CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204 RUMORS AND RIVALRIES

Serena’s POV

I turned around with a smile, standing to greet him. "Ryan, you’re here! Let me introduce you—this is Lance Draven, the designer Mr. West brought in for the collaboration. We’ve been discussing some fascinating design concepts."

"Lance really knows his stuff," I added, trying to keep things professional and light.

Ryan’s gaze swept over Lance again, his expression remaining deliberately neutral. The temperature in the room practically dropped another five degrees.

"Hello," he said simply, voice clipped.

Lance, clearly sensing Ryan’s intimidating aura, stood up and offered a polite smile. "So you’re Mr. Blackwood? It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Ryan gave him a curt nod before turning to me. "It’s getting late. We should head home for dinner."

I glanced between the two men, trying not to smile at Ryan’s transparent attempt to extract me from the situation. "Lance, I didn’t realize we’d been talking so long. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Lance shook his head quickly. "No need, I wouldn’t want to intrude. We can stay in touch regarding the collaboration anytime."

"Of course," I nodded, secretly relieved he’d declined. The thought of sitting through dinner with these two was enough to give me anxiety.

Once seated in the car, Ryan immediately brought up the Celestial Gems partnership.

"So you’ve met with Lucian today?"

I nodded, sharing my impressions. "Lucian seems... different. Others might not notice it, but I can tell."

"His hostility toward me has faded considerably."

Ryan visibly relaxed at this information, though his protective instincts remained intact. "Regardless, be careful with this partnership."

"I will, promise."

There was a brief pause before he asked, "That designer—he’s involved in this collaboration too?"

I nodded, watching Ryan’s face carefully. "Lance is quite renowned domestically. He’s won numerous awards but stays remarkably low-profile. Works independently."

Ryan’s brow furrowed slightly. "I was just asking."

I couldn’t help smirking. "Lance is simply a talented professional. Heaven forbid you get jealous over nothing again."

Instead of responding verbally, Ryan suddenly pulled me closer, his arm wrapping firmly around my waist.

"You think I’m that petty?" His voice was dangerously close to my ear, sending unwanted shivers down my spine.

I pushed against his chest twice, but he didn’t budge. Finally giving up, I sighed dramatically.

"Stop it. I was just making an observation."

"Let’s go home for dinner. I’m hungry," I added, trying to find any excuse to avoid getting too affectionate in my office. The last thing I needed was someone walking in on us.

Ryan, however, had other ideas. He leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my cheek.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the office door swung open.

Maya let out an exaggerated "Oh!" and dramatically covered her eyes. "I didn’t see anything! Please, carry on, don’t mind me!" she teased, already backing toward the door.

I cleared my throat, feeling heat rise to my face. "Maya, wait. Did you need something?"

She grinned mischievously. "Should I talk now? Am I interrupting something important?"

"Stop teasing and come in already."

Maya stepped inside, her expression shifting to business mode. "Celestial Gems is hosting an event the day after tomorrow to build buzz for the collaboration."

She handed me an invitation. "The invitation was delivered personally. Will you attend?"

I examined the elegant card. "Looks like Lucian is putting considerable effort into this partnership, which makes sense given their full-scale domestic market entry."

The invitation specifically requested my presence. Declining would be awkward and potentially damaging to our new partnership.

"I’ll go," I decided, tucking the invitation into my bag.

Maya glanced nervously at Ryan, apparently relieved when he didn’t object.

"Great, I’ll get back to work then."

"We’re heading home. Thanks for everything, Maya."

Maya spread her hands in mock despair. "Not hard work—just a hard life."

After she left, I picked up my bag, ready to leave with Ryan.

"Do you really need to attend this kind of event?" Ryan asked, his jealousy finally surfacing now that Maya was gone.

"I am the owner of Dreamland Studio, after all," I reasoned. "It’s just one event—I’ll make a brief appearance and that’s it."

I took his hand and gave him my best pleading look. "I’ve been cooped up in the Blackwood mansion so long I’m starting to grow mold. Let me get some fresh air, please?"

His expression softened immediately, and I mentally congratulated myself on another successful deployment of what Maya called my "secret weapon"—the subtle art of gentle persuasion that even Ryan Blackwood couldn’t resist.

--

I barely had time to catch my breath as I walked into the event venue. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect - right on schedule, as usual. Maya couldn’t join me today since she had meetings with some important clients, but a few designers from our studio came along for support.

Celestial Gems had gone all out as the host. The venue buzzed with energy - elegantly dressed guests mingling, champagne flowing freely, and media representatives hovering around like bees to honey. In the center of it all stood Lucian, perfectly poised in his tailored suit, handling a barrage of questions from reporters with practiced ease.

"Mr. West, how confident are you about Celestial Gems’ full-scale entry into the domestic market?" a reporter asked, microphone thrust forward eagerly.

Lucian smiled that camera-ready smile of his. "I’m quite confident, though success always depends on mutual cooperation."

"This marks the third collaboration between Celestial Gems and Dreamland Studio. Mrs. Lazuli is an incredibly capable businesswoman, and I’m certain this partnership will be just as successful as our previous ventures."

His response was diplomatic, professional - but there was something different about him tonight. The usual underlying tension I’d come to expect was missing, replaced by an almost genuine warmth. Combined with his undeniably handsome features, he was absolutely magnetic on camera.

The reporter, clearly emboldened by his approachable demeanor, couldn’t resist diving into gossip territory. "Mr. West, Celestial Gems has collaborated with Dreamland more than any other company since your New York launch. Would you say you and Mrs. Lazuli have developed a special rapport?"

I nearly choked on my champagne at that question. Really? We were going there?

Lucian nodded thoughtfully. "I wouldn’t call it a special rapport exactly, but Dreamland has proven to be a reassuringly reliable partner."

As I navigated through the crowd, exchanging pleasantries with industry contacts, I gradually made my way toward the center of attention. That’s when Lucian spotted me and extended his hand in greeting.

"Serena, you made it."

I stopped and smiled politely. "Mr. West."

Like sharks sensing blood, the reporters and cameramen swiveled in my direction, equipment suddenly trained on me.

"Mrs. Lazuli! Would you mind joining Mr. West for a brief interview?" one particularly persistent reporter called out.

I hesitated, about to politely decline, when Lucian smoothly answered, "Of course she can."

Well, that decided that. According to the event schedule, both company heads were supposed to give a joint interview anyway. Refusing now would only create unnecessary awkwardness.

With as much grace as I could muster, I walked over and positioned myself beside Lucian. It was only then that I noticed our matching attire - we’d both coincidentally chosen outfits in the same color palette. Great. Just what the gossip columns needed.

The interview proceeded without incident, both of us fielding questions with practiced professionalism.

When it finally ended, Lucian turned to me with a surprisingly genuine smile. "You’ve been standing quite a while. Would you like to sit down?"

He gestured toward a nearby seating area with impeccable gentlemanly charm.

I nodded, seeing no reason to decline. Once seated, we actually had a productive discussion about our collaboration plans.

What I didn’t anticipate was how quickly the evening would become fodder for online speculation. Within hours, videos of our joint interview were trending across social media.