CHAPTER 102: WONDERFUL PROGESS

After I got dressed, I left the bedroom and walked into Christian’s office.

He was sitting behind his desk, talking to someone on the phone. Noticing me, he stood up from his chair and started to walk towards me.

"Hey, I’ll talk to you later," he said before ending the call.

He walked up to me and placed his hands around my waist. "Hey, how are you feeling? Here, drink some water."

I accepted the water bottle and uncapped it. "Thank you. I’m feeling much better. Sorry about earlier..."

Christian waited until I finished taking a few sips of water before he pulled me into his embrace. "Sweetheart, don’t apologize for something like that. You don’t ever have to apologize to me."

I hugged him back, feeling warm. A few minutes later, he pulled back and looked into my eyes intently.

"Leslie, do you trust me?"

I looked back at him and nodded, "Yes."

"Good. I’ll take care of it, I promise," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I wiped a few tears from my eyes and nodded again, "Thank you."

He lifted my chin with his fingers and placed his lips on top of mine. His kiss was exactly what I needed, his-- not anyone else’s.

We continued to stand in the middle of his office, kissing as if we were in a scene of a romance movie.

Knock Knock

Startled from the knock, I pulled away.

"Sir, I have the things you requested."

Christian motioned for me to take a seat on the couch as he went to answer the door. A few moments later, Blake came in with a silver cart and many dishes on it.

"You can leave it on the table over there. Miss Moresi will be joining me this morning," said Christian, taking a step aside.

Blake looked at me and nodded his head as a greeting. He pushed the cart in and began setting the plates of food down on the coffee table in front of me.

When he finished, he smiled and pushed the cart back out.

"Thank you, Blake," Christian said before turning to join me on the couch.

"I figured you’d be hungry. I had Blake pick up some food on his way into the office this morning. Here, the coffee at this restaurant is very good."

My stomach rumbled as I looked at the delicious spread of food. I accepted the cup of coffee from Christian, taking a sip.

"Oh, this coffee is very good! I like it very much," I said, pleasantly surprised.

Christian smiled and handed me a clean plate. "Let’s eat while the food is hot." He waited for me to fill my plate before choosing his food.

"So what are your plans today?" he asked as we ate.

"I need to meet up with Yulia today. She said she wanted to show me something, so as soon as she arrives, I’ll make my way down," I replied.

Christian nodded, "I presume she’s finishing up on the pieces. That means the season launch will be held soon."

I nodded, "Yes, I’m thinking that Friday will be a good day to send the notification to my father. Does that work for you?"

Christian took a bite of his pancake and thought about the schedule. "What day do you plan on holding the event?"

"Traditionally, season launches happen on Fridays, so a week from this Friday...Unless you have other ideas," I replied. I still wasn’t sure why he asked me to delay notifying the auction house of the upcoming event.

"Okay, that works. A week should be enough time. I’ll have Blake start working on the invites, but I won’t send them out until Friday," he said calmly.

-

After breakfast, I received a message that Yulia had arrived, so I excused myself and went down to meet with her.

"Morning, Yulia!" I greeted her as I walked into her workspace.

"Oh, hey Leslie! Come, I’ve been dying to show you the finished piece!" she smiled, motioning for me to come closer.

I only had to take a few steps to see the beautiful tiara sitting on her desk. It was enchanting and regal, covered in sapphires and diamonds.

While the piece was eclectic and not meant for everyday wear, the ladies of the upper circle would surely fight over it. Statement pieces like this could be worn to special galas or even editorial photoshoots-- all things that appealed to the wealthy.

"Yulia, it’s stunning! I love what you did with the hanging diamonds over here," I said, pointing at the strings of hanging diamonds on either side.

"Good! I was a little worried about doing that without consulting you first, but in the moment, it just kind of happened," she blushed.

"No, no. Please, I trust your judgement. I think this adds a lot to the overall mysteriousness of the piece." I was truly impressed by her craftsmanship. Only a true queen deserves to wear this tiara, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was jealous of the person who won the bid for it.

Yulia walked me over to the safe, where the other pieces and gemstones were kept.

"Take a look at all of these together. Each piece complements and enhances the next, especially the choker necklace."

She laid out the other finished pieces for me to look at. I found myself speechless. After working with Yulia, I didn’t think that I could look at regular jewelry the same.

"You’re incredible. The sapphire roses look so real, I can almost smell them," I said as I inspected the set.

Yulia smiled, happy from my endless compliments. She pulled out another item from the safe and brought it over to me.

"These are the last pieces left. I’ll finish them by tomorrow, then focus on polishing everything." She placed a pair of unfinished earrings on the table.

My eyes widened. Even without the gemstones, these earrings were beautiful. They were big and bold, long enough to almost reach the shoulders.

While the choker necklace and tiara were both meant to be the statement pieces of the collection, these earrings didn’t fall short.

"They’re so beautiful. I can’t wait to see them when they’re finished," I said.

After seeing the nearly finished pieces, I was even more confident that the season launch would be a success. I hoped that the auction would go well enough to boost Sophia’s overall sales, ultimately helping Christian out.