Falling for the Illusion

When I opened the studio door, I froze.

My trophies and certificates were gone from the display cabinet. Even the posters I designed had been taken down from the wall. In its place were some decorative paintings I had never seen before.

What made me even angrier was finding Yvette sitting in my chair.

A pile of design drafts spread out in front of her, with a cup of coffee beside them. She acted as if she owned the place.

She glanced up, a flash of panic in her eyes before she masked it with innocence. "Mrs. Kline, you're here. Elliot said I could work here since it's quieter. The open office is too distracting."

The way she called Elliot and me unnerved me.

"Where is my stuff?" I demanded.

Her eyes darting away, she pretended not to understand. "What stuff?"

"My trophies, my certificates, and my works."

"Oh, those. Elliot asked me to pack them away. He thought they might make me feel pressured," she replied innocently.

I stared at her for a while, then left to confront Elliot.

He was in a meeting with a few clients. His brow furrowed when I walked in.

"Elliot, we need to talk."

"Can it wait until I'm done with the meeting?"

"Now."

The clients, sensing the tension, excused themselves one after another.

Once we were alone in the meeting room, Elliot grumbled, "What is this about? We talked yesterday."

"Why is everything in my studio gone?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

His face burned with guilt, but he refused to admit it. "Yvette needs a quiet environment to create. Those trophies intimidated her."

"That's my studio," I emphasized.

"This is my company," he snapped. "I decide how things are arranged."

His words hit me like a slap to the face, but it was true. He built Kline Creative from the ground up.

I was just the glorified creative director, and in reality, a free contributor.

I joined the company with my skills, but my stake was small. Most of the decision-making power was in his hands.

I had thought we'd moved past the purely business relationship we had at the start and that we'd built love and trust.

Now I saw I was just a subordinate for him to boss around.

"You've changed," I sighed.

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly covered up by stubbornness.

"I haven't," he said. "You're overreacting. She is just borrowing a place. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

I left the room, my decision clear. If he didn't value my feelings, I wouldn't bend anymore.

Over the next few days, I avoided Elliot, leaving early and returning late to dodge him.

To my surprise, Yvette came to me, knocking on the door of my temporary office with a smile that looked almost sincere.

"Mrs. Kline, I understand you're upset, but I just want to learn from you," she said.

I kept my eyes on my screen. "Learning doesn’t mean taking someone’s workspace."

She sat down in a chair opposite me, her tone sickeningly sweet. "I've always admired your work. It's an honor to be here."

"If you truly admired me, you wouldn't claim my designs as your own," I retorted, unimpressed.

Yvette's expression shifted, but she quickly regained her innocent look. "You misunderstood. Elliot said that the design was a team effort. He asked me to use it to improve my presentation skills."

Finally, I looked up to study her expressions.

She was pretty, with fair skin and delicate features.