chapter242

Everyone looked a little stunned to see Lydia. For a second, no one said a word.

She broke the silence with a small smile. "So, how'd the competition go?" It was only the preliminaries today. She wondered how many people had made it through.

Jenny was practically bouncing with excitement. "Ms. Norwood, you won't believe it. Sixteen of us entered, and twelve actually advanced to the next round!"

Marissa stepped forward and gave Lydia a deep, grateful bow. "Thank you, Ms. Norwood." If Lydia hadn't given her that pep talk, if she hadn't trained everyone so thoroughly, Marissa would never have realized how much hidden talent her group had.

Another designer joined in. "Ms. Norwood, thank you. No matter what happens, whether I stay or move on, you'll always be the mentor who changed my life."

Soon all the designers who'd advanced came up to thank Lydia, their faces glowing with pride. None of them had expected to win, or to feel so seen and appreciated. Hearing the judges praise their work and seeing people actually like their designs was a rush, pure happiness. Now they just wanted to keep going, work even harder, and see their clothes worn by more and more people.

Lydia nodded, her smile warm. "You all did great. Really, you've worked hard."

But at the back, four people hung back. Taylor stood in front, her face downcast. As soon as Lydia glanced her way, Taylor immediately looked at the floor, wishing she could disappear.

Regret twisted in her stomach. Why hadn't she paid attention during Lydia's training? Why hadn't she bothered to take notes? When the judges asked for a design on the spot, her mind had gone totally blank. Even when she finally managed to finish her sketch, she knew it looked awful. Not a single judge voted for her. She'd never been so embarrassed in her life.

She heard Lydia's footsteps coming closer and froze.

Her voice shook. "Ms. Norwood, I... I'll just go hand in my resignation now."

Lydia replied calmly, "You still have one more shot at this month's performance review. She put a gentle hand on Taylor's shoulder. "Don't give up.

As Lydia walked away, Taylor felt tears sting her eyes. Did this mean Ms. Norwood was giving her another chance? Was she really not being written off?

Marissa came over and gave her a gentle look. "Taylor, she's a good person, and she's an incredible leader. Give it your best. Stay."

Marissa herself had just taken home second place in the preliminaries. Standing on that stage, getting her award, she'd felt a wave of accomplishment she hadn't felt in years. Now she was more determined than ever to push forward make the finals, maybe, even travel overseas for the

international contest.

Taylor couldn't hold her tears anymore. She nodded hard, wiping her cheeks. "I will.

I want to stay. I want to work hard with everyone."

Before, she'd just been coasting

along, never really caring. But now,

she wanted to be part of this. She

wanted to grow, to fight for

something, to chase success with herteam.

Meanwhile, Lydia left the office building and slid into her car. She'd barely shut the door before she heard a knock at her window.

arga

police officer in uniform stood there, showing his badge. '

"We've received a report accusing you of intentional harm. Please come with us to the station."

Lydia looked around. Five or six officers, two police cars. She couldn't help but let out a little laugh under her breath. They were really pulling out all the stops for her.

She raised an eyebrow, her tone cool. "And if I don't?"