He Deleted My Name From Every Design. I Deleted Him From My Life. Chapter 06
Four years later.
I sat in my office in Westbridge City.
Outside my window was the skyline of Bayview District.
The nameplate on my desk read:
Claire Bennett, Design Director.
During our weekly Monday meeting, I sat at the head of the conference table.
When my team presented their work, they looked at me with nothing but respect and professionalism.
No one whispered about favoritism anymore.
Over the past three years, I had received two national-level architecture awards and served as the lead architect on four landmark projects.
Someone wrote on an industry forum:
“Claire is one of the most underrated architects of her generation. And now, she’s finally receiving the recognition she deserves.”
The first time I saw that sentence, I sat in my office for a long time.
Then I closed the webpage and continued working on my designs.
At the architecture summit, the organizers arranged a roundtable discussion.
I sat at the panel table, flipping through the schedule.
The door opened.
Adrian walked in.
He had lost some weight.
His features looked sharper, and there was a layer of exhaustion beneath his eyes.
When he saw me, his steps paused.
Then he walked over and held out his hand.
“Long time no see, Claire.”
I looked at his hand.
The scar on his ring finger was still there.
I reached out, shook his hand briefly, and let go.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
“Let’s begin.”
Throughout the entire roundtable discussion, he sat on my left.
I could feel his gaze on me.
But I never turned around.
After the event ended, my assistant walked over.
“Ms. Bennett, Mr. Whitmore said he’d like to discuss a potential collaboration with you privately.”
“No need. Have Daniel handle it.”
“But he said-”
“Tell him this is my decision.”
My assistant left.
On my way to the restroom, I passed by the lounge area.
Two architects who had attended the summit were talking.
“Isn’t that Claire the architect who used to work at Adrian Whitmore Architecture Firm?”
“Yeah. But look at her work now. It’s on a completely different level from before.”
“I heard that when she worked there, she spent years at the firm but never received any design
credit.”
“Who would question her ability now? Her city center project received unanimous approval from the jury last year.”
I didn’t stop walking.
I simply passed behind them.
