Chapter 4

My chance came sooner than I expected.

The company got a big opportunity. Starlight Group, the biggest luxury brand in the country, was launching a new perfume. They were looking for a partner for their yearly brand campaign.

This was the largest and most famous client we had ever worked with.

If we got this project, we would make a name for ourselves overnight and move up in the industry.

I decided to lead the effort myself. I started a competition across the whole company. Whoever made the best proposal would lead the project.

When the news came out, the whole office went crazy.

Michelle looked especially excited. Her eyes practically burned with it.

She saw this as her perfect chance to finally turn things around and prove what she was worth.

After all, she was the only real graduate from a famous university in the company.

To her, this chance to create a campaign for a luxury brand felt like it was made for her. It was as if fate had handed it to her.

The internal competition preparation period was one week long.

The whole company was buzzing with energy. Everyone wanted to stand out in this pitch.

Team One was no different. Thomas and his core team members were burning the midnight oil, meeting late every night.

But Michelle didn't join their group discussions.

She asked to submit a solo proposal instead.

Thomas tried to talk her out of it. "Michelle, the Starlight project is massive. No person can take this on alone. You're new here and still learning the ropes. You'd be better off sticking with the team."

Michelle turned him down, full of confidence. "Thomas, I appreciate the concern. But I really believe the best ideas come from thinking alone, not from team compromise. Plus, my take on the luxury industry is probably pretty different from yours."

What she was really saying was that Thomas and his crew were too basic. They didn't get what real luxury meant.

Thomas was so frustrated that he couldn't even respond. In the end, he let her do her own thing.

From that day on, Michelle became a lone wolf.

She spent her days at the office gathering research, and as soon as the workday ended, she would disappear without a word. No one had any idea where she went.

Meanwhile, Thomas brought Christina into the main proposal group.

This girl, who usually kept a low profile, showed surprising potential and drive when the opportunity came.

Her sharp analysis of the perfume market and her deep understanding of young consumers led to several ideas that made Thomas sit up and take notice.

Still, Christina was pretty shy. Her voice was barely above a whisper whenever she spoke.

I kept a close eye on everything, and every now and then, I would casually stop by Team One, pretending to check on things, to drop a few hints her way.

I would suggest, "Christina, your take on 'smell memory' is really promising. Try digging deeper. See if you can tie it to the emotional loneliness people feel nowadays.

"Your data analysis is solid, but you need to learn how to tell it as a story. Numbers alone won't win over clients."

Every time I spoke, a spark would light up in Christina's eyes.

I could see that a diamond, once hidden under layers of dust, was finally starting to shine.

Meanwhile, Michelle laughed off any advice from me, her "high school-educated" boss.

One time, I walked past her desk and saw her digging into Starlight's competitors. I casually said, "Their brand story is solid, but their market reach isn't deep enough. That's where we can make our move."

She didn't even look up. She scoffed and muttered, "What does new money know about how luxury really works?"

Her voice was quiet, but I heard it all.

I didn't say a thing. I smiled and walked away.

Deep down, I hoped Michelle would go ahead and enjoy her pride.

The higher she climbed, the harder she would hit when she finally fell.