Chapter 60 The Return of Colton’s Younger Sister
A meaningful smile appeared on Queenie’s face after she heard Nicole’s reply. She haughtily raised her head before swinging open the door and strutting out like a peacock with its tail feathers spread out.
Nicole watched Queenie’s disappearing figure with narrowed eyes. She didn’t believe that Queenie was here for a reason as simple as asking her to attend a birthday party. Although Queenie’s words weren’t without substance, she was sure that things were more complicated than met the eye, considering what she knew about Lydia and Queenie.
However, keeping an eye open for danger wasn’t a bad thing to do.
By the time she finished her current workload, it was time to clock out. Nicole stretched. Just as she was about to go home and see Hayden, Scarlett came in.
“Miss Nicole.” Scarlett took a step forward, a document in her hands.
Nicole noticed her hesitation when she came closer. She chuckled at the sight. “Is something the matter?” she asked.
Scarlett placed the document on the desk and pressed her lips together. “There’s a contract here, Miss Nicole. It was supposed to be signed by Miss Schmidt, but she isn’t in right now. They want the contract signed as soon as possible, and they said that since you’re the current head of the Design Department, your signature will do.”
Upon hearing that, Nicole’s gaze fell upon the document on the desk. She picked it up and leafed through it to realize that it was a contract for a custom order, and it was an expensive one at that. Typically, a custom order would be signed by the designer themselves, and the company would then receive a commission from the agreed amount. If Nicole signed this contract, wouldn’t that mean she was snatching Joanna’s client away?
Back when she worked at F&M Apparel, Nicole had run into a similar incident. Stealing other designers’ clients was not something to be proud of in the industry.
Nicole let out a low chuckle. After she flipped the document back to the first page, she stood up. “I can’t sign this. I’m not exactly a designer under Gardner Corporation. I’m under F&M. I’ll only be able to sign it if this contract is meant for F&M.” After she said that, she noticed the awkward look on Scarlett’s face. She paused for a second before continuing, “If she still insists on my signature, get her to come to me.”
Once Scarlett had gotten an answer, she let out a breath before dashing out of the office at last.
Nicole watched her go with a somewhat dull gaze. She had only been here for a few days, but the employees were already planning to set her up. It seemed that she wasn’t thought of highly here at Gardner Corporation with her status.
…
Night fell. The gigantic crystal chandelier in the Gardner Residence shone in the living room, making it still seem like it was day. There were two people conversing with each other on the couch, and next to them was Colton, who silently stared at his phone, a stark contrast between him and the pair next to him.
“Mom, look at Colton. He keeps staring at his phone. Doesn’t he know he should entertain his sister?” a girl whined as she held Anna’s hand.
Colton clearly heard her, for he put away his phone. When he looked over at the girl, he had an adoring smile ready. “You were talking all this time. I couldn’t get a word in.”
“I managed to graduate at last. Of course I have plenty to talk about,” Wendy declared, pouting.
Wendy Gardner was the princess of the Gardner Family. She was eighteen this year, which made her younger than Colton by eight years. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and was adored by the whole family. Although she had a slight temper, she never developed into a spoiled girl as many girls from wealthy families tended to.
Anna couldn’t stop herself from chuckling as the siblings bantered. Suddenly, a thought seemingly hit her. “By the way, Wendy, don’t you still have your graduation ceremony? I remember that it’s next week. That’s quite soon. Why are you back?” she asked.
At the mention of her graduation ceremony, Wendy finally decided to announce the reason for her return. She gathered herself and looked straight at Colton. “Colton, could you get Miss Joanna to design a dress for me? I want to wear it for my graduation,” she said sweetly.
Joanna wasn’t just the director of Gardner Corporation’s Design Department; she was also rather famous internationally. Wendy wanted to be the brightest star at her graduation ceremony!
