After Theo explained, Emily finally understood the full story. She remembered seeing Miles Maren listed as the CEO of MAREN just last week.
Turns out, Miles was Theo’s uncle. Due to health issues, he had handed over the reins early—giving Theo full control of the company.
That’s why Theo had told her, “I wasn’t lying. One part of my job has always been managing freelance designers. I just happened to see your submission and decided to handle it myself. Hope I didn’t scare you.”
Emily smiled. “Of course not. Just didn’t expect the CEO to meet with someone like me. I’m flattered, that’s all.”
“Your design stood out among so many others—I picked you without a shred of bias,” Theo said with a soft laugh as he pulled her submission out of a folder.
He tapped a line on the sketch—the signa
