Page 172 of Malicious Claim

He turned to his secretary, who had been waiting by the entrance. "I want a new design. Something simple." Then, with a smirk, "Put a shoe logo. And rename it to something she'll recognize immediately."

Leila's heart beat faster. Had he gone and renamed his company and changed the logo for her sake? She didn't know if she liked that.

Inside, the conference room was filled with waiting staff. They had gathered, waiting for Makros' verdict, waiting for his expertise. They rose as soon as he and Leila appeared.

Makros took the head of the table and waved for them to sit down. Leila and his secretary, Kim, sat closest to him.

Kim nudged a stack of papers towards him, some designs by the company's top designers. There was one shoe design per page, all lean and stylish, crafted with attention to detail.

Leila watched as Makros flipped through them, his expression unreadable. He dismissed some of the sketches at once, barely taking a moment's glance at them. He stopped on others, tracing his finger along the paper before setting them aside. Once he was done, he had picked only three from the rest.

He passed them to Leila silently.

She hesitated, gazing at him, but he only raised an eyebrow as if to say, Well what do you think?

She took the papers and looked over the designs. They were good—great, actually but as her eyes swept through the rejected ones, one drawing caught her attention.

She grabbed it before she could think better of it. "This one."

Makros stiffened. "That wasn't in my choice."

Leila averted his gaze, her heart pounding faster. She hadn't meant to discredit him whatsoever. She simply felt this one was the better choice. "I know. But it should be," she said earnestly.

Silence hung between them. And then, to her surprise, Kim nodded. "She has great taste. This design is very unique. It blends classic with modern and it's something we haven't tried in this collection."

Leila held up the paper more confidently and focused Makros' attention on certain aspects. "Look at this heel. It's smooth and beautiful, but the balance is off. If we just make it slightly thicker at the bottom, it will be steadier without losing its beauty. And this strap...it's a little awry. If we adjust its angle so it will wrap around the ankle instead of cutting across the top of the foot, it will stretch the leg out. It'll be more flattering, more secure."

The staff watched her in surprise.

Then, one of the designers leaned in, adjusting his glasses. "She's right," he said, nodding toward the sketch. "A thicker base would improve weight distribution. We've had issues with similar designs where the heel was too slim."

Another designer, a woman with short, jet-black hair, added, "And the strap adjustment, it's a small change, but it shifts the entire look. It'll make the shoe feel more sophisticated. Plus, it adds support."

There was a murmur of agreement in the room. Some of the employees glanced at one another in surprise they hadn't considered it.

Kim tapped her pen on the table, glancing at Makros. "The adjustments are minor but effective. It wouldn't be holding up production."

Makros leaned back in his chair, hands folded together as he scanned the design. His expression was neutral, but his eyes flashed in Leila's direction, assessing her.

Then, with a slight nod of his head, he replied. "Make the changes."

Leila laid down the paper, still having her heart racing too fast. She wasn't certain if she had just overstepped or impressed him.

Makros didn't say a word to her, but during the remainder of the meeting, she caught him looking at her.

Chapter Sixty-Three

An Award Winning Wife.

The meeting wrapped up, and murmurs filled the room as designers gathered their notes. Makros remained seated, silent, as everyone slowly filed out. Just as Kim reached the door, he called out to her.

"Kim, make sure the revisions are sent to production immediately," he said in an even voice "And cancel my next meeting. I'll be occupied."

Kim hesitated for half a second, gazing between him and Leila, then nodded. "Understood Signor."

The instant the door shut behind her, the room was filled with a suffocating silence.

Leila remained glued to her seat, feeling the weight of Makros' glare pressing down upon her. Her heart was racing. She waited for him to say something at all whether to praise her, or to scold her, he just needed to say something but all he did was glare.