Chapter 495
Chapter 495:
Austin’s brows knitted as he mulled over the revelation. It was true—Maggie had eased off lately.
He’d thought she’d finally given him some breathing room, but now it was clear John had been pulling strings.
John gave him a sly wink. “So, don’t you think I deserve a little gratitude p>
Austin’s lips twitched in what might’ve been amusement, but he didn’t bother replying. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked off.
Undeterred, John trailed after him, grinning. “Fine, I’ll just help myself to one of your fancy wines as a token of your appreciation p>
Austin glanced back, his voice sharp. “Don’t even think about it p>
“What? It’s a thank-you gift! Totally fair, right?” John quipped, his laughter trailing behind him as Austin’s exasperation finally cracked through.
Austin was about to trail after John when his phone buzzed, pulling his attention away.
A message from Yelena.
His eyes flicked to the time—already past one o’clock. A flash of surprise crossed his face. Had Yelena really been working on the designs for him all this time?
The thought made Austin’s brow crease slightly, a flicker of something softer—almost tender—sparking in his usually guarded eyes.
“Hey, you can’t just settle for saying you’re satisfied. If you do, you’ll never get a chance to meet Yelena in person. Tell her it’s not quite right—point out some tweaks, maybe even suggest areas that need more work. That way, you’ll have a reason to meet her and hash it out properly p>
Austin simply stared at John, his piercing gaze making John shift uncomfortably.
John’s scalp prickled. Was Austin mad at him?
Discover more content at ɢαlnσνeℓs․com
It was always impossible to tell what went on behind that unreadable expression.
Finally, Austin spoke, his voice cool but edged with the faintest hint of amusement. “In all the years I’ve known you, this might be the first time you’ve said something worthwhile p>
John’s mouth twitched into a half-smile, his eyes narrowing slightly. So, everything he’d said before had been nonsense?
Meanwhile, Yelena waited by her phone, expecting a reply from Austin. The minutes stretched into hours, and exhaustion finally overtook her. She drifted off, her phone silent beside her. Back at his place, Austin sat with his phone in hand, typing and deleting, caught in an unusual battle with his own nerves. Why was this so difficult? Normally, he’d breeze through meetings with sharp-tongued executives or negotiate billion-dollar deals without breaking a sweat. Yet here he was, hesitating over something as simple as a client request. Maybe, he thought grimly, in this game, he’d already lost. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he made his decision and hit send.
The next morning, Yelena woke up to find her phone flooded with notifications. Over a dozen unread messages from Austin. As she scrolled through them, she found they were all Austin’s meticulous revision requests—each one more detailed than the last.
Yelena’s mouth twitched, a soft sigh escaping her. She had thought Austin was easygoing, but beneath that calm exterior, he could be just as demanding as the rest.
Still, the customer was always right, and it wasn’t unreasonable to have so many suggestions.
Yelena’s eyes paused on the final message. “If possible, we should meet in person. I think it might be clearer if we talk face to face p>
She found Austin’s suggestion reasonable, and since it was the weekend, she didn’t see any reason not to agree. She nodded to herself, setting up a time to meet.
However, Yelena had promised Donna she would accompany her to the orphanage in the morning. She reasoned she could meet Austin after that. So she quickly replied to Austin, “Okay.” To her surprise, Austin responded almost instantly, “When are you free p>
Yelena paused, her brow furrowing slightly. She checked the timestamp of Austin’s message from last night—2:30 AM. Now, just past eight, and he was awake already?