Maria sighed helplessly. "I should have seen this coming. From the very beginning, you were always thinking about leaving." Aveline lowered her eyes slightly, a faint smile on her lips, but she didn't respond. Taking this job had always been a temporary decision. Her goal had always been to move on and live her own life. "Alright, I'll start preparing to hire someone new. But after seeing your designs, my standards have risen, so you'll have to take responsibility. You'll handle the interviews," Maria said. Aveline nodded. "Sure, no problem." She got up and left the office. As soon as the door closed behind her, Maria quickly dialed Lucas' number.
"What is it?" His deep, cold voice cthrough as soon as he answered.
Maria lowered her voice, "Bad news, boss. Aveline just handed in her resignation!" Lucas' tone grew even colder. "And you accepted it?" Maria replied, "What choice did I have?" Lucas responded flatly, "Then there's no need for your stuto stay open. She leaves, and so does your business." With that, he hung up.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Wait..." Maria tried to protest, but the call was already disconnected. She felt her frustration boil over. "Hello? Hello!" How infuriating! If Aveline wanted to quit, how was she supposed to stop her? What could she possibly do to make her stay? Maria began pacing in circles around her office, stamping her feet in frustration. Lucas really left no room for maneuver! Didn't he realize that being so heavy-handed would only widen the rift between him and Aveline? But then, she reconsidered.
If that rift grew, her own fate might end up even worse than Brian's...
Thinking about what had happened to Brian, a shiver ran down Maria's spine. She quickly dismissed any dangerous thoughts.
Alright, fine.
She would try her best to keep Aveline around.
Aveline returned to her desk and began sorting through potential candidates for the designer position. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door.
The receptionist led someone in and quickly approached Aveline, saying, "Aveline, someone is here looking for you to design a house." Aveline paused.
Looking for her? She considered herself a minor figure in the industry; there were many talented designers out there. This was the first tsomeone specifically asked for her. Well, Lucas didn't count.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe got up and headed to the meeting room, where she saw a man in a suit holding a briefcase.
"Hello, I'm Aveline Young," she introduced herself as she walked over.
The man stood and shook her hand.
"Hello, Ms. Young. I'm Patrick Gunner. I've seen sof your designs and found them very creative. I recently bought a piece of land and want to build a winery. Here are the details. I'd like to hear your thoughts." Aveline hesitated for a moment and began, "I'm afraid I might not be able to—"
"Mr. Gunner, welcome, welcome!" Maria cut in, walking into the room with a warm smile. "Aveline is full of great ideas. Here is our pricing list. Feel free to take your tto review it." en
She gave Aveline a meaningful look before quickly reassuring Patrickland stepping back out. Aveline smiled politely. "I'll be right back," she said, excusing herself from the room.
Outside the meeting room, Aveline asked, puzzled, "What's going on?" Maria crossed her arms. "Were you just about to turn down his project?"
Aveline nodded. "Yes, I won't be here much longer. If I take on this project and then someone else has to finish it, he probably won't be happy. Better to refuse now." Maria sighed helplessly.