CHAPTER 7
1132 Words
Chapter 7: First Impressions
Sunlight poured mercilessly through the window, landing directly on Aria Lane's face like a personal vendetta. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face into her pillow, but the blaring alarm on her phone didn’t relent. It had been going off for ten minutes straight.
She cracked one eye open and blinked at the time.
8:12 a.m.
Her eyes flew wide. "s**t!"
In a flurry of tangled sheets, she scrambled out of bed. The memories of last night came flooding back like a hangover tsunami. The drinks. The bar. The guy in the suit. That smug face. Her drunken rant.
Then the final blow struck her brain like a lightning bolt:
The evaluation is today.
Today was the day Mr. Baldwin had announced—the CEO of Blackwood Holdings was coming to evaluate their mural project in person. One project would be chosen for funding, promotion, and potential placement on a major downtown wall. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.
And she was about to walk into it hungover and completely unprepared.
"Mari's gonna kill me," she muttered as she ran into the bathroom.
---
8:47 a.m.
Aria burst through the front doors of the Creative Arts Department building with her hair slightly damp and a granola bar half-chewed in her mouth. Her boots squeaked against the tile floor as she skidded to a stop just outside the mural studio.
Inside, Mari and Lily were already unpacking their sketchbooks and printouts.
Mari looked up first and narrowed her eyes. "Look who decided to grace us with her presence."
"Morning, sunshine," Lily added, grinning.
Aria groaned and slumped onto a nearby stool. "I'm never drinking again."
Mari crossed her arms. "That bad?"
Aria rested her forehead on the cool wood surface. "You have no idea. My head feels like a construction site. And I may have insulted a corporate suit at the bar. Called him a briefcase."
Lily let out a snort. "Please tell me he deserved it."
Aria nodded slowly. "Oh, he smirked. Smugly. Just stood there like he owned the world."
"Sounds like a CEO type," Mari said, half-joking.
That made Aria pause.
Surely not.
No way.
She shook the thought away and reached for a bottle of water.
The door creaked open, and Mr. Baldwin entered with his usual clipped stride. His salt-and-pepper hair was combed perfectly into place, and he wore his signature plaid bow tie.
"Ladies," he said briskly. "Today is the big day. I trust you’ve all gotten a good night’s rest?"
Mari glanced at Aria with a smirk.
Mr. Baldwin didn’t wait for an answer. "Mr. Cassian Blackwood will be arriving shortly. I expect each of you to present your piece confidently and respectfully. Remember, this is not just an evaluation—it’s a chance to put your names on the map."
Aria tried to sit up straighter, blinking past the dull throb in her temple.
"Understood," Lily replied politely.
"Very good. Now tidy up your materials and prepare to present. He'll want to walk through each piece and hear from the team directly."
With that, Mr. Baldwin exited.
---
9:20 a.m.
The hallway outside the studio echoed with footsteps. Several students peered nervously toward the door. Some whispered.
Aria was attempting to smooth the flyaways from her hair when she heard the heavy footfalls of polished shoes.
Then the door swung open.
In walked Cassian Blackwood.
Wearing an impeccably tailored navy suit, he was flanked by two assistants—a petite brunette with a tablet and a tall man in a muted gray blazer. Cassian moved with quiet command, scanning the room with unreadable eyes.
Aria felt the air leave her lungs.
No. Way.
He looked even more put-together than last night. His jaw was clean-shaven, his hair slightly tousled in a way that was definitely intentional, and his gaze was razor sharp.
And then his eyes landed on her.
For a second, nothing moved. The ambient noise dimmed. The world paused.
His gaze locked with hers—those familiar, slate-gray eyes widening slightly. A flicker of recognition passed over his features.
Then the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
A smirk.
The exact same one from last night.
Aria’s stomach sank.
Of all the people I could have drunkenly insulted... it had to be him.
He turned to his assistants. "Let’s begin."
---
He moved from one mural to another, listening intently as students nervously explained their concepts. He nodded occasionally, made brief comments, and kept his expression neutral.
Aria, Mari, and Lily stood by their piece—a vivid, sprawling mural titled Unity in Contrast. It depicted abstract shapes and layered colors colliding and blending, symbolizing harmony between opposites. It had been Aria’s concept, refined through sleepless nights and heated debates.
Cassian finally stopped in front of their mural. He studied it for a long moment without speaking.
Aria tried not to shift under his gaze.
Mari stepped forward. "Our concept revolves around the theme of unity in diversity. Each shape represents a different identity, background, or perspective. They clash, they overlap, but ultimately, they form something stronger together."
Lily added, "We wanted to avoid overly literal representation and focus on evoking emotion through color and movement."
Cassian nodded slowly. Then he turned his eyes to Aria.
"And your role?"
Her throat dried. "I... I led the design and concept development. We all painted together, but I sketched the base framework."
His expression remained unreadable. "I see."
Another pause.
Then he said, with that same faint smirk: "I like the execution. Bold strokes. Not afraid to take up space."
Aria wasn’t sure if he was talking about the mural or her.
"Thank you," she said, managing to sound composed.
Cassian turned away, continuing down the line.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Mari leaned in. "That was him, wasn’t it? The bar guy?"
Aria gave a tiny nod, mortified. "Cassian freaking Blackwood."
Lily looked like she wanted to burst out laughing. "Girl, you called the CEO of Blackwood Holdings a briefcase."
Aria closed her eyes. "Please let the earth swallow me whole."
---
The evaluation lasted another twenty minutes, and Cassian said little more. Once he was finished, he exchanged a few quiet words with Mr. Baldwin, nodded to the room, and left the way he came.
As the door closed behind him, the room collectively exhaled.
Aria sank onto a stool.
"Well," Mari said, shaking her head, "at least if we don't get selected, we know why."
Lily grinned. "Or maybe he'll pick us just to keep the drama going."
Aria dropped her head onto the table. "Either way... I'm never drinking again."
But even as she said it, she could still feel the weight of his gaze.
Still see the flicker of that smirk.
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