Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Josefina stared blankly at the receiver after the call abruptly ended. The conversation had left her utterly confused.

There was a knock at the office door, and in walked a woman named Holly, who happened to be Sammuel's girlfriend.

Clutching her sketchpad, Holly approached with an eager smile. "Ms. Josefina, I've brought some design drafts for you to review," she said as she took a seat.

As Holly spread out her sketches across the desk, Josefina instantly recognized the familiar traces of inspiration. The drawings were derivatives of her own past work, compounded by Holly's contributions. Rather than being striking, they seemed overly complicated.

"Holly, did all these ideas come from you? Did you draw these yourself?" Josefina asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

Holly nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that's right."

Josefina continued, "These designs seem very familiar to me. This one here is reminiscent of Anya's Fall/Winter collection from '19, and this one seems to be inspired by Anya's Spring/Fall line. As a designer, surely you've seen Anya's clothing before?"

Holly's eyes darted about, taken aback by Josefina's extensive knowledge.

"These designs won't do. If you want to be a designer, you need to show your own strength," Josefina insisted.

With an awkward nod, Holly beat a hasty retreat, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

En route to her own desk, Holly passed by Alex, who was poring over a collection of Anya's previous works. She couldn't help but ask, a tinge of irritation in her voice, "Alex, are you planning to copy Anya's designs?"

Alex looked up, his innocent face clouded with confusion. "Why would you say that?"

"Aren't you looking at Anya's creations right now?"

"I'm admiring Anya's work because I idolize her. Since when does appreciation equate to plagiarism?"

Holly's face flushed with embarrassment, but she tried to salvage her pride. "Alex, you need to have your own concepts. You can't just keep looking at other people's designs."

With a huff, Holly returned to her desk, her expression one of indignation.

Sammuel approached, and Holly vented about how Josefina had criticized her work. "She thinks she knows design? She had the nerve to judge my work-it's infuriating."

Sammuel took her hand, his voice soothing. "Darling, cool down. Maybe Ms. Josefina really does understand design. Remember the PR crisis? She was the one who handled it." Still, Holly scowled. "Why are you defending her?"

Sammuel soothed her into calmness, before Holly could work herself into another rant,

Josefina, exiting her office, caught sight of this exchange. It was clear to her that changes within the company staff were necessary.

Back at her home, Josefina found

the living room occupied by a clothes rack adorned with several evening gowns. Lena was busy

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selecting one for herself. With a net

cheerful grin, Lena said,

"Tomorrow's Mr. Brandon's birthday gala, and I had a few gowns delivered. Josie, would you like to pick one out?" NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

"No need, thank you," Josefina replied, sipping her water.

Lena sat down beside her, curiosity written all over her face. "Josie, aren't you going to the gala tomorrow? How will you attend if you don't pick out a gown? Surely you're not planning to wear what you have on now?"

Josefina, preferring some distance, said coolly, "I have my own clothes, thank you."

She stood up and walked upstairs, leaving Lena to pout and select a daringly sexy deep V-neck red gown for herself.

Regina lavished praise upon Lena.

"Miss Lena, you look stunning in that dress. Men do love a woman with a

bit of allure. Mr. Oliver won't be able to take his eyes off your stunning figure."

Lena flashed a knowing smile. "Regina, you have quite the eye for style."

Regina continued with the flattery, and only when she was sure Lena wasn't upset did she breathe a sigh of relief.