Page 65 of The Heart of Winter

A small, already familiar disappointment flickered inside me, but oh well. He kept his distance from me so… deliberately. And to be honest, he had his reasons. Even a moment of rational thinking told me that whatever was happening between us… would be hard to pull off. But the stupid little part of me still longed for it.

Once we sat down, Winter opened my mock-up and projected it onto the wall.

"I talked to Werner. He was impressed by how well you executed this."

I froze. What?

That was not the reaction I’d expected. I had assumed he’d see me as competition.

"He said you came up with some incredibly creative solutions for the interface, he was amazed by your fresh approach to UX design, and asked only for a few small adjustments," Winter continued. "He also mentioned that if any small tasks come up, he’ll pass them your way. He’s overloaded with work."

Bewildered, I listened, nodding slightly.

As he spoke, Winter avoided looking me in the eye, directing his words more toward the room than to me personally.

Then he began listing the adjustments Werner had suggested, and I quickly started jotting them down on my tablet.

"Next time, you'll be speaking with Werner directly," Winter said. "I don't need to be involved. I know you two will do a fantastic job together."

And just like that, another disappointment. So now I wouldn’t even be seeing him anymore…

"Now, onto the next matter," he added. "Werner is busy with the ByteBites project. But right after the holidays, we have a scheduled presentation with our Japanese clients for the preliminary version of the BA project. So I’ll be flying to Japan. Normally, I’d take Werner with me, since we have a rule that we never attend client meetings alone. But since he can’t, this time, I thought I’d take you instead—"

He quickly lifted his head and pinned me with his gaze.

"Of course," I blurted out, cutting him off before he could even finish.

There was a brief pause, during which Winter definitely acknowledged my enthusiasm.

On Manager Lorens' round face, I caught a glimpse of amusement.

"Good to see you're not nervous about it," he muttered with a half-smile.

"Why would I be? I’ve already familiarized myself with the project’s interface and key concepts. I think I’ll manage just fine."

"I like your confidence."

Manager Lorens glanced at his phone.

"Can I leave you two alone? I have an important call."

"Of course, no problem."

As soon as he stepped out, I felt the slight quickening of Winter’s heartbeat. Interesting.

I decided to address this unexpected trip news directly.

"I have to admit, I’m surprised. I’ve only been working here for three months, and I’m already getting an opportunity like this?"

Winter’s lips curled into a slightly bitter smile.

"Let’s not kid ourselves, you’re the CEO’s son. Your career path will naturally progress faster than everyone else’s. Giving you opportunities for growth is in the company’s best interest."

I tensed slightly, feeling awkward.

"I don’t want that! I’d rather earn every step myself," I said stiffly, swallowing hard.

"That’s an admirable mindset, but be realistic. One day, your father wants you to inherit this company. That’s why it’s good for you to start getting familiar with client meetings and negotiations early on. When I suggested taking you along, your father was very enthusiastic about the idea. He’s on board with this."

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