Chapter 52 Remember to Pay Up

we barely slept all night. Emma's design was genuinely good, creative, and eco-friendly. But a small misstep somewhere had thrown off the entire project. Eventually, I started reviewing it from scratch and found the root of the problem. "Look here. You didn't make this change, right? The dimensions are off by an inch."Exclusive content from .

Emma adjusted her glasses and squinted at the screen before slamming her hand on the table. "No way, who changed my design? No wonder the data was so messed up!"

"Someone must have altered the file when I wasn't looking. I thought I accidentally deleted the original file!"

I had considered

this possibility earlier but hadn't mentioned it. We didn't have time to identify the culprit. She started correcting the data while I assisted her. After several hours of hard work, we finally finished the files as dawn broke. Emma hugged me with a hoarse voice. "Eva, without you, I'd be done for. You're my tesaver, like my second parent!

"I'm fine with being your lifesaver, but not your parent. I'm not ready for motherhood, thank you very much," I said while patting her head, which she brushed off in mock annoyance. Her throat was so strained she could barely tall Thad a headache from staying up all night Recently, I'd noticed Leonard seemed intent on keeping me away from company projects, leaving the design department with less to do. But Emma was in worse shape than 1 was... She could barely stand and had to attend the bid meeting. We discussed it, and she ask "You've already taken the day off, so help me out."

"I'll help you out. It'll be fine. You're smart enough for this," she reassured me. As the lead designer, she knew the project best and was worried about any slip-

ups. Her raspy voice was quite jarring, especially paired with her businesslike demeanor. After thinking it over, I realized I was familiar enough with the project to handle it, so I started preparing.

Unexpectedly, when I arrived at the bid meeting, 1saw Zack and Leonard with their teams. Instinctively, I looked away. Emma noticed them too and sighed heavily. As the Design Director of Harmon Group, stepping up

for Emma would undoubtedly stir things up. I could also feel a cold gaze on me. It must be Leonard

Emma patted my shoulder and said in her usually deep valor, "I'll go."

I nodded lightly. She had no choice. If I went, it would cause trouble. As soon as she took the stage, her raspy voice shocked the audience. But she powered through and presented the entire design plan

Harmon Group's design came from Department Three and was well-developed but more costly than Emma's budget-friendly approach. Zack's team seemed eager, but they Lacked experience and couldn't fully grasp the project's potential.

In the end, Emma's excellent professional skills won the bid. She came off the stage and hugged me tightly.

"Eva"

"If you keep talling with that voice, I'llmate you permanently," joked while pushing her away and popping a throat lozenge in her mouth. She grinned and clung to my arm, playfully begging for my attention.

"Eva, my dear Eva..." Her voice was a magnetic baritone, sending shivers down my spine. As we were about to leave, Lily approached us

"Eva, you're with Harmon Group. How could you help another company?

"You're the Design Director. Are you betraying us?" she accused, with a few members from Design Department Three nodding in agreement. Since they didn't win the bid, they were disgruntled and joined in the criticism.

"Exactly, we know you're a great designer. Why didn't you help your own company instead?"

"Yeah, Isn't this a slap in the face? She probably looked over the project design."

Leonard approached, and Lily whined.

"You were flaunting your relationship with Lea yesterday, and now you're helping others. Isn't that too much? Does Harmon Group or Leo mean nothing to you?"

Her words made Leonard stop and look at me, waiting for my response. I found the whole situation absurd. Department Three wasn't under my supervision, and our work didn't overlap. Leonard had established this department a few months ago to handle smaller projects. Harmon Group wasn't interested in this project, which was why it was passed to them. Now, they were blaming me even though i wasn't even involved.

I decided not to explain and instead looked at Lily.

"Your Leo means nothing to me. But the emerald bracelet you broke, which is worth millions, means something to me. Remember to pay up.