"Bob, please leave now!" Amy exclaimed, pushing against him as Bob easily dodged her attempts, his eyes locking onto Emily's. "Miss Carter, show me your capabilities," Bob said calmly, his gaze unwavering. "Prove to me that your success isn't just based on your looks." Amy, enraged, yelled, "You're being completely unreasonable! You know perfectly well that this design couldn't be revised in a week, let alone overnight! Miranda is your superior, not your subordinate, and she doesn’t need to prove herself to you. Her abilities have already been recognized by the company, and whether or not you accept that is irrelevant!" “Oh, assistant,” Bob replied, a smile curling at his lips—a mix of provocation and challenge. “You’re wrong about that. If it weren’t for her sudden arrival, I would have been promoted to director. I’m not blindly dismissing her, but I need her to prove her abilities to me, to show that she’s not just a pretty face stealing something that should’ve been mine.” So that’s it, Emily thought. If she hadn’t taken this position, Bob would’ve been the one to get promoted. His resentment stemmed from being passed over for the job. "Beauty and competence are not mutually exclusive, Bob," Emily said, her voice steady. "If you're dismissing someone's skills based on appearance, isn't that a form of sexism?" “Sexism has nothing to do with it,” Bob retorted, standing firm. “If there were some young pretty boy sitting here instead of you, I’d question him just the same. Stardream Group is one of the top architectural firms in Europe, and we don’t let just anyone lead our design department. I won’t accept it unless I see proof.” Amy glared at him. “If you don’t like it, you can resign or jump ship!” “I’ve been with Stardream for nearly a decade,” Bob scoffed. “Why should I be the one to leave?” His tone became more sinister. “So, Miss Carter, how about this—I’ve already promised the Thai construction team that the revised blueprints will be completed by midnight tonight. If they don’t receive them, the company will be liable for breach of contract and will have to pay for the delay. You wouldn’t want your first project as director to result in a hefty financial penalty, would you?” A classic bait-and-switch, Emily thought, realizing Bob was trying to corner her into failure. Amy immediately saw through the ploy as well. “This is on you! You made that promise; it’s not Miranda’s responsibility!” Bob smirked. “But she’s my superior now, the Director of Design. The responsibility lies with the department, and therefore with her. Miss Carter, it’s not just me—more than half of the 367 employees in this department doubt your abilities. If you can’t win their respect, how do you expect them to follow your lead?”Emily raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a small smile. “Is that a threat?” “You can take it however you like,” Bob said, his voice dripping with condescension. “I’ve worked here long enough to have built connections and earned respect. So, if you want to prove you belong in that chair, show me what you can do. And just for the record, you're incredibly beautiful. If you’d be willing to step down from this position, I’d consider pursuing you romantically.” Emily let out a small laugh as if she had heard the most absurd joke. “Sorry to disappoint you, Bob, but I’m married.” “Oh wow, does your husband know you slept your way to a prize?” Bob's smirk vanished when Emily's expression grew deadly serious. “Bob,” she said, her voice cold and deliberate, “I want to let you know that everything you just said has been recorded. Whether or not I prove myself to you today, I’ll be filing a defamation lawsuit.” Bob's face paled. “You…” “Stardream prides itself on capability, but it doesn’t protect criminals,” Emily continued. “As long as I’m in this chair, I’m your boss. Your connections and reputation won't save you from the consequences of what you’ve just done.” Bob's lips twisted into a forced smile. “What? Too scared to take my challenge, so you’re forcing me into submission this way?” “I’m merely protecting my legal rights,” Emily said calmly, rising from her seat. “As for the challenge—I’ll show you what I’m capable of.” Turning to Amy, she instructed, “Notify the design team. We’re having a meeting in the main conference room in ten minutes.” Amy, wide-eyed, grabbed her arm. “Miranda, this is impossible! Bob’s just trying to bait you. Don’t fall for it!” But Emily remained unshaken. “It’s fine. I need to meet my team anyway. Let’s go.” Bob glanced nervously at her phone, aware that his incriminating comments were recorded. Emily made sure to keep the phone safely in her grasp. "Ready to go, Bob?" she asked coolly. “Or do you have something else you want to say?” Bob stiffened but refused to back down. “No. Let’s see if you embarrass yourself so badly that even Adam can’t save you.” “We’ll see soon enough,” Emily said as they headed toward the conference room. Amy sent out the email, and Emily used the few remaining minutes to review the blueprint.Bob had indeed set her up with an impossible task. The building design featured 60 floors in a “卍” shape—a symbol tied to Buddhism. The design itself was an architectural masterpiece, using minimal land to maximize usable space while maintaining optimal ventilation and lighting. The problem was that this symbol, though geometrically perfect, was religiously significant in Thailand, where Buddhism is highly respected. Implementing such a design in Thailand would be culturally unacceptable. Fixing the design wasn’t just a matter of tweaking the shape; it would require recalculating the entire building’s load-bearing structure and distribution of forces—a monumental task, and the most challenging part of the project. “Miranda, the meeting’s been scheduled,” Amy said. Emily nodded. “Thanks. Let’s go.” As they walked to the conference room, Amy remained anxious. “Are you sure about this? Even I know that the calculations involved here can’t possibly be done in such a short time. It’s just not humanly possible…” Emily glanced at her and smiled reassuringly. “What can I do? Bob’s challenged me in front of the whole team. I can’t exactly back down now, can I?” “But…” “It’s alright. We’ll take it one step at a time. And if things don’t work out at Stardream, well, we can always start our own firm. That was the original plan anyway. I only accepted this job because Stardream’s offer was too good to pass up.” Amy’s eyes welled up with admiration. “Miranda, you’re the best architect I’ve ever known. Go for it. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”