AMS was a high–end fashion house, and this batch of custom pocket watches for their VIP clients could be the key that finally opened the market for Niamh’s own brand, Nocturne Royal Jewels.
Niamh treated this opportunity with the utmost seriousness. Through Peter’s connections, she managed to reach FY, the secretive atelier behind the Grand Piano Collection’s intricate settings.
Just as AMS approved the samples Niamh submitted, Peter brought even more good news-
The organizers of the Luminous Divas Fashion Week were launching the inaugural Nova Jewelry Design Awards next month. The winner would earn a coveted spot at Luminous Divas Fashion Week.
Peter didn’t even bother to ask for Niamh’s opinion–he went ahead and entered her
name.
With endorsements from some of the world’s top ten jewelry brands, Niamh’s application bypassed the open auditions and landed her straight in the preliminary round.
Niamh was so grateful over the phone, she nearly showered Peter with thanks, promising him a celebratory dinner once things settled.
It was only a spot in the preliminaries, but Niamh was over the moon, as if shed already won the grand prize.
Unfortunately, her good mood didn’t last long.
Niamh’s studio wasn’t exactly bustling–just a small team.
Aside from Quentin, the other two employees were Sophia and Natalie.
They usually worked in a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere, laughing and chatting as they collaborated.
But just moments ago, the place had fallen into an uncanny silence.
Niamh never imagined, not in a million years, that Jonathan would show up at her office.
He arrived alone–no Prescott, no Marina in tow.
The last time Niamh had seen Jonathan was at Seabreeze Villa, after they’d slept
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Chapter 166
together and she’d tossed him two hundred bucks as “payment.”
Since then, neither had reached out to the other.
She’d started to wonder if she’d bruised Jonathan’s ego–or maybe even pissed him off–with that little stunt.
Quentin, Sophia, and Natalie had no idea Niamh and Jonathan were actually married.
But they all knew Jonathan as the man behind T&R, their company’s biggest rival–the same T&R that backed Marina’s designs.
The air conditioning hadn’t changed, yet the moment Jonathan stepped inside, everyone felt a sudden chill.
He walked straight to Niamh’s desk, eyes fixed solely on her, as if no one else existed.
Niamh couldn’t tell why Jonathan was here.
If this was about the two hundred dollars, she thought, his reaction time was a little too slow.
“Can I help you with something?” Niamh asked, her tone all business.
Jonathan gave a cold, sardonic smile. “I missed you… Is that a good enough reason?”
Niamh’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her three employees looked equally stunned, instantly lowering their heads and pretending to work–though every one of them was sneaking glances at the spectacle unfolding in front of them.
“Did you take the wrong meds this morning?” Niamh shot back.
“Did you swallow a stick of dynamite?” Jonathan retorted.
If Jonathan’s first line had made Sophia and the others suspect something was going on between him and Niamh, the way they were bickering now made them question everything.
“I heard you made it into the preliminaries for the Nova Jewelry Design Awards,”
Jonathan said.
“That’s right.”
“Withdraw.”
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Chapter 166
Jonathan’s tone was exactly the same as the last time he’d told her not to start her own studio.
“Mr. Thomas, you’re an investor in T&R, not Nocturne Royal Jewels. I don’t see any reason why I should take orders from you,” Niamh replied coolly.
Jonathan smiled, almost amused by her defiance. “You sound a lot braver on your own turf…”
Then, without warning, he leaned down and whispered right in her ear, “Funny, you weren’t nearly this bold in bed the other night.”
19:51
