Chapter 48: A Brush-Off

As expected, Lucas's face lit up with a rare smile, pleased by Claire's flattery.

"President—" she began, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Hold on—" he said, falling back on an old complaint. "Can't you call me something else? You've gotten pretty comfortable with calling me 'President' every chance you get, but it sounds odd."

*Oh, not this again,* she thought. "I'm just used to it. Plus, it keeps things professional at work."

"Fine, call me whatever you want," he muttered, sighing. "Now, what were you going to ask?"

"Could you tell me what's in 'Kiss BB'? It smells so wonderful! It's subtle but has this lovely mix of floral and fruity notes. And it's refined and mysterious, with such a lasting fragrance."

Lucas was taken aback. "You're able to analyze it just from the scent?" he asked, his gaze softened with a rare hint of admiration. But then he threw a splash of cold water over her confidence. "But don't think I've forgotten—you're still clueless about cosmetics."

Three imaginary lines of frustration appeared over her forehead, and Claire forced a smile.

"'Kiss BB' contains eighty-five ingredients," Lucas explained. "There are rare flowers and fruits among them, but the main ones are part of the company's secret formula for the Queen of Perfumes. It's a long story, and you wouldn't understand most of the technical terms anyway. Once you've been around longer, I'll tell you more."

Claire nodded, her curious gaze fixed on him, wanting to learn more.

"Anything else?" he asked, noticing her lingering expression. *Is she planning to ask a hundred questions?*

"President…" She leaned closer, her voice uncharacteristically soft as it floated into his chest, sending his heart into a sudden, erratic rhythm.

"Just ask," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably away, his expression slightly flustered.

Claire looked puzzled by his reaction and inched closer, but he quickly turned serious. "Could you not talk like that?" he demanded, looking slightly embarrassed. *Why was she suddenly so soft and sweet? He had to admit it was a little… captivating, but it also made him feel awkward.*

Claire blinked, piecing it together. *Oh, so his weakness isn't just flattery—he can't handle it when I use a gentle tone with him? Is he… embarrassed?*

"President…" she repeated, testing her theory by making her voice even more gentle.

Sure enough, his blush reappeared, spreading across his face.

She couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. *This was too adorable! The sharp-tongued president, getting flustered so easily!*

"Keep laughing, and I might just silence you," Lucas warned, narrowing his eyes with a mischievous glint. He raised a hand as if he might move closer—

Claire laughed and backed away. "Alright, alright! I'll stop laughing."

"Ask your question, then, or I'm heading up for a shower," he said, standing up. "I'm sweaty and uncomfortable."

"Wait, President." She grabbed his hand. "I heard from Sarah that the company suddenly stopped producing 'Kiss BB'?"

Lucas looked at her, his face taking on a complex expression.

"Your breakfast is cold," he said, deflecting her question.

"But… you still haven't answered me," she protested.

"The answer is, yes, production has stopped. No reason given," he replied curtly.

"What? That's it? That sounds like a brush-off," she pouted.

"Exactly. It *is* a brush-off," he replied, unapologetically. He ruffled her soft hair and then turned to head upstairs.

*Ugh!* she thought, *How can he be so blunt?* She felt both amused and disappointed. *Even if he was brushing me off, he didn't have to admit it!*