Chapter 122 Joining Luminex Innovations

As soon as Maria saw Henry's car pull into the parking lot, she started walking toward the office. Just as she reached the entrance, she heard Thea's voice behind her, "Maria!"

Maria turned around to see Thea getting out of a car. Through the window, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face, but before she could get a good look, Thea waved at the car, the window rolled up, and the car drove away.

Thea jogged over and linked arms with Maria, her voice cheerful, "Maria, I'm so happy we get to work together!"

"Me too." The top three finalists in the competition were Maria, Thea, and a woman named Laura Penrose. Neither Maria nor Thea remembered much about Laura. As they chatted and walked into the company lobby, Thea tried to pull Maria toward the elevator. Maria stopped her, "Thea, hang on a sec. I need to make a call first."

Maria hadn't forgotten Joe's request to call him. She dialed his number, and he picked up quickly, "Eighth floor."

After hanging up, Maria led Thea to the elevator. Thea looked at her curiously, "Did you get through?"

Maria laughed, realizing what Thea meant, "Mr. Watson wants us to go to the eighth floor."

Thea sighed in relief, a bit embarrassed, "He hung up so fast, I thought the call didn't go through."

They both laughed. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a female voice called out, "Hold the door, please!"

Maria quickly pressed the button to open the doors. A girl with short hair and glasses, carrying a backpack, rushed in. She looked like a high school student.

"Hi, I'm Laura." She introduced herself shyly, "You must be Maria and Thea. I've seen your designs; they're beautiful."

Laura's eyes sparkled with admiration. Maria and Thea were momentarily at a loss for words, faced with someone who looked so young.

"Are you really Laura?" Thea asked, uncertain.

Laura nodded confidently, "Yep, that's me."

"But you look like you're still in high school," Thea said, hesitating.

Laura blushed, "I'm actually twenty-two."

Thea couldn't hold back, "I don't mean to be rude, but you don't look like you're here for work. You look like you're here to find your parents. This might not be the best way to make a good impression."

Maria thought the same thing, but before she could say it, Thea spoke first. Laura seemed taken aback by Thea's bluntness and looked worried, "But this is how I always dress. Do you think the company won't hire me?"

Laura's voice wavered, almost in tears. Maria sighed, "You can explain your style to Mr. Watson. Since you made it to the top three, the company won't turn you away."

Whether she'd be treated differently was another matter. Laura relaxed a bit, "Thank you. I'll talk to Mr. Watson. This is just my style."

Maria exchanged a look with Thea, both feeling a bit helpless.

The elevator soon reached the eighth floor. As they stepped out, they saw people in business attire hurrying by.

"They look so professional," Laura remarked, wide-eyed. Maria didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent. Laura continued to marvel, "It's just like in the TV shows."

"Maria, is that Mr. Watson?" Thea pointed, looking relieved. She had met Joe before when he came to see Maria.

"Yeah, that's him. Let's go." Maria led the way, with Thea following. Laura, distracted, noticed they had moved and pouted, "You left without me. That's so mean."

Despite her words, Laura quickly caught up. Joe smiled when he saw Maria but frowned when he noticed Laura, "Maria, why did you bring your sister?"

"Mr. Watson, she's not my sister." Maria explained briefly. Joe's frown deepened as he looked at Laura.

"Are you Laura?" Joe asked as she approached. Laura nodded, "Yes, Mr. Watson. It's nice to meet you. You look very handsome."

Joe didn't seem amused, "Do you think this is appropriate attire for work? I don't care about your usual style, but here, you need to dress professionally. You won't be processing your paperwork today. Come back tomorrow in proper attire."

Joe then turned to Maria and Thea, "Follow me."

"Mr. Watson, I didn't mean to..." Upon hearing that she couldn't complete the onboarding process, Laura immediately became anxious. She looked at Maria and Thea with a pleading expression, hoping they would speak up for her.

Maria indicated that she couldn't help, and Joe had already said that Laura should come back tomorrow in proper attire; it wasn't as if she was being turned away. Thea was more direct, saying, "Didn't you understand what Mr. Watson said? He told you to come back tomorrow in proper attire."

Laura looked even more upset, feeling excluded. She glared at Maria, eyes red, and ran off.

Maria felt a bit helpless but didn't dwell on it. After finishing their paperwork, Thea invited Maria to her place. Maria, thinking of Thea's eccentric fashion, hesitated, "Maybe next time. My mom just got out of the hospital, and I need to check on her."

Thea was disappointed but understood. They parted ways outside the company. As Maria walked to the curb to hail a cab, a woman suddenly bumped into her hard. Maria almost fell but managed to steady herself. She looked at the woman and was shocked, "Julie, what happened to you?"

Twenty minutes later, Maria and Julie were seated in a café booth. Julie looked even more disheveled than the last time Maria saw her. She seemed to have escaped from a drinking party, with a strong smell of alcohol mixed with some unidentified odors.

Maria looked at her, her tone somewhat hesitant. "Are you okay? Should you find a hotel to clean up?"

Upon hearing 'hotel,' Julie reacted strongly. "No, I'm fine."

Realizing that she had overreacted, Julie glanced at Maria and awkwardly changed the subject. "Why are you at Luminex Innovations? Are you here to see Mr. Smith?"

"No, I'm here to complete the onboarding process at Luminex Innovations."