Chapter 3
On Friday morning, Charlotte slipped into a comfy black dress and tied her hair into a low ponytail.
Her belly was so big that, turning sideways in front of the mirror, she thought she looked just like a penguin.
As she headed out the door, David was at the table having breakfast.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Just got some things to handle," she replied.
She didn't bother to explain, just flagged down a cab and headed straight for Starlight Jewelry Group.
Starlight Jewelry Group was one of the top jewelry brands in the country. The building was a 46-story tower with an all-glass facade, gleaming in the sunlight.
As Charlotte checked in at the front desk, the other seven finalists were standing nearby.
They were all young, suited up, and two of them were carrying designer bags.
None of them was seven months pregnant.
The receptionist gave her a quick look. "Charlotte Lane? The Dawn series?"
"Yes," Charlotte replied.
"Please go to the conference room on the 32nd floor," the receptionist said.
In the elevator, a young man wearing glasses sized her up from head to toe.
"You're here for the competition too?" he asked.
"Yeah," Charlotte replied.
"Which company are you with?" he asked.
"I'm competing as an individual," Charlotte said.
The man didn't say another word, but the smirk on his face said it all.
In the conference room on the 32nd floor, five judges sat at the panel.
Charlotte was sixth to present.
The first five finalists all had impressive backgrounds. Some came from well-known design studios, some were designers who had studied abroad, and others were top talents representing major jewelry brands.
When her turn came, she stepped onto the stage, her pregnant belly showing for all to see.
At the center of the judges' table sat an elderly man with gray hair, dressed in a deep gray suit, sitting ramrod straight and radiating authority.
She didn't recognize him.
But when he saw her, his hand paused mid-air, still holding the cup.
Charlotte connected her laptop to the projector and began explaining her Dawn series.
"The core concept of this collection is the aesthetics of cracks," she said, flipping to the first slide. It showed a ring design with intentionally preserved fractures in the metal, each crack set with tiny diamonds that refracted light in uneven patterns.
"What is imperfect does not need to be fixed. It is the answer itself."
The conference room fell silent for a few seconds.
One of the female judges spoke up. "What about your production process? The yield rate for these irregular fractures won't be more than thirty percent."
"Sixty-two percent," Charlotte said, pulling up the next slide, which showed a detailed process flow chart.
"I've tested it. Using controlled micro-blasting to create the fractures during the metal forming stage, then using vacuum setting to place the diamonds. Here's my experimental data."
The elderly judge set his cup down.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Charlotte Lane," she replied.
The judge kept his gaze on her for a while.
"What's that around your neck?" the judge asked.
Charlotte instinctively reached for her collar, and a glint of the silver pendant's chain slipped into view.
"Just something old," Charlotte replied.
The judge just nodded and let it go.
After her turn, Charlotte went back to the waiting area.
The guy with glasses sidled up and said, "Nice presentation, but you know how these contests work. It's all about connections, right?"
Charlotte didn't even bother to respond.
By two o'clock, the results were out.
Her Dawn series scored the highest. She won first place, just like that.
A staff member handed her an envelope. "Ms. Lane, congratulations on winning the finals! You've got a prize of 70,000 dollars, and Starlight Jewelry Group wants to talk to you about a design contract."
Seventy thousand dollars.
Her hand shook.
The guy with glasses stood nearby, and his expression was priceless.
Charlotte tucked the envelope away and took the elevator downstairs.
The elevator stopped on the 20th floor, and a man stepped inside.
He was tall and lean, dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up. He held a file in one hand.
He gave Charlotte a quick once-over, his gaze lingering on her belly.
"How far along are you?" the man asked.
"Seven months," Charlotte answered.
"Did you come alone?" he asked.
"Yeah," Charlotte replied.
He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Ethan Cooper, Investment Division at Starlight Jewelry Group. You're the winner today, aren't you?" he asked.
"How did you know?" Charlotte asked.
"I watched the whole presentation live from the control room on the 32nd floor," he said. "I thought your design was really impressive."
The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors slid open.
Ethan stepped aside, letting Charlotte go first.
"Ms. Lane, you can reach out to me anytime if you want to discuss the collaboration," he said.
Charlotte slipped the business card into her bag and walked out of Starlight Tower.
The sun was scorching. She stood on the steps and shot Emily a message.
Charlotte: [Won first place. 70,000 dollars prize.]
Emily replied instantly.
Emily: [Dinner's on me tonight!]
Charlotte put her phone away and grabbed a cab home.
On the ride back, she got a message from David.
David: [Got a dinner meeting tonight. Won't be home for dinner.]
She didn't reply.
When she got home, Karen was cooking in the kitchen, and Frank was watering the plants.
No one asked where she'd been.
She went back to her bedroom and locked the award letter and the contract offer inside the old metal box, tucking them beside her silver pendant.
There was an unread email on her phone from the Starlight Design Award committee.
Committee: [Ms. Charlotte Lane, the founder of Starlight Jewelry Group, Mr. Lane, wants to meet with you one-on-one. Please let us know when you're available.]
Charlotte stared at the name "Mr. Lane" for a long time.
The founder of Starlight Jewelry Group had the same last name as her.
Her last name was Lane, just like his.
Charlotte shook her head, feeling a little unsettled, and replied to the email.
Charlotte: [Next Monday afternoon.]
Then she turned off her phone and went to bed.