Chapter 698 From The Beginning
“Christina, stop getting carried away!” Even though Nathaniel’s eyes darkened, the affection in his tone was unmistakable.
With her arms wrapped around his neck, she lifted herself off her heels to give his lips a gentle peck. She then suggested softly, “Since you don’t like that, why don’t I compensate you like this? What do you think?”
When Nathaniel held her waist and leaned in to whisper something in her ear, Christina shot him a glare but surprisingly didn’t say no.
The next morning, Christina was unable to fulfill her promise of sending the children to school. D
Nonetheless, both of them didn’t kick up a fuss as they sat inside the car together with Nathaniel, who was taking them instead.
Since the children hadn’t seen Sebastian in a while, they cozied up to him and played by his side, raising a ruckus for the rest of the journey. D
“Mr. Taggart, at your wedding with Ms. Lesley, Lucas and I will be your flower children, all right?” Camila stared at him with her eyes widened in anticipation.
How did the children know that Victoria and I are in a relationship?
Sebastian reacted with bewilderment. He was certain that neither Nathaniel nor Christina had told the children, for they never stuck their noses in the business of others.
Moreover, until he and Victoria made their relationship public, the lesser people knew the better.
“Who told you that Ms. Lesley and I are getting married?” Sebastian threw the question back at them.
Lucas replied matter–of–factly, “Mr. Taggart, Camila and I saw both of you kissing at the restaurant.”
The words caused Nathaniel to look up and throw Sebastian a glance. (D
The latter immediately realized what happened. That was the first time they officially went on a date after his proposal on the ship.
Back then, Sebastian had handpicked the restaurant and reserved the entire place. It was his idea of a romantic date to make up for what happened.
The room was really private, so how did the children manage to see Victoria and me kissing?
Sebastian was brimming with curiosity. “Mr. Lucas, Ms. Camila, can you tell me how you found out? I’ll give you a treat if you do.”
Lucas, whose character took after Nathaniel, wasn’t easy to be manipulated. However, the same couldn’t be said for Camila. Even though she couldn’t be bribed with money, she would easily succumb to the temptation of food.
Contrary to Sebastian’s expectations, Lucas and Camila replied in unison, “It’s a secret, Mr. Taggart. We can’t tell you.”
At that moment, the driver informed abruptly, “Mr. Hadley, we’ve arrived at the school.”
Forced to leave the topic at that, Sebastian opened the door for the children to alight.
Upon returning from walking the children into the school, Nathaniel asked, “Are you and Victoria really getting married?”
Sebastian showed no hesitation at all. “Mm–hmm. She is the one for me. Even if we can’t be together in the end, I’ll never be able to settle for someone else.”
Victoria was the only person in his heart. There was just no space for anyone else.
“If you ever encounter a problem that’s too much for you, you can always come to me,” Nathaniel offered in an indifferent tone before returning to his emails.
Briefly stunned, Sebastian broke into a respectful smile. “Okay. I understand.”
Even if something like that happened someday, it wasn’t in Sebastian’s character to ask Nathaniel for help. Yet the latter’s promise did change the nature of the issue.
Nathaniel’s word, worth its weight in gold, ignited the will within Sebastian to marry Victoria no matter what.
“Come along with us to the banquet tomorrow, as Preston would also be there. It’s time the Lesley family learn about your relationship with Victoria.” Nathaniel could foresee the impending problems Sebastian was going to face.
Preston and Victoria weren’t close despite the fact that they were siblings. His protectiveness over her only extended until there was a conflict with the Lesley family’s interests. After all, Victoria was the only daughter of the family, and they hoped to use her in a marriage alliance that would elevate the Lesley family’s status.
Therefore, if they found out that Victoria had fallen for an a*sistant who didn’t come from a distinguished family, they would definitely object to the relationship.
However, Nathaniel wasn’t going to allow something like that to happen to his most important subordinate. Hence, he would step in to convince the Lesley family on Sebastian’s behalf when the situation required it. D
“All right. I’ll make the necessary arrangements at work!” Sebastian answered.
By the time Christina woke up, it was already close to noon. Her phone was filled with missed calls and messages from Rayne.
“Oh no, I’m late!” Christina replied the latter as she rushed into the shower.
This is all Nathaniel’s fault. He tormented me the entire night in his unbridled excitement. Now, I’ve overslept and stood Rayne up. D
After giving her sore back a rub, Christina headed into the wardrobe to change into a dress. She proceeded to grab a quick breakfast before rushing to the studio under Lyle’s escort.
As the studio was still under renovation, Christina made a quick round on the account of the child she was carrying. Thereafter, she headed outside to discuss with Rayne the issues relating to the–renovation.
In the meantime, Lyle was standing nearby and watching the traffic below. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind.
“Christina, our studio has been defamed twice up till now, dealing a blow to our brand name and reputation. Therefore, I can’t guarantee that the business would be as profitable as it used to be once the repairs are completed.” Rayne felt distraught over the situation. “Perhaps the brands pushed online by influencers might even outsell us. I just want you to be mentally prepared.”
Although the studio had won the closely–fought lawsuit, they had also paid out a lot in compensation. At the same time, there were many who openly condemned their brand after being influenced by the
rumors.
Among them, in particular, were Elizabeth and her junior. Their die–hard fans would time and time again criticize the studio, causing it to lose many potential customers.
In order to ensure a smooth resumption of work at the studio, Rayne had sent meticulously–prepared presents to their high–end members. Unfortunately, all the gifts ended up being returned.
“Since we have decided to start from scratch, these obstacles don’t mean much. We just have to jump through the same hoops one more time.” Christina wasn’t hung up about it. “Don’t give yourself too much pressure. Regardless of the troubles we face, I’ll persevere through them. Given how all of you have been by my side through the entire period, it would be unfair to you if I were to give up easily.” D
The words brought a tear to Rayne’s eyes. “Christina, you have our full support, and we have long gotten ourselves ready for this task. We’re just waiting for the studio to resume its operations.”
“On the first day of work, organize a dinner, as I want to give everyone a treat. Just think of it as celebrating our first day of work.” Christina handed Rayne a tissue. “Here, give it a wipe. You won’t look good if your makeup smears.”
Rayne took the tissue and wiped the corner of her eye. All right. I’ll update you once I make the arrangements.”
Christina beamed in response. “Well, I won’t take up anymore of your time. I’m heading upstairs to Gibson Corporation.”
“Okay, call me if you need anything.”
Just as Rayne had finished, she grabbed Christina’s hand when something popped into her mind suddenly.
After scanning her surroundings to make sure they were alone, she leaned closer to Christina and whispered, “Christina, I saw Anya in a bar last night.”
