Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

At the restaurant, Janice treated this dinner as a gesture of appreciation from Edward, a rare acknowledgment of her efforts.

The beginning of the meal went smoothly, with little conversation between the two. It wasn't until the end that Edward finally spoke.

"I have a task for you."

Janice immediately put down her utensil, giving him her full attention.

“The overseas branch of Prosper Stitch Group is up and running. Its order volume is significantly higher than that of our domestic operations. There are plenty of Aurian seamstresses and artisans there, but we're still short of talent.

"I need you to recruit skilled seamstresses willing to work abroad. How many do you think you can find?"

Janice had been in this industry long enough to know more resources and seamstresses than even the Moore siblings, who specialized In business strategy and rarely dealt with the grassroots connections she had cultivated.

Instead of answering directly, Janice asked, "How many do you need?"

She didn't promise how many seamstresses she could recruit. Instead, she simply asked for the target result. This response brought a rare, noticeable smile to Edward's otherwise stoic face.

What was his background?

Edward Moore was a man of exceptional ability from one of the most influential political families in the country.

“Just do your best,” he replied, leaving her room to maneuver without imposing rigid demands. Their understanding was seamless.

"When do you need them?"

"Before the Winter Tournament."

Next week marks the start of the Fall Tournament, and just three months after that, the Winter Tournament will be here. Time was Light

"Noted on that."

After dinner, Edward offered, "Get in the car. I'll drop you off."

Janice hadn't driven herself, so she accepted without hesitation. In the car, Janice didn't expect Edward to initiate a conversation unrelated to work

"Your perspective-does it revolve entirely around crochet?"

The abrupt question caught her off guard. After a moment's thought, she offered an awkward smile. "Probably."

“Then take the opportunity to see more excellent works. Broaden your view.” Edward continued, “A week after the Fall Tournament ends, there will be a crochet exhibit. Come with me."

It was clearly a work-related directive, but Janice didn't mind. She enjoyed attending such exhibitions, "Alright."

When they arrived at the high-end villa district, Janice stepped out of the car and watched as Edward's vehicle disappeared into the distancenoveldrama

Once home, her phone buzzed with dozens of unread WhatsApp messages. Simon had sent seven or eight, while Sarah had sent dozens At first, Sarah's messages were voice notes, but later, likely fearing Janice wouldn't listen, she switched to text.

The insults were explicit and cruel, even dragging Janice's mother and younger brother into the tirades. Sarah's curses were vicious, and she wished the Smith family utter ruin, accusing Janice of betrayal and calling her an ungrateful traitor for joining Prosper Stitch Group

Janice calmly recorded her screen, saving both the voice messages and the text insults as evidence. Simon's messages were different this time. Instead of angry outbursts, they carried a tone that unsettled Janice-he even apologized. Simon Fitzgerald, apologizing? What was his intention?

In the chat, “Janice, I know a lot has happened between us recently. I understand why you went to Prosper Stitch Group in a fit of anger. But life goes on. When this is all over, come back.

Take a few days to cool off. I'll come find you soon.

2/3

A fit of anger? Was that what he thought this was? Whose life was going on?

Janice didn't respond. With mixed feelings, she entered the bathroom for a long soak, letting the warm water wash away the day's

exhaustion.

Seven years... No one could forget that amount of time so easily-especially not seven years of struggle of building something from

scratch

Janice knew better than anyone what it had taken for them to survive those years. That knowledge made her pain feel sharper, Who would willingly see their hard work go to waste or let someone else reap the rewards?

Janice's natural resilience and strong-willed personality had always driven her forward. The gentler, more subdued version of herself had been forged for Simon's sake.

After her bath, she finally lay down to rest

Meanwhile, in Refined Threads Co., Simon didn't sleep a wink all night, torn between anger and anxiety. He was furious that Janice had joined Prosper Stitch Group, but what worried him more was the possibility that she might truly never come back.

Adding to his frustration, Alex reported that they still hadn't been able to recruit skilled double-sided crochet seamstresses. The ones they had hired were inexperienced and, without proper guidance, had been left idle.

With no one qualified to train them, these new hires were essentially being paid to do nothing, leaving Refined Threads Co. in a bind.

In the seamstress department, the atmosphere was heavy..

“I heard Ms. Smith really left,” someone whispered. “Apparently, she's joined the Prosper Stitch Group.” "Really? Does that mean she and Mr. Fitzgerald broke up?"

"Seems like it.”

The room fell silent. One of the younger seamstresses suddenly spoke up, "Then, I'm done here. If Ms. Smith has gone to Prosper Stitch Group, I'm applying there, too."

Most of the seamstresses in the department had been personally trained by Janice, and their skills, especially in creating custom designs, were top-notch. If they decided to apply at Prosper Stitch Group, they would undoubtedly secure positions in the headquarters" Product Division

When it came to the average skill level of the seamstresses, those at Prosper Stitch Group weren't necessarily better than the ones currently at Refined Threads Co.

The moment the young seamstress voiced her intent, the others began to entertain similar thoughts. Just then, their s supervisor walked in. "What's everyone doing? Get back to work!"

“Oh,” they mumbled, reluctantly picking up their crochet hook

Without Janice around, even the supervisors lacked motivation. They couldn't afford to slack off too much– they were still getting paid, after all—but the energy was noticeably absent.

Yvonne Lambert, the seamstress supervisor, was especially dispirited. She had always admired Janice's mastery of double-sided crochet and had strived to earn her praise. Now that her role model was gone, Yvonne left directionless.

"Ms. Lambert?"

Alex approached Yvonne with a directive.

Yvonne stood up quickly. “What does Mr. Fitzgerald need?”

"Mr. Fitzgerald wants you to select a crochet design for the Fall Tournament next week,” Alex explained Janice had previously instructed the department to prepare some competition-ready pieces so they had options to choose from.

Alex continued, "Also, Mr. Fitzgerald wants you to spend every alternoon teaching the double-sided crochet seamstresses."

Yvonne was stunned. Pointing at herself, she stammered, “Me? Teach? I'm not qualified! My skills in double- sided crochet aren't nearly good enough."

Alex could only respond, "That's the arrangement froin Mr. Fitzgerald,"

"Understood."

in the afternoon, Simon personally visited the double-sided crochet training area.

"Mr. Fitzgerald," Yvonne greeted him.

"How's it going?"

Yvonne hesitated before admitting. “They're all experienced seamstresses, but my double-sided crochet skills

just aren't good enough to teach them. Honestly, only Ms. Smith could have handled this.”

Realizing she might have overstepped, Yvonne quickly shut her mouth.

Upon hearing Janice's name, Simon clenched his jaw.

For the past year, Refined Threads Co. had made a name for itself in the market with its double-sided crochet. The demand was there, but without quality pieces to deliver, what could they do?

Frustrated, Simon called Alex over and said, "Start purchasing high-quality double-sided crochet designs at a premium. Make them sign confidentiality agreements.”

If they couldn't produce the work themselves, he was prepared to buy it and pass it off as Refined Threads'

creations.

Meanwhile, Janice was at Prosper Stitch Group, selecting crochet designs to send to the neighboring building, when her phone rang

A familiar voice spoke softly on the other end. “Janice, are you busy?"

Janice paused in her tracks. "Not at all. Eleanor. What's going on?"

Eleanor Lewis explained, "It's about the crochet designs you left with me. Someone wants to buy all of them. Should I sell them?"