"From today on, Annie will be a new designer at EVL." After Linda finished her sentence, everyone clapped.
Soon, someone enthusiastically led Annie to an empty desk. The desk was next to the window, so it had a nice view. There was even a small potted plant on the desk.
It was a new beginning for her. After Annie settled down, Linda called her to her office.
"Take a seat," Linda said before getting straight to the point. "Welcome to EVL. It may be harsh, but I need to say this upfront."
Sitting up straight, Annie listened to her attentively.
Linda continued, "EVL is no place for idlers. I may admire you, but I'll still judge you based on your work.
"You'll be here on a three-month-long internship. In that time, you'll be doing three solo projects. If you excel in all of them, you can stay and become an official member of EVL."
Linda's gaze was sharp, but it was also filled with her expectations for Annie. "The first project will be the one you previously won, which is to design a new staff uniform for all of Parker Group's employees."
Annie's breathing hitched imperceptibly. She stood and bowed to Linda. "Ms. Lopez, I'll do my best."
Pleased, Linda nodded and gestured for her to sit back down, relieving the tension in the office.
After some hesitation, Annie asked the question that had been bugging her, "Ms. Lopez, I'm curious about how you knew that I wasn't the one who submitted the draft last night."
Hearing that, Linda smiled. "Sweetie, all I can say is that you're lucky.
"An executive from Parker Group saw that design draft by coincidence last night. When you joined the design contest, they happened to be on site and took note of your design style.
"That was how they were able to tell at first glance that the submitted draft wasn't your design at all."
Linda waved her hand. "They told me their doubts. I also found it strange back then. Your designs have always been very intuitive. It made no sense for them to turn so tacky."
So, that was how. Annie greatly cherished the kindness the stranger had shown her.
"May I… know who the executive is? I want to thank them in person."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn to Marry My Best Friend's Uncle