The implication was clear—Bonnie was slacking.
Maybe she had relaxed a little too much after resigning and moving back to Cabinda. Her drive had definitely dipped. But Lawrence's subtle jab instantly ignited her competitive streak. She refused to lose and was determined to hand in a flawless proposal.
Lawrence stayed up with her, meticulously revising and polishing every detail until Bonnie finally produced a business plan she was incredibly proud of.
Simultaneously, she and Yvonne were hunting for an office space and overseeing renovations. The two women were running ragged every single day, bouncing between the construction site and shopping for office furniture.
They also had to recruit staff, market their brand-new studio, hunt down clients, and dive into researching AI tools and modern design trends—areas neither of them were fully confident in.
Lawrence even enrolled them in a professional executive training course, knowing that transitioning from an employee to a founder required far more than just technical skills.
There was an overwhelming amount of information to absorb.
For months, Bonnie found herself working late into the night.
It wasn't until the end of the year that things finally slowed down.
That morning, Bonnie and Yvonne visited the new office. The renovations were finally complete, and they had turned on the floor heating to help bake out the fresh paint and formaldehyde.
Bonnie placed several basins of water around the room to prevent the dry winter air from cracking the fresh walls. Yvonne sealed the windows tightly and wiped down the brand-new desks.
The studio wasn't huge—just a modest space located inside a creative industrial park. There was an open area with a handful of desks, and two small private offices for Bonnie and Yvonne.
In the beginning, they would have to handle most of the grunt work themselves. It would be exhausting, but it would save them a fortune in payroll.
Both women had emptied their entire life savings into the venture and had gone out to secure additional funding.
Yvonne's family was financially comfortable, so her parents had chipped in an investment. Surprisingly, her elite ex-boyfriend, Dominic—who had apparently been waiting for her this whole time and remained single—also insisted on investing.

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