Chapter 242 How About Having a Meal Together
After chillin' for a few days, Aurelia got herself all dolled up, slapped on some pro makeup, and cruised over to Anne Studio.
The second she walked in, she felt all these eyes on her. She was like, 'What's the deal? Why's everyone staring at me?' She checked her outfit, but everything seemed cool.
As soon as she stepped into the office, she was startled by the room filled with flowers.
Aurora trailed in behind her, saying, "Anna, you've been MIA for a few days, and the office has been buzzing. Mr. Sinclair's been sending flowers daily, and Mr. Heilbronn even showed up in person. He dropped off flowers and hung around for a bit, but bailed when he couldn't find you."
Upon hearing Nathaniel had come by, she asked, "Mr. Heilbronn's been coming every day?"
Aurora nodded, looking all curious.
Aurelia kinda expected Nathaniel to come looking for her, but every day? That was a surprise. The guy was the president of Heilbronn Group, always swamped. He used to be so busy he wouldn't get home before 9 PM. Now, it was like a miracle he's got time to swing by her office daily.
"Chuck 'em all out," Aurelia said coldly, eyeing the flowers cluttering the floor.
Aurora looked bummed, asking, "Anna, you sure about that?"
To Aurora, it was a total waste. Those bouquets were from the fanciest flower shop in Coral Bay, known for their rare and pricey blooms. The office girls had been drooling over them for days. Aurora thought Aurelia would be stoked, but nope, she was ice-cold and wanted them gone.
She said, "Anna, these flowers are still fresh. If we put 'em in vases, they'll last a few more days. It's such a waste to toss 'em."
Aurelia glanced at the flowers and said, "If you like 'em, take 'em."
Aurora lit up, "Okay, thanks, Anna."
Aurora happily scooped up the flowers, and they were quickly snatched up by the office crew.
Aurelia buried herself in work all morning. Around noon, she gathered everyone for a meeting.
The biggest office couldn't fit everyone, so they had the meeting in the work area.
She announced, "I've decided to shake things up at Anne Studio. Finish the orders you've got, but no more custom orders. We're gonna start building a brand. The company's registered and named Karma Jewelry."
Then she added, "If you wanna stick around, awesome. If not, you can hit up finance and grab six months' salary. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
As soon as Aurelia finished, the place buzzed with chatter. This change mainly hit the designers' career paths; the others didn't care as much.
After a bit, someone asked, "Anna, so we're ditching the one-on-one service for the rich ladies and just making Karma Jewelry for the market?"
Aurelia smiled. "Not exactly. We're just dropping the one-on-one service. High-end brands still largely rely on wealthy clients. Our goal is to broaden our company's influence and strengthen our brand."
The designers nodded, and someone else asked, "Anna, does this mean we're in the startup phase? If the brand blows up, do we get to be founding employees? Will we get equity?"
Aurelia chuckled at the question and said, "Yep, we're in the startup phase, the toughest time for any brand. So, think it over carefully. Talking about equity is a bit premature, but if the company takes off, you'll definitely be founding employees, and equity dividends will be on the table."
After she finished, a few designers started whispering among themselves.
One of them piped up, "Anna, I'm in. Let's build Karma Jewelry together."
"Anna, count me in too."
"Anna, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying," another echoed.
In the end, everyone was on board to stick around and transform Anne Studio with her.
Aurelia felt a wave of emotion. She had personally recruited each of these people and had a bond with them.
She announced again, "Alright, it's settled then. The company's registered, and during this startup phase, we'll still work here. But the name Anne Studio will change. Tonight, let's have a dinner together to celebrate this new beginning."
The office buzzed with excitement.
At that moment, Nathaniel stood outside the door with a bouquet of flowers, having listened to the entire meeting. Karma, derived from Sanskrit, meaning the god of love, was indeed a fitting name for a jewelry brand.
After the office area quieted down, he knocked on the door and walked in. By then, Aurelia had already returned to her office.
Nathaniel's appearance lit up the designers' eyes and left everyone in the office stunned. A legend in the jewelry industry, he was usually only seen on TV.
"Oh my god, Mr. Heilbronn brought flowers again. Who says he's not chasing Anna? I wouldn't believe it," someone said.
"This guy is so excellent. It's not just that he's loaded; he was so handsome too. Who can resist that?" some exclaimed.
"I'm totally shipping this couple. Why hasn't Anna said yes to him yet?" some even speculated about their relationship.
"Forget it. Haven't you seen the news about Mr. Heilbronn online? He had a wife, but she reportedly died in an accident. For years, he's been building this devoted husband image, but now he can send flowers to Anna. Do you think he's really a good guy? Come on," someone retorted.
Aurelia's office door wasn't shut, and Nathaniel stood at the entrance, lightly tapping the glass door with his fingers.
Aurelia, buried in work, thought it was Aurora and didn't look up.
She said as usual, "Get me a cup of warm water and close the door."
Nathaniel gently placed the flowers on the tea table and picked up her water cup from her desk.
Aurelia's peripheral vision caught sight of his elegant hand, with the wedding ring he bought four years ago still on his ring finger. The small black mole on his knuckle made her suddenly realize and look up.
At that moment, their eyes met.
Aurelia turned her head and saw the bouquet of white roses in full bloom on the tea table.
Nathaniel said, "Aurelia, how about grabbing lunch together?"
He had been coming for several days and now finally found her, feeling pleased. His usually cold face wore a warm smile.
Aurelia clenched the pencil in her hand and replied indifferently, "I'm not done with my work yet, Mr. Heilbronn. Why don't you ask someone else this time?"
Though rejected, Nathaniel still maintained his smile. He took the cup and left the office, asking Aurora, who was sitting nearby, "Where's the water cooler?"
Aurora saw him holding Aurelia's cup and took a few seconds to react, offering, "Mr. Heilbronn, let me."
He insisted, "No need, just tell me where it is."
Aurora pointed him in the right direction.
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