My Rival's Ghost Designer Chapter 2

A single question mark appeared in the chat from Jessica, hanging there ominously.

It was immediately followed by a string of voice messages. I pressed play, and her sharp, cutting voice filled the quiet of my apartment.

"What is this garbage, Sophie? If this goes to the client, our firm's reputation will be toast."

"You're wasting everyone's time. If you can't deliver this on schedule, you’re jeopardizing a major account. What are you going to do then?"

My blood began to boil. Mark and Diane hadn’t even had a chance to respond. What gave her the right to tear into my work like this? I’d tried to be respectful, but I was done being a doormat.

I typed quickly, tagging our supervisors.

@Mark @Diane Here are the initial concepts I finished today. Let me know your thoughts so I can proceed.

Then, I tagged Jessica.

@Jessica I think you might be in the wrong channel. This is my project, so I don't believe you're on the review team for it.

Her reply was instantaneous. What kind of attitude is that?

I didn't hesitate. No attitude. It just seems like you're overstepping. Do you not have enough of your own work to do?

It was a low blow, but it was true. I’d never actually seen Jessica design anything. She spent most of her days walking around the office, watching what everyone else was doing.

Before the fight could escalate, Mark jumped in.

Hey now, I'm the one who added Jessica to the channel.

She's been with us for years, she's practically our signature designer. I wanted her to lend her expertise.

Jessica immediately pounced. See? I try to be helpful and I get accused of having too much time on my hands. Unbelievable.

I felt a surge of frustration. This wasn't "helpful." It was a targeted attack, and Mark was enabling her. Arguing further would only make me look difficult, especially since he was clearly on her side.

So, I ignored her completely.

@Mark Are the designs okay? If so, I’ll continue with this direction.

A moment later, he sent a link to a portfolio collection. It was followed by a voice note.

"Take a look through these, Sophie. These are some of our biggest hits from the past few years, all designed by Jessica. Study them. Try to stick to this style."

I knew Jessica was the office star, but I'd never actually seen her portfolio. A flicker of curiosity pushed past my anger. I clicked the link.

My breath caught in my throat. I blinked, rubbing my eyes as if they were deceiving me.

How could this be?

I scrolled through the polished, professional designs. A corporate logo here, a web layout there. Then I saw it. The most recent entry. I zoomed in, my heart pounding against my ribs.

This wasn't just familiar.

This was the exact design I’d sold on Fiverr last month for a hundred bucks.