Her Return, His Regret

Chapter 11- Partnership

"Ivy, what are you doing?" Ryan asked when he returned, his voice bringing Ivy back to the present. His eyes lowered to the file in Ivy's hand and she placed it back on the table before smiling at him. She had wanted to go through it but Ryan returned before she could.

"Ryan, can I work in your new jewelry company?" Ivy requested.

Ryan frowned. He took a seat on his swivel chair and said, "Ivy-"

"You've always been taking care of me... I'm a jewelry designer too and I would like to be of help to you."

When Ivy said that, the folds between Ryan's eyebrows tightened. He thought about her condition and a complicated feeling crept into him.

"Do you think I can't manage to work in my condition?" Ivy asked in a soft, pitiful voice.

Guilt filled Ryan's heart and he didn't know how to say no to her without making her feel bad.

He cleared his throat and answered, "Of course you can work. You can join the company as one of the designers."

Ivy's eyes lit up when he agreed. She smiled and replied, "Thank you, Ryan. I'll do my best, I promise."

Ryan sighed as he glanced at Ivy. He said, "You don't need to push yourself hard."

Ivy nodded. When Ryan lowered his eyes to glance at his documents, he missed the sinister smile on Ivy's face.

"Ryan, are you going to have a meeting with Lora Davis?" Ivy asked.

Ryan's eyebrows creased. He glanced at Ivy and questioned, "How did you know about the meeting?"

"Um... Lawrence came through and said the meeting has been arranged," Ivy remarked. "Can I attend the meeting? Lora and I are both good at jewelry design, and I thought I could be of help when you guys sign the contract. Please, Ryan."

She had to make sure she knew all the details of Ryan and Lora's collaboration, making sure they didn't spend more time together after the meeting.

Looking at Ivy's supplicate gaze, Ryan nodded and replied, "Sure...... You are already hired as my jewelry designer, and of course, you can attend the meeting."

A little while later, Lora Davis was waiting in the conference room at the Kingsley Group. She glanced at the door when it was opened and Ryan walked in, pushing Ivy who was in a wheelchair, followed by his assistant.

Ryan glanced at Lora and his heart skipped a beat. Every time he saw the woman's face, he felt an indescribable emotion within him.

Could it be because she resembled Larisa?

He couldn't help being drawn to her like a moth is drawn to a flame.

"Miss Lora, good to see you. I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon," Ryan remarked with a smirk.

Seeing Ivy and Ryan appear in the meeting room at the same time, Lora had an indifferent look on her face as she said, "I'm a businesswoman and since your offer is beneficial to me and my company, there's no way I'll turn it down." Ryan nodded. He chuckled and replied, "Nice. I love how decisive you are. So, shall we discuss the terms of our partnership?"

"What are your terms?" Lora asked.

"It's going to be a one-year contract. While working on designs for the company, I expect you to cooperate with me at all times. I might need to make some alterations to the designs and I expect you to be willing to make those corrections. To do that, I need you to work closely with me and have constant meetings with me," Ryan stated.

Lora frowned. Why would she need to meet Ryan regularly when she's just creating designs?

"Mr Kingsley, I won't have the time to meet you regularly. You can let my assistant know if there's anything you need," she objected.

"Ryan, as CEOs, you and Lora are always busy. If you have any design-related questions, I can communicate with Lora as a designer in the company, Ivy suggested.

"Ivy, you know I'm the CEO. It's time to seriously discuss the terms of the contract, not the design." Ryan interrupted Ivy and looking at Lora, he continued.

"I'm not partnering with your assistant but with you, Miss Lora. Don't worry, I don't have ulterior motives, I just want to make sure there are no mistakes. After all, I've never seen your work before. It's only natural that I would want to monitor the progress," Ryan said. Ryan explained officially. But he knew he just wanted an opportunity to get close to Lora and know more about her.

Lora sighed. Since it was just work, she could just find a way to avoid Ryan. She nodded, saying, "That's ok. I agree to the terms. However, my terms are that we share the profit fifty-fifty."

Increasing her company's revenue and impressing the board members was all that she cared about.

Ryan smiled and signalled his assistant.

Lawrence handed a contract to Lora and after she read through the terms and conditions, she took a pen and signed it.

She got to her feet and said, "I'll start working on a new design right away."

"Wait..." Ryan called out when Lora was about to leave.

Lora turned to look at him and he cleared his throat.

"How about dinner to celebrate our cooperation?" Ryan offered.

"No thanks," Lora rejected outright. "I have plans."

She left after saying those words.

Ivy clenched her fists when she heard Ryan invite Lora to dinner.

Ryan, do you still want to be close to Lora even if you know Lora isn't Larisa? Is it because they look alike? I've given so much to get close to you, and I will never allow you to follow any other woman, Ivy thought hatefully. ""Ryan, I'm not feeling well."

Ryan was pulled back to reality by Ivy. Looking at her pale face, a trace of guilt flashed in Ryan's eyes.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Ryan asked with concern. He had to admit that Lora had influenced him so much that he ignored Ivy.

"I'm fine, maybe I'm just hungry. Ryan, let's go for dinner to celebrate your signing with Davis & Co.," Ivy. requested.

"Ok, my pleasure." Ryan put away the depression of being rejected by Lora and replied.

When Ryan pushed Ivy's wheelchair into a fancy restaurant, he paused in his tracks. He saw Lora and a man having dinner, seemingly having a good time together Ryan gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched and he narrowed his eyes at the couple.