Chapter 118

Nina seized the opportunity to come down on her.

"Don't think that just because you signed that contract with Miss Woods, your place at Cyan is secure, Liliana."

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Liliana said, her apology crisp and direct. "You can dock my pay according to company policy. I have no complaints."

Her straightforward admission left Nina with nothing more to say. The rest of her lecture died in her throat.

After a moment, Nina finally said, "Of course it will be docked. Don't let it happen again."

Liliana sat down and went back to work on the Expo Manor designs. Tillie's head popped up from behind her computer monitor. "Designer Shepherd is setting a trap for you, and you just walked right into it," she whispered.

She was referring to Nina assigning Liliana a client to handle on her own. The news had already spread through the office. Nina hadn't said it outright, but everyone could see she was looking for a legitimate reason to fire Liliana.

"Maybe it's not a trap," Liliana whispered back.

Tillie rolled her eyes. "I've been here for almost a year, and I've never even met a client alone, let alone managed one. This isn't as simple as you think!"

Of course, it wasn't simple. But it wasn't overly complicated either. If she satisfied the client, she would stay, and Nina would leave her alone. If she didn't, company policy still didn't allow for her dismissal. Nina was so eager to set her up that she had overlooked the ways it could backfire. As long as Liliana didn't violate any major rules, the success or failure of this project wouldn't be grounds for termination.

The deadline for Sylvia's design was ten days. The schedule was tight, so Liliana spent the entire day immersed in her work. She was so busy that she didn't think about Cedric once.

She had no idea that he, on the other hand, couldn't get her out of his head. He was haunted by images of her: her cool, distant demeanor, the way she ate her dinner without looking at him, the way she had dressed up that morning in a chic skirt and heels to go to work.

Before she had returned, he had been irritable. Now that she was back, why was he still so agitated?

The feeling lingered all day, a persistent unease he couldn't shake.

That evening

when he returned

met

home and opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Liliana hurrying toward him, dressed in a white blouse and a black skift that ended just above her knees. She had just gotten home herself and hadn't had time to change.

As she approached, a small smile touched her lips. It wasn't the radiant grin she used to give him, but it was an improvement over the day before. The strange unease in Cedric's chest began to dissipate.

He watched as she took his briefcase and stood on her toes to help him out of his jacket.

"You're home," she said, walking behind him to hang the black suit jacket on the rack. Then she bent down to get his slippers. The skirt pulled taut across her hips, outlining herfull, und curves in a way that was undeniably alluring.

Cedric stood still, his arms outstretched, waiting. Liliana understood, reaching up to

loosen his tie. "I made your favorite chicken soup," she said softly.

"Mm," he grunted, a note of pleasure in his voice. She hadn't even changed out of her work clothes before making his favorite soup. She must have wanted it to be ready the moment he walked in.

At the dinner rtable,

Liliana served

him food. After they finished, she followed him upstairs and laid out his clothes for his shower it wa only when he came out of the bathroom that he realized she had already showered in the guest room.

She was wearing a silky, slate-blue pajama set. Her hair was still damp, a few strands clinging to her neck. Even without makeup, she was utterly captivating.

She walked toward him, taking the towel he had used to dry his hair. Her dark eyes met his.

"There's something I need to talk to you about."