Chapter 6
The next morning, the Design Department office got lively.
When Latrina walked in, everyone’s eyes were on her, and there were quite a few people behind her whispering and pointing.
Latrina could instantly guess that the “commotion” was highly related to her.
“Trina, the Design Department was robbed last night,” Monique whispered to her.“The competition design drafts that were in the director’s office ended up here, on your desk.”
Latrina understood instantly.
At the end of the year, the Design Department was holding a competition. After finalizing their designs, many colleagues had handed them over to Laurence for safekeeping.
If they went missing or got leaked, the designers‘ work would be for nothing. They’d have to redo everything and compete again. It would be a waste of time that would only give rivals more room to maneuver.
Latrina said nothing, just scanned the room.
Latrina
Her sharp gaze made everyone stiffen. They hadn’t expected her to stay so calm.
The Design Department office fell silent, from noisy to so quiet.
Latrina let out a faint laugh, still holding her bag and iPad, and noticed a small stack of files on her desk.
Pinching the papers between thumb and forefinger as if they disgusted her, she lifted her eyes and glanced at the crowd again.
“Your design drafts seem to have ended up on my desk.” She dropped them with a look of disdain. Sure enough, their drafts were neatly laid out on her workstation.
Everyone knew they were there, but no one dared fetch them. They all waited for her arrival, ready to confront her.
“Latrina! You didn’t have to do this just to get first place!”
“I wondered why you were still working overtime last night. It turned out you were sneaking a look at our designs!”
“These drafts were all confidential. You’ve already seen ours. Where’s the fairness in that?”
They swarmed around, all firing accusations at Latrina.
Latrina stayed calm.
“If I wanted to copy, I’d just snap a photo and study it at home. Why leave the drafts on my desk? I could’ve tossed them in the trash. Then you’d have nothing left!
“How silly would I be to post on Instagram about working overtime? Shouldn’t I have kept it
“Who’d be stupid enough to pull a stunt this obvious?”
The crowd fell silent, tongue–tied.
a secret?
But many still weren’t convinced, especially the veteran designers, who seemed eager to see her crushed.
Latrina had no patience for more bickering. She swept all the manuscripts off her desk and onto the nearby printer. She’d always had a mild temper, at least avoiding conflicts until she settled in Crowley Apparel.
Lately, though, she couldn’t stand being wronged. Something had changed.
“What’s all this noise so early in the morning?” Laurence walked in with Gerhart and Kelvin right behind him.
The CEO’s sudden appearance shut everyone up.
Latrina glanced at Laurence, then caught Gerhart’s gaze over Laurence’s shoulder. She quickly looked away, too flustered to hold his stare. “Nothing serious. Just Ms. Glover borrowed the year–end competition drafts last night and had some complaints, that’s all.”
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Someone piped up, and Latrina couldn’t tell who.
“I didn’t,” Latrina said firmly.
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Just then, she felt Gerhart’s gaze fixed on her. There was a coldness in his eyes that
made her shrink back, her voice wavering slightly.
“Everything needs evidence. I did stay late last night, but that doesn’t mean I took the drafts.
“Besides, I think your work hardly seems worth referencing. Your designs won’t affect my chances of winning the year–end competition.”
The Design Department erupted again.
“Arrogant!” some muttered.“Conceited!” others snapped.“Talking big!”
Gerhart listened, then lowered his lids, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Just check the security footage, Laurence suggested.
“The security guard said they were doing maintenance last night. Cameras weren’t accessible,” Monique replied nervously.
“He only saw Ms. Glover working in the office, no sign of the drafts.”
The second the incident broke, Monique had rushed to check the cameras, hoping to clear her best friend’s name.
With no resolution in sight, the bickering continued. Latrina fell silent, puzzling over why that stack of drafts had ended up on her desk.
“Latrina.”
A calm voice cut through the crowd, and everyone instantly quieted.
It was Gerhart.“Come with me.”
His tone was unchanged, still cold and even.
He turned and headed for the elevator.
The second he was gone, murmurs erupted.
Everyone assumed she was about to get fired.
Latrina stood straight, unflinching in the face of the gossip, held her head high, and followed Gerhart.
As she stepped into the elevator, the faint sandalwood fragrance clinging to him washed over her, gradually steadying her nerves.
When they entered his office, Kelvin stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“Sit. Let’s have breakfast He nodded at the simple pastries laid out on the table. “Huh?” She was a bit confused.
What did he mean?
She was about to speak when her stomach rumbled loudly, betraying her.
Gerhart sat down, handed over the fork to Latrina, who stood frozen.
Latrina couldn’t fathom this sudden shift, but the food looked too good to resist. She took the fork and sat across from him.
Today she wore loose casual pants with a half–high–neck short–sleeve tee. Her messy topknot looked relaxed yet tidy, unintentionally appealing.
Gerhart’s gaze drifted to her now and then.
Latrina ate slowly, so Gerhart slowed his pace too, matching her unhurried rhythm.
“Full?” he asked.
“Yeah.
Latrina grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth.
Between the Independence Day rush, she hadn’t had a proper breakfast in weeks.
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“Off you go. Get back to work.” He started clearing the table.
Latrina hurried to help. Her hand brushed his warm, larger one. She snatched it back, tucking it behind her.
“I’ll head out then.”
“Okay.” He didn’t look up.
Latrina left, confused. She’d excepted him to question her about the drafts after breakfast, but he said nothing–not a word, no questions at all.
She reached the door, paused, then turned to face him.“Mr. Crowley.”
“Yes?” He tossed the takeout container into the trash, brushed a stray crumb from his hands, and met her gaze with clear, steady eyes.
“About us. Don’t tell anyone.”
…
“Which part?”
Which part?
“All of it.”
Okay,” he replied, turning toward his desk.
Latrina let out a quiet breath, unsure of Gerhart’s thoughts.
When she was back at her workstation, the office air hung thick with tension.
“Want some sandwich?” Monique pushed the sandwich toward Latrina.
“Thanks, but I’m full.” Latrina settled into her chair.
“Well, maybe you’re too full of rage!” Monique joked.
After
2
while, Kelvin came in and called Laurence upstairs.
The murmur of discussion instantly grew louder, with people speculating freely about what would happen next.
“Did the domineering Mr. Crowley chew you out?” Monique whispered.
“Nope.”
“Then what were you doing up there for over ten minutes?”
“Just talked about this morning’s stuff.”
Latrina felt a twinge of guilt, quickly steering the conversation away as she dived into her work for the day.
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