Chloe held out a coffee cup to Isabella. “What happened last night? I saw Mr. Blackwood. He… he asked me where you were.” Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes shifting nervously as if afraid she had said too much.

Isabella’s expression grew thoughtful. Ethan had asked about her?

She had been convinced Ethan and Sophia orchestrated that humiliation.

A cold dread settled deep in her bones. Her heart felt heavy. Chloe noticed the shift in her demeanor and grew more anxious.

“Isabella, are you… alright?”

Isabella drew a slow, steadying breath.

“I’m fine,” she stated flatly, taking the offered coffee. The steam warmed her skin but did nothing for the chill inside.

She pushed open the door to her storeroom office. The air smelled faintly of dust and fabric. She set the coffee down, untouched. She walked to her desk, pulled out the chair, and sat. Her fingers brushed the cool wood.

Her eyes fell on a design draft lying at the corner of the desk.

A sketch she had created for Blackwood Enterprises.

She picked up the paper, studying it.

“Eternal Promise.”

What had she been thinking? Even if Ethan wasn't involved last night, it changed nothing. He was a married man, yet he promised another woman an "eternal promise"? The absurdity of it was staggering.

A few days later, the design drafts were finally complete.

Vanessa had been unusually quiet during this time, leaving her alone. It seemed the previous warning had its intended effect.

Isabella organized the printed drafts and placed them on Vanessa’s desk. Vanessa flipped through them with a detached air.

“Acceptable,” she commented.

Then, she pulled a gold-embossed invitation from her drawer. She slid it across the desk.

“Your invitation for Design Visionaries. You’ll be a judge. Representing Blackwood Enterprises.”

Isabella picked it up. Her fingers traced the elaborate patterns on the thick cardstock. Design Visionaries was a premier national art and design competition. The judges were industry legends. Her gaze remained steady. “This falls outside my contractual obligations. My collaboration with Blackwood Enterprises is strictly design-based. Nothing more.”

Vanessa’s lips curved into a cold smile. “This is Mr. Blackwood’s direct instruction.”

Isabella sneered inwardly. Or more likely, Sophia’s idea. She lowered her eyes. “If it’s Mr. Blackwood’s decision, then I suppose I must comply.”

A flash of triumph glinted in Vanessa’s eyes as she watched Isabella’s calm composure. She relished the thought of the embarrassment awaiting Isabella at Design Visionaries. A woman in her early twenties, judging her peers? She would be a laughingstock. Vanessa smirked.

Her red-tipped nails tapped a sharp, rhythmic pattern on the desk. She leaned forward. “Miss Scott, I trust you will not disappoint us.”

Isabella offered a faint, cool smile. “I will do my best.”

She turned and left the room, her movements poised and controlled. Behind her, Vanessa’s smile widened as she watched her go, her lips curling with satisfaction. Yet, as the distance grew, her smile faltered, a trace of unease taking its place. She picked up her phone and dialed Sophia’s number.

“Miss Reed, it’s done,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Sophia’s reply was icy. “Did she agree?”