The System Keeps Making Me Do Indecent Missions [BL, R18]

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Laying Cards on the Table

Lucien composed a short email, primarily asking if Damian was available this evening, as he wanted to report directly to him regarding the Autumn-Winter concept. Naturally, he could not state outright that he was asking for an evening rendezvous. After all the little tricks Lucien had pulled, anyone with eyes could see that he was deliberately trying to get close to Damian, let alone the man himself.

If he simply scheduled a meeting for the evening, his motives would appear far too obvious, and the probability of being rejected was high. Therefore, Lucien tactfully phrased it as requesting to meet the boss after working hours. By the time their working hours ended and Damian managed to come down to the design department, the sun would have already set.

Having sent the email, Lucien leaned back in his chair and waited. For some unknown reason, his heart was beating a bit fast; perhaps it was because he had finally decided to lay his cards on the table. Lucien’s approach was extremely direct. If it were an ordinary employee with no ulterior motives, it would merely look like a capable and ambitious person wanting to showcase their true abilities to the boss.

But Lucien did not just want to showcase his abilities; he also wanted to play tricks on his boss.

Thus, he was rather curious. When he stopped acting and pretending, and was completely straightforward like this, how would Damian react? To what extent would those meaningless points granted to him by 000 actually have an effect?

Right at that moment, Lucien’s computer notified him of a new email, which was naturally sent by Damian Thorne. The man’s email reply was highly professional, yet exceedingly brief, containing only the time and location for their meeting.

7:30 PM tonight, Meeting Room Number 2.

Lucien curled his lips into a faint smile; so, he had agreed.

Even though he did not know whether Damian agreed because he was genuinely interested in the Autumn-Winter fashion concept or because he was influenced by 000’s stats, Lucien did not care much. Either way, it would only prove beneficial to him.

In the evening, after seven o’clock, the office was completely deserted, with hardly anyone staying behind to work overtime. The seventh-floor corridor sank into the silent night. Lucien noticed that the air conditioning on this floor seemed a bit noisy. Whenever the office grew desolate, the low humming of the air conditioning running could always be heard.

While letting his thoughts wander, he adjusted his cuffs and slowly walked toward Meeting Room Number 2. Because one hand was holding a thin folder of documents, Lucien adjusted his collar rather slowly. Fortunately, by the time Damian’s deep voice spoke up to allow him entry, he had already finished straightening it.

Lucien stepped inside. Damian was sitting at the head of the table, a stack of documents open in front of him. He was still wearing his dark grey suit, but his tie had been loosened, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The yellow light shone down upon his face, casting distinct patches of light and shadow. Seeing Lucien walk in, he glanced up slightly. This man’s eyes were incredibly deep, the kind that would draw people in if they stared for too long.

They were also extraordinarily sharp, making people afraid to look directly into those fathomless pupils.

"What do you want to report?" he asked.

Lucien placed the document folder on the table, right in front of Damian. "This is my original concept draft for the Autumn-Winter fashion project. I would like you to take a look at it."

Damian furrowed his brows, picked up the document folder, and flipped through each page. The more he turned the pages, the more focused his gaze became. This concept draft was entirely different from the version that Howard had shown off in the meeting room. The colors were warmer and more subdued, the layout was much more elegant, and the ideas were exceptionally clear and possessed far more depth. There were absolutely none of those flashy patches of brick red and copper yellow that Ethan had edited in.

"This is your original draft?" Although there was no obvious change, Lucien realized that the man was keeping his voice down.

"Yes, this is the version I completed before sending it to Ethan. I have the full edit history, timestamps, and even the email sending the original file to him." Lucien replied, his voice remaining calm. "The version that Ethan submitted to Director Howard has had several details altered. I do not know if he had any specific intentions, but I believe you ought to know."

Damian did not speak up immediately; instead, he cast a glance at Lucien, then looked back at the document folder in front of him. His fingers tapped lightly against the surface of the table, creating a very soft rhythm, but his eyes seemed far more contemplative.

The man’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, seemingly holding a trace of anger. But Lucien was absolutely certain that this anger was not directed at him.

"I understand, I will handle this matter. I do not expect my subordinates to steal credit from others, let alone let it affect the overall quality of the project."

Lucien nodded. In truth, he felt that the reason Damian looked angry was because Ethan had arbitrarily altered the outstanding points of the concept, causing the project’s value to drop. As for stealing the credit of a lowly employee? Oh, what company does not have a few people like that? If every boss stood up to protect justice, there would not be so many people cursing out their companies like dogs.

It was just that Lucien did not care much about this matter; he had much more important things to do. Thus, he looked directly at Damian. His heart gradually began to beat a little faster again, though fortunately, his voice managed to maintain its composure. "There is still one more thing."

Damian looked up, his gaze waiting.

Lucien took a deep breath. In reality, in his head, he was pondering over what tone he should use to speak. But the more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became. Whatever, he had already made his decision anyway; backing out now would be even more awkward. He sat up straight with his back completely upright, looking directly into Damian’s eyes without flinching.

"May I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Are you interested in me?"

The question echoed through the small meeting room, carrying a sudden and unexpected bluntness and decisiveness. Perhaps the person opposite him had never expected Lucien to ask so straightforwardly, and so he also froze slightly. The man stared straight at him, a fleeting trace of surprise flashing within those deep eyes.

Who wouldn’t be surprised in a situation like this, after all?

A lowly intern, who had only met the General Manager a handful of times, yet dared to sit in front of him and ask such a bold question.

He did not answer right away. The room sank into silence, with only the ticking of the wall clock counting every second.

Lucien guessed that not much time had passed, but he felt as if it were dragging on for an eternity, so long that it was making him frustrated. Just as Lucien was about to apologize and make a quick escape, Damian suddenly stood up.

The man did not say a word, but merely walked over toward Lucien. Normally, when standing upright, Lucien was already quite a bit shorter than Damian. Now, he was sitting on a chair, while the man walked toward him step by step against the light, looking no different from a giant completely overshadowing Lucien.

The distance between the two of them gradually narrowed, and Lucien, feeling slightly anxious, gently crumpled the hem of his shirt.

The atmosphere was growing tense when he heard 000 bouncing around his ear: [Do not worry, do not worry, with so many points added, it will definitely have an effect on him. Rest assured, rest assured.]

Lucien did not find it particularly comforting; on the contrary, it only made him more irritated. Thus, he gritted his teeth and said, "Get lost."

Fortunately, communication between him and 000 only required thinking in his head; otherwise, Damian would have undoubtedly thought that he was cursing at him.

Yet, amusingly enough, 000 genuinely managed to keep him from feeling too anxious anymore. Naturally, its words of comfort had absolutely no effect whatsoever; it was simply because his profound irritation toward the system completely distracted him from noticing the fact that Damian was steadily closing in on him.

However, failing to pay attention did not mean the man’s approach had ceased. By the time Lucien finally snapped out of his daze and looked up, Damian was already standing at an incredibly close proximity, lowering his head to look directly down at Lucien.

The man simply leaned forward, planting both of his hands firmly on either side of the chair, completely trapping Lucien within his embrace.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!