Chapter 408
Layla lay on her side, her face resting on the back of her hand, facing Brian. Her rosy lips were puckered, looking like a cute little apple waiting to be kissed, glistening with a dewy sheen.
Layla's eyelashes drooped like two little fans, long and delicate. Her nose was small yet perky, and her soft lips seemed to be coated with honey.
Brian often heard people in the office praise Layla's beauty, but he never felt that way. It seemed that, for many years, women were just a label to him, merely representing the female gender. In his eyes, there was no distinction between beauty and ugliness because he never considered the question.
At this moment, Brian's frozen heart suddenly understood the difference between beauty and ugliness. Not only that, but the rhythm of his heartbeat also changed, seemingly faster, then slower, causing him to feel palpitations and chest tightness.
'What is happening to him?'he pondered.
This sensation was too unfamiliar to Brian. Or perhaps, not entirely unfamiliar, because once, a long time ago, he had felt a moment of sudden heart flutter.
Brian's heart trembled violently, revealing a look of disbelief. He thought he would never feel anything for a woman again. But now, the overwhelming emotions made it hard for him to control himself.
Moreover, Brian was bending over to pull the design draft from under Layla's elbow. They were so close that his lips almost touched her ear. Their posture was incredibly intimate.
Brian swallowed hard.
He could actually hear his own heartbeat, each beat exceptionally clear.
Time and space seemed to have stopped.
However, at this moment...
"Mr. Evans." The secretary's voice suddenly rang out, startling Brian. He had always been upright and honest, but now he felt guilty, hastily stepping back two steps, almost knocking over a cup.
Layla was startled awake by the noise, rubbing her eyes groggily. "I fell asleep. Mr. Evans?"
Why did Brian's face look so strange? His expression was tense and very unnatural.
Brian clenched his fists, trying to stay calm. But pretending nothing had happened was harder than he thought.
"Come in," he said.
The secretary who entered the room sensed an extremely ambiguous and subtle atmosphere.
Her probing gaze lingered on Layla's face for two seconds, then shifted to Brian, as if trying to discern something. A woman's intuition was never wrong, especially when it comes to matters between men and women, more sensitive than a radar.
Layla's sleeping appearance was like a cute Persian cat, even she, as a woman, found her adorable. Mr. Evans must find it even harder to resist her charm.
Brian noticed the secretary's probing gaze. In the past, he would have ignored it. But now, he blurted out a cold question, "Have you seen enough?"
"Sorry, Mr. Evans, I... I wasn't looking around." The secretary hurriedly lowered her head, trembling.
Layla looked at Brian curiously. He was really acting strange.
"Mr. Evans, I... I came to deliver some documents." The secretary anxiously placed the documents on the desk and was about to leave.
"I don't want to hear any gossip in the company," Brian warned.
"I... I didn't say anything, Mr. Evans... it wasn't me..." the secretary explained.
"Leave," he ordered.
"Yes." The secretary left with a face full of grievance.
Feeling the speechless gaze from across, Brian remained indifferent. "What? Any objections?" As if to maintain his innocence, his tone was deliberately cold.
Layla sighed. "Isn't it obvious that you're trying to cover it up? The more you deny it, the more people will speculate. Now they'll think I tattled on them to you. I don't want to become the office enemy again."
"You have no idea that before you came, I was practically a target, fighting off everyone every day. So, I'm really grateful to you. Ever since you became my boss, my life has been much easier." Layla gave a particularly sincere and grateful smile.
Layla's smile was like a clear spring, a beam of light that brightened Brian's eyes.
Layla was genuinely happy and even grateful for Brian's arrival.
Brian felt a sense of joy, even a bit of sweetness, because of Layla's happiness.
In any case, Brian felt dazed, his mind unable to function properly. He couldn't look directly at Layla's smile because his heart was beating too fast.
What was happening to him? Just moments ago, he had been calm and composed. Keeping Layla in the office was purely because they shared the same design ideas, with no other feelings involved.
Brian took a deep breath. He needed to stay rational. "Let's continue."
"Okay." Layla had taken a nap. In the afternoon, she felt particularly energetic. She kept drawing until six o'clock, then finally lifted her sore neck and rubbed the back of it.
"The second draft is done. Take a look." Layla handed it over.
Brian glanced at it and was, as always, satisfied. Although they were two people, it was as if they shared the same mind. Layla seemed to live in Brian's head, drawing out all the concepts in his mind, immediately capturing his attention and striking his heart. From the time he entered the design industry until now, this was the first time something so incredible had happened.
The word she mentioned earlier suddenly flashed in his mind... soulmate.
Was there really such a soulmate in the world?
Brian's heart was in turmoil.
Everything happened so unexpectedly, like being swept away by a sudden wave.
"Mr. Evans? Mr. Evans? What's wrong?" Layla asked, seeing Brian looking at her design with a complex expression. But the two of them had already built an understanding, and she was confident he would be pleased with her design and like it.
"Nothing. It's fine." Brian handed the design back, deliberately avoiding Layla's face.
Brian pressed his lips together. He didn't dare to look at Layla.
The heart that had taken so long to calm down was once again in turmoil.
"You always say it's fine and never give me any feedback. How am I supposed to improve?" Layla asked with a playful smile.
Brian's throat tightened, and he said softly, "Stop smiling."
"What?" she asked.
"I said stop smiling," he repeated.
Her smile was disturbing Brian's heart.
Layla was puzzled. Did Brian think smiling wasn't professional? But hadn't they always worked with a cheerful atmosphere?
Anyway, he had been acting strange since the afternoon, and Layla couldn't figure it out.
"Well, I'm off. See you tomorrow." Layla gathered her drawings and walked to the door.
"Let's have dinner together." Layla had just stepped out of the office when Brian's voice stopped her.
Layla suddenly remembered Samuel's warning last night to keep her distance from Brian. It wouldn't be good if he found out.
Layla felt a bit conflicted but couldn't help nodding. "Sure."
She thought, ' Having dinner shouldn't count as being too close, right?'