He said no?

My eyes collided with the coldest, most intense blue eyes I had ever seen. His gaze was sharp, icy, and deeply calculating, like he was already dissecting everything about me without needing permission. There was nothing soft or welcoming in his expression. His jaw was stiff and defined, almost unnaturally perfect, matching the precision of everything about him. His suit looked expensive beyond reason, slick and ironed to perfection, not a single crease out of place. Even his dark hair was immaculately set, not one strand out of line, as if chaos itself avoided him.

His presence filled the room in a way that felt heavier than air, and for the first time, I accepted a thought I had been avoiding. I had never stood in front of someone with this level of control and charisma, and that realization made something in me hesitate about accepting this deal.

“You have been staring for too long. I find it rude,” his voice cut through the silence, cool and precise, with no warmth at all.

I had not meant to stare, but he was nothing close to what I had imagined. “I apologize, but it is only wise that I look at the man I am supposed to style.”

“It is rather unfortunate that there will be no need for that,” he said flatly before his eyes shifted to Miss Emily. He shook his head once, slow and dismissive. “I do not approve of her. I am sure you can do better.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mr… Mr Roberto,” Miss Emily began nervously, her voice tightening. “She is a top designer—”

“I said you can do better. That is final.”

“Excuse you, I am standing right here,” I snapped, my tone sharpening.

“I am very well aware of that,” he replied without even looking at me properly.

“And? How can you talk down on me in my presence?”

“You just witnessed it,” he said calmly. “I do not find you fit to be my stylist.”

“Then why did you seek me out, and on what criteria are you judging my work?” I asked, placing both hands firmly on the table in front of me.

“First of all, I did not seek you out. I entrusted that task to my secretary, and she has obviously failed. Secondly, I do not owe you any explanation.”

“Unfortunately, you do,” I shot back immediately. “Oh yes, you do, because you and your secretary have wasted my precious time on this contract. I have cancelled meetings, and I am supposed to be with a client right now, yet here I am. So do not tell me this contract is not happening.”

He gave me a cold, unreadable stare. “It is not my fault that you seem desperate.”

“I am sorry to inform you that you are the desperate one here.”

The atmosphere in the room turned heavier, colder, like the air itself had tightened. No one intervened. No one even breathed loudly. It was just me and him, locked in a silent war of control.

For the first time since I had met him, his nonchalant attitude shifted. He finally gave me his full attention, as if I had just become slightly more interesting than a passing inconvenience.

He slipped his hands into his pockets. “And what led you to that conclusion? I would like to inform you that Luciano Roberto is not desperate for anyone’s services.”

I tilted my head slightly and cleared my throat. “Well, that is not the impression your secretary gave me. Miss Emily barged into my company after working hours and demanded a meeting. No appointment, no email, no invitation. She insisted it was urgent and could not wait. I had other appointments, and I only agreed because my personal assistant told me it was important.”

Mr Roberto turned his head slowly toward Miss Emily, who immediately avoided his gaze. He looked back at me and exhaled through his nose.

“That can hardly be called desperation,” he said.

“Then when I finally saw her, she practically begged me to take the job,” I continued. “If you are not desperate, why offer a ten million dollar contract for just one year? I do not blame her. If this is how you treat every stylist you meet, then working for you would be a nightmare.”

“Yet here you are, fighting your way into the contract,” he replied coldly.

“That is because I do not quit, and I love challenges. You challenged my profession and implied I was not good enough. I would love to watch you realize how wrong you are. And I have already wasted too much time and cancelled too many meetings. I have lost money, so I am not going back to square one. This deal is happening. Right now.”

I kept my tone controlled, professional, but there was something deeper beneath it. I needed this more than I was letting on.

I needed this contract.

Even if it meant working under a man like him.

It was not just about business. I needed an excuse. I needed distance. I needed something solid to present to Lilian and Greg so they would stop questioning my time and movements. Deep down, I just needed space from everything. I did not fully understand why, but I needed this one-year contract to happen.

Mr Roberto tapped the table twice, slow and deliberate, before turning to Miss Emily.

“I have not changed my mind. Let us leave.”

“I am sorry, but we… we cannot, sir,” she said quickly.

He frowned. “And why is that? What makes you say that?”

“Sir… Miss Roberto’s collection is coming out in a week,” she explained urgently. “We are already short on time for styling and promotion. If we do not sign a contract now, I am not sure we will find another capable stylist before then, and even if we do, it will be too late.”

“You work for one of the biggest companies in the country,” he replied coldly. “How can anything be too late?”

“You do not understand, sir,” she insisted. “Whoever we choose will need your measurements and preferences before anything can be tailored properly. We are already very far behind schedule.”

“There are thousands of stylists in this city.”

“But I do not think anyone is more capable than her,” Miss Emily said quickly, gesturing toward me. “She has a strong rating system, and I have seen her work. I believe she is the best option. If we do not sign now, Miss Roberto’s collection might—”

“Alright. Fine,” he cut in sharply. “But you will see me in my office when we return, and you will have a lot of explaining to do.”

I fought to suppress my smile, keeping my expression neutral with difficulty. I could hardly believe I had just secured a contract with this man. This was a major win for my company, and I was ready to take the risk.

Our eyes met again, and the room went still between us.

He muttered under his breath, just low enough for me to catch it.

“This better be fucking worth it.”