London Hearts, Billionaire Nights

He Liked It

Lucia practically dragged Eve all the way to the company canteen with excitement shining all over her face.

"You don't understand," Lucia said dramatically while pressing the elevator button repeatedly. "We are celebrating this properly."

Eve laughed softly. "It's not that serious."

"Oh it is serious," Lucia argued immediately. "Do you know how impossible it is to impress Mr. Harrison on your second day?"

The elevator doors opened and both women stepped inside.

Honestly, Eve still had not fully recovered from the praise she received inside the manager's office. Her chest still felt strangely warm. Nobody had looked at her work with admiration in years. Not since life became about survival instead of dreams.

The moment they reached the canteen floor, Eve stopped walking briefly. Her eyes widened. "This is the canteen?"

Lucia laughed proudly.

The place looked nothing like a normal office cafeteria. It was massive and elegant with glass walls, polished floors and soft music flowing quietly through hidden speakers. Long buffet tables stretched beautifully across the room filled with different foods, desserts, drinks and snacks. Employees moved around casually carrying trays while chefs stood nearby arranging fresh meals.

Eve honestly felt like she had entered a luxury hotel restaurant. "You're kidding," she whispered under her breath.

"Nope," Lucia grinned. "Welcome to Valmont Group."

Eve slowly walked toward the buffet table still trying to process everything around her. Different kinds of rice, pasta, chicken, pastries, fruit salads, drinks. Even the snacks looked expensive. For a second she genuinely forgot how to act.

"So…" Lucia grabbed two glasses. "What are we celebrating with?"

Eve laughed softly. "Anything honestly."

Lucia finally settled on orange juice while Eve picked the same. They also grabbed little packs of snacks and meatballs before settling at one of the tables near the glass walls.

Eve carefully tasted one of the meatballs and almost melted. "Oh my God."

Lucia burst into laughter immediately. "What?"

"This is actually good."

"Of course it's good."

Eve looked around again in disbelief. "So you mean people eat like this here every single day?"

Lucia nodded proudly while sipping her drink. "Every day."

Eve almost wanted to cry. Not from sadness, but from relief. Good food, free food, a stable job. Maybe life was finally becoming softer toward her.

Lucia suddenly lifted her glass dramatically. "To Eve Hunter."

Eve blinked. "What?"

"To surviving, succeeding and shocking this entire company in less than forty eight hours."

Eve burst into laughter before clinking her glass lightly against Lucia's. The sound was small but somehow meaningful.

For the next several minutes both women ate happily while sharing random conversations and laughing over silly things. Lucia talked about different workers in the building and which departments had the worst managers. Apparently accounting workers cried the most.

Eve laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.

Then somehow the conversation returned to the mysterious CEO again.

"So," Eve leaned slightly closer. "Nobody has actually seen him smile before?"

Lucia looked horrified immediately. "Lower your voice!"

Eve blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I'm serious," Lucia whispered dramatically while glancing around. "Even from what I've heard, saying his name carelessly can get you into trouble."

Eve stared at her. "You're joking."

"I wish."

That instantly made Eve nervous again. Who exactly was this man? At this point Antonio Valmont sounded less like a CEO and more like an urban legend.

Lucia leaned closer again. "One woman mistakenly entered the executive elevator last year."

"And?"

"She got transferred out of London completely."

Eve nearly choked on her juice. "What?!"

"I'm serious."

Eve slowly placed her glass down. Now she was genuinely scared of whoever Antonio Valmont was.

Meanwhile, several floors above them, Mr. Harrison sat inside his office already exhausted from the stressful morning. Then suddenly his computer beeped. An incoming email.

FROM: CEO OFFICE.

Immediately his posture straightened. His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as he opened the message.

*Submit all pending assignments from your department immediately.*

Mr. Harrison sighed heavily. Of course. Quickly he gathered all unfinished and submitted department projects before forwarding everything directly to the executive office. Then the waiting began.

Barely three minutes later another email arrived. Rejected. Mr. Harrison rubbed his forehead tiredly. Then another. Work on this. Another. Improve the dimensions. Another. Improve the 3D rendering. Another. Improve the outline of the sketch.

The emails kept coming back one after another mercilessly. His stress level increased with each notification sound. Honestly sometimes working under Antonio Valmont felt like preparing assignments for a machine instead of a human being. Nothing was ever enough. Nothing.

Then suddenly another email arrived.

*Impressive.*

Mr. Harrison froze. Slowly he opened the attachment beneath it. His eyes widened slightly. It was Eve's sketch.

For a moment complete silence filled the office. Then unexpectedly a soft "wow" escaped his lips.

Out of every single assignment submitted from his department, only hers had been accepted. And not just accepted. Praised.

Mr. Harrison leaned back slowly in disbelief. "This girl…" he muttered quietly. She had literally started working yesterday. Yesterday. Yet somehow the CEO himself approved her work immediately while rejecting others from senior staff members.

A smile slowly spread across the manager's face. Good. Very good.

Without wasting another second, he forwarded the approval email directly to Eve.

*The CEO approved your assignment. Congratulations once again.*

Immediately after that he started summoning every worker whose project had been rejected. The atmosphere inside the department slowly became tense again as nervous employees began walking in and out of his office one after another.

At that same moment Eve and Lucia were just returning from the canteen still laughing over something silly Lucia said. Suddenly Eve's phone beeped inside her hand. She glanced down casually while walking, then stopped completely. Her eyes widened.

"What happened?" Lucia asked immediately.

Eve looked up slowly looking genuinely shocked. "I…" Her voice disappeared.

Lucia grabbed the phone carefully and read the email herself. Then she screamed softly. "No way!"

Several workers turned toward them briefly.

"The CEO approved your assignment?!" Lucia whisper yelled dramatically.

Eve still looked completely stunned. "Wait…" she blinked repeatedly. "Isn't this the same man everybody says is cold and ruthless?"

Lucia nodded slowly still staring at the email. "Yes."

"And he accepted my work?"

"Yes!"

Eve laughed softly in disbelief. "This can't be real."

Honestly, her hands were slightly shaking. The most feared man in Valmont Group had looked at something she created and liked it. For some strange reason that thought alone sent nervous excitement rushing through her chest.

Lucia grabbed her arm again dramatically. "Oh my God Eve, do you know what this means?"

Eve swallowed. "No…"

"It means people are going to start noticing you around here."

The words settled differently inside Eve's chest. Noticing her. For the first time in years that idea felt both exciting and terrifying at the same time.