It was a villa complex located in the suburbs. Just as Bert had said earlier, the environment here was especially quiet and serene, perfect for concentrating on design work. The car stopped in front of one of the detached villas. Watching Bert move around so familiarly, Catherine guessed that this must be another one of his residences.
Catherine never expected that the "quiet environment" he mentioned would turn out to be his own home. After getting out of the car, she stood there, completely unwilling to move. A man and a woman alone at his house to work on designs—what kind of situation was this?
Bert had already opened the door and stood in the entranceway, looking at Catherine who was frozen in place.
"Are you planning to work outside?"
Catherine, holding her laptop bag, looked up at him and said,
"I think I made myself very clear yesterday. This isn’t appropriate—"
He smiled, lazily leaning against the doorway,
"What’s inappropriate about two people working together? If you’re this sensitive, maybe you shouldn’t interact with anyone at all."
"You make it sound so easy..."
Catherine muttered a small protest. He continued,
"If you have nothing improper in your mind, you wouldn’t feel that working like this is inappropriate. Integrity has nothing to fear from suspicion."
With that one sentence, he successfully pushed Catherine to step inside.
If she continued resisting, it would seem as though she indeed harbored those "improper" thoughts in her mind. Catherine pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, naturally missing the faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of Bert’s mouth.
This really was Bert’s villa, essentially another home of his. On weekdays, he lived in his city apartment, and on weekends he came here to rest. This overtime work was both professional and, in a sense, a date with her. Naturally, a place with no interruptions was preferable.
Since she was destined to be his future partner, it made sense for her to know and become familiar with this residence in advance. After all, she would one day live here with him.
The moment she entered, the living room appeared low-key yet grand. After changing her shoes, Catherine stood there feeling slightly awkward.
Bert went straight into the kitchen and casually instructed,
"Sit wherever you like."
Catherine: "..."
Who could feel completely at ease in someone else’s home, especially his? He always said things so lightly.
She then asked him,
"Where exactly are we going to work? I’ll just go straight to the work area."
She thought that immersing herself in work quickly would help avoid awkwardness.
Bert turned and looked at her quietly,
"Are you familiar with the client’s requirements? And yet you’re in such a hurry to start working?"
Catherine was momentarily caught off guard. Indeed, she hadn’t met Karl yesterday, so she had no knowledge of his requirements. Even if she wanted to start working immediately, she didn’t know where to begin.
"What would you like to drink?"
Bert asked her again. Catherine shook her head.
"No, just a glass of plain water is fine."
Bert then brought her a cup of warm water.
After dinner with Karl last night, he had returned here directly. There was no need for him to tidy up; even though he didn’t live here on weekdays, a housekeeping staff came regularly. He had prepared fresh fruit, hot drinks, and even some snacks.
Originally, he had planned to find an excuse to have her come here this weekend, but coincidentally, he took on Karl’s project. It was therefore reasonable to bring her here. That morning, he had driven from here to her place.
He didn’t feel inconvenienced at all—on the contrary, he enjoyed it.
Because it was done willingly, doing anything for her felt like a pleasure.
As the weather grew colder, Catherine sipped the water and felt a warmth spread through her whole body.
Bert then took her to a room on the second floor. When she opened the door, it revealed a spacious, bright studio. In front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window sat a practical wooden desk, scattered with several sketches—apparently the place where he usually drew his drafts.
In another corner of the studio were bookshelves and a soft sofa. The arrangement was full of artistic sense, yet felt comfortable.
Catherine immediately fell in love with the workspace. Not for anything else, but simply for all the sunlight streaming through the room—it was enough to make someone adore it.
Under warm sunlight, doing the work she loved, she could truly feel inspiration flowing endlessly.
Catherine’s admiration for the workspace was obvious in her eyes, and Bert noticed it immediately.
She liked it—that meant she approved of his taste, which naturally put him in a good mood.
This was the place where he usually worked when he was here. When the villa was being decorated, he had reserved a large room to make into a studio, arranged exactly the way he liked. Since work was an indispensable part of his life, he naturally wanted the environment to be pleasant and comfortable.
Bert made himself a cup of coffee, while Catherine took out her laptop and sat at the table by the window. Bert stood tall by the window, leisurely sipping his coffee while casually telling Catherine the love story between Karl and Marylin.
He spoke of Karl’s love at first sight for Marylin, and the passionate, fervent emotions between them. Catherine listened with deep feeling.
"It’s so romantic... such a moving first love," she murmured.
She was completely immersed in this beautiful, passionate love. As a girl, no one could help but long for such a romantic story—and she was no exception.
Bert’s deep eyes met hers as he spoke,
"Why envy someone else’s love? You can have it too. What suits you is the best."
Catherine looked up at him. She sensed that his words carried some other emotions, but she couldn’t quite grasp them.
So she looked away.
"Does Karl have any specific requirements? I think it would be best to have some photos of the two of them. I need to feel their aura."
Catherine thought that, to design something for someone, it was first necessary to understand their character. Since Marylin had flown to Manchester early this morning, there was no chance to meet her, and in fact it was impossible—Karl intended to keep this proposal a secret from Marylin.
Bert explained Karl’s requirements, then took out his phone to show her a video of Marylin at the airport that morning. Even through the screen, Catherine could tell that she was a truly beautiful woman, every gesture and movement full of elegance.
The world was not short of beautiful women, but few had such a graceful charm, the kind that withstands the scrutiny of time. It was no wonder she had captivated a man as exceptional as Karl at first sight.
After watching the video, inspiration struck Catherine immediately. The theme for the ring design came to her mind: Enchanting Beauty.
She felt that only this phrase could capture Marylin’s beauty, as well as the beauty of their love.
She turned to Bert for his opinion.
"I think the theme for this design should be ’Enchanting Beauty.’ What do you think?"
Since they were watching the video, Bert had brought his phone over and placed it on the table in front of her. Catherine sat there, while Bert held the phone with one hand and rested the other hand on the back of her chair. He was slightly bent over behind her.
When Catherine turned to ask his opinion, she didn’t expect him to be so close. She couldn’t move away in time, and her lips brushed against his sharply defined jaw. She could even feel the faint stubble on his chin, short and coarse, pressing against her soft lips...
Catherine’s mind went completely blank. She froze there, unable to recover for several moments.
"Enchanting Beauty? That’s indeed a very good theme."
Then suddenly, he leaned down, his lips carrying the faint aroma of coffee, and sealed hers with his.