Making Him Angry

“…Uh.” Cecily froze for a moment, not quite catching up.

Vince stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, the movement elegant, his long, slender fingers as refined as carved bone.

Unbidden, her mind flashed to that moment in the elevator earlier—when that same hand had rested at her waist to steady her.

She gave a slightly awkward nod. “Mm. I’ve been married for two years.”

Just thinking about her marriage made a chill seep into her chest again.

If Vince noticed her sudden shift in expression, he didn’t comment. Instead, he said evenly, “You come from a distinguished family, Cecily. I imagine your husband’s family is equally well-matched—and that he must cherish you very much.”

Cecily didn’t know why Vince was saying this, but the words hit a nerve. Her lips tightened slightly. “Mr. Boucheron, I came today to discuss the Windsor Place project with you.”

Vince had just picked up another cigarette and was about to light it. At her words, he paused, flipping the lighter open and shut.

The air in the private room turned faintly tense.

“What—did you think I only wanted to know about your private life?” Vince’s mouth curved faintly, his brows drawing together in a slight frown that hinted at displeasure. “Since you’re so eager to get straight to business, why don’t you tell me what unique ideas you have for Windsor Place?”

The lighter landed on the table with a sharp clack.

The sound made Cecily wince. She’d clearly irritated him just now. Maybe he’d only been trying to warm up the atmosphere.

She cleared her throat. “Mr. Boucheron, for this initial draft, I added a lot of my personal preferences. For example…”

Her transition into the topic was a bit stiff, but thankfully Vince didn’t seem intent on making things difficult. Even so, his right index and middle fingers tapped the table in an unhurried rhythm, and the pressure of his presence kept her nerves tight.

“Many of the details are handled quite well,” Vince said at last, offering a cool, measured nod. “For this project, Boucheron Group will select three companies’ designs for the shortlist. You’ve secured Garcia Group a place in the running.”

With that, he rose to his full height.

Cecily stood quickly as well, looking up at him.

“Thank you, Mr. Boucheron, I—”

Before she could finish, Vince slipped into his suit jacket, his face as impassive as ever, and turned toward the door.

Cecily felt a faint heat on her cheeks. She knew her earlier remark had annoyed him, but at least he wasn’t the type to hold a grudge—he kept business and personal matters separate.

When the sound of the door closing reached her, she glanced back at the table. The meal had been laid out in full before she arrived, yet neither of them had touched a single bite.

……

Outside, she left the Riverton with her bag in hand. She didn’t notice the tall figure standing by the lucky bamboo in the lobby, a cigarette between his fingers, quietly watching her.

Off to the side, Manager Wilson wasn’t sure how to process what he was seeing. From the moment Miles had told him to use the Windsor Place project as a pretext to arrange a meeting with Cecily, to the way Vince had treated her tonight… only one thought remained in his head: I need to treat this woman very, very well.

“Wilson.”

The voice was cool and crisp.

Wilson straightened instinctively. “Mr. Boucheron?”

“Seen enough?”

The tone was calm, almost without inflection, but a layer of cold sweat prickled across Wilson’s forehead. Forcing a laugh, he suddenly lifted his phone and turned away. “Ah—Alice? You were looking for me just now? Sorry, bad reception here, give me a sec…”

He kept talking as he walked quickly away.

Vince’s gaze followed the white BMW as it pulled farther and farther from sight. Then he stubbed out the cigarette, his eyes shifting with an unreadable undercurrent.