Secretly Mine
Chapter 181: Tie

Chapter 181: Tie

My jealousy and rage subsided quickly after seeing the note, but didn’t disappear fully. I continued to call Christian all sorts of bad names in my head for the rest of the day, calming my jealous heart.

Before I knew it, the end of the workday had already come. I quickly got up from my chair and began packing my things. Today was the important gallery show, and I didn’t want to be the reason we were late.

I glanced at my desk, noticing that the crystal jar still had a few chocolate-covered almonds inside, and quickly scooped them up into my mouth. My eyes immediately curved into crescents as the sweetness of the chocolate melted on my tongue.

No matter how many times I ate them, the taste never got old.

I grabbed my large tote bag and the covered hanger that held my dress on my way out. Excitement bubbled up inside of me at the thought of seeing something I painted being displayed for everyone to see.

I really hope people like it!

The anticipation made me too excited to notice that Christian was standing in the doorway to his office until I had already entered the elevator.

He stood frozen in place, looking at me from across the hall. His eyes carried a sense of longing as his gaze lingered on me. I stood frozen in place, looking back at him while unidentifiable emotions circled inside of me.

This was the first time in over a week that I’ve seen him. Even from a distance, his tall figure stood looming over me. I could see the paleness from his recent sickness, but his deep blue eyes remained crystal clear.

I wasn’t sure if I should wave or look away, but the next moment, the elevator doors closed, blocking off my line of sight.

Whatever. It’s not like seeing him changes anything. He still expects me to believe my family is involved in human trafficking.

Shaking my head, I did my best to clear my mind of him and instead focused on my evening ahead. As soon as I arrived in the lobby, I briskly walked outside, meeting Lucas, who was waiting for me outside.

"Hey! Perfect timing. I just got here," he smiled, opening the passenger side door for me.

"Hi! I was too excited and packed up as soon as my shift ended," I smiled back, getting into the car. As I entered the car, I suddenly got the sensation as if someone was looking at me, and glanced upwards at the company building.

Due to the lighting, I was unable to see anything or anyone, so I simply shrugged it off.

It’s probably nothing. I’m just overreacting.

Lucas got into the car shortly after and drove off.

"We’ll head over to my place first so that you can get ready, then head over. The event doesn’t start for another two hours, so you have a bit of time," he said, informing me of today’s schedule.

"Sounds good!" I nodded happily.

-

When we arrived at his house, I went straight up to the guest room to get changed. I pulled out the cute and ruffled maroon dress from the clothing bag and laid it on the bed.

I hope Lucas likes it!

To match the dress, I decided to curl my hair and let it hang down. My large tote bag had everything I needed, including my small travel-sized curling iron.

It took me about half an hour to curl my hair and touch up my makeup, but the final result was well worth it. I transformed from a professional office worker to a cute and feminine lady the moment I put my dress on.

As soon as I walked out of the guest room, Lucas walked out of his bedroom, meeting me in the hallway.

"Wow! You look stunning! The look really suits you!" he said, unable to pull his eyes away.

His bold compliment made my cheeks flush pink. Before I could reply, he looked like he had just thought of something. "One moment, I’ll be right back!"

He walked back into his bedroom, leaving the door open. I stood in the hallway, peeking inside to see him rummaging through one of his drawers.

I wonder what he’s looking for.

A minute later, he walked over holding a tie. "Perfect! Now we can match. Would you be okay with that?"

The tie was the exact shade of maroon as my dress. Lucas was looking at me expectantly, waiting to hear my reply.

My lips curved up into a big smile. "Of course I’m okay with it! This way we can match!" I said cheerfully.

Lucas’s face brightened instantly. He quickly pulled off his current black tie and began to wrap the new one around his neck.

I watched with interest as I’ve never really watched the process closely before. Lucas noticed my interested gaze and paused. "Have you ever tied a tie before?"

"No," I shook my head.

"Would you like to learn?" he asked. "It’s not difficult."

My eyes widened slightly, "You mean... like right now?"

He nodded, "Yes, it’ll only take a moment. I’ll walk you through it."

I quickly nodded. I always felt like it was one of those random skills I should have. Plus, there was something oddly romantic about tying a tie for a man.

The tips of my ears turned red at the thought. It was as if I just realized that I would be doing exactly that-- tying a tie for Lucas. But before I could back out, Lucas held the two ends out for me.

"Here, so you just hold them out like this," he said, waiting for me to grab hold.

Shyly, I extended my arms and held onto the ends of his tie. I did my best not to look up at him, remaining focused on the tie.

"Good, now that you have them like this, you want to loop this end around there, and pull the end through the loop," he explained, pointing at the two ends with his fingers.

The sound of my heartbeat made it difficult to hear his instructions clearly, but I still managed to follow the steps. At one point, my fingertips brushed against his chest, causing me to drop the tie as I pulled my hands away in a panic.

Lucas caught my hands with his own, holding them in place. "Leslie, it’s okay. Here, you’re almost done."

His soothing voice and reassuring words calmed me slightly, but my heartbeat was still beating wildly. Once he let go of my hands, I reached back out and lifted the ends of the half-tied tie.

"So now what you want to do is feed the tip of this end, through this loop over here," he continued, explaining as if nothing had happened.

I nodded and did as I was told.

"Perfect, now all that’s left is to tighten it." He placed his hands on mine and guided them to push the knot up while pulling the end of the tie down. The entire time, his eyes were fixated on me, not my hands.

Even after it was finished, his hands still held mine in place. I looked up at him, feeling my breath get caught in my throat.

"Look. This might be the most professionally tied tie I’ve ever had," he finally said with a soft smile.