When I was crying my heart out, Stephan took me home. I didn’t celebrate my birthday that year.

Later, Stephan said that I should celebrate my birthday one day in advance to dilute the sadness with happiness, so that my parents would be relieved. On my real birthday, he would put aside all other things to spend it with me.

He did it when he was twenty-one and today, just over a year later, he seemed to have forgotten it.

His mind was filled with the news that Bianca had returned. He didn’t even feel the pain when his fingertips were pierced by the thorns of a rose when he was making a phone call in the garden just now.

I stared at the living room in a daze until my phone vibrated and broke my thoughts.

“Hello, Vanessa, I’m Emmett.”

It took me a moment to react, then I remembered that this was my senior from college.

“Emmett, what’s wrong?”

“I have to tell you that I’m in Draport now. By the way, do you know Albert?”

“Yes. He has established a unique jewelry brand in the world and is at the forefront of fashion. He is a very powerful person.”

“Yes, I’m planning to create a new global brand with him, but we don’t have enough manpower here.” Emmett’s voice was a little hesitant. “I showed him your work without telling you in advance and he was very satisfied. I sent word that I hope you will join me.”

I was stunned. “Creating a new global brand with Albert?”

“It’s like this. I heard someone say before that you followed Stephan to work in Marshall Group. Will it bother you? Actually, I’m just asking. It’s okay if you don’t want to. I just think it’s good to be with Albert. It’s a particularly good opportunity to be together…”

Emmett’s voice was hesitant and regretful.

Indeed, Albert was a well-known figure in the jewelry design industry and many people would beg for his services, but I never expected that he would be interested in my work.

However, if I wanted to start a brand with Albert, I would have to go abroad, leave ShenStephan and go to Draport for a few years.

I was silent for a long time. “Give me some time, I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, I look forward to hearing from you.”

I returned to the room and didn’t know when I fell into a deep sleep. When the sunlight filled the whole room and the back of my hand was wrapped by a warm palm, I opened my eyes.

Stephan sat on the bed, still wearing the suit he wore yesterday.

“Vanessa, were you exhausted yesterday? You went straight to sleep without even changing into your dress.”

He ruffled my messy hair and said distressedly, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have arranged so many procedures.”

I was a little surprised that he would come back at this time. I pursed my lips and said, “Don’t you have work to do?”

“It’s true that I’m busy at work, but Vanessa also needs my company.”

My nose felt sore and I threw myself into his arms.

Stephan hugged me and said, “I was wrong. I should have stayed with you last night. Vanessa won’t be angry, right?”

I shook my head and buried myself deeper in his arms.

He was my salvation, how could I be angry with him?

Leaning against his chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat, a hint of unique perfume permeated my nose, the top note being an elegant white rose and the base note leaving a faint moonlight.

It was not my taste, nor was it Stephan’s taste.

My heart skipped a beat and my hand subconsciously reached out for the collar of Stephan’s shirt. As soon as I unbuttoned a button, my wrist was grabbed.

“I’ve been a little tired from work lately, maybe next time.”

He stood up and buttoned his clothes again. “By the way, last time I said I wanted to learn how to make shrimp and scallop porridge from Audrey. Have you eaten yet? Wait for me for a while and I’ll let you taste my cooking skills.”

Stephan turned and left the room. I was stunned for a moment and looked at the bouquet of white roses on the bedside.

Every day he would cut a few white roses from the garden and put them by his bed, saying they looked beautiful.

I lowered my eyes and threw all the white roses and the vase into the trash can.

After resting for a few days, I returned to the company.

My university major was jewelry design. After graduation, Stephan brought me into the Marshall Group and separated the jewelry product line of the Marshall Group into a branch company with the brand name “Radiant Creations”.

And I, at a young age, became the person in charge of Radiant Creations.

I told my assistant Jessica. “The summer new product launch is about to begin. Gather the planning and design drafts from each department. I want to review them one by one.”

“Okay.”

I flipped through the design draft and the more I flipped through the plan, the more my brows furrowed.

I was away during this period and didn’t monitor their work, so the content became more and more confusing.

I took a bunch of design drafts and went to the design department with Jessica and saw a middle-aged woman cracking melon seeds and chatting with people around her.

Her name was Zera. She was a veteran in the company and the one with the highest salary based on seniority in the design department, but she was also the one with the worst working ability.

I put down the design draft and said, “Zera, tell me about the concept of these designs.”

“Oh, it’s just a design, why do you have to talk about the concept?” Zera came over impatiently. “I worked day and night with everyone to draw these designs, aren’t they all pretty?”

“Pretty?” I took a deep breath and took out a few manuscripts. “This one is a copy of the new autumn product of Timeless Studio last year. And this one, wasn’t it the design I rejected last year? What does it mean to submit it again? ——”

“Wait, Miss Martin.” Zera’s voice rose. “What do you mean by plagiarism? Isn’t it normal for designers to have the same ideas occasionally? You’re going too far by saying it’s plagiarism! And the reason I submitted the design again is because I think this design is very good, but you rejected it because you don’t have the vision to appreciate it.”

Zera’s attitude was so arrogant that I became more and more depressed. Everyone else kept silent and didn’t dare to speak.

Zera sneered, “Miss Martin, you are young and don’t know as much as we do about some things. Didn’t you rely on Stephan to gain a foothold in the Marshall Group? Without him, you wouldn’t even be able to step into the threshold of the Marshall Group. You have no ability and you got everything you have now just by climbing into bed. It’s people like you that I can’t stand the most.”

Before I could respond, Jessica angrily retorted, “Watch your words. What do you mean by incompetent? Last summer, all the best-selling products were designed by Vanessa alone, but the products you designed didn’t even sell well. It’s very ugly.”

Zera choked and snorted, “You lackey!”

I looked at Zera coldly. “Then don’t do it.”

This Zera had been causing troubles since I took over the branch two years ago. Before, I never bothered with her because she was a company veteran, but now her attitude was arrogant. One bad apple spoilt the whole barrel. If we continued to keep her, there would be big problems with the new product launch of “Fiery Summer”.

Zera’s voice became sharp. “Why? I was transferred here from the headquarters. Even if they want to fire me, it should be the headquarters that fires me!”

“Then the headquarters will also fire you.”

A deep, magnetic voice sounded at the door of the office. Stephan stepped in and the air pressure in the office dropped instantly.

“Mr. Marshall…” Everyone stood up quickly, even Zera was stunned for a moment.

He said unhappily, “You can leave now. The group’s dismissal notice will be sent to your email later.”

Zera was carried out by the security guards. Stephan glanced at everyone in the office and said, “I happened to be free today, so I came to inspect the branch. I hope everyone will work actively and complete the tasks assigned by Miss Martin with a serious attitude.”

“Okay, Mr. Marshall.”

Under everyone’s timid gaze, I followed Stephan back to the independent office.

Pulling down the curtain, I turned around and asked him, “Why are you free to come here today?”

“I missed you. I was busy at the company these days and didn’t go home. As soon as I got home, I heard that you came to work, so I followed you.”

The unique, refreshing bamboo scent on his body came closer to me and he held me in his arms, making me feel at ease for a moment and all the previous depression was swept away.

I leaned into his arms. “You don’t have to stand up for me, I can handle it myself.”

“There is a more convenient and faster solution, isn’t there?” He laughed twice in his chest. “You can rely on me, Vanessa.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

After a while of tenderness, Stephan hurried back to the company.

I lowered my head and looked at a photo sent from an unfamiliar number.

The girl was in the foreground, with only her pretty neck and shoulders showing. Behind her was a messy bed and a man was lying on it with his eyes closed, looking tired and satisfied.

There were several ambiguous red marks on the girl’s shoulders.

My hand holding the phone was shaking slightly, but even though the photo wasn’t very clear, I recognized the man instantly.

It was Stephan.

My hands were shaking and I made several mistakes before I replied: [Who are you?]

The message from there was replied within seconds.

[Don’t you know?] I know you know.]

The sun was shining brightly, pouring in through the window and making the office warm, but I felt like I was falling into an icy cave.

It wasn’t until Jessica knocked on the door and came in that I came to my senses and turned off my phone.

“What’s wrong?”

Jessica was worried. “Vanessa, it’s already May and there are only 20 days left before our new product launch. You still need to review these plans and design drafts.”

I rubbed my eyebrows in annoyance.

The press conference was scheduled for May 20th. There were too many things to do during this period and there was no time to design new products.

And now...

I took out my previous drafts from the drawer. Each one was about sweet love, which was very consistent with the theme of this new product launch conference, but no matter how I looked at them, I felt unsatisfied.

I unlocked my phone and the photo I had been looking at for a long time came into my sight again, stimulating my nerves.

I stood up and said, “Okay, you go ahead and do your thing. I need to go out for a while.”

I asked the driver to drive to the downstairs of the Marshall Group building. The front desk staff knew me and didn’t stop me, so I took the private elevator directly to the top floor.

But I was stopped at the office door.

Scott, Stephan’s assistant, hurriedly explained, “Miss Martin, Mr. Marshall is discussing important cooperation. Please go to the VIP room and wait. I will invite you after it is over.”

Some groundbreaking conjectures instantly exploded in my mind.

I pushed Scott away. “I also have something very important to discuss with Stephan!”

“Miss Martin!”

Scott wanted to stop me, but a voice came from inside the office. “Let her in.”

I hurriedly pushed the door open and the spacious office was filled with a faint rose scent.