Chapter 43

Chapter 43
Matteo found himself distracted by thoughts of Avery's scent—a scent that had captivated him since their first meeting. It brought him a sense of peace and familiarity, like sun-warmed peaches and fresh-cut grass, triggering a memory he couldn't quite place.

"Puddle ahead," Avery warned, pointing. "Let's go around."

The streetlight caught Matteo's face at just the right angle, drawing Avery's gaze upward. She couldn't deny he was ridiculously good-looking—chiseled features, a strong nose, and those unusual eyes that looked almost crimson in the dim light of the rainy evening.

"Fine," Matteo agreed, his long fingers gripping the umbrella handle.

Avery noticed his platinum-blond hair was getting damp despite their shelter, a few wet strands falling across his forehead. On anyone else, it would have looked disheveled. On him, it just looked effortlessly sexy—like the universe had decided the man deserved to look good even when soaking wet.

Avery couldn't help teasing him. "Aren't you worried about your hair, Mr. Ferrari?" Given his usually difficult personality, she was surprised he'd even bothered to share his umbrella with her.

"A little rain doesn't bother me," Matteo replied, his voice deliberately casual. "Besides, I'm used to dealing with someone else getting wet."

Heat rushed to Avery's cheeks. She ought to sew that mouth of his shut. The worst part was that he wasn't wrong—from their first night together to their recent encounter at his villa, her body had melted completely at his touch.

Damn him.

Avery shot him a glare. "You're doing this on purpose."

Matteo didn't deny it, his lips curving into a slight smirk. "You asked first, Ms. Vaughn."

Despite the barbs in their exchange, Matteo felt the tension in his shoulders ease—a rare moment of relaxation.

Perhaps because of the pounding rain, neither noticed Jason lurking behind a pillar nearby, watching them intently.

Only after they disappeared from view did he emerge, rain streaming down his face but doing nothing to extinguish the jealousy burning inside him.

"I knew she was trying to seduce Matteo," he muttered, replaying the image of them sharing an umbrella, standing close, whispering to each other. The smile on Avery's face—one he'd never seen directed at him—twisted something in his gut.

"And she acts so innocent around me." Jason's face contorted with rage. "What a slut."

He'd been yelled at by an impossible client all day—an assignment he was convinced Matteo had given him only because of Avery.

With a dark scowl, Jason snuck back into the office building. Avoiding the security guard's rounds, he made his way to Avery's desk and found her design files.

"Huh. She's actually talented," he admitted, a smug grin spreading across his face. "But so what? This is about to become my work!"

He methodically deleted her cloud backups before copying the design files to his own computer.

---

Three days later, at the company's regular meeting, Avery settled into her seat with her meticulously prepared files. As others filed in, tension thickened the air.

"Ferrari is always so critical. I wonder if our designs will pass muster?"

"I heard other shareholders are joining today."

"God, I'm nervous. I hope this goes well!"

The whispered conversations continued until Matteo strode in, at which point the room fell instantly silent, all eyes tracking his movement.

"Good morning, Mr. Ferrari," several voices chorused.

After a brief nod of acknowledgment, Matteo announced they would begin the design presentations.

Jason practically leapt from his seat. "As project team leader, I'd like to present first."

With barely concealed smugness, he strode to the projector and opened the files he'd stolen from Avery.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began with practiced confidence, "this design, codenamed 'Mouse,' draws inspiration from medieval cathedral elements—specifically because I knew Rose is a devout Catholic."

The stolen designs were undeniably striking. Jason pretended to understand every detail.

"But purely vintage elements wouldn't make it stand out," he continued, "so I integrated sci-fi elements to create this fusion..."

Avery narrowed her eyes at the familiar designs on screen. Jason was even more brazen than she'd expected—stealing her work so openly.

But the others didn't know. They saw only the brilliant creativity and exquisite attention to detail, and the praise began flowing.

"I didn't expect Jason to come up with something this impressive!"

"Right? He's been wandering around doing nothing for days. I figured he was procrastinating again and would pull an all-nighter at the last minute."

"He's arrogant, sure, but you can't deny he's talented."

Murmurs of appreciation filled the conference room. Even the executives were nodding with approval.

"He really is an asset to the company," one remarked.

Someone else suggested making the design the centerpiece of next quarter's promotional campaign.

Throughout this, Matteo remained silent, his expression glacial as he studied the designs. Something felt off—this wasn't Jason's style at all. If anything, it resembled Avery's aesthetic.

"Thank you all," Jason basked in the praise, a self-satisfied smile spreading across his face. "This is the result of our team's collaborative efforts." He lifted his chin, surveying the room with barely contained triumph, as if he'd just ascended to company royalty.

He'd destroyed all evidence of Avery's original work and cleaned out her computer backups. Even if she tried to object, she'd have no proof.

Yet amid the chorus of approval, a few attentive colleagues began to notice discrepancies.

"Doesn't this look a lot like Avery's design?" someone whispered.

"Yeah, I saw her draft earlier—same cathedral and sci-fi fusion concept."

"These highlight features are identical to what Avery showed me last week. You don't think..."

The whispers spread through the conference room like wildfire, suspicious glances darting between Jason and Avery.

Susan, whose desk was right beside Avery's and who had watched the designs take shape from the beginning, suddenly connected the dots—especially remembering Jason's frequent visits to Avery's workspace.

"Avery," she hissed, turning with wide eyes. "He stole your designs! The absolute bastard!"

But Avery remained surprisingly calm.

"That is indeed my work," she said softly, eyes fixed on the screen.

As Jason finished his presentation and started back toward his seat, Avery slowly stood up.

"Jason, why did you plagiarize my design?" Her voice cut through the room.

At her words, Matteo's gaze sharpened instantly, a dangerous edge appearing in his expression. He had no doubt about who was telling the truth.

The conference room fell silent, the air suddenly thick with tension.

"What are you talking about, Avery?" Jason's smile froze on his face. Though caught off guard, he quickly recovered.

"This is the result of my sleepless nights and hard work. How dare you claim I plagiarized you?"