Leisurely sipping her coffee, Natalie replied, “I surmised that Mandy couldn’t fulfill your vision.”
“Oh?” Carly’s confusion persisted.
Was Mandy considered an inferior designer in Natalie’s eyes? “Please don’t misunderstand.
I have no intention of disparaging Mandy.”
Observing Carly’s perplexity, Natalie clarified with a smile.
“Quite the contrary, Mandy is a remarkable designer. However, each designer possesses a unique style. Mandy’s creations lean towards opulence, making them perfect for lavish galas or soirées, but ill- suited to your specific needs.”
The moment Natalie encountered Mandy in Carly’s company, she intuitively grasped that Mandy would fail to meet Carly’s expectations for a designer.
Natalie had laid eyes on Mandy’s work, undeniably exceptional in its splendor and intricacy, but ill-suited to Carly’s grandmother’s humble demeanor. Thus, Mandy’s design style was bound to be inadequate for Carly’s satisfaction.
Natalie’s silence that day was an act of courtesy towards Mandy, a gesture to avoid the appearance of vengefulness, as their relationship was strained by an underlying grudge.
Direct confrontation risked creating an uncomfortable spectacle and might sway Carly’s choice— an outcome Natalie wished to avert.
As a designer, Natalie’s professionalism and integrity resonated with Carly.
Despite her connections to the prestigious White family and her position as Mr. Larson’s wife, Natalie defied Carly’s initial assumptions of arrogance and indifference.
Through their conversations, Carly discovered Natalie’s flawless interpersonal skills and unwavering design expertise.
This revelation softened Carly’s demeanor, and she warmly expressed her relief, “I’m so glad to have such a skilled designer like you create clothing for my grandmother. I trust you’ll exceed my expectations.”
“Absolutely!” Natalie replied, her face beaming with confidence. Presenting her prepared design sketches and materials to Carly, she suggested, “You can take these home for your grandmother to review. If she’s interested, we can discuss further.”
Noticing Natalie’s thorough preparation, Carly nodded approvingly. “Alright, I’ll visit you another day.”
Having said that, she accepted the documents, flipped through a few pages to ensure everything was in order, and stood up to leave.
Meanwhile, Lexi was crouched by the door, eavesdropping intently. She nodded periodically and murmured, “I see.” Consequently, she was caught off guard when the door swung open. She stumbled and tumbled awkwardly into the reception room.
Two sets of eyes locked onto her.
Scrambling to regain her composure, Lexi sheepishly grinned, “I was just … walking by … Just walking by …”
With an amused smile, Natalie apologized to Carly, “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Reed. My assistant can be a bit mischievous. I hope you don’t mind.”
Aware of her rudeness, Lexi apologized as well, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Reed. That was my mistake. I hope you can forgive me.”
Carly, in high spirits, brushed the incident aside.
After Carly’s departure, Natalie teasingly inquired, “Lexi, aren’t you supposed to be a professional assistant? What were you doing eavesdropping? I can’t imagine Sean ever doing something so unprofessional.”
Mortified, Lexi wished she could vanish.
She earnestly apologized again, “Boss, I’m so sorry! My curiosity got the better of me. I promise not to repeat such foolishness!” Natalie, not meaning to cause distress, waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Don’t be so tense. I was just joking.”
Lexi breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you, boss. But you predicted things so accurately. Carly did come back to you for the design.”
Lexi had doubted Natalie’s confidence earlier.
As Natalie sipped water, she simply said, “I’m a professional designer.”
Lexi’s laughter bubbled up at Natalie’s remark. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
With Carly returning to Natalie for another design, didn’t that mean Brandon had lost the bet between him and Natalie?
As a consequence of defeat, Brandon would have to serve as Natalie’s assistant for a day.
Oh! The thought of the distinguished CEO of the Larson Group trading places with her as an assistant was almost too fantastical to fathom!
The thought was staggering!
Should she inform Sean beforehand so that Brandon could brace himself for the impending role reversal?
Torn, Lexi wavered in indecision.
Lexi got a chance to work in Natalie’s studio because Sean recommended her.
She was Sean’s junior at school, and she felt sincerely grateful towards her kind-hearted senior.
Aside from being schoolmates with Sean, Lexi was also highly capable and had a great personality, which was the reason Sean recommended her for the job at Natalie’s new studio.
Lexi would never forget Sean’s kindness.
She knew that Brandon was not an easy boss to work for, but now he was replacing her as Natalie’s assistant. So, if anything went wrong in the future, Sean would have to clean up the mess. After much deliberation, Lexi secretly sent a text to Sean.
At that moment, Sean was working overtime for Brandon. He was frantically drinking his coffee, trying to stay awake for Brandon when he suddenly got a text.
He thought that someday he might actually die because of his work!
With mixed feelings, Sean picked up his phone.
While reading the text message, his eyes widened in shock, and he spat out the coffee in his mouth.
Brandon was doing some paperwork when he saw the stream of coffee spraying out of Sean’s mouth and exclaimed, “Sean, has working overtime made you lose your mind?”
The corner of Sean’s lips twitched as he wondered how to tell Brandon about this matter.
He had just learned from the text that Brandon had lost a bet to his wife, which had made him feel worried.
If Brandon found out that Sean now knew about his secret, would he kill him to keep his mouth shut?
Noticing the dull look on Sean, Brandon massaged his temples and said impatiently, “I’ll be picking up Natalie later, so go get changed quickly and bring the car.”
Sean hesitated for a while before he finally mustered up the courage to ask, “Boss, have you… have you ever been an assistant before?”
Squinting his eyes, Brandon retorted coldly, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Did he look like someone who had worked as an assistant? Ignoring Sean’s nonsense, Brandon picked up his coat, and headed out.
When Sean saw that, he immediately panicked and stepped forward to block Brandon’s way.
Amused, Brandon looked at Sean coldly.
His domineering aura weakened Sean’s legs, causing cold sweat to run down his back.
What a scary boss!
Sean cried out in his heart silently.
Frowning impatiently, Brandon asked, “What the hell are you trying to do?”
“Um…this…” Sean showed Brandon Lexi’s message and explained, “Lexi just told me that Mrs. Reed is coming again to Mrs. Larson to get her grandmother’s clothes designed. Boss … You’ve lost the bet, so you have to be Mrs. Larson’s assistant for a day, just like in the wager.”
After reading the message, Brandon remained calm, tossed the phone back to Sean, and said, “Is this why you were acting like a fool until now?”
The corners of Sean’s mouth twitched, but he began to perform his skill as an assistant and showed Brandon how to solve difficulties.
“Boss, if you don’t want to be her assistant, I can arrange a business trip for you for the next few days. Mrs. Larson is a kind and generous person. If she sees how busy you are, she might let you off the hook.”
Raising his eyebrows, Brandon asked threateningly, “Do I look like a man who doesn’t keep his promises?”
Sean shook his head frantically and denied at once, “Of course not! I just feel like this wager is detrimental to your dignity, and that’s why I came up with this idea.”
Brandon smiled and said lightly, “What’s the big deal? It can’t be that hard to be an assistant. Relax.”
Besides, he would only be assisting his own wife, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
However, Brandon did not say that out loud.
Sean nodded and said, “You’re right. There’s definitely no problem with you working as Mrs. Larson’s assistant. I was being too short-sighted.”
Brandon glanced at Sean indifferently and said coolly, “I am a CEO, working as an assistant is a piece of cake for me. Now tell me the duties and responsibilities of an assistant so that I can get started right away.”
