Chapter 114 Birthday Surprise
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Dawn and Ethan hadn’t gone that far yet, and the thought of wrapping herself up as his birthday gift felt strange, even a little embarrassing.
Her mind spun with restless thoughts as she shoveled food into her mouth.
She pushed her te away before it was fully empty, sprang up from the chair, and grabbed her bag.
“Hannah, I’m done. Bye!”
She bolted for the door like something was chasing her, only catching her breath once she slid into the driver’s seat.
Still, the question lingered, wing at her chest. What in the world could she give Ethan for his birthday?
By 10:30 a.m., the design team had gathered.
Draftsy spread across the table. Janice studied them one by one, her lips tightening. None of it pleased her.
“We can’t recycle the same ideas year after year,” she said, tapping the table hard enough to make the pens jump. “And we sure can’t just mimic everyone else. Yes, trends matter, but if all we do is chase them, we lose the sound of our own voice.”
She leaned forward, eyes sharp. “What do we need? Originality.”
Her tone cut like a de.
“Original means one of a kind. Stop chasing the herd. Be the thing they chase. Think about it.”
The room froze in silence. Nobody dared to speak.
Dawn sat still, watching Janice rub the bridge of her nose. She twisted open a water bottle and slid it across the table. “Don’t stress. We still have time.”
“What time? The holiday season is barely a month away,” Janice snapped, then softened with a sigh.
“Thispany is filled with designers, yet only a handful deliver. If everyone worked like you, management wouldn’t be tearing their hair out.”
17:27 <b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>18 N
Chapter 114 Birthday Surprise
Before Dawn could answer, Janice’s eyes lit with sudden thought.
“What if we hand the lead series over to you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“<b>It’s </b>settled. The boss and director won’tin about you.”
Before she knew it, Janice shoved <i>a </i>thick stack of files into her arms.
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“You’re the lead designer now. If you need help, the team will follow your call. Good luck.”
Dawn’s chest tightened. A simple meeting had somehow turned into a mountain crushing down on her shoulders<b>. </b>
Her coworkers didn’t argue. A few nodded in support, while others looked almost relieved, as if they had just dropped a weight onto her and walked away lighter.
By the afternoon she was drowning in work. Her phone stayed untouched.
When it finally buzzed at seven, she barely nced at the screen before answering. It was
Lucas.
“Dawn, I’m out of options here. Can you help me figure something out?” His voice shook.
“Uncle Lucas, calm down. What happened?”
“Cindy’s missing!”
His words burst out raw, heavy with guilt.
“She went out with those awful friends again. When she came back, her mom and Iid into her. She got mad, stormed out, and never came back. Now she won’t answer her phone.”
“Did you call the police?” Dawn asked.
“I did. They checked the gate cameras but found nothing. Then they told us to wait.”
His voice cracked. “My wife’s heart is acting up again. We can’t just sit here. Dawn … please. Do you know what to do?<b>” </b>
If someone was gone, there was only one option: you searched. Nothing else worked.
Dawn paced across the room, her fingers tight around her phone.
17:27 <b>Thu</b>, <b>Sep </b><b>18 </b>N
Chapter 114 Birthday Surprise
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After a long pause, she asked quietly, “You guys didn’t just stop at scolding her, did you?” <fnf207> Newest update provided by find?novel</fnf207>
The silence told her everything.
Atst Lucas admitted in a low voice, “No. I pped her. Twice.”
Dawn shut her eyes, lost for words. All she could manage was, “I’ll try my best.” Then she ended the call.
But what could she really do? Finding Cindy would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The girl was still new to Northville and had no one she could call a true friend. Also, she was reckless enough to fall into danger without seeing iting.
If she had been drinking, the risk doubled. The thought of her wandering into trouble made Dawn snatch her bag and race out the door.
Wornellston had a corner spefically for bar hoppers. The street stretched out in neon and shadow. Music red from open doors. Crowds pressed shoulder to shoulder. The air reeked of beer, smoke, and sweat.
It was exactly the kind of ce Cindy loved to vanish into. Well, the kind of ce any rebellious kid loved to vanish into, really.
Dawn parked her car, pulled up Cindy’s picture on her phone, and went from bar to bar asking questions.
After circling the block with nothing to show for it, she stopped at the curb, catching her breath.
This wasn’t working.
<i>If </i>Cindy’s <i>not </i><b><i>here</i></b><b><i>, </i></b><i>where </i><i>else </i><i>would </i><i>she </i><i>go</i><i>? </i>
Noise swelled around her like a storm. Drunks stumbled into the street. Some cursed at each other. Others yelled to the sky. A few could barely stand at all.
Men leered and tried their lines on her. She answered with a re sharp enough to cut.
Her hand brushed her phone. She meant to call Lucas. That was when her eyes caught the river<b>, </b>sliding dark and silent just beyond the street. Few people walked along the bank, their steps quick as if the water itself whispered danger.