"I mean… uh… the company," she stammered. "Just wondering how it's going. You know. Fashion. Models. Profit. Stocks. Stuff."
She nodded like she'd just said something profound.
Internally, she wanted to slam her head into the elevator wall.
A long pause. Then—
"Are you a reporter?" he asked, dryly.
"What? No! I designer for H&T. Well—kind of. Not the face of it or anything. Yet." She winced at herself. "I'm Tiana Parker."
He didn't respond. His gaze swept over her with cool detachment, like she was just another email he didn't have time to open.
"I see."
That was all he said.
"So you're the designer who couldn't tell the difference between my time and hers?"
Ding!
The elevator pinged.
Ground floor.
"Of course not Mr. Don Luke. If you could please just give me a few minutes to show you my work, perhaps you may reconsider."
He continued walking off as his secretary place his hands between them.
"Come on just give me a chance,"
Tiana mind spiral barely keeping her cool as the hope is very slim.
He side glanced at her as entered his car.
"You only have few minutes to convince me."
"Thank you!! Thank you!!! Thank you sir!!"
She frantically as she jogged with her heel toward his car.
"But few minutes to convince him? why do you have to be so complicated!"
She thought open the door.
"Seducing this man is almost impossible!"
"But still trying doesn't seem bad."
She thought sitting down elegantly.
"Perfect."
She added proudly, just to be followed by loud bang of door close.
She wished she disappeared as the secretary glanced at her along Ethan briefly. "This embarrassment is just too much for me."
"Please kill me!"
"Go on. Like I said, you only have few minutes to convince me."
Ethan reminded Turing his gaze toward the tinted window.
"Oh right, thank you Mr, Don Luke."
Tiana smiled perfectly sweet holding deep embarrassment.
"Seducing this one is like seducing a rock!"
Then the car dashed off as they began. She opened her tablet, swiping to reveal her designs, including the latest one.
"Also, this is the most recent," she said brightly. "I was brainstorming last night, and if I were to advocate for anything—it'd be this."
She finished with a beaming smile in his direction.
The silence that followed was deafening as his gaze remained fixed on her work.
"Impressed, huh? Don't worry—I've got more in the bag!"
She thought proudly.
Only to be met with a shock.
"Excuse me, sir?"
She asked again, wondering if she'd misheard.
"You heard me right, Miss Tiana," he said smoothly. "It does look like you were brainstorming indeed… but I'd say that's not your best option."
"Why is he so calm right now?"
She thought, forcing her sweet smile to stay in place.
"My apologies, sir. Please, go on—tell me what's wrong with it, so I can keep that in mind for next time."
Not only was her pride wounded, but the emotional embarrassment made her want to vanish on the spot.
"I was confident, too…"
Not only did he point out her mistakes, but he also highlighted her strengths along with suggestions for improvement.
"Amazing. How does he know this much?"
She thought, looking at him—elegant as ever, almost perfect.
"At this point, I'm scratching my seductive plan. He's way out of my league."
"Are you done looking?" he asked.
"Of course," she blurted out loudly, startled.
"Wait, what?!"
Not only did she feel like being thrown out the car window after his brief glance, but she also felt a second wave of embarrassment for admitting she'd been staring at him that long.
"If that's the case, then check out your improvements, weaknesses, and strengths—I highlighted them all."
He added, "And the ones I marked in green? Email those to me."
"How is he not mad after this behavior?"
She smiled beautifully in agreement, glancing at her tablet and then at his email.
"Someone get me out of here before I blurt out another oof!"
Her thoughts screamed despite her calm cheerfulness.
But what baffled Tiana most was his calmness—not scolding her for her unprofessional slip-ups.
"Now you can get out,"
he said, stepping out of the car.
"Excuse me?"
Tiana thought, shocked as she looked around.
She hadn't realized they'd left the main city until unfamiliar billboards came into view.
"Where are we?"
"Am I supposed to fly back? We're in a city I don't even know!"
Her thoughts screamed as she took in their unfamiliar surroundings.
Meanwhile, Ethan and his secretary were already walking toward a company building.
Not only did Tiana have the worst sense of direction, but she was also broke and penniless—not a single dime for a ride back.
"Forget about seduction. I need to fix myself first!"