Chapter 30: Rather Destroy Than Give It to Her
### "What's up?"
Eli noticed the odd look on Bianca's face and raised an eyebrow in concern.
Bianca's eyes flickered around the room before she quickly said, "Sorry, Dad, I almost forgot. There's this design competition coming up, and I've been so wrapped up in it. Don't worry, I'll get back to it and think things over."
She remembered that Emily had a sketchbook full of design ideas and sketches. If she could find some new ones, she would draw them up for Eli.
If not, she could always spend some money to buy designs from talented but financially struggling individuals.
Eli's eyes brightened at the mention of the design competition, which could really boost their reputation.
If Bianca won, it would add more titles to her name, making future collaborations and price negotiations a breeze.
"Alright, then try to whip up a couple of designs for our partners to check out. Focus on the competition, and I'll throw you a celebration party when you win."
Eli's mood lifted, and he grinned widely.
"A celebration party? What's going on?"
Just then, Aiden walked in, looking travel-worn.
He had overheard Eli's words as he entered and looked at Bianca curiously.
As he spoke, he handed her a gift he had prepared, "I saw this latest collection by Ms. Sinclair at an auction in the neighboring state. Do you like it?"
Bianca's face lit up as she took the gift.
She had just been talking with her friends about how everyone wanted Elise's new diamond necklace set. Now that she had it, she could totally show off.
Elise's designs were rare, with only one set released every year or two, but they were always masterpieces.
"Thanks, Aiden. I love it," she said, holding the box carefully. Then she explained, "Dad was just joking around. I'm entering a competition, and it hasn't even started yet. Dad has so much faith in me, it's a lot of pressure."
Aiden smiled warmly and patted her head, "I believe in you too, Bianca. You're so talented; you'll definitely snag first place."
Hayden chimed in, "Of course. Bianca is smart and capable, unlike Emily, who only knows how to annoy people and doesn't focus on her studies."
He took the chance to badmouth Emily.
Cleo's face darkened; she was still sulking and didn't want to hear anything about Emily.
"Stop talking about her. We shouldn't have taken her in."
Cleo regretted bringing Emily back. If they had only provided her with financial support, she might not have become greedy. When they needed a bone marrow donor, Emily might have agreed.
Cleo forgot that Emily was the child who resembled her the most. With time, outsiders would inevitably grow suspicious.
Aiden found it hard to reconcile the harsh image Hayden painted with the Emily he remembered, who had always tried to please him.
"If Mom doesn't want to talk about her, then we won't. By the way, Bianca..."
Aiden had another important matter to discuss, "Last time we talked about AI and artificial intelligence, I noticed you had some pretty sharp ideas. Could you join our research and design team? My project has been stuck for a while, and we could really use your help."
Bianca was incredibly talented. After their last conversation, the bottleneck had been resolved.
Now, facing new challenges, the team suggested bringing Bianca in.
Bianca's gaze shifted nervously. She felt guilty.
The ideas she had shared with Aiden were things she had overheard from Emily when she was working on something. She had casually mentioned them to Aiden, not expecting them to be so effective.
Realizing Emily's casual remarks had been so useful, Bianca worried that if Aiden found out, Emily might overshadow her.
Bianca clenched her fists, suppressing her unease, and apologized, "Aiden, I'm sorry. You know I have to design for Dad's company and prepare for the competition. I really don't have time."
Aiden's eyes dimmed at her response.
But considering Bianca's health, he knew she couldn't handle too much stress.
"How about this: when you have some free time, come by my company and just chat with us. I'm sure, like last time, your ideas will inspire the team and help us overcome the bottleneck."
Once Bianca's current commitments were done, joining the team wouldn't be urgent.
Bianca understood Aiden's intentions and couldn't risk exposing herself.
She pretended to think deeply before saying, "I'm not feeling well today, so I can't make it. But don't worry, Aiden, I know someone who's an expert in computers and AI. He's the top student in our school's computer science department and a favorite of the professors. Some of my ideas came from him. I believe he can help with your research."
Although it was a compromise, it was a good solution.
Aiden looked gratefully at Bianca, "Thanks for the recommendation."
Bianca felt relieved to have resolved the situation.
Claiming she was unwell, she went upstairs, but instead of going to her room, she headed straight to the studio.
Emily's room was nearby, and her sketchbook should be there.
Bianca also called Hugo Graves, a computer science student, and discussed something with him. No one knew the details, but Hugo was deeply grateful and revered her, vowing to protect her.
"Found it!"
Bianca found the sketchbook under Emily's pillow. She disdainfully tossed aside the makeshift pillow Emily had made from clothes and opened the sketchbook.
Her luck was good.
There were two sketches that Bianca hadn't used yet.
Meanwhile, Emily, who was on her way home, suddenly remembered the sketchbook.
She slapped her forehead, "How could I forget?"
In her past life, all her designs had ultimately become Bianca's works, making Bianca famous.
In this life, with her rebirth, she had better ideas, but those sketches were still her hard work.
She would rather destroy them than let Bianca have them.
"Emily, what's wrong? Why did you hit your head?"
Emily chuckled, "It's nothing. Just feeling like I wasted something."
Violette was surprised, "You fed a dog? Where do you live now? If it's a living creature, bring the dog to my place!"
Her family of five lived in a three-bedroom house, and now with Emily, it was a bit cramped.
But Violette didn't mention it, not wanting Emily to feel like an unwanted child with nowhere to go.
Emily smiled, "I won't go to your place for now. You should come to my house for a few days and recover. Violette..."
Her expression turned serious, "Those injuries on you, were they caused by your husband?"