Chapter 42
“Weren’t we supposed to text first?”
Emily opened the door, only to freeze in shock.
Justin?
What was he doing here?
“Text? Who were you planning to text?” Justin asked casually.
Emily stood frozen for a few seconds, her mind struggling to catch up. When she realized what was happening, she immediately tried to slam the door shut.
But how could her strength compare to that of a grown man? With minimal effort, Justin pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Justin, it’s late. Don’t you think barging into my room is inappropriate?” Emily snapped, frowning with anger in her eyes.
Justin ignored her completely, wandering around the room as if it were his own. He checked behind the curtains, under the sofa, and every other corner, as if inspecting for someone.
Sean wasn’t here? They weren’t sharing a room?
Justin had spotted Sean in the parking lot earlier that afternoon with Emily.
Standing by the door, Emily glared at him with clear displeasure, silently willing him to leave.
Once satisfied, Justin sat down on the sofa, looking completely at ease. He glanced at her and said, “You’re here for work, designing the feature wall of the pedestrian street for the new district?”
Emily’s glare intensified. “Wasn’t that obvious?” she silently remarked.
Justin let out a low chuckle. “Relax. I’m not interested in you anymore. I’m here to discuss business.”
“Business?” Emily thought skeptically. “What’s there to discuss? Everything’s already submitted. Besides, I was invited by the Bay City government, not him.”
Her expression grew wary.
Justin, noticing her distrust, pulled out a laptop from the bag he had brought and placed it on the coffee table. Opening the design files, he pointed to the screen.
“There are some issues here,” he said matter–of–factly.
“Issues?” Emily frowned. “Didn’t I already finalize everything with the government officials?”
“I’m the primary investor in the new district’s development. Don’t believe me?” Justin’s expression turned serious, as if the problems were significant.
“Do you really think the government would spend $200,000 on a mural design?” he added, his tone blunt.
Emily hesitated. “Could he be telling the truth?”
It did make sense. Only someone as ridiculously wealthy as Justin would spend that much on a wall mural.
As Emily released the doorknob, it snapped back and the door automatically closed behind her.
Chapter 42
+25 BONUS
She walked around to stand behind the sofa, keeping a safe distance from Justin as she leaned over to glance at the laptop screen.
“Here,” Justin said, pointing to a specific area on the design.
Emily frowned in confusion. “What’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t like this color,” Justin said seriously, gesturing to a red section. “This shade of red, it doesn’t work for me.”
“Is he seriously here in the middle of the night just to nitpick?” Emily thought.
“That’s part of a draped scarf element,” she explained with forced patience. “It’s based on traditional artwork, and the colors are designed to align with the aesthetics of that historical period.”
“Can you change it?” Justin asked sharply, his tone carrying the authoritative weight of a CEO addressing a subordinate.
The sudden shift in his demeanor caught Emily off guard, and for a moment, she found herself stunned by the commanding energy he exuded.
“…Sure,” she said after a long pause.
“To what?”
“My preferred color.”
“And what color is that, Mr. Yates?”
“You don’t know my favorite color?” Justin asked, leaning back on the sofa with an air of mock disbelief, his gaze casually fixed on her. His tone was serious, but the teasing undertone was unmistakable.
Emily took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “What is he playing at?”
She opened her own laptop, made adjustments to the design, replacing the red with a deeper tone she remembered him favoring, then sent the revised file to his email.
