Chapter 10

The next day, the rain only stopped at 11:00 am. Sarah looked at the housing certificate with her name on it. She then took a selfie with it and posted it online. "Thanks, Simon!" He got into the car silently. Janice did not call or text. The supervisor of the crochet department called and said, "Mr. Fitzgerald, we can't find professionals at double-sided crochet. "Those who responded to our job adverts weren't good at their craft and wouldn't be able to teach the workers. When would Ms. Smith be free to come over and teach them?" The mention of Janice's name annoyed Simon. "Is no one else available? Other than Janice, is there no one left in Greenfield City who can teach them?" "Ms. Smith isn't the only person who knows how to do it. However, those who would be able to pass on their knowledge have retired. We can't invite people who are too professional." Refined Threads Co. had made a name for themselves from Janice's crochet work, which she did from behind the scenes. Many businesses commented that she would be a big deal in the future. No one knew that Janice had won her first prize for her crochet design four years ago. The crochet experts were dwindling. The youngsters didn't have the patience to learn. Thus, the remaining experts were extremely precious—Janice was one of them. Simon slammed his hands on his steering wheel and ordered, "Hire them with attractive pay." He didn't believe that no one other than Janice could teach them crocheting. Simon would rather die than ask Janice for help. Thinking that Simon felt bad for making Janice work too hard, the supervisor didn't think too much about it and published a high-paying advert. At 1:00 pm, Janice arrived at Prosper Stitch Group on time. "Ms. Moore." The managers and a few experienced seamstresses greeted her, "Ms. Smith." "Nice to meet you." Matilda invited her in, "Let's discuss it here." They entered the meeting room. Janice pulled out her design, which she'd spent the whole night fixing. "I haven't framed it. I wanted to show it to you guys first. I'll adjust any details as needed." The managers and experienced seamstresses looked at her work. Surprise took over their faces. Some even pulled out magnifying glasses to examine the stitches. Her ability… Her capabilities were on another level. Matilda suppressed her excitement and surprise. "Ms. Smith, I'll be straight with you. Did you really make this?" Janice could understand why they were surprised and doubtful. To win the Fall Tournament, she had perfected her work even further. This would indeed raise suspicion. If they entered crochet designs that they bought from outside and got reported to authorities, they would be banned from national competitions forever. Prosper Stitch Group would never allow this to happen. Janice placed a drive on the table and smiled. She said, "I recorded a video while I was crocheting. If you guys are still concerned, you can take a look at it." "That's not what we meant. Ms. Smith, don't misunderstand us." The manager turned to Matilda after speaking and said softly, "Ms. Moore, I can guarantee that this design will bag the first place at the Fall Tournament. Although there are some minor issues, it's enough to vanquish our other competitors." They were from the northern part of the country, while double-sided crocheting was done more in the south. As a result, companies in the south were their biggest threats. The Southerners had ruled the industry with their Melody and Loop Creations for nearly forty years now. Considering how Prosper Stitches Group could carve out a part of the industry for themselves, it was clear that they were extremely capable. Beating the Melody and Loop Creations was their next goal. "Can you promise that it'll defeat the Melody and Loop Creations?" asked Matilda. She said, "Ms. Smith is talented. Even if it doesn't win the upcoming international competition, she'll be one of their strongest contenders within three years." Matilda made a decision. After sending Janice off, she called Edward. When he picked up her video call, he seemed to have just gotten out of the shower. Although his hair wasn't dripping wet, he was a sight to behold as his black robe contrasted against his alabaster skin. His eyes were especially dark. Although they were calm, they seemed to gleam dangerously. "What?" Matilda asked, "Have you seen Janice's work?" "Yeah." He'd just taken a look at it. Matilda thought about it and asked, "Edward, are you thinking of getting her into our company?" He leaned back and took a puff on his cigarette, saying nothing. If she didn't know him, she wouldn't have imagined a man like him working in an industry that had the reputation of being so graceful and refined. After a moment, he replied, "I'm not thinking about it." He was already planning to do so. Matilda was concerned. "However, she's all tangled up with Simon from Refined Threads Co. Even without this, it would need a lot of time to bring up an experienced double-sided seamstress." Simon hung up. Matilda was dumbstruck. Did he hang up just like that? Then, she received a notification of an email from overseas. It was from Edward himself. After reading the email, she couldn't calm down. Matilda gulped at her water and began mumbling to herself, "Janice won the 'Best Seamstress Award'? Out of the only two double-sided crochet designs on display in the crocheting museum, one of them was Janice's work?" She'd hidden this very well. Did this mean that Refined Threads Co. survived for so many years solely because of Janice? Matilda nodded slowly and said, "Oh." Two seconds later, she shot up. She had to help this genius make a fortune! … After leaving Prosper Stitch Group, Janice got into her car and wanted to take a break. When she went on Instagram, she was enraged by Sarah's story. The address written on her certificate was the mansion she was staying at! Although Janice had never thought the mansion belonged to her solely, there was no way she would give it to someone else just like that. She drove home, her car screeching to a stop in front of the mansion. Janice strode over and keyed in the code to open the door. However, it indicated that she'd entered the wrong password. "Who is it?" Sarah opened the door to see Janice, who was extremely pale. Janice brushed past her and walked in. As expected, Simon was home. "What is the meaning of this?" "Watch your tone when you're speaking to my son." Helena and Amelia were putting up decorations in the living room. All of Janice's decorations were gone. Her ears rang. She glared at Simon, who was sitting on the couch, showing no visible signs of nervousness. "I'm asking you, what are you doing with this mansion?" "What else can I be doing? This mansion belongs to Sarah now." "Shouldn't you discuss this with me? After all, I should have a right over it, right?" Purchasing this mansion had bled her account dry. Ever since she'd lost her home at 20, she'd wanted a home for herself. Thus, she saved money and bought a house for her and Simon at the first available chance. "Why would you have any rights over this house?" Helena questioned. She continued, "It's under my son's name." Simon felt like his anger was being released at Janice's anxiousness. She had to be taught a lesson for her recent disobedience. Thus, Simon said intentionally, "Are you trying to say that you paid off half of the mansion?" Janice had a bad feeling about this. It came true when Simon lit a cigarette and said with a smirk, "Who can prove that? The money came from my account. "In the future, you should stop claiming that you paid for half of it. Now, get out of my mansion!" Simon waved her away arrogantly. Amelia held a vase and said, "Janice, read the room." Four people took their turns attacking her. Janice looked at Simon in disbelief. She'd never thought that Simon would be capable of doing this. He didn't admit that she paid for the mansion and tried to force her out.