Chapter 172

Ethan Roscente's businesslike tone made Sophia Lowell frown slightly.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the table as she replied calmly, "I'm afraid your request is unrealistic, Mr. Roscente."

The project was massive, with a minimum two-year timeline. Supervising it full-time meant she couldn't take on any other work during that period.

As a freelance designer, she had no base salary. The design fee alone wouldn't cover her living expenses.

The bigger issue was the location—the site was in a neighboring city. After her three-month internship ended, she had to return to Seattle for her teaching position.

"Would periodic site inspections suffice?" she ventured.

Sophia took a sip of tea before continuing, "Every construction site has professional supervisors. It's not standard practice for designers to take over their duties."

Ethan's brow furrowed slightly.

She wasn't wrong. Even for major projects, designers only needed to be present at critical milestones.

But he wasn't interested in logic—he wanted to test her limits.

"You're absolutely right, Ms. Lowell," he said, lips curving slightly. "But I believe in seeing things through. Since you created the design, you should oversee its execution."

Sophia's chest tightened.

This meant frequent interactions with him. The memory of his previous boundary-crossing behavior made her skin prickle.

Her original plan had been to hand the project over to Luming Studio after signing the contract. Now, it seemed far more complicated.

Ethan leisurely sipped his tea, steam softening his sharp features.

"Changing hands mid-project invites errors," he set down his cup. "If the final result falls short, the remaining payment might..."

His gaze locked onto hers. "I assume you'd prefer to avoid that outcome?"

Sophia clenched her fists.

Another threat. Using Luming, using her mentor as leverage.

She never should have agreed to this meeting. Now he had her cornered at every turn.

"You worry too much, Mr. Roscente," she forced out through gritted teeth. "Luming will assign their most qualified designer, and I'll conduct regular checks—"

"So this is your stance?" Ethan cut in coldly. "It seems Luming's sincerity leaves much to be desired."

With his fingertip, he traced the Chinese character for "sincerity" in spilled tea.

"The Roscente and Roland groups have shown full commitment," he tapped the character. "Yet Luming intends to cut corners?"

Sophia drew a deep breath.

This man had no interest in reason.