Inside his private office, Boss David formally introduced Mike to Darcy and Nick, simultaneously outlining Mike's requirements to the duo.
Wall Street? King's Investments? A new logo?
Learning that this outrageously handsome young man sitting before them was the shadow boss of an investment firm valued at nearly fifty million dollars, a flash of pure astonishment crossed Darcy's eyes.
Nick, on the other hand, was looking at Mike with eyes full of absolute envy.
"King's Investments is a venture capital firm dedicated to funding and assisting individuals or small businesses with specialized tech or unique concepts to get their startups off the ground..."
Mike gave a brief overview of his firm's core mission, then looked at the two visibly excited designers.
"That's the gist of it. Do you have any initial concepts for a logo that fits that kind of company profile?"
Designing a logo for a major corporation wasn't something that happened overnight. You needed a solid concept draft first, and then the actual logo would be designed based on that draft.
Right now, whether their concept pitch could satisfy the client and secure the final contract was the most pressing issue for Darcy and Nick.
Of course, it was also the perfect opportunity for both of them to prove their worth.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Ms. Darcy immediately fell silent, launching into an intense mental brainstorm.
Beside her, Nick seemed a bit distracted. Though he put on a show of thinking deeply, he was actually stealing glances at Darcy out of the corner of his eye.
Needless to say, the man was currently engaged in some shameless "plagiarism," preparing to reap the rewards without doing any of the work.
About ten minutes later, Darcy had finalized her concept. Brimming with confidence, she was the first to speak:
"Mr. Mike, based on your company's name, I believe the logo could heavily feature a crown motif to represent a king..."
But before Ms. Darcy could even finish her sentence, Nick, having eavesdropped on her inner thoughts, eagerly cut in.
"An investment firm... illuminating others... The crown could be stylized into the shape of a sun, perhaps incorporating a subtle smiling face if needed..."
"And since your firm focuses on angel investing, it would be best to add two wings representing an angel on either side of the crown... That essentially covers my entire concept."
Having completely hijacked Ms. Darcy's ideas using his mind-reading ability, Nick finished his rapid-fire pitch, then put on a gentlemanly act. He smiled at his female colleague and asked deliberately,
"Director Darcy, do you have anything to add?"
"N-no. You covered it perfectly~"
With all her talking points stolen, Darcy naturally had nothing left to say.
In fact, the way she looked at Nick—the "plagiarist"—even held a trace of genuine admiration.
When you constantly run into someone whose ideas align perfectly with your own, it's only natural to start seeing them as a kindred spirit.
That was roughly the mental gymnastics Darcy was going through right now.
"What do you think, Mr. Mike?"
After listening to his employees pitch the concept, Boss David turned to Mike.
Whether this deal would go through ultimately depended entirely on the client.
In other words, from start to finish, the final decision rested completely in Mike's hands.
"Your agency's level of expertise is genuinely impressive."
Mike offered a compliment before continuing,
"In that case, I'll be handing this logo design project over to..."
At this point, Mike purposely paused. He let the silence hang until Nick's confident smile started to look a little strained before finally announcing,
"...over to Mr. Nick here..."
[Blessing: Eavesdropping on Women's Hearts (Trait)]
Hearing this, the smile on Nick's face bloomed once again. Overjoyed by his victory, he even dropped the trait orb Mike was waiting for.
But before Nick could celebrate for too long, Mike's voice rang out again.
"I can also tell that Ms. Darcy's design skills are top-tier. So, I'll be entrusting this project to the both of you..."
"As long as the final product is satisfactory, you won't have to worry about the compensation."
After delivering his final decision, Mike shot Nick a deeply meaningful look, leaving the middle-aged designer looking thoroughly conflicted.
Truth be told, Nick Marshall's actual design skills used to be quite solid. But sheer jealousy had completely thrown him off balance.
Especially after acquiring the mind-reading ability, he became obsessed with taking shortcuts, constantly relying on stealing Darcy's ideas.
This narrow-minded approach was causing him to gradually lose his own capacity for "critical thinking" and "innovation."
While he might be successfully suppressing his rival, Darcy, in the short term, this path was guaranteed to backfire on him eventually.
Of course, none of that was Mike's problem. Having secured the [Eavesdropping on Women's Hearts] ability, he had zero interest in acting as someone else's life coach.
Right now, armed with his new power, he was trying to listen in on Needy's inner thoughts.
After all, the woman was practically a ticking time bomb and posed a significant threat to Lina and the other girls back home.
Mike had to be cautious with her.
However, whether it was because Needy was actively losing her human emotions or for some other reason, Mike simply couldn't hear any internal monologue from her.
On the flip side, Ms. Darcy was currently mentally beating herself up, feeling guilty for "stealing" an opportunity for Nick to shine on his own.
The woman might look unapproachable, but she actually had a very kind heart.
...
"Needy, I noticed there's a coffee shop downstairs. Go grab me two iced Americanos,"
Mike suddenly ordered.
If there was no opportunity, he'd just have to create one.
Mike was determined to test Needy's reactions one more time.
"Iced Americanos? We have those right here in the office. I'll have someone bring them in for you."
Eager to please a VIP client, Boss David tried to beat Needy to the punch, showing off his top-notch hospitality.
"No, I specifically want them from the shop downstairs."
Mike's tone deepened, his eyes locked onto Needy to gauge her reaction.
Catching the sudden shift in the room's atmosphere, Boss David wisely shut his mouth, not daring to interject again.
Darcy and Nick were startled by the sudden tension, too afraid to even breathe loudly.
Surprisingly, however, there wasn't a single trace of "resentment" in Needy's mind. Acknowledging the order, she simply turned and headed out of the office.
But the moment the office door swung open, a chaotic wave of inner voices immediately flooded Mike's brain.
Wow, he's even hotter than a movie star...
If only I could be his girlfriend...
Wonder if he's all looks and no substance...
...
The mental commentary quickly veered into R-rated territory.
It just goes to show that when faced with an impossibly handsome guy, women's inner thoughts can be way bolder than men's.
Hearing quite a few women mentally plotting out "accidental" trips or planning to "spill coffee" just to get an excuse to talk to him, Mike couldn't help but frown.
Being too popular was genuinely a headache.
Especially when the people throwing themselves at him didn't meet his aesthetic standards.
"My apologies, Mr. Mike. It seems my staff is causing a disturbance. I'll go handle it right now~"
Boss David, who was highly perceptive, offered an apologetic smile and hurried toward the door.
Because word had gotten around that a ridiculously handsome VIP was in the building, a large group of female employees had gathered outside the boss's office, eager to catch a glimpse.
The voices Mike had just heard were their inner thoughts.
"Don't you people have work to do?! Why is everyone crowding the hallway?!"
With a roar from Boss David, the female staff scattered like a flock of startled birds, giggling as they fled.
"Alright, Mr. Mike. Problem solved."
Returning to his desk, Boss David plastered his smile back on and said,
"Now, how about we discuss the specific details of our collaboration?"
"No problem,"
Mike replied, grateful for the sudden peace and quiet.
"I'm very satisfied with your concept. I'll have Chris wire over an initial deposit later..."
"Once the final design is ready, you can head straight to King's Investments on Wall Street and hand it over to Chris."
Having already fleeced his real prize, Mike had no desire to stay "entangled" with this ad agency any longer.
Just as they finished hammering out the basics of the agreement, Needy walked back in carrying two iced Americanos.
"Thanks for the great concept. These coffees are on me."
Mike took the iced Americanos from Needy and placed them down in front of Darcy and Nick.
Then, he gestured for the newly returned Needy to follow him out.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
Mike purposely asked as they left the office.
Needy, maintaining her icy demeanor, simply shook her head. Her mind remained completely void of any resentful thoughts.
On the other hand, the female employees in the agency, who were all pretending to work, instantly started their mental fantasizing again the second they saw Mike walk out.
It had basically crossed the line into mental "sexual harassment."
Considering this, having the ability to constantly hear women's inner thoughts might not actually be a blessing.
"Let's go, then!"
Mike called to Needy, picking up his pace as he headed downstairs.
Listening to the filthy, inappropriate thoughts of the women in this office, Mike didn't want to stick around for another second.
"Have a wonderful day, Mr. Mike~"
The beautiful receptionist at the front desk politely saw him off.
"You too~"
Surprised that he hadn't heard any wild fantasies from her mind, Mike smiled and waved goodbye.
Damn, look at that ass... He's definitely a beast in bed... I'm so jealous of his girlfriend...
But he hadn't even taken a few steps before the receptionist's inner thoughts blasted directly into his brain.
Seriously?
Did her thirst have a built-in delay?
"Did you need something else, Mr. Mike?"
Seeing Mike suddenly stop, the receptionist flashed him another sickeningly sweet smile.
Except...
Lady, you've already been exposed.
"Nope~"
Mike shook his head in sheer disbelief and practically jogged out the door.
If he stayed here any longer, he was going to end up with a split personality.