Chapter 100

This was absolutely infuriating! Seeing Anastasia’s calm composure only made Sonia more frustrated. But given that she was SC’s protégée, Sonia supposed she’d have to grudgingly accept it.

“Fine,” Sonia said coolly. “Go ahead and make the pieces. Since you’re SC’s student and all.” Basically, she was doing this for the master’s sake, not Anastasia’s.

Anastasia could read between the lines perfectly. “Miss Vinci, you really don’t need to force yourself. If you like the designs, I’ll create the pieces. But if you still have reservations, I’ll say it again—please find someone else.”

Sonia’s expression shifted immediately. What the hell was this woman’s problem? Didn’t she want the commission? Just because she was SC’s student, she thought she could play hard to get?

“Is this how you treat all your clients, Ms. Kingsley?” Sonia’s voice turned sharp.

“I’m just being straightforward, Miss Vinci,” Anastasia replied evenly.

“Fine, whatever. Since you’re being so difficult about it, I won’t waste any more of your time. Your design aesthetic isn’t really my style anyway,” Sonia snapped.

Truthfully, Sonia was worried that if she wore the jewelry and it became popular, people would dig into who designed it. She’d essentially be giving Anastasia free publicity. As a public figure attending a major awards ceremony, the last thing she wanted was to inadvertently promote her rival. She’d originally approached Anastasia to humiliate her. Since Anastasia was being dismissive, she’d definitely find someone else.

“Have a good day, Miss Vinci,” Anastasia said politely.

Hopefully, they’d never have to work together again.

“Oh, I will. By the way, Ms. Kingsley, there’s one more thing I should clarify. You saw today’s trending news, right? Yesterday I was being stalked by some obsessed fan and I was terrified. When Cassian found out, he rushed right over. I hope you don’t get the wrong idea.” Sonia couldn’t hide the smugness in her voice.

This had been one of her main reasons for coming here today—she was dying to flaunt this in front of Anastasia, just in case she hadn’t seen the news. She wanted to see Anastasia look devastated and heartbroken. But Sonia was about to be disappointed.

Anastasia glanced at her with mild disinterest. “There’s no misunderstanding. My husband already told me about it. He’s always been the helpful type. I’m glad you’re okay—it must be tough being a woman in the public eye.”

That simple response left Sonia so angry she could barely breathe. Finally, Sonia stormed out in a huff.

Anastasia let out a quiet sigh of relief and went to explain the situation to her supervisor. It was a headache, sure, but better than dealing with Sonia’s hostility. She’d realized the woman had no good intentions and was just looking for trouble. How could she possibly work with someone like that?

Chapter 100.

Meanwhile, Cassian had moved swiftly, having Philips handle the damage control. Philips quickly had the trending topics removed and got the PR department to issue a statement. But plenty of people were still gossiping, thinking Cassian was protesting too much. They figured he was just worried about Rhodes Global’s reputation. Standard corporate PR move. Most people didn’t take the denial seriously.

After handling everything, Philips came to Cassian’s office to report. He found his boss frowning, apparently deep in thought.

“Sir, everything’s been taken care of. Is there anything else you need me to handle?” Philips asked carefully.

Cassian looked up at him. “Philips, you have a girlfriend now, right?”

Philips was taken aback. Why was his boss asking about this?