“Thanks for the opportunity, Ms. Vinci. What kind of style are you thinking for the piece?” Anastasia calmly opened her design notebook, ready to jot down notes.

Sonia’s eyes lingered on Anastasia’s before she smiled. “Ms. Kingsley, you are actually qualified for this, right? I mean, I’m a public figure—I can’t just work with some random amateur. I need legit professional design work.”

Anastasia caught the bitchy undertone but kept her cool. “Ms. Vinci, I promise I’ll create something that perfectly matches your style and personality. If you’re not happy with my work, you’re totally free to find someone else.”

Anastasia stayed composed, not giving an inch. Something calculating flashed in Sonia’s eyes. “Ms. Kingsley, what I want is actually pretty straightforward—something completely unique that’ll make people remember me. Next month’s awards show is huge for my career. I need to be the one everyone’s talking about.”

Anastasia nodded seriously. “Absolutely. I’ll design something that showcases your personal brand while incorporating distinctive elements to make sure the piece is both sophisticated and show-stopping.”

“Perfect. I’m confident you get what I’m going for, since we seem to have similar interests,” Sonia said, her words dripping with subtext. If Anastasia couldn’t read between those lines by now, she’d be a complete moron.

This bitch obviously knew exactly who she was and had shown up here to start trouble.

Anastasia kept her voice level. “I think everyone can appreciate beautiful things.”

Watching Anastasia stay so calm made Sonia want to claw her eyes out. Soon everyone would see whether Anastasia actually had any real talent. Some gold-digger who’d fucked her way into this job had no business being here. If this woman made Cassian look bad, how could he possibly keep her around?

“Totally. I’m really excited to see what kind of magic you can create,” Sonia said with fake enthusiasm.

“I’ll have the preliminary designs ready in three days,” Anastasia kept things strictly business.

“Looking forward to it,” Sonia said coolly. “Oh, and Ms. Kingsley? Just some friendly advice—it’s probably smart not to get too attached to things that aren’t really yours.”

“Don’t worry about me, Ms. Vinci. What’s meant to be will be, and trying to hold onto something that isn’t yours never works out,” Anastasia replied.

Sonia left looking totally pissed. Anastasia exhaled quietly. This woman really couldn’t wait to cause drama. But this was definitely going to be a pain in the ass. Sonia was obviously a troublemaker, and who knew what kind of bullshit she’d try to pull. Still, since Cassian hadn’t mentioned anything about their history, Anastasia would just play dumb.

At quitting time, Anastasia got a call from her mother-in-law. Lancey was calling to invite them over for dinner.

“Hey Mom,”

“Dumped Today, Married Tomorrow: My Overnight Wedding to a Tycoon”

“Ana, honey, I tried calling Cassian but he wasn’t picking up. Como River for dinner with him after work. I made this incredible pasta that I know you’ll love.”

Whenever Lancey made something special, Anastasia was always the first person she thought of. Anastasia felt genuinely touched. “That sounds amazing, thanks Mom. We’ll head over right after work. Cassian’s probably stuck in some…”

“Ugh. Typical. That man lives at the office,” Lancey grumbled affectionately.

“Mom, I better go for now. We’ll see you soon,” Anastasia said with a smile.

“Perfect.”

After hanging up, Anastasia shot Cassian a text about dinner at his parents’ place. He quickly replied telling her to meet him at the corner near the office. A few minutes later, Anastasia spotted Cassian’s car waiting nearby. Today he was driving a sleek black Porsche Cayenne. Anastasia glanced around to make sure no coworkers were watching, then quickly slipped into the passenger seat.

Seeing her acting all stealthy, Cassian’s serious expression broke into an amused grin. “Why are you sneaking around like we’re having an affair? Am I that embarrassing to be seen with?”

Anastasia looked a little embarrassed. “I just don’t want to start office gossip. Oh, can we swing by Williams Sonoma first? I want to grab some of those gourmet chocolates your mom loves.”

Anastasia was incredibly thoughtful—whenever they visited his family, she always brought everyone’s favorite treats.