Chapter 66

At 8:15 in the morning, Stella Valentine stood at the entrance of Unique Jewelry.

She glanced down at her slightly outdated business suit—the newest one in her closet.

Six years without buying new clothes had made her forget what shopping even felt like.

Behind her black-framed glasses, her eyes flashed with determination.

Joy Fairsprene's words echoed in her mind: "Victor Valence is eccentric—he actually dislikes women who dress too meticulously."

"Miss Valentine, Mr. Valence is waiting for you in the conference room," the receptionist said with a practiced smile, leading her to the elevator.

Pushing open the conference room door, Stella hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Twenty pairs of eyes turned to scrutinize her.

Victor sat at the head of the table, his long fingers tapping the surface. "Perfect timing. Saves me the trouble of sending someone to fetch you."

A turquoise jewelry design was projected on the screen.

"Tell me your thoughts," Victor said bluntly.

Stella took a deep breath. "It's beautiful."

A few mocking chuckles broke out in the room.

"Is this the level of expertise we're interviewing now?"

"Anyone can call themselves a designer these days."

"Ordinary yet so confident."

Victor's eyes flickered with disappointment as he raised his hand to dismiss her.

"But—" Stella's voice rang clear. "This design has three fatal flaws."

The room fell silent.

She walked to the projector, her slender finger pointing at the screen. "First, pairing turquoise with gold is garish. Second, the necklace clasp is overly complicated. Third..."

Her gaze swept across every designer present. "At least two people worked on this piece."

A woman in a yellow blouse jerked her head up from the corner.

"The floral motif on the brooch was clearly added later," Stella said, locking eyes with her. "And it's a style the client rejected multiple times."

The designer paled. "That's nonsense!"

The manager looked stunned. "She's right. We did cycle through three designers for this project. The clients were a mother and daughter with clashing tastes..."

"Give me fifteen minutes," Stella suddenly said.

"What?"

"I can revise it now."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "You're sure?"

Stella had already picked up a pencil. "I need the measurements."

The room was so quiet, only the sound of graphite scratching paper could be heard.

Fifteen minutes later, she set the pencil down.

"Replace the gold with platinum for the necklace, lengthen the fringe to accentuate the neckline. Switch the earrings to teardrop turquoise. As for the brooch..."

She slid the sketch toward Victor. "Change it to a ginkgo leaf—symbolizing eternal love."

Victor studied the drawing, his gaze deepening.

"Why a ginkgo leaf?"

Stella's voice softened. "A daughter's gift to her mother. Nothing is more fitting than eternity."

The yellow-clad designer slammed her hands on the table. "She doesn't even know design software! These hand sketches are worthless—"

"Hired," Victor cut her off. "Start tomorrow."