Only you in my love

Bag in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Caroline arrived at her studio at about nine o'clock in the morning. Looking out to the road, she saw Michelle stepping out of a Rolls-Royce. From where she stood, she couldn't recognize who the driver was. However, she could make out the license plate number clearly.

It was a rare license plate number in Lexingport City. The driver must have powerful connections.

The only person that came to Caroline's mind was the man she met at the hospital, Leon.

After the car drove away, Michelle saw Caroline by the building's entrance. She hurried towards her and waved her hand. "Caroline!" she called out.

Caroline stopped and waited for her to approach.

Caroline could tell that Michelle was in a good mood. Not only she put on some makeup, but she also had a big smile.

"Good morning, Caroline."

"Good morning, Mimi."

First, Caroline called her by her full name. Later, Michelle asked her colleagues to call her Mimi.

With a smile, Caroline looked her up and down. "Good. Now you're starting to dress up like a professional. Keep it up."

Michelle smiled back shyly.

The two of them headed in side by side. Although Caroline was tall, she liked wearing heels to work. She looked at least a head's length taller than Michelle.

She was Michelle's senior schoolmate, and she looked after her all the time. In the past, Caroline was the only photographer in the studio. The staff's duties mainly revolved around assisting her during shoots. At that time, most of their work was doing commercial projects. If Caroline hadn't given her a break into the industry, Michelle would've had a hard time finding a job as good as hers in the country.

By the time she joined the company, Caroline's reputation was just starting to build up. But even during those days, she was already considered to be among the top five in the industry.

Many people wanted to work at the studio, but most of them failed to meet Caroline's standards.

The designers, producers, and operations staff in the studio were all veterans. A fresh grad without much prior experience, Michelle was the only rookie at work. For three years, she was only able to work with a handful of stars abroad because of her teacher. But without a doubt, Michelle was able to get a head start on other photographers her age because of Caroline.

Since day one, Michelle always kept it in mind. She strived to make the most out of the opportunity and prove herself in the workplace. Meanwhile, Caroline treated her as her own sister and cared about her very much.

"Mimi, who drove you to work just now?"

"My...uh...Leon," she replied.

She wanted to my brother at first. Now that they were dating, she changed her mind and just mentioned his name.

It wasn't going to be the same from now on. Leon was her boyfriend.

Luckily, her hesitation went unnoticed. "Leon is so good to you. No wonder someone asked you to take the publicity photos for them."

"What kind of publicity photos?" Michelle asked, quickly shifting to work.

"You're so sharp when it comes to working. Come with me to my office," Caroline said, patting her on the shoulder.

Michelle was eager to do another shoot, so she happily followed along.

When she wasn't tasked with shooting photos, she worked in the studio with other colleagues to retouch photos and design layouts.

Compared with those other jobs, she preferred to be out in the field and shoot the photos herself.

Once inside the office, Michelle closed the door behind her. Caroline sat down on her chair and motioned for her to take a seat as well.

"Mimi, are you and Leon close? I met him at the hospital last time, but we didn't talk much."

"Yes. He has such a cute name, doesn't he? And don't you think he's very handsome? For me, he's the most handsome man in the world. And not only that, he's also powerful and smart," Michelle praised Leon with enthusiasm. For a moment, Caroline was speechless as she looked at her.

"Are you trying to convince me to go out with him?" she asked.

"Of course not! Leon has a girlfriend," Michelle blurted out, her eyes wide open.

"I know he has a girlfriend," Caroline answered as she turned on her laptop.

Hearing what Caroline just said, Michelle was shocked. "How...how do you know?"

"Why are you so surprised? It's not a big secret, after all."

For Michelle, the words were like a bolt of lightning. Her legs felt weak underneath her. 'Did she recognize Leon when he drove me to work?

She must have seen us!

Should I kneel and beg Caroline to keep it a secret?'

Putting her hands together, she pleaded, "Dear Caroline, can you please keep it a secret?"

"Why? What's going on? It's not a secret. Why should I do that?" Caroline asked, without raising her head to look at Michelle. "Although Valerie and Leon haven't confirmed that they are in a relationship, they haven't denied it either. Everyone in the circle knows that they are a couple. It's an open secret."

"What?" Michelle was stunned.

It turned out that Caroline was talking about Valerie, not her. Although it meant that their secret stayed hidden, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad and disappointed.

Deep inside, she badly wanted to set the facts straight. 'They're not together anymore.

I am Leon's girlfriend now.

I guess he doesn't clarify it because he still loves her.'

Dejected, Michelle lowered her head slowly. She was torn and didn't know what to feel.

'Last night, Leon said that we are in a relationship. It's just that we won't tell anyone.

I am willing to keep it a secret, aren't I?

Well, it doesn't matter. What's important to me is that Leon and I are together now.'

Thinking of this, Michelle was in good spirits again.

While they talked, Caroline searched for the file that they needed on her computer. Staring at the screen, she said, "Mimi, I'll send the complete file containing all the relevant information to you. But I still have to brief you about this project, though." "Okay, Caroline."

"How about you call me Cara? I like how it sounds. It would be nice if you call me Cara, but I have goose bumps when Gray and the others call me that," Caroline said.

With a grin, Michelle replied, "Okay, Cara. Can you tell me about this upcoming project?"

"Sure enough, it really is pleasant to hear." Smiling with satisfaction, Caroline went back to the point. "The second Ballet Festival will be held in Lexingport City next March. It's only November, so they're still in the preparation stage. Right now, what they need is a publicity poster to promote the event. Someone recommended you for the shoot, and our studio will design the poster.

If I'm not wrong, Valerie was the one who recommended you. The Ballet Festival was organized by their dance team, and she's the star of the show."

Michelle pressed her lips, feeling a little hesitant.

When she noticed her reluctance, Caroline explained further, "I haven't instructed Gray to accept the project yet. I want to hear what you have to say first. But I should also remind you that we don't get this kind of project every day. If you do well, this would be a good opportunity for you to stand out and showcase your talent."

As she listened to Caroline's words, Michelle remembered that Nina told her to avoid Valerie at all costs.

There was no way to avoid her if she took this project. The model and the photographer had to communicate to produce the best results.

'I will just politely refuse Cara after she finishes her words,' she thought.

"The first Ballet Festival was successful, so expectations are very high for the second one. Doing your best in this project can go a long way in building your career as a photographer. I hope you realize that. And I know you have what it takes to pull it off. Both your teacher and I think you have natural talents in this art form. You have a good eye, and you can really grasp the soul of the subject."

After pausing for a moment, Caroline went on, "But you will also be under a lot of pressure. The photographer who took the publicity photos last time is my senior. They were supposed to invite him again this time, but Valerie chose you. She has a lot of influence on the decision-making in this project.

Keep in mind that you may also get a lot of criticism if you don't do it right. So, what do you think? I will respect whatever your decision may be."

Michelle opened her mouth and was about to refuse her, but Caroline cut in, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that they're paying quite a lot for this shoot."

"How much is it?" Michelle immediately changed her mind.

Stretching out her hand, Caroline drew the numbers in the air. Michelle agreed without hesitation. "Cara, I'm not afraid of criticism. Criticism can help me grow. What I need is experience, so I'll take this task!" Caroline was speechless.

'Money talks, I guess.'