Chapter 189: Chapter 189: I Did Not Worship You
"I’d rather go on blind dates!"
Anne said bluntly, "If Mr. Blackwood doesn’t have anyone suitable to introduce me to, I can just find a Matchmaker and go to one of those mass dating events."
Sophie Shaw: "..."
After changing into their bathrobes, the two of them left the suite together, took the elevator downstairs, and headed for the hot springs.
The hotel had indoor, man-made hot springs, with a large public pool and smaller pools in private rooms.
All guests staying in the deluxe suites could use the private rooms. Each small pool could accommodate three to five people, and every room had two small hot spring pools.
Sophie Shaw had assumed there wouldn’t be many people at the hot springs at night. However, when she led Anne to a private room, one of the two small pools was already occupied.
To her surprise, she recognized both of them.
One was Yuri, the founder of Diamond Belle Jewelers, and the other was Shayla Zane, a designer who had just joined her company.
"President Shaw?"
Shayla Zane, seeing her, waved her arm excitedly. "What a coincidence, running into you here."
Sophie Shaw smiled and nodded in response. "What a coincidence."
"Is that your friend?"
"Yes, my friend Anne."
Shayla Zane, ever the extrovert, waved at Anne. "I’m Shayla Zane, a designer at Heart of the Ocean."
When Anne heard she was a designer from Sophie’s company, she smiled and said hello.
The three women quickly warmed up to each other and started chatting. Shayla was very talkative, sharing amusing stories from her time studying abroad. She even got out of her hot spring and into the one Sophie and Anne were in.
Left to the side, Yuri was very quiet. He leaned his back against the wall of the pool, his arms spread out along the edge. His deep gaze cut through the swirling steam, fixed on Sophie Shaw.
The woman’s long hair was tied up. Her lovely, makeup-free face was flushed from the heat, and glistening beads of sweat trickled down her long, fair neck, adding a certain sensuality to her appearance.
Noticing the way he was staring at Sophie, Shayla Zane deliberately brought him into the conversation. "Cousin, do you want to come over here?"
Yuri didn’t refuse, but instead asked for Sophie’s opinion. "May I, Miss Shaw?"
Sophie smiled and waved her hand, indicating that she didn’t mind.
Besides, everyone was wearing the hotel’s special bathrobes for the hot springs; no one was naked.
Yuri got out of his pool, strode over in a few long-legged steps, and settled into the hot spring with the three women.
He casually moved the tray with the water pitcher and cups over, pouring a glass for each of them.
"Miss Shaw, your decision to hire Nina Halloway as the brand ambassador has been well-received. Brand awareness has increased quite a bit," Yuri said, handing a glass of water to Sophie.
She took it and thanked him.
"There’s a fashion show coming up in a few days. I was wondering if you might be free, Miss Shaw?"
"A fashion show?"
"Yes. Some of the major well-known brands hold fashion shows and often collaborate with jewelry brands for mutual benefit."
Sophie felt this was an opportunity and asked, "May I ask where and when the fashion show is being held?"
"Are you interested, Miss Shaw?"
"I am."
"I can tell you the time and place, but attending the fashion show requires an invitation from the organizer. Basically, only the major players in the industry receive them."
In short, Sophie’s company wasn’t well-known enough, was too small, and wasn’t prestigious enough to warrant an invitation.
"I see!"
Sophie gave an awkward laugh. Just as she was about to say never mind, Yuri extended an olive branch. "If you really want to go, Miss Shaw, you could attend as my companion."
It was a rare opportunity that Sophie wanted to seize, so she nodded and agreed.
A faint smile touched Yuri’s cool eyes. He raised his glass and gently clinked it against the one in Sophie’s hand. "I hope you’ll look after my cousin from now on, President Shaw."
"Of course."
’This Sophie Shaw must be something else,’ Shayla Zane thought, watching her cousin act so out of character by proactively helping a competitor. ’She actually caught my cousin’s eye.’
Even though she hadn’t been back in the country for long, she had heard some rumors at a party thrown by her wealthy friends. They said Sophie Shaw and Alaric Blackwood were only in a contract marriage, a fact she had mentioned to Yuri before.
At the time, the man had seemed indifferent, as if he didn’t care. But upon seeing Sophie today, he had chosen to make a move. He was clearly interested in her.
She didn’t mind helping her cousin out.
"Miss Austin, after the hot spring, would you like to get a massage to relax?"
Anne was slightly taken aback. "They do massages here too?"
"They do. There are professional masseuses. After we relax, we can go to the music lounge downstairs, have a little drink, and watch a performance."
Anne nodded and asked Sophie, "Want to go together?"
Before Sophie could speak, Shayla Zane cut in, "Why don’t we go watch the performance first? If we go too late, the show at the lounge might be over."
Anne looked at Sophie hesitantly. "Are you coming with us?"
"You go on ahead. I’ll come find you at the lounge in a bit."
"Okay."
The moment she agreed, Shayla Zane pulled Anne out of the hot spring. With the easy familiarity of an old friend, she linked arms with Anne and led her out of the private room.
In the blink of an eye, only Sophie and Yuri were left in the room.
Seizing the opportunity, she asked Yuri for advice on many aspects of business management. He spoke eloquently, sharing a great deal of his experience.
After soaking in the hot spring for over half an hour, Sophie’s cheeks were flushed, and she started to feel unwell. She climbed out of the pool.
She leaned against the edge of the pool, her breathing slightly ragged. The room felt too stuffy, and she was having a hard time catching her breath.
Seeing this, Yuri followed her out and handed her a glass of water. "You need to stay hydrated when you’re in a hot spring."
She took the glass and tilted her head back, downing it.
"You also need to get some fresh air."
As Yuri spoke, he helped her up from the floor. Supporting her with an arm, he led her to the window and threw it open.
The cool night breeze blew in, making Sophie feel a little better.
"First time in a hot spring?"
"Yes, the first time."
"Everyone’s body is different. Some people can’t soak in a hot spring for too long."
As he spoke, the man brought over a large bath towel and draped it over her shoulders like a gentleman. He pointed to a room. "That’s the women’s changing room. There are clean hotel-provided bathrobes inside. I suggest you change as soon as possible to avoid catching a cold."
"Okay, thank you."
"I’ll go get changed first then."
Yuri turned and walked toward the other room, the men’s changing room. He emerged a short while later, having changed into a fresh bathrobe.
He found Sophie still wrapped in her towel, leaning against the windowsill to catch the breeze. He walked over and closed the wide-open window.
"You’ll really catch a cold if you stay in this draft any longer. Go change out of that wet robe."
Sophie nodded and headed for the women’s changing room.
When she came out after changing, Yuri was still waiting in the room. "I’ll take you downstairs to the lounge to find your friend. We can get something to drink and rehydrate you."
"About the fashion show... why are you willing to take me? Aren’t we competitors?"
Hearing this, Yuri gave a faint smile. "Perhaps I’m just a little curious about you."
"Curious?"
"I want to see how far you and your company can go. Just think of it as some encouragement from a senior. I don’t usually help people, but seeing as you’re my junior from school and you used to admire me so much, I’ll make this one exception."
Sophie suddenly felt as if she’d been stripped bare and left standing in front of Yuri. "I... I didn’t admire you."
"Then why did you ask for my autograph back then?"
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