"My uncle's company is looking to hire a clerk. The requirements are fairly simple. You just need to know how to use a computer.

"It doesn't pay well, but at least it's an honest job. It's far better than what you used to…" Greg trailed off meaningfully.

"That's right!" Janice instantly chimed in with feigned sympathy. "Although you might have a lot of men abroad, they were only fooling around with you.

"We're all classmates here, Irene. If you need help, please let us know.

"Considering your situation… I mean, since you never attended college and don't even have decent clothes to wear, you won't even be able to go for a job interview. Why don't I take you shopping on another day for some more suitable clothes? If you don't have the money, I can lend you some.

"After all, you used to be the top student in our grade. I feel so bad to see that you've ended up like this."

Samuel remained silent, but he tightened his grip around his wine glass as he stared darkly at me. Meanwhile, his new girlfriend, whom I later found out was named Tina Upton, couldn't stay quiet anymore.

Snorting, she leaned forward with an air of superiority and blatant derision.

"Irene Stewart, right? I heard about you before. They say you used to follow Samuel around everywhere like a pathetic simp. You did his homework, took notes for him, and even dealt with the teachers for him, right? That must've been so hard on you."

Tina paused, savoring the looks of ridicule from the rest of my classmates.

"But I guess you still had some semblance of self-awareness left. You and Samuel were worlds apart. You knew there couldn't possibly be a future between you two, so you ran off, huh? But it seems like you haven't done too well for yourself.

"Well, Samuel is now running his family's company, Nelson Group. I've just taken over the reins of my family's fashion brand as well. We're in talks to collaborate with a top international design house. If you're struggling, we can help you."

I calmly sipped my water before replying, "No thanks. That won't be necessary."

Tina glanced at me scornfully before saying in a smug tone, "I'm guessing you're unaware of what I can do. Have you heard of Lumina?

"It's a rising Farvian luxury jewelry brand. Their head designer is a genius who won international awards back in Barie.

"She's both brilliant and extremely enigmatic. I had to pull many strings just to establish a connection with her. I'm hoping to get her to design an accessories collection for my family's brand. If she agrees, our collaboration will definitely make a mark on the entire fashion industry!

"When the time comes, I could easily toss you a few crumbs with just a snap of my fingers."

Everyone in the room immediately gasped in awe and began showering Tina with flattery.

"I know about Lumina. Their pieces are impeccably designed!"

"I heard that their designer is incredible. She's got an exceptionally keen eye. Most people couldn't even dream of catching her attention!"

"You're so well-connected, Ms. Upton! It's so impressive that you managed to work with a designer of such high calibre. Only someone like you is worthy of being with Samuel!"

Tina lifted her chin proudly as she relished everyone's sycophantic remarks. She'd said all those things for the sole purpose of achieving this outcome.

"What's the name of the designer? Is she really so amazing?" someone asked curiously.

"She goes by the initials I.S., but I heard her last name is Stewart, and she's a Carsinian, too," Tina said as she continued to brag about the designer. "She's said to be young but extremely talented. She holds a very high standing in the design industry back in Farvia.

"It won't be easy for a niche brand like mine to collaborate with her, but I'm confident I will succeed!"

Leaning affectionately against Samuel, she asked, "Don't you think so, Samuel?"

Samuel responded with a half-hearted hum. His eyes were still glued to my face. They seemed to be filled with hatred. He refused to look away or say anything.

The others continued to taunt and jeer me in order to suck up to Tina.

I simply took another sip of water, looking completely unbothered.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

A young woman in a fitted business suit came in with a stack of files in her hands. She had a respectful but slightly hurried expression on her face as she said, "I apologize for the interruption, Ms. Upton.

"I'm bringing over the urgent documents for the Lumina project that you asked for. As for the designer—"

Tina quickly interjected, "How is it going with the designer? What did she say? Has she agreed to meet with us to discuss the collaboration in more detail?"

Tina's voice brimmed with anticipation.

Still clutching the stack of document folders, Tina's assistant nodded. "I met the designer today, but she already had plans tonight. She agreed to have another meeting tomorrow."

The moment the assistant confirmed that she'd personally seen the elusive designer—and had a meeting set—Tina broke into a triumphant smile.

"That's perfect!"

She turned toward Samuel, her eyes glittering with pride.

"See, Samuel? I told you I could do it. I'm definitely going to get her to agree to the collaboration tomorrow!"

My other classmates immediately erupted in eager praise.

"It's just as expected that you're able to do what others can't, Ms. Upton!"

"How incredible! We'll be relying on your support in the future, Ms. Upton."

"Samuel is so lucky to find a partner like you who can be of such great help to him, Ms. Upton!"

Their brown-nosing immensely satisfied Tina's ego. She glanced at me, who was sitting quietly in the corner, before addressing her assistant again.

"By the way, Lucy, do we have any entry-level positions open at the company? Maybe in the janitorial department?"

She paused and cast another meaningful glance in my direction.

"Irene over there helped my boyfriend out a lot in the past. I heard she still hasn't been able to find herself a proper job. Since she and Samuel were classmates, I figured I'd help her find a steady job just to help her out a little."

The room fell silent for a moment before everyone burst out laughing and chimed in happily.

"Heavens, no, Ms. Upton! It's good to be kind, but you really shouldn't get mixed up with people like her, and that family of hers, too!"

"That's right. You probably didn't hear about it, but when she ran off without a word back then, her parents came to the school and created such a huge fuss! They caused such a scene, even wailing outside the principal's office, insisting that the school had sold their daughter off to human traffickers!

"Even the reporters got involved, you know. I can still recall what happened that day… It was a complete circus, and so very disgraceful, too."

"Exactly! She and her family are all the same. They're completely unreasonable! Your fashion brand is just getting started, Ms. Upton. This is a pivotal point in the company's growth. What if her parents barged into the company demanding that you hand her over? What would happen then?"

Upon hearing that, Tina put on an expression of alarm.

"Is that true? In that case, I'm terribly sorry, Irene. It's not that I don't want to help you. But my company is finding its footing.

"We don't have a firm foundation in the industry yet, so we can't afford any scandals. We can't possibly risk getting caught up in trouble from you and your family." After saying that, she purposely scooted closer to Samuel, as if being near me would somehow bring bad luck to her.

Samuel simply looked at me. This time, his lips parted slightly. It looked like he wanted to say something to me, but in the end, he suppressed the urge with a stormy look on his face.

Everyone else was looking at me as though they reveled to see me being humiliated. Their gazes were filled with condescension and scorn.

I couldn't understand why Tina was so eager to give me a job. Still, I remained calm and repeated the rejection I had given Greg earlier.

"No thanks. That won't be necessary. I have a job."

Sighing, Tina remarked, "You should really quit that job of yours. I know that being young and beautiful gives you an advantage, but… It's easy to catch some kind of disease if you stay in that line of work for too long, you know."

The crowd snorted derisively. Even Tina's assistant, Lucy Ziegler, laughed along. But when she spotted me, her expression stiffened. She dropped the Lumina project documents she was still holding, and they scattered all over the floor.

The room went silent.

Looking utterly displeased, Tina snapped, "What are you doing? Can't you even hold onto a bunch of documents?"

However, Lucy completely ignored Tina's rebukes. Pointing at me, she exclaimed in terror, "I-It's you, the designer, Ms. Stewart! W-What are you doing here?"