Chapter 41 More Than An Omega
Lucian’s POV
For the first time in a long while, I found myself genuinely stunned.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, my eyes fixed on Selene as she stood confidently at the front of the conference room, completely in control of the presentation.
This was not what I expected.
Not even close.
Linda had been handling the Lady Couture collaboration project for more than a year. She knew every detail, every stage, every internal process involved in the partnership.
Meanwhile, Selene had only officially taken over the project a week ago.
One week.
And yet she stood there as though she had been managing it from the very beginning.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of nervousness in her expression.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
She cleared her throat lightly before speaking, her lips curving into a calm, confident smile.
“Now,” she began smoothly, “I’ll walk everyone through the overall structure and progress of the Lady Couture collaboration project.”
Marker in hand, she turned toward the whiteboard and began drawing a detailed flowchart with effortless precision.
Every section connected perfectly.
Every stage was explained clearly.
Her voice remained steady and easy to follow, carrying naturally through the room without sounding forced or rehearsed.
No one interrupted her.
No one could.
Even the complicated parts of the project became simple when explained by her.
I found myself watching her far more closely than I should have.
Today, she wore a soft pink business suit that fit her perfectly. The blouse highlighted her graceful figure while the fitted pencil skirt gave her an elegant, professional appearance.
Under the conference room lighting, she looked refined beyond words.
Graceful.
Composed.
Beautiful.
There was something almost untouchable about the way she carried herself.
And those lips…
My gaze lingered there for a second too long.
Cherry-red.
Soft-looking.
The memory of kissing them returned instantly.
I looked away slightly, forcing my attention back to the meeting.
But it was useless.
Everything about her pulled attention naturally.
Even the way she spoke carried a strange charm.
By the time she finished explaining the project structure, the entire conference room had fallen silent.
No one looked confused.
No one even looked distracted.
Everyone had been completely drawn into her presentation.
“Well,” she said lightly as she placed the marker down, “that concludes my presentation. Does anyone have questions?”
Several people exchanged glances quietly.
Clearly, they were still processing what they had just witnessed.
As for me—
I couldn’t stop staring at her.
How was this possible?
Wasn’t she supposed to be a girl from a remote place like Frostmoore?
How could someone raised in a small rural town possess this level of confidence, intelligence, and elegance?
The way she spoke.
The way she organized information.
The natural nobility in her posture.
She didn’t resemble the helpless Omega everyone assumed she was.
Not even slightly.
She looked more like someone born into power.
Someone used to standing above others.
“Mr. Frostbane?”
Her voice pulled me back again.
I realized she was looking directly at me now.
“Do you have any further questions?” she asked politely.
I held her gaze for several quiet seconds before finally answering.
“None.”
And I meant it.
Not only had she handled the presentation flawlessly—
she had exceeded expectations completely.
Selene smiled faintly before turning toward the others again.
“Since there are no further questions,” she continued smoothly, “let’s have the lead designer present the jewelry concepts for this season.”
She sat back down calmly and gestured toward Thalia Lawson.
Only then did Thalia seem to snap out of her daze.
Clearly, even she had been shocked by Selene’s performance.
Thalia quickly stood and spread several design sketches across the conference table.
“This season’s theme is ‘Ice and Fire,’” she explained carefully. “The collection will mainly include necklaces, bracelets, rings, and luxury accessories. These are the primary concepts we’ve prepared.”
I lowered my gaze toward the sketches.
The room waited silently for my reaction.
Several seconds passed.
Then several more.
Honestly—
I wasn’t impressed.
The designs weren’t terrible.
But they lacked something important.
They felt excessive.
Complicated without purpose.
Beautiful at first glance, perhaps, but forgettable underneath.
Instead of commenting immediately, I turned toward Selene.
“What do you think, Ms. Nightbane?”
The room visibly shifted.
Everyone immediately looked toward her again.
It was obvious they hadn’t expected me to ask for her opinion.
But after watching her presentation earlier, I genuinely wanted to know what she thought.
Selene lowered her gaze toward the sketches thoughtfully.
For several moments, she said nothing.
Then her brows furrowed slightly.
Finally, she looked up.
“Lady Couture primarily targets high-society women between thirty and fifty,” she began calmly. “That audience values elegance, maturity, and refinement.”
She picked up one of the sketches lightly between her fingers.
“The drawings themselves are technically impressive,” she admitted. “But there’s too much happening visually. Too many unnecessary details competing for attention.”
Thalia’s expression slowly stiffened.
Selene continued anyway.
“The designs lack emotional depth,” she said honestly. “They feel decorative rather than meaningful.”
Silence settled heavily across the room.
Then she smiled slightly before delivering the final blow.
“To put it simply…”
Her voice remained calm.
“They’re tacky.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Catalina frowned immediately while Thalia’s face turned pale with embarrassment.
After all, Thalia was the lead designer.
And Catalina had supervised the design department throughout the project.
Being criticized so directly in front of everyone clearly humiliated them.
Catalina stood abruptly.
“Selene,” she snapped sharply, “you’re just an Omega. What exactly do you know about high-level jewelry design?”
Her tone carried obvious hostility.
“These designs took months of work,” she continued angrily. “The entire department worked overtime repeatedly for this project. Who are you to dismiss everyone’s efforts so casually?”
Selene didn’t react emotionally at all.
Instead, she let out a soft laugh.
“I may be an Omega,” she replied calmly, “but my taste is no less refined than yours.”
Then she turned toward me.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Frostbane?”
Both Catalina and Thalia looked at me instantly.
Waiting.
Tense.
I met Selene’s gaze briefly before nodding once.
“The designs are indeed overly complicated,” I said evenly. “Ms. Nightbane’s assessment is accurate.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Catalina’s expression became extremely ugly.
Clearly, she wanted to argue.
But the second our eyes met, she swallowed her frustration immediately and sat back down stiffly.
“So…” she said reluctantly, forcing out the words, “should we revise the designs?”
I nodded once.
“Yes.”
Catalina forced a strained smile before turning toward Thalia.
“Work harder next time,” she said quietly.
Thalia lowered her head slightly, embarrassed.
“We’ll revise them.”
I leaned back slightly before speaking again.
“Next week, the Lady Couture executive team will arrive in Anshire alongside their CEO.”
The room immediately became serious again.
“We need to ensure the final collection reflects the highest possible standard.”
Then I looked directly toward Selene.
“If necessary,” I said calmly, “you may ask Ms. Nightbane for additional guidance. Her aesthetic judgment aligns closely with mine.”
The room fell silent again.
Catalina’s expression almost twisted.
Clearly, hearing me praise Selene publicly made her deeply uncomfortable.
Still, she had no choice but to respond.
“We’ll do our best,” she said stiffly.
I nodded once before shifting my gaze back toward Selene again.
“I’ll leave the matter in your hands, Ms. Nightbane.”
Selene’s POV
Honestly—
I was slightly confused.
Why was he suddenly placing this responsibility on me?
I wasn’t the actual jewelry designer here.
I hadn’t created those sketches.
But as the project lead, I couldn’t exactly reject the responsibility publicly.
So I simply nodded calmly.
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
Everyone began gathering their materials and leaving the conference room one by one.
Catalina left looking irritated.
Thalia looked embarrassed.
Linda looked furious.
As for me, I simply organized my documents quietly and prepared to leave too.
Then Lucian’s deep voice sounded behind me.
“Ms. Nightbane. Stay for a moment.”
I paused.
What now?
Once the others completely exited the room, I finally turned back toward him.
“What is it?” I asked calmly.
Lucian stood slowly from his chair and walked toward me.
His tall figure stopped directly in front of me, his presence instantly filling the space between us.
For some reason, my heartbeat became slightly uneven again.
His gaze rested on me carefully.
Softly.
Almost curiously.
“Do you know jewelry design?” he asked.
“A little,” I replied lightly with a small smile.
That was technically true.
Fashion design had always been my strongest specialty.
But jewelry design wasn’t very different.
Art was art.
Creativity naturally connected them.
Lucian continued watching me closely.
“You keep surprising me,” he admitted quietly.
There was genuine curiosity in his eyes now.
As though he no longer knew what to expect from me anymore.
I laughed softly and shrugged.
If he ever discovered everything else I could do—
he would probably be completely shocked.