Chapter 12

Brittney’s pov

We finally arrived at the resort. The private lounge of Aspen Grand summit hotel. It was a quiet haven of soft leather seating, dim lighting, and a crackling fireplace that added warmth to the crisp mountain air sneaking through the glass walls.

Snow flurries gently outside the floor-to-ceiling window painting the perfect winter scene.

I sat on a velvet council near the fire, my tablet on my lap, while Jordan nursed a drink across from me while we wait for Laurent.

“Laurent is running late.” He said, glancing at his watch.

I looked up, “do you think he forgot? Or traffic got the best of him?”

“Laurent? Forget about a meeting involving luxury? Stop playing.”

I chuckled and my gaze landed on the window. “This place is beautiful though. Almost made me forget were here for work.”

“I could make you enjoy your stay here.” He whispered and I could feel the hair at the back of my neck rising.

I swallowed and sat upright, as we waited for Laurent.

“You must be hungry.” Jordan said, “should we go get some food?”

I was about to reply when Laurent swept into the lounge like he owned the place, which honestly, wouldn’t surprise me if he did.

Dressed in a tailored navy coat with a silk scarf draped loosely around his neck, his confidence was on another level. His gaze landed on Jordan first, and then flicked to me with a polite nod.

They both shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

He turned to me next. “And you must be Brittney, Jordan’s assistant. I’ve heard you’re the one holding everything together behind the scenes.”

I smiled politely and shook his hand. “Just doing my job.”

He gestured to the two men behind him. “This is Emil, my creative director, and Carter, my operations lead. They’ll be overseeing the project’s execution from our end.”

Once introductions were made, we all took our seats. Laurent didn’t waste time.

“I reviewed the concept you sent over,” he began, setting a leather folder on the table. “It’s strong, but I want this collection to push boundaries. I want something iconic.”

Jordan leaned back. “We aligned on that. Brittney’s prepared some visuals based on your original mood board.”

I passed my tablet over, my fingers brushing his briefly. Laurent scrolled through the designs—cool, winter inspired tones with sleek snowflake pendants and a locket design featuring a hidden engraving

After a pause, Laurent glanced up, visibly impressed. “Now this… this has weight, emotion, it’s intimate and refined. Exactly what I had in mind.”

Relief surged through me and I noticed jordan’s subtle smirk as if he’d expected nothing less.

“She’s got good eye.” Jordan said.

Laurent nodded slowly, “then let’s move forward, I want to begin protyping within the next week.”

The meeting flowed effortlessly after that discussion of timelines, marketing angles, lauch strategy. I took notes and filled in the gaps where needed, though Jordan clearly had everything under control.

As the meeting wrapped up, Laurent stood and slipped his phone from his pocket. “Dinner tonight at chalet Noir. My treat. Well toast to a successful collaboration. Jordan, Brittney, I expect to see you both there.”

He exited with his team in tow, leaving behind the faint scent of expensive cologne.

Jordan finished his drink and glanced at me. “Nice work in there.”

“Thanks,” I said, closing my tablet. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”

His gaze lingered on mine for a moment. Then he stood, “come on, let’s get ready. Something tells me tonight’s gonna be interesting.”

-:-

The Charlet Nior was nestled at the edge of a snowy slope, a picturesque cabin turned gourmet resturant with breathtaking views of Aspen’s glittering night.

The hum of classical music filled the air as waiters moved around like clockwork, balancing silver trays and expensive wine.

Jordan was dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, the jacket hugged his shoulders just right. His black shirt unbuttoned slightly at the collar, giving him that ‘hot dude’ vibe.

I wore a deep emerald green satin dress, one that hugged my curves without screaming for attention. The dress had delicate off the shoulder sleeves and a slit that ran just high enough to be daring.

Laurent had reserved a private dinning room upstairs. An exclusive dinning lined with candles that flickered off the windows like stars.

I sat beside Jordan, flipping through the prix fixe menu more to distract myself than decide what I wanted.

Laurent, ever the showman was in the middle of a story about a princess from Monaco commissioning a custom piece when the maître d’ approached our table.

“Excuse me, monsieur Laurent,” he said in a low voice, leaning in. “Your guest has arrived. Shall I bring him in?”

Laurent nodded. “Yes, of course. Show him up.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Guest?”

Laurent smiled at me, sipping his wine. “An old friend who might be joining our project in. Financial capacity. You’ll see.”

Few minutes past and a man in a navy coat walked in. His eyes met with mine, before turning to Jordan.

His lips curled into a small smirk but disappeared in an instant. I turned to Jordan and noticed how hardened his face had become. His palms were folded into fists and I could feel his anger.

As I wondered what it could be, Laurent’s voice broke through my reverie.

“Jordan, meet my partner, Ryan.” Laurent said.

“Fancy meeting you here Jordan.”