Blaine Jackson sat heavily on the couch, his expression dark and brooding. His large hands absently toyed with the fortune cat figurine on the table, his grip tightening as if he wanted to crush it.
Annie hesitated, watching him carefully for a moment before finally gathering the courage to hand him the documents she had brought.
Blaine took them without a word, flipping through them briefly before tossing them onto the desk. He leaned back, exhaling a long, frustrated sigh.
"Director, are you worried about Chloe?" Annie asked cautiously.
Blaine's eyes flicked up at her, sharp and unreadable. Then, he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I'm not."
Annie chuckled softly. "I think Chloe must have lost track of time chatting with her old friends. She hasn't been to school in days, after all."
"I don't care when she comes back," Blaine muttered, his tone defensive, almost sulky.
"Should I call her and ask where she is?" Annie offered.
Blaine scoffed. "She has a phone. She knows my number." His voice was laced with frustration. If she was going to be out so long, wouldn't she at least call to check in?
Annie hid a smile, amused by his stubbornness. He was obviously worried about Chloe, irritated that she had been out for so long without a single word to him. It was affecting his mood so much that even his work had suffered—his cold, stormy demeanor had spread like a chill through the entire office.
"Director, you do care about Chloe, don't you?" Annie asked, unable to resist teasing him a little.
Blaine shot her a sidelong glance, his tone sharp. "Annie, that question is outside your job responsibilities."
Annie immediately nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. She turned to leave.
"Sorry," Blaine muttered after a pause. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just in a bad mood. Go on with your work. Oh, and find out when Yuto Miyazawa is expected to arrive. If he's delayed, I'll have to step out." That girl was probably too caught up in having fun to remember to check in.
"Understood, Director." Annie let out a quiet sigh of relief before stepping out of his office. However, barely two minutes later, she hurried back in.
Blaine noticed her tense expression and immediately stood up. "What is it?"
"Director, President Miyazawa has arrived. And..." Annie hesitated, glancing at Blaine's deepening frown before quickly adding, "Chloe is with him."
The moment she finished speaking, Blaine strode toward the door in long, purposeful strides.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could clearly see Yuto Miyazawa stepping out of the car. With his usual gentlemanly manner, Yuto moved to the other side of the vehicle and opened the door, offering a warm smile to the person inside.
A moment later, Chloe Grace emerged, flashing him a bright, easygoing smile in return.
Together, the two of them walked side by side into the boutique.
Blaine's gaze locked onto the smile on Chloe's face. A strange, sour sensation twisted in his chest, bitter and unwelcome.
"Director, they're coming in," Annie reminded him softly, growing worried about Chloe.
"I know. You can leave now," Blaine said curtly.
Just as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Yuto Miyazawa entered, Chloe following closely behind.
"Director Jackson, I hope I'm not interrupting your work," Yuto greeted smoothly, his demeanor as polite as ever. Meanwhile, Chloe quickly stepped past him and pulled a playful face at Blaine.
"I'm back!" she announced cheerfully.
But Blaine didn't even glance at her. Instead, he focused solely on Yuto, stepping forward as he said, "President Miyazawa and I have business to discuss. Go upstairs."
"Huh?" Chloe blinked in confusion. She stared at him for a moment and finally noticed the dark, stormy expression on his face. Was he... angry?
"Chloe, let's go to the lounge," Annie quickly interjected, sensing the tension. She grabbed Chloe's hand and gently pulled her out of the office.
Once they reached the lounge, Chloe couldn't hold back her questions. "Annie, what's wrong with Blaine? Is he mad at me?"
Annie sighed. "Chloe, you were out for so long, and you didn't even call him. And now you've come back with President Miyazawa?"
"I ran into an old friend at school," Chloe explained. "I wanted to treat her to a meal, but then I bumped into Yuto on the way, and... well, one thing led to another." She briefly recounted the day's events.
Annie frowned. "So you spent the whole afternoon with President Miyazawa?"
"Is that a problem?" Chloe asked, puzzled. "We just had lunch and then stopped by his office. That's all."
Annie looked at her like she was the most oblivious person in the world. "Chloe, do you really not see it? The director is upset. He was worried about you, and seeing you come back with President Miyazawa didn't sit well with him at all."
Chloe blinked. "You mean... he's jealous? Like he was at that gala before?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Annie stifled a laugh, recalling Blaine's stubborn denial.
Chloe groaned, flopping onto the couch like a fish out of water. "But I didn't even do anything with Yuto!"
Annie leaned back, thinking for a moment before saying, "I think the director himself doesn't realize what he's feeling. He probably doesn't even know it's jealousy."
Chloe exhaled, staring at the ceiling. "So what do I do about it?"
Annie suddenly perked up. "Actually, tomorrow afternoon, the director is scheduled to oversee model fittings at the Sunray fashion house. Remember what we talked about? This might be a good opportunity to test his feelings."
"You really think so?" Chloe asked, doubtful.
Annie nodded. "That's why you have to go. Give it a try." Then, standing up, she smoothed out her skirt. "Alright, I have to get back to work. Think it over."
Chloe sighed, still staring at the ceiling. Testing Blaine's feelings? How did she always end up in these ridiculous situations?