Chapter 2: The Sketchbook That Changed Everything
Chapter 2: The Sketchbook That Changed Everything
Victor picked up the shredded sketchbook from the marble floor.
The pages had been ripped apart, but the drawings remained breathtaking.
Elegant evening gowns.
Architectural silhouettes.
Hand-painted embroidery concepts.
Every design carried Maya's signature.
Victor carefully turned another page.
Then another.
His hands actually trembled.
"Who made these?"
Maya hesitated.
"I did."
Regina forced a nervous laugh.
"Just amateur sketches. She's been wasting company paper."
Victor slowly removed his glasses.
"Wasting?"
He held one page toward the celebrity guest.
"This neckline solves a construction problem our senior designers have struggled with for two years."
The celebrity nodded immediately.
"I noticed."
Victor looked directly at Maya.
"How long have you worked here?"
"Three years."
"And no one promoted you?"
Regina answered first.
"She never belonged in design."
Victor's expression hardened.
"I wasn't asking you."
The ballroom fell completely silent.
Then Victor made one announcement that would change every career in the room.
"Maya..."
"...would you consider becoming the newest Creative Director of Laurent Couture?"
May you like
Gasps echoed beneath the crystal chandeliers.
Regina's champagne glass slipped from her fingers and shattered across the marble floor.
