Moon Couture and confront them in person. We'll find out exactly which supervisor I'm supposedly sleeping with."

Daisy panicked completely. There was no way she had the guts to take her baseless rumors to the actual client. She looked at Yvonne with desperate eyes.

Yvonne's brow furrowed, a flash of irritation in her gaze. What an absolute idiot.

But she still needed to protect Daisy as her pawn.

She softened her tone. "Claire, an apology is certainly in order, but Daisy is a veteran employee of the design department. She only made the bet in a moment of frustration. Let's be the bigger person here and forget about the resignation..."

Claire cut her off, leaving no room for negotiation, every word sharp and deliberate.

"If I were the one who lost today, would she be the bigger person? The bet was made in front of everyone in this office. The workplace has rules. As a leader, you should be the last person trying to break them."