Lina replaced the boxes carefully into the pouch and took out a photograph. “This is a picture of the little princess and the information on her measurements. Do have a look.”
“Excellent!” Natalie exclaimed. “I was going to ask you for it.”
Lina stretched. “The princess has a classic babyface. She does not have a large stature typical of her countrywomen, that is why I think that these gemstones will not be compatible with her, with the exception of the pink diamond.”
Natalie was in agreement with Lina’s opinion.
The two fell silent at the realization that they had ran into a difficulty early on in their collaboration. They burst out laughing simultaneously.
After brainstorming for a while, the women still had no inspiration.
Natalie took another sip of coffee. “How about this. We will each come up with a couple of drafts, and we’ll get together again to decide which one is the most suitable one for the princess. Sounds like a plan?”
“I’m afraid that that’s all we could do for now.” Lina stood up. “Let’s do that then. I’ll come to you with my designs soon.”
“Excellent,” Natalie said enthusiastically as she escorted Lina out.
Natalie returned to the sight of Joyce emerging from the office looking glum. “What is it?” she asked curiously.
“The police station called,” Joyce answered as she scratched the back of her head in frustration. “The woman hasn’t been caught.”
“She’s still at large?” Natalie grew stern.
“That’s right. I have provided them with the security footage from the mall, but they’ve insisted on doing things according to the procedure. We could have deduced her escape route based on the footage we have, but the cops still managed to let her slip away. How infuriating.”
Joyce rubbed her head in consternation and continued. “As long as she hasn’t been caught, she will be looking for more ways to sabotage us in the future.”
Natalie did not doubt that possibility.
That woman’s motive was to ruin the reputation of Natalie’s company and sever the trust build with its stakeholders as a means to destroy her company from within.
Due to the discovery of the plot by Joyce early on, her plan had been foiled. As the mission was left unaccomplished, she would most certainly make another attempt in the future.
“Don’t let it bother you, Joyce. Since the police had failed us, what we can do is to hire a private detective and ferret this woman out as soon as we can,” Natalie said with a reassuring pat on Joyce’s shoulder.
Joyce nodded helplessly. “It’s the only thing we can do, I’m afraid,” she said gloomily. “Oh, by the way. what did the jewelry designer want from you?”
“It’s a collaboration,” Natalie answered as she told Joyce about the meeting she had.
Joyce’s eyes sparkled excitedly. “What an incredible opportunity to design the wedding dress of the crown princess.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Natalie gushed. She then turned to head back into her office to begin working on the drafts.
Joyce called out to her suddenly. “Natalie, wait a moment.”
“What is it?” Natalie looked back curiously.
“There’s something I forgot to tell you.” Joyce’s expression turned serious.
Natalie noticed the change in her tone. “What is it?” She responded in kind.
“I had received a letter this morning in response to your challenge,” Joyce explained as she strode over to a colleague’s desk.
Natalie followed her with a frown on her face.
The colleague stood up at once and offered her computer to Joyce.
Joyce sat down and logged into the company’s email system. She then opened up an email sent from a foreign IP address. “Take a look at this, Nat.”
Natalie stepped forward and bent down to squint at the screen.
Natalie, it read. Wait for my return to the country. Do you dare accept my challenge for the title of the most promising designer in the country?
That was the general consensus of the stakeholders within the industry, that Natalie was the most talented and promising designer the nation had ever seen.
Natalie’s masterpieces, Project Rebirth and Radiance were renowned for the boldness of their design. On top of that, Natalie had won several high-profile competitions. It all spoke volumes on her prodigious talent.
As a result, many veteran designers within the country had already conceded privately to themselves that she was the most promising designer of her generation. She was the most probable candidate to replace the legendary Mr. Moore to become the next top designer in the country.
