Chapter 76

Chapter 76

As soon as I finished speaking, someone suddenly stepped out from the crowd. It was Sophia. 

She'd been in the design department for two years and always considered herself a senior designer. 

Last time Alan was hiring an assistant, she'd interviewed too but wasn't selected, and she'd been bitter about it ever since.

Sophia crossed her arms and said provocatively, "Fine, let's compete! I want to see just how capable you really are, whether you're actually as good as you claim."

She turned to look at Alan standing nearby and said relentlessly, "Mr. Fields, I'll need you to be the judge. I hope you can evaluate fairly and not let any inappropriate personal feelings affect your judgment. After all, everyone knows you give Layla 'special treatment.'"

As soon as those words came out, the atmosphere became tense again.

Everyone looked at Alan, wanting to know how he would respond.

The moment Sophia said that, the conference room fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at Alan. Alan had always been someone who couldn't tolerate any nonsense, and this was the first time someone had questioned his integrity to his face.

Alan's face visibly darkened, his brows furrowed as he looked at Sophia, the pressure around him growing heavier.

Sophia felt uneasy under his gaze, but the words were already out, so she could only force herself to meet his eyes, thinking to herself, 'You do treat Layla differently anyway. Even if I'm wrong to question you, you wouldn't dare do anything. You can't fire a senior designer like me over something like this.'

But to everyone's surprise, Alan stared at her for a full half minute, then just let out a heavy "hmph" without saying a word in response.

He turned to look at me and said in a businesslike tone, "Layla, she wants to compete. Do you dare accept?"

I gripped the sketches in my hand tightly.

Sophia had been at the company for two years, was a top graduate from a prestigious university's design program, and her designs were often praised by clients. In terms of experience and professional background, I really couldn't compare to her.

But thinking about being slandered behind my back these past days, thinking about all that malicious speculation, a stubborn determination surged up inside me.

I lifted my head to look at Alan and said firmly, "I accept."

Alan slammed the table and said loudly, "Good! Since we're competing, let's do it properly. I'll set the topic. You two will design according to the requirements, present your work here in three days, everyone in the department will be judges, and I'll make the final evaluation."

Sophia immediately responded with a confident smile. "No problem, Mr. Fields. Give us any topic you want. I definitely won't disappoint you."

Alan didn't look at her. His gaze swept across the room as he said in a deep voice, "The topic is 'Spring.' Design a piece of jewelry, any category, but it must embody the core essence of 'Spring.'

Besides the design sketches, you need to prepare a detailed presentation, including design concept, material selection, craftsmanship explanation, and market positioning."

"Remember, I don't want anything flashy. I want a design that makes people feel 'Spring' at first glance, and it must have practical value and market potential.

In three days, whoever has the better design wins. The loser, as Layla said, must publicly admit they're not as good as the other person and can never question the other's abilities again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sophia's smile grew even more smug.

The theme of "Spring" - she'd done similar designs before and had ready experience. Plus, she was already thoroughly familiar with using various spring elements. How could Layla, an inexperienced newcomer, possibly be her match?

Colleagues around them started whispering.

"Sophia's definitely going to win. She graduated from a top university, and that 'Spring Garden' collection she did sold really well."

"Exactly. Layla's only been a design assistant for how long? What does she know? She probably can't even figure out materials and craftsmanship."

"I think this competition is just going through the motions. Layla's definitely going to lose."

Cara and Mica also breathed a sigh of relief, huddling together and saying quietly, "Good thing Sophia stepped up, otherwise Layla would really get away with coasting on her looks."

"Just wait and see how embarrassed she'll be when she loses. Let's see how she can stay at the company then."

Selina quietly tugged at my arm and whispered comfortingly, "Layla, don't listen to them. You're really good too. As long as you do your best, you won't necessarily lose."

I smiled at her and nodded.

The murmuring in the conference room never stopped, most of it favoring Sophia.

I held my sketches and didn't say another word, just turned and headed for the door.

Just as I reached the doorway, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.

It was Sophia.

She had a confident smile on her face and said mockingly, "Layla, why are you leaving so fast? Feeling guilty?"

I frowned and tried to pull my hand back, but she gripped it tighter, deliberately raising her voice so the colleagues who hadn't left yet could hear. "What, too scared to talk now? You were pretty bold in there just now, daring to compete with me?"

People around us stopped and looked over.

Cara and Mica stood at the front, looking gleeful.

"I have nothing to say," I said coldly.

But Sophia wouldn't let it go. She released my hand, crossed her arms, and blocked my way, looking me up and down before sneering. "I think you know you can't win and want to play it cool to avoid it, right? Layla, you're an inexperienced newcomer, and you dare challenge me?"

She said contemptuously, "I suggest you admit defeat now and save yourself the embarrassment in front of the whole department in three days. Not only will you have to publicly admit you're not as good as me, but how will you hold your head up at the company after that?

You think that pretty face of yours will make Alan favor you? You really think you're that capable?"

I looked up at her and said, "Whether we compete or not, who wins or loses, we'll see in three days. Saying all this now is pointless."

Sophia laughed as if she'd heard the funniest joke, doubling over with laughter. "Layla, you're really something. Do you know what school I graduated from? Do you know how many hit designs I've created? With your level of skill, you have to revise even basic sketches over and over, and you want to compete with me on designing a 'Spring' theme?"

She leaned closer and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just want to use this competition to get attention, right? Too bad you picked the wrong opponent. I'll show you what professionalism means, what it means to be out of your league."

Mica quickly chimed in, "Sophia's right, Layla. You should just give up. Sophia's 'Spring Garden' collection sold so well before. How could you possibly compete with that?"

Cara also added her support. "Exactly. There's no need to force it. It'll be so embarrassing when you lose."