Chapter 208 Back to the Grind
The remark stopped them in their tracks.
Myron Curtis turned around, a slight frown creasing his handsome brow.
"What did you call me?"
Emma scratched her head, repeating, "Brother-in-law."
A pleased smile curved Myron’s lip. "Take good care of Luann."
Emma nodded, her fist clenched in encouragement, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone bully Luann!"
Joshua rolled his eyes at their exchange, reluctant to admit that Emma was indeed his blood sister.
"Bro, just apply this, and you'll get better faster," she insisted.
Eager to stop Emma's nagging, Joshua slathered on the cream haphazardly.
"Can you leave now?"
Emma headed to the door.
Just as Joshua breathed a sigh of relief, she dragged in a big bag filled with books and a drawing board.
"I didn't say I was leaving."
"It's not often I come to the office. I should stay longer just to look out for Luann."
Emma bent down and emptied the contents of her bag onto the floor.
"Just ignore me. Pretend I'm invisible," she said calmly, flipping open her book and setting her sketchpad. "I'll just read a little, maybe doodle some."
Joshua massaged his temples in frustration, glancing over at Luann Weaver as if waiting for her to show Emma the door.
Instead, Luann nodded. "Fine, do your own thing then."
She settled into the leather chair and dove into the day's workload.
Not wanting to fall behind, Joshua struggled to keep pace with Luann’s rhythm. But Emma wasn’t giving him that chance.
Her soft, incessant muttering of the text was barely audible yet maddeningly distracting.
By the eighth interruption, Joshua’s patience wore thin. “Can you keep it down?”
Emma looked up with feigned innocence. “I’m not making any noise.”
“You’re being loud, and I swear, one more peep and you’re out the door,” he snapped, his irritation apparent.
With a pout, Emma quietly set her book aside and propped up her sketchpad. “I’ll just draw, alright?”
“Fine, draw!”
This time, she remained silent.
Once Luann had powered through her work, she kicked back and started playing a video game, ignoring the tension in the room.
Emma watched her for a long while before sketching a portrait of her.
However, she quickly realized Luann's beauty was a challenge to capture — her skill couldn't do justice to even a fraction of it.
Sighing in frustration, Emma put down her pencil as Joshua slammed a folder onto the desk.
"Emma, get out," he ordered tersely.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Joshua.
Looking away from her computer, Luann casually tossed a document to Joshua. "If you're bothered by the noise, check out the factory. A shipment of materials is coming in today."
Joshua's lips twitched. "I'm the assistant to the design director, not a factory hand. Why should that be my job?"
With a slight smile, Luann retorted, "Don't forget, your salary is on the line."
Joshua stood up, frustrated. "Is docking my pay the only trick up your sleeve?"
"It gets to you, doesn't it? Now, off you go. Try to make it back before the end of the day."
As Joshua left with a scowl, Emma looked puzzled. "Luann, why send him to the factory? He doesn't know the first thing about that stuff."
"That's exactly why he should go," Luann said knowingly. "Learning something new won't hurt him."
Emma nodded thoughtfully. "So you're helping Joshua."
"Exactly, smart girl."
Emma sighed. "I wish you could help me too. I've been failing miserably."
Luann glanced at the drawing on Emma's sketchpad. "What seems to be the problem?"
Emma jabbed the pencil into her sketch paper, punching holes in frustration.
"Last semester, the teacher gave us an assignment to do a quick landscape sketch."
"And another one was a drawing of 'Shattered Plaster Statue.'"
"The teacher said sixty percent is passing, but I haven't cut. Not a single credit to my name—it's so frustrating."
"I’ve flipped through those books countless times, but I just can't get it right."
Emma's voice wavered, edged with a whine as if she were on the brink of tears.
Seeing this, Luann Weaver could only offer comfort: "Just calm down and focus on your painting."
Emma was visibly irked.
"Easier said than done. I've tried to focus every time, but it's not working."
"This is my last shot; the teacher already gave me six months."
"If I fail again, I’ll lose credits, which could impact my graduation."
"Hmm," Luann Weaver grunted, "so what's your plan?"
"I'm not going to submit anything," Emma said firmly.
Luann Weaver was taken aback. "Can you even do that?"
"The teacher said I'd lose points if I submit failing work, so if I don't submit anything, they can't deduct points, right?"
Luann Weaver fell silent for a moment.
"That kind of makes sense."
A smug satisfaction crept into Emma's expression.
"I’ve made peace with it. Lose points, so what? I’m not very interested in this stuff."
"If it weren't for laying the groundwork for drawing comics, I wouldn't even bother learning this."
"I've got my eye on this comic book studio; I plan to submit my work to them soon!"
Luann Weaver glanced at Emma’s disastrous character sketch, kindly suggesting, "I know someone pretty good with drawings; maybe they could do the sketches for you?"
Emma nodded at first, then hesitated, shaking her head.
"No way, I still have to do my final piece."
"Our teacher will draw a topic randomly, and we have to sketch it right there in class."
Luann Weaver's lips curved in a sly smile.
"Easy. My friend's great at predicting those."
"Really?" Emma beamed with excitement.
"Absolutely. Give me the sketch paper, and swing by tomorrow to pick it up."
Emma nodded vigorously, hugging her tight.
"Luann, you're a lifesaver!"
After resolving Emma's dilemma, Luann Weaver lay bored on her couch, gaming. After having lunch with Emma, who was eager to head home, Luann had someone escort her back. Then, back at the office, Luann stood before Emma's sketches, pausing.
"Guess I'm back in the game."
With leisurely strokes, Luann picked up a pencil and began to draw.
In just half an hour, both sketches were complete.
She rolled them up neatly and, moving back to her computer, resumed gaming.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Joshua’s situation was anything but leisurely.
