Chapter 11 You Have Yourself A Deal
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CHAPTER 11
Standing before the dashing CEO, Liu Xueyi who till now did not spare her so much of a glance since she entered, Andromeda had no choice but to wait patiently.
She had her goal and right now, she could almost do anything for it.
Three minutes passed and she remained ignored. At that moment Andromeda had to question if really, he viewed the email she sent to him and whether or not this was a joke.
Better still, pay back for what she did to him in the elevator.
"Good mo…" she tried to greet but paused when she noticed his lifted hand, stopping her abruptly.
After some minutes, his voice rang out, his eyes still lowered as he asked. "Were those your designs?"
"Yes." He kept mute again, continuing with his work and ignoring her.
To Liu Xueyi, he had not had enough time to get her details before her arrival. He asked his friend to get him all the information about her but failed to check due to his busy schedule.
Now that she was standing before him, he decided to go through them.
From the information he got, he could tell she had been a top student in her university and for some reason, she wasn't the leading designer in Pearl's Divine Clothing house.
That had made him wonder if she cheated her way in school, which was hard given the university she graduated from as the top student in the whole faculty in fashion design.
Studying in one of Paris' best universities was one thing but being genuinely outstanding, meant she wasn't that simple.
'Tsk, Gosh, he is so vengeful. I do not need you to see me if you do not want to stare, but all I need is your agreement to do business with me.' She complained inwardly.
She froze the moment their eyes met. Her heartbeat accelerated the fastest it had ever done. It felt like it would fly out her chest or worse, into her mouth.
She tried to calm herself while chanting mentally to stabilize her mind. When she felt okay, a small smile spread on her lips as she gazed first-hand at him.
His features were sharp and piercing, even more, so the dangerously maddening aura that seemed to have seeped out beyond control upon locking eyes with her.
It felt as though he was intimidating her but not being one who was to back down, she stood her ground, lifting her chin a little.
"Mr Liu, shouldn't we get down to business?"
A smirk outlined the corners of his lips, revealing more of his handsomeness. "Morning. Nice to officially meet you, Miss Andromeda Kai."
She did not bother to mask her shock. It was surprising for her that he quickly found her out. She had used a different email address to avoid a lot of things. However, he found her out.
Not that it mattered. If they did sign the deal, then there would be no need to hide anything.
"Surprised?"
"Not in the slightest. You could research me anytime you want. But I am guessing you just did, right?" His smile broadened at her wild guess.
This side of her made him love her personality more and proved to him she was smart.
Someone else may have thought of it as him trying to finish up work or not, but she guessed right, irrespective of her first fear of him paying her back.
"Nice to meet you too."
"Please have a seat," he gestured towards a chair in front of his desk and she walked over. "Did you figure this out or did you just guess now?"
"Two things," Andromeda began. "At first I thought this was payback for the elevator and now when you made mention of my name, I could well guess."
"Good. As for the payback, why would I do that when you owe me a favour?" His cheeky grin only told her he could not be trusted about that.
"Now time for business. Why do you want to work with me, seeing as you worked with the top fashion house before?"
She expected nothing less from him. His formal sense and the way he mixed both friendliness in it and changed again was nice.
Since he had already done his search, he should already know. However, he asked, meaning he was testing her.
"Umm, I just want a change of environment and a place where I can grow." He raised a brow at her but did not say anything. "If I say that, would you believe me?" Andromeda added.
"Depends on whether or not you want to hide the most important part of your story. I would not pry but it would mean I cannot trust you."
"True. Anyways, you may have some troubles in future because of me, I might as well come clean for this business."
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Miss Kai. Please the floor is open. I am all ears."
"Simple, I wanted to leave the company and shine but since he hurt me, this is my revenge. I need a top brand from which I can showcase my designs and get credit for them while also promoting them."
"Hmm, so in essence, you are using me for your revenge?"
"If you put it that way, yes. However, it is a win-win for you. You get to rise with no biggie since I was not their top designer. This should not affect you so long as my designs are accurately original and I can assure you, they are."
He took his time processing the information she gave. This could affect him negatively if not used properly but when played rightly, it could be his rising to the top.
"I came to make you an offer you cannot refuse, Mr Liu. I can help you rise. The question is, do you refuse or do you accept?"
"I reject."
She stared wide-eyed at him as her confidence seem to crumble by the second. Paralyzed in the moment, goosebumps appeared on her skin. Time seemed to have slowed down as she comprehended the rejection in her mind.
To say she expected this, with the way their discussion went was a lie. She completely threw it off, her mistake maybe.
However, after the initial shock subsided, a pleasant smile formed on her face as her eyes dimmed at him.
"You know, you give off the air of trouble." Her cheeks pulled back, revealing a bit of tooth, brightening her smile.
His gaze on her felt intense and calculating. He was studying her every reaction. "But I find trouble interesting as long as I can get what I want."
"So, it is settled then?" She asked getting back on track.
His smile dropped a bit and he stood up. Her gaze trailed his body and watched him stretch forth his hands to her. "Congrats, Miss Kai, you have yourself a deal."
She got to her feet and took his hand. Her disbelievingly charming eyes were still amazed at how their little interview and chat went while locking their deal with a handshake. "Thank you."