Chapter 352

Evelyn Sinclair was reviewing the project files when Abigail Thornton entered the office with several strangers.

"Team, meet our collaborators from Vivi Group - their lead designer and core creative team."

Evelyn studied the newcomers carefully.

The female design manager appeared to be in her mid-thirties, while her team members looked significantly younger.

"Pleasure to meet you all. I'm Abigail Thornton, design lead at Blackwood Enterprises. Looking forward to working together," Abigail said warmly, extending her hand.

"Yvonne Blackwell," the Vivi Group manager responded curtly, offering only a perfunctory handshake.

Gregory Peterson followed with his own introduction.

When Evelyn stepped forward, she extended her hand with a polite smile. "Evelyn Sinclair. Nice to meet you."

To everyone's surprise, Yvonne merely gave Evelyn an icy stare before turning away.

Bernadette Worthing smirked internally.

Earlier, she'd seized an opportunity to poison Yvonne's opinion of Evelyn, painting her as a talentless social climber who'd slept her way into the design department using her relationship with CEO Dominic Blackwood.

Bernadette knew Yvonne despised nepotism and incompetence.

Her plan had worked perfectly - now Evelyn would face constant humiliation from the Vivi team.

Unaware of the sabotage, Evelyn stiffened at the blatant snub, her smile faltering.

She shot Abigail a helpless look.

Abigail quickly intervened. "Ms. Blackwell, while Evelyn is new to our department, she's exceptionally talented. Recently, a particularly difficult client rejected all other designs but praised Evelyn's work extensively. She'll be a valuable asset to this project."

Yvonne remained silent, merely shooting Evelyn another disdainful glance before announcing, "Conference room. Now."

The combined teams filed upstairs in tense silence.

Throughout the walk, Yvonne pointedly ignored Evelyn.

Even the other Vivi designers maintained a chilly distance, leaving Evelyn no choice but to trail behind uncomfortably.

She could practically feel their judgmental stares burning into her back.

The Vivi team's assistant design manager, Geoffrey Winslow, appeared to be around thirty - stylishly dressed with polished manners.

Miranda Caldwell stood out with her striking beauty and hourglass figure - young, vibrant, and clearly aware of her charms.

Malcolm Whitmore, leader of Design Team Two, was handsome yet reserved, giving off an air of quiet sophistication.

Evelyn committed their names to memory, knowing she'd need to work closely with them.

Meanwhile, the Vivi team was equally curious about her.

They'd collaborated with Abigail and Gregory before and respected their skills. But Evelyn's inclusion puzzled them.

She looked barely out of college - could she really handle such a high-stakes project?

The rumors about her sleeping her way into the position only fueled their contempt.

The meeting dragged on for over an hour.

As it concluded, Yvonne shoved a thick stack of documents at Evelyn. "Project specifications. Memorize everything by our next meeting in two days. Any questions?"

"No," Evelyn replied quietly, frowning at the heavy bundle.

She recognized this as deliberate hazing.

But as the junior member, she had no grounds to protest.

Meanwhile, in the CEO's office...

Dominic Blackwood looked up from his dual monitors, pleased with T Corporation's quarterly profit surge.

A satisfied smile curved his lips as he reviewed Evelyn's latest designs.

Sebastian Whitmore voiced his concern. "Sir, assigning Evelyn to this high-profile project has made her a target. And Ms. Blackwell's notorious perfectionism... Is Ms. Sinclair prepared for that pressure?"

Everyone knew Yvonne Blackwell's design prowess surpassed even Vivienne Laurent's at T Corporation.

But her obsessive standards made her brutally critical and temperamental - a terrifying workaholic who regularly reduced designers to tears.

Could sensitive Evelyn withstand such treatment?

Dominic checked his watch - quitting time.

He gave Sebastian a knowing smile. "Evelyn's talented but lacks confidence. Ms. Blackwell's mentorship will toughen her up."

After the meeting, Evelyn gathered her documents when Dominic called.

"Dinner at Blue Honors tonight."

"Let's bring Alexander and Isabella. It's been too long since we all ate together," Evelyn insisted, believing family meals were important.

Dominic would rather have her to himself, but imagining her hopeful expression, he relented. "Fine. We'll collect them after work."

Hanging up, Evelyn noticed the time and quickly called home.

"Mommy?" Isabella's sweet voice answered.

"Sweetheart, have you and your brother eaten?"

"Not yet. Aunt Jemma's cooking. We're eating with Great-Grandpa and Grandma..."

"Wait for us. Daddy and I are taking you out."

"Yay! Alex, Mommy's taking us to dinner! Hurry home, Mommy!" Isabella chirped.

Evelyn hung up, a warm smile lingering.