I didn’t expect the email.
I was at my desk reviewing sketches, half-focused when the subject line popped up:
RE: INTERNAL COMPETITION – FINALIST SELECTIONS.
My heart skipped a beat. I clicked it open with trembling fingers.
And then I saw it.
Finalists:
– Caleb Hartman
– Jun Ling
– Alice Monroe-Aguas
I stared at the screen, blinking. Then blinking again.
They chose me.
My design. My concept. My name.
I didn’t win yet but I’d made it past the barrier Camilla had tried so hard to build around me.
My breath caught in my chest. For once, not from pain but from pride.
But before I could celebrate, Camilla stormed into the office.
“We need to talk,” she snapped, slamming a file onto my desk.
I didn’t even flinch.
“You submitted confidential internal research with your draft. Th
