Chapter 917

Chapter 921:
Catherine’s eyes brightened as she greeted her politely. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Blake.”
Catherine swiftly retrieved a business card from her bag and introduced herself. “I’m the new design director of the Royal Garden Corporation. I also run a private studio in France. It’s an honor that Mr. Lopez invited me to…”
Before Catherine could finish her sentence, a harsh shout cut through the air.
“Bitch, what brings you here?”
Both Candice and Catherine turned toward the source of the outburst. The familiar voice belonged to Sigrid.
Yet they were clueless as to who she was talking to.
Struggling to remain calm, Catherine responded politely, “Miss Olson, I don’t believe I’ve done anything to offend you.”
Feeling small and defenseless, Catherine was wary of provoking Sigrid and felt the need to back down.
Suddenly, Sigrid charged toward them, accusing, “Well done, Catherine. Well done, Candice. Turns out you two have been acquainted for a while now. Conspiring, were you?”
Sigrid’s eyes widened as she fixated on Candice. “Was it you? Did you badmouth me to Milton? Said my designs were poor? Recommended Catherine to replace me? Wanted him to let me go? It must’ve been you. I’ve been wondering why Milton would suddenly act like that. You’re the one who sabotaged my work, aren’t you?”
Candice and Catherine exchanged confused glances. They had just met a few moments ago for the first time.
Catherine didn’t want to offend Sigrid, who came from an influential family, so she clarified, “Miss Olson, you have misunderstood us. You see, my introduction to Miss Blake was when I gave her my business card earlier today. We were strangers prior to our meeting here.”
“Do you think I’m going to buy that?” Sigrid sneered. “You are nothing more than a modest designer from humble beginnings. You lack power and wealth, with just a small studio. How could you possibly replace me?”
𝓣𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓽 𝓽𝓸: gⱥ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀．𝖼𝗈𝗺
The barbed words washed over Catherine, causing her face to drain of color momentarily. Despite this, she composed herself and responded with patience, “Miss Olson, the decision to have me step into the designer director role was Mr. Lopez’s. The knowledge of this was beyond me initially. His request was for me to create a wedding gown. Everything that followed has left me bewildered. A commoner like me had no say in the matter. I hope you understand.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Candice jumped to Catherine’s defense. “Designers draw their strength from imagination and originality. Their wealth and status play no role. Miss Olson, your unreasonable expectations and demands should be matched with your competence and expertise. If you fail to measure up, blame yourself, not the victor.”
The words hit Sigrid like a lightning bolt, as she spat back, “Are you suggesting she’s better than me? The real culprit here is you, talking behind my back, teaming up with Catherine. I’ve got dirt on you, remember that.”
Quick to dismiss Sigrid’s accusations, Catherine interjected, “That’s not the case. Mr. Lopez entrusted me with his engagement party preparation with Miss Blake, scheduled for Wednesday evening. I’m responsible for the dress design, venue setup, and so on. Given the time constraint, I came to meet Miss Blake.”
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