“Okay. What do you want to do?”
Sebastian pressed his lips against her bare neck then finally pulled away. With a gentle smile, he winked and said, “Figure it out yourself. I know you’re tired. Go to bed.”
Then he turned around and went back to his room to get changed.
The next day, after work, Natalie went to a shopping mall nearby.
It was on the most bustling commercial street in the city. Some kind of a fun activity was going on in the shopping mall. Many children were performing on the stage as people cheered and clapped for them.
When Natalie entered the mall, she was almost knocked down by the crowd. Suddenly, a strong hand gripped her arm and pulled her back.
Natalie turned around and saw Christopher smiling at her. He was wearing a denim blue shirt and matching jeans. “Be careful. Otherwise, they might drag you to the stage to perform.”
“Thank you, Chris.” Natalie smiled sheepishly as she smoothed her bangs. “Why are you here?”
“I went to the grocery store nearby and bought some daily necessities.” Christopher lifted his bags and waved them at her. “What about you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Well, I came to pick up a gift for my husband.” Natalie looked away as a blush flamed her cheeks.
The smile on Christopher’s face vanished in an instant. His heart sank with dejection. He quickly forced a smile, trying to look normal. “Why didn’t you bring your husband with you? Do you need my advice?”
Christopher seldom got the chance to be with Natalie alone. Therefore, he wanted to stay with her, even though it meant he had to help her pick a gift for her husband.
Afraid that Sebastian might not like her choice of gift, Natalie thought it might be a good idea to get a man’s opinion. After a moment’s thought, she nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Chris.”
The two strolled into an opulent leather product store.
Glancing around, Christopher picked up a reddish-brown leather wallet and handed it to Natalie. “The wallets here are good. What do you think?”
“Yes, I love the color.” Natalie’s eyes lit up. “You have good taste, Chris.”
Christopher smiled bitterly.
The two of them were busy examining the wallet, so they didn’t see Elaine staring at them through the glass door.
Elaine had just come out of a clothing store opposite the leather shop. The blood on her face drained when she saw Natalie and Christopher interacting with such intimacy.
‘Are they together?’ she wondered.
Elaine couldn’t find a satisfactory job after she got fired from the Larson Group. She had no choice but to work for a small company to make ends meet.
Her pathetic life only made her hate Natalie even more. She felt the woman had ruined her bright future.
Bile rose in her throat when she saw Natalie and Christopher shopping happily in the mall.
She felt that Natalie was a slut, who must have seduced Christopher after joining the Larson Group.
Just as Natalie and Christopher were busy choosing the right wallet, they heard Elaine’s voice. “Hi! What a surprise to run into you two here!”
After a short pause, Natalie forced a smile. “Elaine! Long time no see.”
It was a small world, after all.
Since Christopher was not familiar with Elaine, he greeted her with a polite ‘Hello’.
“Would you like to have dinner with me? We three haven’t seen each other for a long time. After all, we used to be schoolmates. And Quinn, I want to apologize for what happened before. I misunderstood you.”
Elaine shook her head sadly and looked around as if she had no intention of leaving.
“No, I’m going home for dinner.” Natalie smiled politely.
She was aware of Elaine’s hypocrisy.
Moreover, her relationship with Elaine wasn’t good enough to have dinner with her.
Christopher didn’t bother beating around the bush, so he bluntly said, “Elaine, I don’t think we are close enough to have dinner together.”
Elaine’s face flushed with embarrassment. She remained silent.
With that, Natalie and Christopher put down the wallets, intending to leave.
However, as soon as Natalie arrived at the door, the anti-theft sensor on the door instantly turned red and began to beep aloud, startling everyone.
