Chapter 6

After returning from the HR office, Cecily was stopped by her colleagues from her department on her way to her desk. "Mr. Steiner just called a meeting for the design department because he's about to announce the new director. The meeting's starting soon, so come with us." Cecily nodded and followed them to the office. As they walked, several colleagues smiled warmly and offered their congratulations. "Cecily, you've led many major projects over the past three years, and your designs have earned plenty of international gold awards. It only makes sense that the director role should go to you." "Absolutely. Given your track record and how much Mr. Steiner thinks of you, we all agree you're the perfect fit for the new director role. Once the announcement is official, you'll owe us dinner tonight!" After working together for a long time, Cecily was sure their feelings toward her were sincere. She had planned to tell them about her upcoming resignation, but since Clyde hadn't signed the paperwork yet, she decided to wait until dinner to break the news. "Whether I end up becoming the new director or not isn't the point, but I'd like to treat everyone to dinner tonight. There's also something I need to tell you all." They kept talking as they walked, and before long, they arrived at the conference room, where Cecily chose a seat in the corner. Once everyone was there, Clyde walked in right on time. He looked around the room and got straight to business. "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors. We're holding this meeting to announce the new design director. If anyone has something to say, now's the time to speak up." Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Cecily. She wanted to prevent the decision from being announced before it was too late. After a moment of thought, she lifted her head and met Clyde's calm, unreadable gaze. Then, she took a deep breath and stood up. "Mr. Steiner, I really appreciate the trust you've shown me over the years. You've given me a lot of important projects, and my team and I have delivered every time without letting you down. "I don't know who your top choice for director is, but before anything's officially announced, I'd like to formally—" Before Cecily could finish saying she wanted to step back from being considered for the director role, Clyde cut her off. "For the director role, out of the ten designers in this department, no one matches your level of expertise. But you're still short on experience. That's why I've decided to bring in someone from outside—someone with both the background and seniority this role calls for." The moment he finished, the entire design department was stunned. Cecily stood still, completely blindsided. A moment later, Clyde's voice rang out across the conference room. "Let me introduce our new Design Director, Isabel Jacoby." The door slammed open, and Isabel entered with a slight smile. She started her introduction. "Hello, everyone. I'm Isabel Jacoby. I completed my Ph.D. at Myrona University. I've won the Continental Young Designers Award..." The room fell completely silent. The designers exchanged looks, their expressions unreadable. The reason for their reaction was simple. Many of them had won the same awards Isabel had just mentioned. Since she had no prior work experience and was thrust into the position right after graduation, everyone struggled to accept her, especially the senior designers who had been with the company for nearly five years. Eventually, one of them voiced their concerns. "Mr. Steiner, we all feel Ms. Jacoby lacks the experience needed. She should spend a few more years refining her skills before taking on the director role. Cecily is much more qualified than she is. Once the first person spoke up, the rest of the design department nodded in agreement. Isabel's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she looked at Clyde, her face filled with hurt. When Clyde saw her tears, a brief flash of pain crossed his face. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a cold, sharp gaze directed at Cecily. "Isabel is a top graduate from a prestigious university, with numerous international awards to her name. Her vision and talent far surpass Cecily's. While Cecily has managed many projects, her success was only possible because of the strong foundation and support of her entire design team. "If I handed everything over to Isabel, she'd deliver flawless results—possibly even better. That's why the Design Director position belongs to her. This decision is final."