The moment Janet encountered Mandy in Carly’s company, she intuitively grasped that Mandy would fail to meet Carly’s
expectations for a designer.
Janet had laid eyes on Mandy’s work, undeniably exceptional in its splendor and intricacy, but ill-suited to Carly’s grandmother’s
humble demeanor. Thus, Mandy’s design style was bound to be inadequate for Carly’s satisfaction.
Janet’s silence that day was an act of courtesy towards Mandy, a gesture to avoid the appearance of vengefulness, as their
relationship was strained by an underlying grudge.
Direct confrontation risked creating an uncomfortable spectacle and might sway Carly’s choice— an outcome Janet wished to
avert.
As a designer, Janet’s professionalism and integrity resonated with Carly.
Despite her connections to the prestigious White family and her position as Mr. Larson’s wife, Janet defied Carly’s initial
assumptions of arrogance and indifference.
Through their conversations, Carly discovered Janet’s flawless interpersonal skills and unwavering design expertise.
This revelation softened Carly’s demeanor, and she warmly expressed her relief, “I’m so glad to have such a skilled designer like
you create clothing for my grandmother. I trust you’ll exceed my expectations.”
“Absolutely!” Janet replied, her face beaming with confidence. Presenting her prepared design sketches and materials to Carly,
she suggested, “You can take these home for your grandmother to review. If she’s interested, we can discuss further.”
Noticing Janet’s thorough preparation, Carly nodded approvingly. “Alright, I’ll visit you another day.”
Having said that, she accepted the documents, flipped through a few pages to ensure everything was in order, and stood up to
leave.
Meanwhile, Lexi was crouched by the door, eavesdropping intently. She nodded periodically and murmured, “I see.”
Consequently, she was caught off guard when the door swung open. She stumbled and tumbled awkwardly into the reception
room.
Two sets of eyes locked onto her.
Scrambling to regain her composure, Lexi sheepishly grinned, “I was just ... walking by ... Just walking by ...”
With an amused smile, Janet apologized to Carly, “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Reed. My assistant can be a bit mischievous. I hope you
don’t mind.”
Aware of her rudeness, Lexi apologized as well, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Reed. That was my mistake. I hope you can forgive me.”
Carly, in high spirits, brushed the incident aside.
After Carly’s departure, Janet teasingly inquired, “Lexi, aren’t you supposed to be a professional assistant? What were you doing
eavesdropping? I can’t imagine Sean ever doing something so unprofessional.”
Mortified, Lexi wished she could vanish.
She earnestly apologized again, “Boss, I’m so sorry! My curiosity got the better of me. I promise not to repeat such foolishness!”
Janet, not meaning to cause distress, waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Don’t be so tense. I was just joking.”
Lexi breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you, boss. But you predicted things so accurately. Carly did come back to you for
the design.”
Lexi had doubted Janet’s confidence earlier.
As Janet sipped water, she simply said, “I’m a professional designer.”
Lexi’s laughter bubbled up at Janet’s remark. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
With Carly returning to Janet for another design, didn’t that mean Brandon had lost the bet between him and Janet?
As a consequence of defeat, Brandon would have to serve as Janet’s assistant for a day.
Oh! The thought of the distinguished CEO of the Larson Group trading places with her as an assistant was almost too fantastical
to fathom!
The thought was staggering!
Should she inform Sean beforehand so that Brandon could brace himself for the impending role reversal?
Torn, Lexi wavered in indecision.