"Ken." A slim woman approached, her sharp heels clicking against the polished floor. She wore a tight, purple dress with a fur shawl draped across her shoulders. Her makeup was so thick that her natural features were almost impossible to discern, and her perfume was overpowering, filling the air with an overly strong scent. Ken's face immediately changed when he saw her. He stood up, wearing a faint smile that did not reach his eyes, and his gaze was full of disdain. "Oh, it's manager Miller. What brings you here?" The woman, known as manager Cathy Miller, cast a condescending glance at Emily. "So, you must be the designer the boss hired with so much effort and money—Miranda, the winner of the Pritzker Prize?" "Yes," Ken nodded, "This is Miranda." "Miranda, nice to meet you." Cathy Miller extended her hand for a handshake. Emily smiled politely and was about to shake her hand, but Cathy pulled her hand away abruptly, leaving Emily in an awkward position with her hand frozen in the air. Cathy Miller let out a snicker and then turned back to Ken, her tone sharp. "Ken, I am the head of HR, directly appointed by our boss. How can a new employee wander around our offices without registering with me? What if a corporate secret gets leaked? Would you be the one to take responsibility?" Ken’s expression hardened. "What do you mean by that, Cathy? Miranda is Stardream's lead designer, and Stardream is our partner. Do you really think it's appropriate to cast suspicion on our partners?" "Isn't it?" Cathy responded, her tone biting. "Anyone entering the building without HR clearance is breaking company rules. You may have forgotten the guidelines, Ken, but I'm here to make sure things run properly. Without my approval, Miranda here has no right to be in this building." Ken sneered, crossing his arms. "Cathy, you love throwing around your 'appointed by our boss' card, don’t you? He appointed you as the HR manager, not to wave that around as if it were a royal decree! Miranda is an internationally recognized architectural talent, and she's not even an employee here—she's a partner. You’re being unreasonable." "No rules, no order. The boss put me in charge, and it's my job to do it right." Cathy rolled her eyes, clearly not intimidated by Ken. She then turned her gaze back to Emily. "Miranda, since you're an important talent for our company, I’ll give you thirty minutes. Please come to my office and provide a proper explanation for entering our company without authorization. I need to evaluate your identity before issuing an access card and work badge."Ken exploded, positioning himself between Cathy and Emily. "You Ketty! Don’t push it! This company belongs to Mr. Norman, not you! Who are you to order Miranda around? I’ve tolerated you long enough, I’m telling you!" Cathy’s face flushed with anger. "My name is not Ketty; it's Cathy Miller!" "Give it a rest, Cathy. Changing your name doesn’t make you classy." Ken shot back, making her face turn red with fury. He then turned to Emily. "Miranda, let’s get out of here. No need to hang around this stinking chicken. Her stink will rub off on us." Ken led Emily away, taking her to his office. He still looked furious even after a long while, downing several cups of ice water to calm himself. Finally, he poured another cup of ice water over his head to "cool off." It was mid-winter, freezing cold outside, but the heating inside the building was too much. Ken had worked himself up into such a rage that his blood was still boiling. He shook the water from his hair and dropped heavily into his chair, muttering a curse. "I just don't get it— the boss isn’t a fool, so why did he put someone like Cathy Miller in charge of HR?" Emily handed him a packet of tissues from her bag. "Wipe off, at least." Ken’s office was a mess—no tissues, and papers strewn everywhere. It looked like a hurricane had blown through. Ken took the tissues, embarrassed. "Sorry about that." "No worries. There are always people like her in an office. Strange things happen—it’s normal." Ken pointed to the chair across from his desk, inviting her to sit. "Take a breather here. As for Cathy, she wants you to go to her office in thirty minutes? Let's not go and let her stew. Seriously, she's just riding on the fact the boss hasn't fired her, thinking she can mess with everyone. It's driving me nuts." Emily had been curious about Cathy’s position. Her demeanor and behavior indicated she wasn’t well-educated, her entire aura seemed more like she belonged in another kind of life. Given what Emily knew about Vincent, he wouldn’t be the type to tolerate this kind of person. But three years had passed. Perhaps his preferences had changed. Either way, whoever he chose didn’t concern her anymore. She was here to work, not compete for favor. "Ken, about that project—we need to get some groundwork done. I’ll prepare my proposal with supporting data within three days and send it over." Emily brought the topic back to work. Ken nodded and sighed, "Thanks, Miranda. The boss is putting a lot into this, basically betting the entire company on it. We can't afford mistakes.""I’ll do my best," she replied. "I believe in you." Ken smiled at her. "I've seen the designs you've won awards for, and a lot of them are included in graduate-level textbooks. You’re only thirty, and already making waves—your future is bright." Emily smiled softly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." "Oh, by the way, you’ll need a workspace here, but Cathy is in charge of office allocations. Best to avoid dealing with her directly. Would you be okay using my office in the meantime? We could collaborate easily too." Ken’s office was spacious enough, given that he was now the head of the design department. Besides his desk and shelves packed with files, there was plenty of empty space for another desk. "Sure," she said, smiling, "I’ll just have to share your space."