Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 149

When Silvia’s question hung in the air, Amy narrowed her eyes slightly, fixing her with a look that was hard to read—a flicker of something complicated passing across her face.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open. Amy stepped out first, then paused and glanced back at Silvia. Her lips curved into a faint smile. “Silvia, I don’t have any issues with you. You’re overthinking it. The truth is, the assistant designer role is all detail work, and we were already at capacity in the design department before you arrived.”

Her meaning was clear: Silvia was the outsider here, and just being given the position of assistant designer was already a generous concession.

Silvia lowered her gaze, a hint of mockery ghosting across her delicate features.

Sure, the design team was full. But if she was truly here as an assistant designer, it made no sense that she wasn’t allowed to participate in any actual design projects. Still, Silvia didn’t bother arguing. She simply returned to her desk and handed over her finished proposal to Amy.

Standing before Amy’s desk, Silvia looked at her calmly. “This is the project you tossed my way a few days ago. Take a look—what do you think?”

Amy barely lifted her eyes, glancing at Silvia before turning her attention to the proposal.

She’d reviewed countless design drafts in her career, so she was quick to pass judgment—within minutes, she’d already sized up the work in front of her. She kept her head down, flipping through the pages again and again.

Silvia didn’t rush her, waiting patiently in silence. The office grew still, the air almost thickening with anticipation.

Amy finally let out a long breath. She set the proposal aside and spoke quietly. “I can’t deny it—you did an excellent job.”

She didn’t look at Silvia as she said it, her gaze fixed on the desk, fingers loosely intertwined. No one could guess what she was thinking.

Silvia showed no surprise at the praise. “So, in your opinion, do you think my skills could actually contribute to the team?”

Amy was silent for a long time, clearly weighing her words. At last, she replied, “Silvia, I know you’re eager to prove yourself here. But as I told you before, the design department is already fully staffed. If you join a project, yes, it would lighten the team’s workload, but it would also mean splitting the salary further.”

Silvia didn’t argue. Having served as Shipley’s secretary, she understood exactly how these things worked.