Chapter 20
After Victoria returned to her seat, she paid no more attention to others' gossip.
She knew very well that those people didn't really dislike her that much—they just wanted to find some entertainment in their boring office life, something to spice up their work routine.
Besides...
Victoria lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the design drafts on her desk, letting out a soft breath.
Right now, she had to put all her energy into design work. She simply had no time to care about what others thought.
And besides, Yara was still waiting for her at the hospital.
She couldn't let her guard down!
Three days passed quickly, and the design draft Victoria submitted was accepted by the partner company.
Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.
During lunch break, Victoria didn't stay at the company. Instead, she went to the hospital to keep Yara company for a while before rushing back to the office.
"Where did you just go?" As soon as she returned to her desk, someone nearby spoke up. "Ms. Garcia was looking for you just now. I heard there's something new from the partner company..."
Victoria didn't stop walking and gave her a slight smile. "Thank you for telling me."
Having just returned to the company, she barely had a moment to catch her breath.
As soon as she heard that Xanthe had been looking for her, she assumed there was a problem with her design draft.
On the way to the office, Victoria's thoughts raced.
The design draft was aligned perfectly according to the partner's requirements . Logically, there shouldn't be any mistakes.
So why was Xanthe looking for her?
She frowned slightly, stopped at Xanthe's office door, and pushed the door open without hesitation.
The moment their eyes met, Xanthe broke into a smile. "Victoria, you're here."
Her attitude was unusually warm. "Perfect timing. The partner company just sent a message saying they're very satisfied with your design draft! They want to establish a long-term partnership with our company. Good times are coming for you!"
Actually, there was something else she didn't say.
Victoria's design draft had traces of designer Q's style.
Even if it wasn't perfect, just those few similarities were already enough!
Xanthe looked at her thoughtfully, her smile unchanged.
Victoria blinked, her expression calm. "This is all thanks to your guidance, Ms. Garcia. Otherwise, I really might not have been able to achieve this level."
Her smile was genuine, and when her bright eyes looked over, it was impossible to doubt her sincerity.
Xanthe knew these were just polite words, but she still found them very pleasing to hear.
Even her smile grew brighter.
Victoria continued with a few more flattering remarks, preparing to find an excuse to leave.
Xanthe suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh, right, the partner company has an extra task for you. If you complete it, you can earn this much! Take a look and see if you'll accept it?"
Xanthe mysteriously held up several fingers and waved them in front of Victoria.
Victoria immediately pressed her lips together and answered without thinking. "I accept! Please send me the requirements later, and I'll try to finish and send them to you as soon as possible!"
This was the payment she had currently gotten for drawing four design drafts!
If it were before, she probably wouldn't have even bothered to look at it.
This amount of money wasn't even a fraction of what designer 'Q' got for a single sketch.
But Victoria turned and pushed the door open to leave, her eyes dejected.
Times had changed.
She was no longer the top designer she used to be.
She closed her eyes in pain.
After a long moment, she slowly opened them.
The additional task from the partner company carried a tight deadline—she needed to complete it within two days.
But the day after tomorrow was Yara's follow-up examination day. She had to be by Yara's side.
Victoria exhaled sharply, her eyes becoming determined.
No matter what.
She had to complete this additional task and also stay by Yara's side!
Victoria made up her mind.
Back at her workstation, she no longer thought about the possible gossip.
The partner company's requirements filled a full 20 items—even her phone screen couldn't fit them all.
Victoria lowered her eyes, constantly drawing on paper with her assistive tools.
Fine, straight lines arranged on the paper, looking elegant in their precision.
Victoria had already drafted everything in her mind, and every stroke she made was very precise.
Watching her design jewelry was a masterclass in form.
Victoria herself wasn't aware of this.
She frowned, looking at the jewelry taking shape on the paper, licking her dry lips.
Still not good enough.
If she hadn't used the assistive tools, this drawing would probably be completely unwatchable.
She was letting herself down.
Victoria glanced at her already trembling hand, then turned to look at the darkness that had already fallen outside the window.
She gritted her teeth and picked up the assistive tool again.
It was just a little pain—she could bear it!
As long as she finished the additional work today, she'd have more time to stay with Yara.
Endure it.
Time passed bit by bit. Even the people who usually worked overtime, the latest in the office had already packed up and left.
Under the dim lights, only a thin woman sat in the center of the huge office, looking rather pitiful.
Edward caught sight of her as he passed.
His cold, handsome brow furrowed imperceptibly.
If he didn't know that Chase beside him had been temporarily sent out on an errand.
And his coming to get documents was also unpredictable.
This Ms. Spencer's intentions would really be worth questioning.
Edward knew this was just a coincidence.
He glanced briefly and was about to look away,
when the clatter of something falling broke the silence..
Edward frowned coldly and looked again.
The woman who had just been working intently had now collapsed on the desk, clutching her wrist.
Victoria bit her red lips tightly, almost tasting the metallic tang of blood spreading in her mouth.
It hurt so much!
Her wrist, which had suffered severe damage, hung limply on the desk as if it had no bones.
Victoria's face was frighteningly pale, and cold sweat was soaking her entire body. Even her hair stuck to her cheeks in strands, making her look like she'd been pulled from water.
She was a wreck.
Where was the medicine?
She remembered putting it in her bag yesterday.
Where was her bag?
She caught sight of a figure in her peripheral vision.
She didn't care who it was.
Victoria grabbed onto this lifeline like a drowning person, pointing at the bag nearby and pleading, "Could you please help me get the painkillers from my bag? Please!"
Even her voice was trembling.
Edward paused for a brief second before walking over.
His gaze shifted slightly as he took out a small bottle of white pills from the small bag nearby and handed it over.
Victoria kept thanking him as she took it, but her hands were shaking too much. She tried several times but couldn't open it.
Edward's gaze fell on that pale little face, his thin lips pressed together.
Some inexplicable emotion was churning in his heart.
He lowered his brow and took the medicine bottle from the woman's hand, shaking out two pills.
"Don't move." Edward glanced at Victoria's weak hand, his cold brow furrowing.
He hadn't expected the hand injury to be this serious.
Edward hesitated for two seconds, then placed the pills in his palm and brought them to Victoria's lips.
He saw Victoria's resistance and impatiently pressed his lips together. His gaze swept over the design drafts on the desk, then he grabbed a cup of water from nearby and handed it over as well.
Edward frowned and said coldly, "Swallow them."
The soft touch of Victoria's lips came from his palm, still slightly moist from the water she'd just drunk.
Inexplicably.
Edward suddenly recalled that scene at the hospital, his heart trembling.
He kept a straight face and withdrew his hand without showing any emotion.
It was all an illusion.