?


    "So, does this mean I did it?" Lucy asked, barely containing her excitement.


    "Yes," Matthew replied, and his simple answer made Lucy''s heart soar. She had passed the challenge set by Matthew and Hudson.


    "Really? You''re not just saying that because you like my work, are you?"


    Matthew cracked a smile. "I do y favorites... but not when ites to this. Hudson and I both agreed, so no, there were no special favors."


    Lucy was so overjoyed she could not find the words. She flopped back onto her bed. Gazing at her design drafts, her mind raced with possibilities. "Guess what? There was actually a secret judge this time," Matthew said with a twinkle in his eye. "Want to know who it was?"


    "Who was it?"


    Lucy peered at Matthew, sensing she might know that mystery judge.


    Matthew decided to spill the beans. "It''s Koven."


    "Koven? How could he..."


    "Koven''s buddies with Hudson, so when he heard I was putting your name forward as the designer, Koven chose to put you to the test himself. All those extra things we asked for? Those were his ideas."


    "That makes sense..."


    Lucy had been halfway through her design when Matthew scrapped it. She thought they just did not like her work and that was why she had to start from scratch. She did not realize they wanted to add special touches.


    "I should''ve known it was Koven. Only someone as crafty as him could dream up such a tricky challenge."


    Like insisting on adding a touch of vintage style and a dash of gold... It all made Lucy struggle, squeezing every ounce of creativity toe up with the current design.


    "What did Koven think of my design?"


    Matthew did not want to upset Lucy with Koven''s harsh words. Koven was quite the critic, always finding faults. Luckily, he ended up giving Lucy a nearly perfect score.


    "He said your design was top-notch, one of a kind."


    "...And that''s all he said? Really?"


    Matthew nodded, assuring her that Koven had indeed only said those words and nothing more.


    "No way. Koven''s known for his bitingments. He couldn''t have just said that."


    Matthew knew he could not keep secrets from Lucy, but he still did not spell it out. "That''s all he said."


    "Is that so." Lucy replied with a hint


    of chill in her voice. "Matthew, you don''t need to shield me. I can handle anything Koven says. After all,


    joined his team ready for anything."


    UMS


    l.ne


    "Okay." Matthew took a deep breath to steady himself. "He mentioned that you managed to incorporate thest-minute changes with your original design ideas, but because it was all so rushed, the concepts didn''t fullye together,"


    Hearing Koven''s critique, Lucy felt a new understanding of her work. No wonder Koven was considered the top designer these past few years. He had a knack for pointing out exactly what was wrong with a design.


    "Koven truly lives up to his fame as the best designertely. I think it''s time for some people to revise their opinions of him. He outshines many seasoned pros."


    Lucy realized she had a lot to work on to boost her design skills.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.