The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 43

A few days later, Suzie sat in the human resources department of Lumina Studio, waiting for her interview to conclude.

The interviewer in the center was flipping through her portfolio, a look of admiration on his face. After murmuring with his colleagues, he turned to Suzie. "Your work has a real spark. The composition, the use of light—it's all very professional. However, these are all still lifes. Do you have any portraits? I'd love to see your work with people."

Suzie paused before replying, "No, my specialty is still life."

It wasn't true. In fact, shooting portraits was her greatest strength, but given her current condition, she didn't want to apply for a job that would require it.

"Well, I don't even need to look at your resume. Based on your portfolio alone, your work is excellent…" The man's words were cut off by his ringing phone. He answered it, said "Okay" a few times, and hung up.

He then turned back to his colleagues, and another round of whispered conversation followed. Suzie watched silently. After a long moment, the man looked at her with an awkward expression. "My apologies, Ms. Sterling, I may have spoken too soon. Your work might not be the right fit for us. Our studio focuses more on portraiture, and purely still life photography isn't really in fashion anymore."

Suzie stared for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

As she stepped out of the HR office, she replayed the scene in her mind. She was certain her rejection had something to do with that phone call. The interview had been going so well before then. Not a single interviewer had questioned her work; on the contrary, they had all praised it. But after that call, everything changed.

Lost in thought, Suzie walked down the hallway. Suddenly, she heard a commotion ahead and looked up. A young woman was storming down the corridor, flipping through a folder with a furious expression.

"Who does she think she is, pulling that attitude with me?" the woman seethed. "Someone else can have this job. I'm done."

A girl walking beside her tried to calm her down. "Don't be angry. That client has Baylor Group behind her. Just put up with it. We only have one more set to shoot, and then we're finished for the day."

Baylor Group? Suzie repeated the name in her head. In Mornhaven City, there was only one Baylor Group—Jamie's.

Suzie stopped in her tracks. The woman in the middle, still looking down, scoffed. "So what if it's Baylor Group? Does that mean they can look down on everyone? I don't buy it! And 'finished for the day'? We've been wrestling with a few photos for a week! This is ruining my professional reputation. Besides, have you seen her? She acts more like an A-list celebrity than a model. 'This pose is too tiring,' 'that pose doesn't show off my chest'…"

As the group drew closer, Suzie finally saw the face of the woman. It was the senior from her university she had always admired, Sienna Garcia, a rising star in the photography world whose work was known for its unique and unconventional perspective. Suzie had attended every one of her exhibitions back in school, even taking photos of her favorite pieces to study.

At the question, Sienna's frustration returned in full force. "Don't even get me started. That model, Chloe, is a nightmare to work with. She brings three of her own assistants to the studio for a commercial shoot, and it's still not enough. She orders our staff around, wastes time, and drags out the whole process. When the studio bosses get on my case about the delays, they won't blame the client. The blame will fall on me. She's just making my life miserable."

Listening to her, Suzie could easily picture Chloe's arrogant behavior. It seemed that this wasn't just how she acted around Suzie; Chloe was probably domineering all the time. Perhaps she only put on her sweet and innocent act for Jamie.

From what she'd overheard in the hallway, Suzie could guess what was going on. Chloe was using Jamie's name as a shield, feeling invincible with him as her backer.

"You won't believe it, Suzie," Sienna continued. "I heard this Chloe just came back from overseas and is making waves in the advertising world all thanks to Baylor Group. I don't know what's wrong with that Jamie's eyes. She's not even that good-looking, and as for her figure… well, that face and body have seen a surgeon's knife more than a few times. Anyway, I'm the unlucky one who got stuck with this headache of a project."

Suzie listened to Sienna's complaints with a frown. She understood her senior's frustration but also felt a sense of helplessness.

Just as she was about to offer some words of comfort, Sienna suddenly asked, "Suzie, you're sharp. Do you have any good ideas for dealing with her?"