Chapter 87

It was only after arriving at Expo Manor that Cedric realized Sylvia had chosen his and Liliana's marital home as her new residence. This was the first time he had been here since the renovations were completed. The design was decent enough, but it was a shame Sylvia was already living here. The place was now filled with her presence.

He was particular about cleanliness and would never live in a house someone else had occupied, especially not as a marital home. Still, there was no point in making Sylvia move now and having her mess up another one of his properties.

But the fact that Liliana was the designer here to take measurements was an unwelcome surprise. The shock in his eyes faded, replaced by a deep frown.

"Cedric, these are the designers from Cyan. This is Designer Shepherd, and that's Designer Preston," Sylvia announced, walking behind the sofa and draping her hands over the back in a familiar, intimate gesture.

Nina's face lit up. It was true! Cedric and Sylvia were a couple. She knew their secret now but dared not overstep. "Good afternoon, Mr. Forrest."

Beside her, Liliana forced back her tears. She refused to fall apart here, to look like a clown. Other than the initial shock of seeing her, Cedric showed no guilt, no unease. His expression was already back to normal, a cool, detached curve to his lips.

"Which of you is the lead designer?"

Nina, not wanting to reveal her petty side in front of Cedric, immediately looked at Liliana. "That would be Designer Preston. Cyan is focused on nurturing new talent right now."

The design fee for a house like this would be in the six figures, and the total renovation costs would easily reach seven. It was a major project in the design world. Even if Cedric knew nothing about design, he would know that a company wouldn't risk a million-dollar project on an unproven designer unless someone was deliberately pulling strings to promote them. If it failed, someone would cover the loss; if it succeeded, the newcomer would become an overnight sensation.

He immediately thought of Douglas.

Leaning back against the sofa, he slowly rubbed his wrist, his eyes raking over Liliana from head to toe. "Talent? What makes Cyan think she's talented? What exceptional skills does Designer Preston possess?"

Nina was at a loss for words.

The title 'Designer Preston' sounded like a cruel joke to Liliana. In his eyes, she was nothing more than a housewife. Attaching such a prestigious title to her name was laughable.

felt

So be it. No matter who redesigned this house, it would mean destroying the fruits of her labor. It didn't matter if churt or her or not. Her pride didn't matter either. What mattered was standing tall in front of him, refusing

to let him twist the knife in her heart.

"My graduation project won a design award, and I received numerous other awards during university."

Cedric let out a short, sharp laugh. He stood up, hands in his pockets, and walked over to her. He was a full head taller, looming over her with a condescending air.

"What's a student design award worth? You're an intern with no real-world experience, and you think you can design a multi-million-dollar house? Who gave you that kind of confidence?"

Douglas, he thought. He wanted to see if Liliana had the guts to take what Douglas offered. Did she really think that putting on a pantsuit and working at Cyan for a couple of days made her somebody?

His intimidating presence washed over her, suffocating her. She could see her own small, defiant reflection in his eyes. She clenched her jaw and met his gaze without flinching.

Nina, seeing things go sideways,

hurried over to Sylvia. "Sylvia, please, say something to Mr. Forrest..." She needed Liliana to make a mistake on the job so she could justify firing her. If Cedric blocked her from taking the project in the first place, she'd have no grounds to convince the

company to let her go.

"Cedric," Sylvia said, giving Nina a reassuring glance before walking to his side.

"I've seen Miss Preston's graduation project. I quite liked the style. I want her to be the one to design it."

Cedric's piercing gaze remained

fixed on Liliana. The woman's small

face was pale, but her bright eyes

were dark with defiance. It had only been few days, and she already dared to look at him like that?