Natalie smiled and put the necklace and the money into the Hermes Birkin. “Okay, Miss Quinn. I’ll wait for you to repay the debt next time.”
With that, she stood up and waved at the receptionist. “Please give us a doggie bag so Miss Quinn could put her phone and cosmetics in it.”
Then, she turned around and flashed a sweet smile at Cassie. “You don’t need to pay for the bag. It’s on me.”
Cassie almost tasted the blood as she gritted her teeth a little too hard. She would lose her mind if she stayed there longer.
Noticing that Natalie was staring at her Chanel high-heeled shoes, Cassie feared that she would snatch them away from her and make her walk home barefoot. Therefore, she quickly took the things from her bag and walked out of the restaurant in a huff.
Seeing her leave, Natalie sat down and began estimating the prices of the things she got from Cassie. The Hermes Birkin alone was worth a lot of money.
A triumphant smile stretched across her lips.
She put away the things and looked up. Christopher was staring at her with wide eyes, holding the knife and fork in his hands.
Natalie’s face flushed with embarrassment. She looked at him and sighed. Her behavior now was against the impression of what he thought of her. But Natalie was not a pushover.
“Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard, Chris. I’m sorry you had to watch that. Our family is a little special,” Natalie said, smiling.
“No. I know you are kindhearted. However, when someone rubs you the wrong way, you have to stand up for yourself. Nothing’ wrong with that.” Christopher smiled at her in awe.
Natalie had impressed him yet again today. Seeing her delicate appearance and innocent face, he had thought Natalie was someone who would endure all the problems and suffer in silence. However, she was not. Although she was as sweet as the rose, no one could get past her thorny exterior.
This incident only made him adore her even more. However, she didn’t have special feelings for him.
Christopher cast a sidelong glance at Sebastian, who had been silent the entire time, wondering what relationship he shared with Natalie.
Natalie felt that Christopher was only joking. She didn’t care about what he thought of her. After all, money was more important than her image at the moment.
Natalie stole a glance at Sebastian and caught his indifferent gaze.
Neither of them spoke.
The man lowered his head and continued to look at his phone.
Natalie cleared her throat and ate the remaining steak.
After saying goodbye to the couple, Christopher left the restaurant alone.
It was late at night, and the neon lights illuminated the roads. The city was decorated with colorful lights. The traffic was at its peak.
“Do you want to walk back?” Natalie asked, stealing a glance at Sebastian.
She had a sudden urge to walk home with Sebastian. No one would know their names and identities. They were just an ordinary couple, walking back home like the others.
Sebastian finally broke his silence. “Okay,” he said, turning to look at her.
He couldn’t understand the woman in front of him. The incident at the restaurant and the way Natalie’s elder sister, dressed in an opulent outfit, spoke to her confused him.
“What’s going on with your family? Why does the Quinn family owe you money?”
“It’s no big deal. My parents owe me a lot of money. After I fell out with them, they refused to pay me back. It’s a family matter. I can handle it. There’s no need for you to get involved.” Natalie’s tone was relaxed even though she deliberately omitted the most important part.
Sebastian glanced at her from the corner of his eye and sighed.
It was true that he didn’t know that much about the Quinn family, but since Natalie was being stubborn about it, he respected her decision. “Fine. But if you need any help, just tell me.”
Natalie nodded obediently and lowered her gaze. “Okay,” she said softly.
Sebastian pinched her cheek and warned in a low voice, “And from now on, you have to tell others that you’re married.”
“Okay, okay, okay. Do you want me to wear a sign with the word ‘married’ on it?” Natalie raised her head and glared at him, pouting like a spoiled child.
“It’s for your own good. It’s obvious that Christopher guy had ulterior motives. Trust me. His intentions were written all over his face.” As he spoke, Sebastian pulled Natalie closer to him.
“What? In that case, why couldn’t I see it? Christ has helped me before. Don’t be so quick to judge him.” Natalie rolled her eyes helplessly.
“Are you kidding me? It’s all over his face that he wants to fuck you,” Sebastian snorted, his eyes darkening dangerously.
How could he say that?
Natalie looked at him indignantly. Sebastian was always such a jerk.
“Can you, for once, act like a normal guy? Not everyone thinks like you.”
“True. I guess he’s different from me. I’m legal to do you, he isn’t.” Sebastian raised his eyebrows in a relaxed way.
At a loss, Natalie pushed him away and scurried on ahead, her ears burning red.
Even after they got home, Natalie still gave Sebastian the cold shoulder.
After knocking on her door to announce his presence, the man walked into her room carrying a glass of warm milk. “Are you planning to ignore me forever, Miss Quinn?”
Without so much as glancing at him, Natalie continued to draw. Suddenly, Sebastian took her hand and stuffed something cold onto her palm.
Startled, Natalie looked at the item in her hand. It was an old platinum ring inlaid with an emerald. The edges already had a light layer of patina. The ring seemed to carry a long history with it.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“My mother left it for me. Put it on. That way, people will know that you’re a married woman.” Sebastian leaned against her desk, looking at the ring on her hand with a slight smile.
Turning the ring over, Natalie shrugged and slipped it onto her left ring finger. The dark-colored emerald shone dimly on her fair slender finger. It looked good on her, but the ring was one size too big.
Holding her hand up, she tried to hold back a smile.
“It’s very beautiful. Thank you,” she said stiffly.
That weekend, Natalie took the things she got from the Quinn family to a second-hand shop.
But the shop assistant offered a price far lower than she had expected.
