Chapter 1917

After breakfast, Fiona did a quick tidy-up and got ready to head over to the Woods estate with Jackson.

Now that Jackson's status had changed, no one at the Woods family dared to look down on him anymore.

Just as she was finishing up, her phone buzzed. It was Tyler-he'd just received an invitation for International Glam to compete in an international design competition.

This was huge. A chance like this didn't come around often. If they did well, International Glam could finally break out of its niche and get noticed by the public. It was their first real shot at making a name for themselves. For Fiona, it was also a way to give something meaningful back to the Stonnell family.

Even better, the invitation came straight from the organizers. That kind of recognition? Practically unheard of.

Fiona just texted Tyler back, "Got it." Then she walked out, looped her arm through Jackson's, and they headed out together.

But as they drove, Fiona started to realize something was off. This wasn't the way to the Woods estate.

"Jackson?" she called, suspicion creeping into her voice.

She glanced down at the phone between the seats. On the screen was a news alert about International Glam being invited to the competition.

Jackson gave her a gentle look. "Fiona, sweetheart, you've got your own thing to focus on now. Let me handle the Woods family."

He didn't pull over or turn around-he just dropped her off at the International Glam building and parked the car.

He looked at her, serious but warm. "You've always been there for me whenever there was trouble with the Woods family. Now it's my turn to support you. Don't stress about them-I'll take care of it."

Fiona was quiet for a moment, but eventually she nodded.

She stepped out of the car, shooting Jackson a long, searching look. Something about him seemed off, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

Jackson drove away, and Fiona headed upstairs to the office. Tyler had already set up the meeting with the competition organizers. When he saw Fiona, he lit up and introduced her right away.

"This is our boss-Fiona," Tyler said with a proud grin.

He'd gotten so good at things lately-he barely needed her to guide him anymore.

"Hello, Ms. Fiona. I've heard great things about you," said one of the organizers, offering a handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Fiona replied.

After some quick introductions, they were all on the same page. The

preliminary round was just two days away, so Fiona had the team rearrange their schedules and

picked out four designers whose work really stood out.

Once that was settled, she gave Tyler a few last instructions and got ready to head to the Woods estate.

Just then, she noticed a girl hovering by the door.

Their eyes met, and Tyler went over to open it. "Is something up?" he asked.

The girl glanced nervously around,

saw it was just Fiona and Tyler, and

stepped inside. "Mr. Connor, L

don't want to compete."

Tyler frowned. "You don't want to? Why? This competition is a huge chance-not

just for the company, but for you too."

"I know," the girl said quietly. "But I still don't want to."

She looked like she was holding something back.

"What's your name?" Tyler asked, his tone softening.

"Jean."

Fiona glanced at the file in her hands, not wanting to push. She spoke gently, “Go back and think it over. Whatever's happening outside

19 stopping

shouldn't be the main thing stopping you. You haven't been at

International Glam long, right?" Cóntent