Chapter 4
Chapter 4
A car door slammed in the distance, and Emma didn’t want them to discover she’d overheard this
argument, which would only add to the awkwardness, so she quickly turned to leave.
Returning home alone, she surveyed the entire apartment, then gathered all the items related to
Talon that she’d collected over the years.
Then, she threw them all in the trash.
For the next weekend, she stayed home, packing most of her belongings.
On Monday, Emma went to the company and submitted her resignation letter to HR.
Hearing she wanted to resign, the HR manager was stunned.
“Weren’t you in a car accident and still on leave? I heard the design director position just opened up, and Mr. Sullivan intends to promote you. Why are you suddenly resigning?”
According to Zoe, after graduation, Emma had submitted her resume to join the Sullivan Group’s
design department just to see Talon every day.
For three years, she had worked diligently, all to get closer to Talon and stand beside him legitimately.
But now she couldn’t remember him, nor could she recall the feeling of liking him.
So faced with the reluctant HR manager, she smiled gently.
“I want to go home. I’ll be staying in my hometown from now on.”
The HR didn’t try to persuade her further and handed over the signed application form.
“Okay. I’ll take this application to Mr. Sullivan for signature, and then the resignation process will be complete.”
After leaving the HR office, Emma was stopped by a colleague halfway.
“Mr. Sullivan just called a design department meeting–rumor is he’s announcing the new director. It’s starting now, come with us!”
Chapter 4
Emma nodded, following them to the office.
Along the way, several colleagues wore broad smiles as they congratulated her.
O
“Emma, you’ve led three major projects in as many years, won international gold–who else could possibly deserve this promotion?”
“Exactly! With your track record and Mr. Sullivan’s oblivious favor, we all wholeheartedly support you becoming the new director. After the good news is announced, you have to treat us to dinner
tonight!”
Having worked together for so long, Emma knew they were sincere.
She wanted to tell them about her resignation, but considering Talon hadn’t signed yet, she decided
to wait until dinner to make the announcement.
“Whether it’s me or not, I do want to treat everyone tonight. There’s… something I need to share.”
The group chatted as they walked, soon reaching the conference room. Emma chose a seat in the
corner.
Right on time, Talon entered precisely on time, surveyed the room, and got straight to the point.
“I believe everyone has heard the rumors. This meeting is to announce the new design director. Any thoughts, please speak freely.”
All eyes turned to Emma, who also wanted to prevent this announcement before things were
finalized.
So after a moment’s thought, she raised her head, met Talon’s calm, emotionless eyes, took a deep
breath, and stood up.
“Mr. Sullivan, I’m grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me over the years, entrusting me with major projects that our team delivered successfully. Before you announce your decision, I’d like to formally withdraw my-”
Before she could say “withdraw from consideration,” Talon interrupted her.
“For this role, none of the ten senior designers here have your portfolio–but you lack the tenure. Therefore, I’ve decided to appoint an external candidate with both experience and seniority.”
The room froze.
Chapter 4
Emma’s breath hitched.
Then Talon’s voice rang out, decisive: “Let me introduce the new design director, Sophia Chen.”
BANG! The conference room door opened, and Sophia walked in with a smile, giving a
self–introduction.
“Hello everyone, I’m Sophia Chen, a doctoral graduate from Milan Design Academy, and I’ve won the European Young Designer Award…”
The room fell completely silent, with everyone exchanging glances, their expressions becoming incredibly awkward.
The awards she listed? Half the room had won them. And with zero industry experience, her
appointment was an insult–especially to the five–year veterans.
One senior designer spoke up: “Mr. Sullivan, we all believe Miss Chen lacks certain qualifications
and needs at least two more years of seasoning before she can take on the director position. By comparison, Emma Pierce is much more suited for this role.”
The team nodded in agreement.
Sophia’s eyes instantly reddened, looking pitifully at Talon.
Seeing her tears, Talon’s expression softened–then hardened as his gaze locked onto Emma.
“Sophia is a top–tier graduate with countless international accolades. Her vision and skill far surpass Emma’s. Yes, Emma delivered results–but only because she stood on this department’s shoulders. Give Sophia the same resources, and she’ll outperform everyone here. The decision is final.”
