Chapter 65 Public Humiliation »
“Well… Thank you.” Janet ran the tip of her finger along the rim of her mug before taking a sip of coffee. Her lips were upturned ever so slightly. She thought that Ethan had only said it to give her some comfort, though, so she decided not to take his words seriously.
In any case, she was in a terrible situation. Jocelyn definitely had more in store for her in the future, but for now. Janet just wanted to focus on keeping her job.
When they had returned from Color Company last time, Tiffany had proceeded to choose another designer’s drafts for submission The next day, Tiffany called for a meeting and made the announcement.
“Color Company has approved the drafts of another designer. Good job everyone. You’ve been working hard, so coffee and desserts are on me. Order whatever you like. Also, another conference will be held tomorrow, and a representative from Color Company will be coming to discuss the detailed plans for this project. You are all required to attend. Make sure you come on time.”
“Whoever makes the decision over at Color Company must have awful taste,” a colleague whispered to Janet once the meeting was dismissed. “I think your designs are so much better.” But Janet had more or less expected this outcome. That didn’t mean that she was glad to see her hard work go to waste.
Even so, she hid her disappointment and mustered a smile. “Maybe they just don’t like my style.” “How unfortunate,” the other woman sighed. “I really thought you would catch a big break this time.” The meeting with the people from Color Company commenced as scheduled.
Naturally, Jocelyn came to the Larson Group in person on behalf of the company. “Are you satisfied with the designs this time?” Tiffany asked calmly, her eyes fixed on Jocelyn.
“Yes, I’m very pleased with it. That this designer is surely going to make a name in the industry. I want to meet her, by the way I intend to further our cooperation in the future.” Jocelyn perused through the portfolio, picking up sheets to study the drafts. As she did this, the ma*s*sive diamond ring on her finger glinted in the sunlight. “Thank you for your kind words.” The young designer in question tucked her hair behind her ear and stood up.
Though immensely gratified, she couldn’t help the pang of guilt that tightened her chest. Even she had always thought that Janet’s designs were outstanding, and far better than hers.
“Why are you thanking me? You achieved this with your talents. The previous design that was presented to me was a far cry from this. That one was out of date and boring. There was nothing special about it at all. I couldn’t believe someone had wasted ink and paper on such pathetic scribbles. In fact, I don’t understand why your department had taken in such a person in the first place.”
Jocelyn tossed the papers back to the folder and took a sip of coffee. Her movements caused her Chanel bracelet to clink against her Cartier watches.
Everyone turned silent and threw surrept*itious glances at Janet. It was clear to them that Jocelyn was purposely insulting her. Janet only clutched her skirt and lowered her eyes, saying nothing.
She was painfully aware of the fact that Jocelyn was here to humiliate her in front of other people. But she was now their client, and if Janet defended herself, it would only make things worse. She could feel her cheeks grow hot, but she did her best to keep her temper.
“I’m talking about you, Miss Lind,” Jocelyn snapped all of a sudden. Her tone was sharp and biting, especially after seeing that Janet wasn’t reacting to her barbs. Jocelyn wanted the woman to be humiliated in public and flee the design business for good.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Before anyone could do or say anything, Garrett opened the door and walked into the room.
“Ah. Excuse me, but who are you?” he asked Jocelyn coldly. “I’m pretty sure that you’re not the person in charge of the design department over at Color Company. What are you doing in this meeting?” Jocelyn’s nostrils flared.
“I am the girlfriend of Jason Gentry, the CEO of Color Company,” she declared haughtily. Garrett only raised an eyebrow before striding to the head of the table. When he sat down, his demeanor had turned serious. “And what position do you hold at Color Company, exactly?”