“You know that, right? I just can’t help thinking that your boss is being too hard on you, and I say that objectively. Even the busiest department here at Larson Group wouldn’t force their staff to work overtime for seven days straight.” Natalie gave him a sweet smile.
“I’m all right. I’m willing to put in extra hours for my dreams.” Sebastian sighed again. He could only shake his head and smile bitterly. What else could he say at this point? Natalie was her own person, with her own free will. He had known the moment he let her go to Barnes that it wouldn’t be easy getting her back home.
Johanna had just got home from her morning run and was making breakfast in the kitchen.
After hearing some rustling noises in the living room, she poked her head out of the kitchen and saw Natalie. Johanna quickly wiped her hands and dashed over.
“Where are you going? You haven’t even had breakfast yet.” Natalie was already in the entryway, putting her shoes on.
“I spent last night revising my all design drafts. Mr. Wesley is going to look them over today, and hopefully approve them.”
Johanna huffed worriedly.
‘I can see that you are busy, but you still need to eat something!” Her heart ached at the memory of her daughter dragging her feet home so late at night, and as if that wasn’t enough, Natalie left so early in the morning, too.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll grab a bite on my way there.”
All of Natalie’s attention was focused on her designs. Even now, she was only thinking about what Draco Wesley would say about her revisions.
In the end, Johanna had no choice but to watch her daughter go. It shouldn’t be surprising that Draco was a strict and demanding boss-he wouldn’t be standing at the pinnacle of success otherwise. Perhaps, with him as her mentor, Natalie would make rapid progress in the fashion industry.
As soon as Natalie arrived at the studio, she made a beeline for Draco’s office and handed him her portfolio.
She had lost count of the times she had altered the designs until she was finally satisfied with them. Draco’s face was calm and unreadable as he took the folder and went over the drafts.
Only when he turned to the last few pages did a faint smile appear on his lips.
“I see that you’ve applied every piece of advice I gave you.” Draco found Natalie to be very modest despite her impressive talent. He had indicated several problems in her first draft, and she had managed to correct them all.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about.” Draco closed the folder, his brows furrowed.
“How could you have remembered everything? You may have a good memory, but surely…” Natalie whipped out a small voice recorder from her pocket and waved it in front of him.
“Secret weapon,” she quipped.
“Much more useful than the human brain.” Draco’s smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with interest. Not only was this gifted young designer modest, but she was also hardworking. She was certainly tougher than he had initially thought, nothing like a spoiled rich lady at all.
During the meeting later that day, Draco reviewed everyone’s portfolio and — made some comments. He made a point of praising Natalie’s designs in front of everyone, if only to give her credit for exceeding his expectations.
Natalie’s hands were clenched on her lap. It was all she could do not to jump up in joy. Instead, she settled for a sigh of relief. At last, the overtime Sebastian had been grumbling about had paid off.
When she raised her head, her gaze accidentally fell on Elizabeth, who was sitting across the table from her. The other woman had a cold expression on her face, as usual. Natalie mustered an awkward smile and shifted her eyes to Rosa. To her surprise, Rosa looked rather glum. But when she noticed Natalie’s gaze, she immediately forced a friendly smile.
Natalie got to leave work on time today for her first design case was finally approved by her boss. She seldom came home early these days, so Johanna was thrilled and turned to Beal.
“You go and buy something that Natalie likes. We’ll have a big dinner tonight!”
Then, she smiled and held Natalie’s hand.
“My dear, you’ve gone to work for only a week. Why have you lost so much weight?”
However, Natalie felt the opposite. “You’re exaggerating, Mom. I feel I’ve gained a lot of weight.” After getting to know Johanna and getting along with her, Natalie felt she liked exaggerating everything. Johanna smiled and chose not to say anything. Beal patted his legs and stood up from the sofa.
“All right. I’ll go to the grocery store right away. Natalie, you grew up in Seacisco, right? So I presume you’d like spicy food.”
“Actually, I can’t eat spicy food.” Natalie licked her lips sheepishly. Her taste had always been different from that of the people in
Seasisco.
Johanna and Beal exchanged glances and burst out laughing. Natalie frowned in confusion.
“Why are you two laughing?” Beal shook his head, sighing.
“Your mother and I don’t like spicy food either. But Lila likes it. We occasionally make something spicy just for her.” Beal soon returned from the grocery store and cooked a storm for dinner.
“Your father is an exceptional cook. I’ve learned a lot from him.” Johanna laughed and kept filling Natalie’s plate with food.
All the dishes were out of the world. Natalie felt she must have inherited her cooking skills from her father. Beal smiled at his wife’s compliment. Then, he turned to look at Natalie.
“How are you doing in the new company? Do you like working there?” Natalie’s face lit up when her dad brought up her new job.
“It has been great so far, Dad. Everyone in the studio seems nice.” They laughed and chatted happily. Lila ate in silence. The warm scene made her stomach churn with unease. It seemed like only the three were a family and that she was a mere outsider.
Besides, Beal and Johanna had been lauding Natalie to everyone all day long while Lila sat in a corner like a failure.
But despite the resentment, Lila knew she wasn’t as capable as Natalie. She was lazy and could never endure hardships and responsibilities like Natalie.
Lila lost her appetite as she thought about it. She despised Natalie. Now that Natalie had become the daughter of a wealthy family,she could have enjoyed the privilege of leading a luxurious life without doing anything. But she insisted on going to work.
Lila felt like a loser; it was stressful.
“Pm full. Enjoy yourselves.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. Lila couldn’t watch the sweet interaction anymore. It upset her. Therefore, she decided to leave.
Seeing that, Jonanna served some more food to Natalie’s plate and said, “You two eat first. I need to talk to Lila about something.”
