Maisie looked at her. “Is it okay with you?”Naomi made up her mind and nodded. “I’m willing to give it a try.”When the meeting was over, Naomi caught up to Maisie. “Ms. Vanderbilt.”Maisie turned to look at her and asked with a faint smile on her face, “I’m willing to bet that this shouldn’t be too difficult of a task for you, right?”Naomi paused for a bit and lowered her gaze.“I’m very grateful that you’re always trying to give me a chance to prove myself, and I’ll cherish it by trying my best to perform. However...” She paused for a split second. “It’s just that I’ve never tried designing anything in the baroque style.““I’ll be your guide, and I’ll get someone to bring you more information about the baroque style later on.” Maisie placed her hand on her shoulder. “I have faith in you.”Naomi pursed her lips and nodded solemnly. “I won’t let you down.”Maisie walked back to the administrative office and happened to run into Hector, who was sitting on the couch, waiting fo
Maisie’s expression was cold. “You were born in a family that focused more on boys than girls. You felt that your circumstances were all because of your brother’s existence because your grandmother didn’t care about what was right or wrong and blindly indulged him.“But did you try to change it? You didn’t. You listened to your grandmother about marrying into a rich family. Even if it was your way of getting away from her, you did everything you were told because you wanted recognition.“The change in your mind was to marry into a rich family and get recognition. You’re weak and useless and didn’t want to fight back, so you obeyed. Why do you think you have the right to blame others now?”Linda froze, and her face was ashen. “Nonsense!”“Was it nonsense, or are you refusing to see the truth? You know the answer to that.” Maisie looked at her calmly. “If someone has seen how cruel life can be but chooses not to accept it and continues living in delusion, it’s absolutely stupid and m
Naomi smiled but didn’t answer. She had been in a coma for over a decade and had lost all her friends. Even now, she wasn’t very comfortable being around people yet. When they were happily discussing, Naomi made an excuse and left. One of the colleagues was obviously curious. “Why do I feel that she doesn’t really like talking to people?”“I noticed that too. Other than talking about work, she’s usually alone for meals and work.”“Is she anti-social?”In the evening, at the Topaz mansion…Naomi brought some files home and saw Anthony sitting in the living room on a call with someone.When he saw she was back, he said something, hung up, and turned around. “Nelly, you’re finally home. Is work tiring for you?”Naomi shook her head. “It’s not. It’s quite relaxing.”“Great, I was worried. If this job is too taxing for you, you can come work in my company, and I’ll arrange for a relaxing job for you.” Anthony looked worried. “You’ve been coming home late lately, and I’m worried t
Maisie came to Naomi’s office and knocked on the door. She saw Naomi rubbing her temple in front of a pile of documents as if she had a massive headache when she walked in.Naomi got up. “Ms. Vanderbilt?”“You seem to be in trouble,” Maisie smiled, “Ran out of inspiration?”Naomi lowered her head and nodded. “I’m uninspired. The drafts that I’ve made are… not good enough.”Maisie looked at the pile of paper in the trash and looked at her watch. “Do you wanna go take a walk with me?”Naomi was surprised. Maisie took her to the old street at the back. Old buildings surrounded them, and they all looked old yet elegant. It had an otherworldly feel. The two of them stopped in front of an old jewelry shop called ‘Jewel Attic’. The store had a classic interior. The jewelry wasn’t from any big brands and was mostly priced in the thousands. Naomi looked at Maisie, confused. “Ms. Vanderbilt, what are we…”Maisie smiled and put her arm on her shoulder. “I brought you here to get some
Each piece was a work of art. Every item, from earrings, to bangles, and necklaces, was inspired by mythical creatures.Maisie saw a single bracelet in one of the cabinets. The phoenix engraved onto it looked very lifelike. She had been exposed to engraving, but it wasn’t possible to make something look so lifelike even for her.The man said, “This bracelet was my teacher’s creation. He has a lot of engraved pieces.”He pointed toward a hanging ornament with gold trims. There were green, blue, and red gems on it, and it looked beautiful under the light. “Is this a ring?” Naomi looked at one of the rings on the display. That was the first time she saw creativity like that.The man smiled. “Yes, that’s a ring. It’s one of my teacher’s engraving pieces too.”Naomi mumbled, “So, that’s what classical craftsmanship can produce.”The man slowly said, “He told me that classical craftsmanship and antique jewelry pieces are very closely related. He has a strong understanding of craftsma
“Grandpa, you promised that you’d give me my console back if I got a 90!” Daisie complained because she wanted her console back. Nicholas drank his tea on the couch and looked helpless. The little girl was so obsessed with games that her grades were below 80 now. He put down his teacup. “Yes, I promised, I’ll give it back to you when you get 90 points, but there’s a condition…“You have to make sure that you hit 90 for all subjects.”Daisie was surprised. She suddenly lowered her head and scratched her cheek. Getting a 90 for all subjects was too tough.Nicholas chuckled and pointed at her head. “Look at you. Your father and brothers have spoiled you. They complimented you because you were doing well, and now you’re getting too proud.”Daisie pouted. “Can I… play for an hour?”Nicholas looked at her. “Just one hour.”“Yes!” She nodded. “I’ll only play for an hour a day!”“Alright, I’ll believe you this once. I’ll throw it away if you exceed one hour,” Nicholas warned. Daisie
“Really?” Daisie's eyelashes were wet and had stuck together. Her nose was red, and she looked like a deer.“Yeah,” Nolan replied, “I'll never lie to you.”“Then will I ever see him again?” Daisie’s eyes were filled with anticipation.Nolan was rendered speechless.He did not know why, but he had an urge to give his daughter a beating when he saw how eager she was to meet that kid.He pinched his nose and changed to another topic. “I heard that you've become addicted to video games, and you even brought a gaming console to school.”Daisie was stunned. She lowered her head and said, “I only have a gaming console left.”He patted her head and said, “Even though you’re not studying in the same class as your brother anymore, you can still make other friends, right?”“They don’t like me.”Daisie’s reply caused Nolan to narrow his eyes. He did not believe that there were people who actually did not like his daughter!His daughter was so pretty and adorable! How could they not like
At the Topaz mansion…Naomi was sitting in the study room with a jacket draped over her shoulder. She had only left a lamp on. The lamp cast a halo of light around her and made her look ethereally beautiful. She was working on her draft on a piece of paper. The sky was still dark and heavy outside while heavy rain lashed against the windows. The pitter-patter sound was loud, but it did not seem to affect her. At that moment, the phone downstairs rang, snapping Naomi back to reality. She put the pen down and walked out of the study room. She then switched on the light in the corridor and went downstairs.She did not know who would call them in the middle of the night, but she had a feeling that it was her father.When she reached the phone, she answered it with a smile on her face, “Dad…”However, the person from the other side said something, and her smile froze.At the hospital…By the time Naomi and her caretaker, Mrs. Irving, arrived, there were two people outside of the e