Secretly Mine
Chapter 48: A New Talent

Chapter 48: A New Talent

As I looked at the wonderful spread of food before me, I could feel my stomach begin to twist from hunger.

The snacks that Christian brought earlier helped with my hunger shakes, but my stomach demanded food.

There were so many options beautifully arranged on beautiful platters. Everything looked and smelled so appetizing that I couldn’t help but salivate at the sight.

There are so many options...Let’s pick the things I want most.

I immediately went for the fluffy, golden pancakes. I couldn’t resist their sweet scent and placed three pieces on my plate, forming a neat stack.

The rest of the empty space on my plate was filled with different foods, and I finally sat down to eat.

I wonder what Christian chose.

I turned to look at Christian, noticing his soft smile as he looked at me. He didn’t have anything on his plate yet.

Didn’t he say he was hungry? Why hasn’t he placed anything on his plate yet?

Christian noticed my gaze and quickly turned his attention to the food. It only took him a moment to make his selection.

That’s it?

He took a sip of his black coffee and placed a bagel on his plate before smiling at me.

Why did he order so much food if he only wanted a bagel and coffee?

I shrugged, thinking that this wasn’t the first time he had made choices I did not understand.

The moment the food entered my mouth, I felt like dancing.

"This food is so delicious! Where did you get it?" I asked in between bites.

"A nearby café, I’ll have to take you there sometime. I think you’ll enjoy the ambiance there," he replied with a smile.

I felt the tips of my ears heat up. A warmth spread through my chest as the happiness from Christian’s thoughtfulness bubbled inside of me.

Then the realization struck me, and I turned to look at him, "Wait. You went to pick up the food yourself?"

When he told me he had to step out, I assumed that he had another meeting or something work-related, not to pick up food.

"Yes, I felt that the delivery would take too long, and you were hungry," he said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Was he that hungry? Or....

My heart began to pound in my chest. I realized that Christian must have noticed how shaky I was earlier and wanted to bring the food as quickly as possible.

I placed the fork down on my plate and smiled at him from the bottom of my heart, "Thank you, Christian. I was really hungry, I’m really grateful to you for doing so much for me."

The next moment, I felt his lips press against mine. I could smell the faint scent of coffee coming from him.

"Leslie, would you believe me if I said that you’re all I think about anymore?"

His words sent a buzz through my body. A vortex of emotions whirled inside of me. Joy, surprise, bliss, and excitement all caused me to hold my breath.

I leaned in, expecting him to continue on. The atmosphere between us was hot and heavy, but Christian pulled away after a few more simple kisses.

"You need to eat. You’ve only taken a bite of your food," he said quietly as he looked at me.

There was no mistake, I clearly saw the deep desire in his eyes, and was even more touched that he placed my needs above his desires.

We both turned our attention to the food, eating in a comfortable silence until we were both full.

-

After breakfast, we returned to my office, where I quickly turned my attention back to the interesting portfolio I had discovered just before.

"What’s so interesting? You’ve been looking at your computer screen so intently even before breakfast, I’m so curious," said Christian, walking over to my desk.

"It’s just this portfolio. I’ve been looking through the portfolios of various jewelry designers to see who to choose for this project, and this one has really captured my interest," I replied.

Christian walked over behind me to take a look.

"Wow, this is truly interesting. I haven’t seen anything so unique before. Is this Lorenzo?"

Lorenzo?

The name sounded familiar. I clicked through the folder and found the one with the name Lorenzo.

Oh, he’s the one who was chosen for the previous years. I hope Christian won’t push me to choose him again, there are a handful of others who would be a much better choice.

"This is Lorenzo?" Christian asked behind me.

"Yes. It seems he’s been on this project for three years now. To be honest, I don’t think he’s the best candidate," I replied, clicking through his portfolio.

Christian frowned as he looked at the screen, "You’re completely correct. That other portfolio you were looking at earlier is hundreds of times better than this..."

I smiled, "Oh, good. I was worried you were going to try to influence me to choose Lorenzo again."

"No. Not at all. I promised you freedom on this project, and I want you to have full control," he assured me.

I nodded and went back to the unique portfolio, looking at it with awe.

"I think this person will be the one. I feel like they could create something truly unique and one of a kind. People will fight for these pieces."

Christian stayed silent but nodded with interest. I could see that he also felt that his designer was a good choice.

I was curious what kind of person this designer was. The creativity displayed with the design and composition of metals and colors suggested they had years of experience.

After clicking through the rest of the portfolio, I finally made it to the ’about me’ page, where I expected to see a picture of an older man with a long list of awards.

"Oh wow! She’s so young!" I gasped.

The actual image was completely different from what I had pictured in my mind. The designer was a young woman with a short bob and freckles.

She had no awards or famous works and had just recently graduated from college with an art degree.

I found it hard to believe that someone so young had such an incredible portfolio.

"She’s a hidden gem. If Sophia nurtures this talent, I believe that Sophia will grow to be an even bigger brand worldwide," I couldn’t help but say.

Christian seemed to be lost in thought. He was looking at the screen, but I could tell that he was thinking about something else.

"Christian?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at me.

"Leslie, you’ve really done a great job finding this talent. I agree with your suggestion, let’s get this person on the team. After the season launch project, I can extend an invitation for her to be a permanent designer for Sophia," he said, nodding.

I looked back at the screen, smiling at the cheerful young woman in the photo, "I’ll contact her now!"

Welcome to the team, Yulia.