Upon arriving at the venue, Josie immediately spotted Arnold. In front of his seat, there was a nameplate that read: Robyn.
The crowd in the venue was engaged in small group conversations. Arnold greeted her from across the room, silently mouthing, “Looking forward to your speech.”
Josie didn’t pay much attention. Lachlan had already conducted background checks on all the teams that would be present today. In Josie’s experienced eyes, their abilities were average at best.
Her phone suddenly rang. It was Lachlan. “Hello? I’ve arrived at the venue.”
Lachlan’s tone was unpleasant on the other end. “There’s been a complication. An additional team has joined the tender.”
Suddenly, Josie had a bad feeling. She turned around to look at the door and asked, “Who is it?”
“Blank.”
Josie’s body tensed up.
The studio she had personally established was now completely handed over to Alice, Laura, and the others.
How is this possible? Weren’t they in Wavery?
“Are you okay, Alice?” Lachlan asked over the phone.
Little did he know that Josie was watching Alice enter the venue with a few people. There were familiar faces, as well as strangers. They were all dressed professionally, as if they were fully prepared.
Josie turned around, looking at Arnold once again.
As if he could clearly read every detail of her expression, he gave her a gentle smile and silently mouthed the word, “Surprise!”
I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Competing against my old company is quite ruthless.
Josie ended the call. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
Alice and the others found a place to sit down. They didn’t seem to recognize Josie. When she looked closely, she saw Jade behind Alice, but Angel was nowhere to be found.
After some consideration, she decided not to greet them.
Soon, the tender began. The host started introducing each team. When it was Josie’s turn, Alice looked over and was stunned.
The host said, “Alice, the design director of Keller Group and the backbone of the company. Josie and Alice exchanged glances, her lips curving into a slight smile as she nodded gently.
Alice’s complexion was somewhat pale, and she showed a hint of suppressed emotion.
The tender process was almost without suspense. Keller Group was a local company in Rivodia, and Josie’s reputation was internationally renowned. Thus, she easily won the bid.
After Arnold announced the results, he added, “Nevertheless, Blank of Wavery’s design philosophy is equally distinctive and aligns well with La Oriele’s concept. We have decided to appoint them as Alice’s assistant, and the two teams will collaborate on the design.”
Josie tightly gripped her pen, wishing she could strangle Arnold.
If I needed assistance, Keller Group has plenty. Why insist on involving old acquaintances? What is he really up to?
Nevertheless, the applause from below filled the air.
After it ended, Alice immediately approached Josie. “You…”
There was so much she wanted to say, but the words just wouldn’t come out. “You’ve returned. Why didn’t you go back to Wavery?”
Josie found herself unable to explain her situation, so she could only offer a smile. “It’s been two years. All of you have grown so much, especially after giving that speech just now. Jade’s ideas are quite progressive.”
Just as excited, Jade chimed in when prompted, “Ms. Jo, you’re finally back.”
The remaining employees didn’t understand why the boss was so emotional, their faces filled with confusion. Alice’s reputation was well-known, but it wasn’t enough to warrant such a reaction.
“This lady is the founder of the studio,” Alice said earnestly.
They immediately expressed their admiration for Josie.
“Everything that happened before is now behind us, Josie remarked while gathering her belongings and preparing to leave. “It appears that our business is thriving, and we are even venturing into Rivodia.”
“La Oriele is currently very popular, so we were enticed to give it a shot. Initially, we didn’t consider it seriously because of the significant distance involved, but Robyn reached out to us with a gesture of goodwill.”
