The door to Unit 302 on the third floor was wide open. Several workers were shuffling back and forth, moving things into the unit. Natalie was busy helping out in the kitchen while her bodyguard kept eye on things. She leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed over her chest, as she eyed each of the worker that came and went. Since all the men were dressed in black uniforms and wore safety masks, she couldn’t tell if something was indeed amiss in the first few moments or so. But soon, she noticed one man acting peculiar. He was tasked with bringing in the paintings, but instead of making quick work of his job, he kept locking over every so often. Just as the bodyguard was about to take a closer look at him, Elizabeth’s aunt appeared and stood in front of her. “Here, why don’t you take a break and have some drinks?” she offered to the workers. The woman was carrying a few bottles of coke in her arms, which she handed over to the men with a kind smile. “Thank you,” the head of the workers chuckled and wiped the sweat on his forehead. “But we’d better get back to work and finish as soon as possible.” Sure enough, he got right back to what he had been doing. Meanwhile, Jorge realized that he might have been too obvious just now, so he hid behind a pile of boxes and slinked out of sight. By the time the bodyguard looked back in his direction, he was gone. “Hey!” the head suddenly barked at Jorge. “Don’t just stand there! Keep moving!” Jorge nodded without saying anything, and then pretended to work until the head left. Once the coast was clear, his eyes darted back to where Elizabeth and Natalie were. At the time, Natalie was holding up her phone and showing Elizabeth the gowns she had designed for the Hardings. “What do you think of this color? Mrs. Harding said she didn’t like the old-fashioned hues. I think this one suits Laney, but I’m not sure that Dalores would be on board.” Elizabeth zoomed in on the design and looked at it
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carefully. After some consideration, she said, “You always have a distinctly unique taste, so you should just follow your heart. Mr. Wesley would have the final say, anyway. Don’t worry too much.” Natalie nodded in agreement. The two women were oblivious to the impending danger. Behind them, Jorge was slowly drawing near. He was holding a knife with one hand, which he cleverly covered with the painting he was supposed to be carrying. His sinister eyes never left the pair as he inched closer. All of a sudden, Natalie’s head perked up, and her face broke into a smile. “Brandon!” Jorge froze. Brandon Larson was here? He stashed his knife back into his pocket and followed the direction of her gaze. As he did so, he accidentally met Brandon’s eyes. Jorge immediately lowered his head and moved away. He knew that he was no match for this man. He scurried back to where the other workers were. Brandon walked over and put his hands on Natalie’s shoulders. “I’ve been looking for you.” “How did you know to find us here?” Natalie asked in surprise. “Your bodyguard sent me the location. I was about to pick you up from the studio when I received the message.” For some reason, his grip on her tightened. Natalie saw through his facade and could tell that he was a little nervous. She just didn’t know what he was apprehensive about. “Really?” She glanced at her bodyguard at the door and added in a quieter voice, “Is anything the matter? What can I do to help?” His nerves were infectious, and she found herself getting skittish as well. Brandon smiled and tapped her forehead with his finger. “I just wanted to see you; that’s why I came.” He caressed her cheek and fiddled with her hair. “Don’t overthink it.” In truth, he was feeling rather uneasy and wanted to see her as soon as possible to make sure she was safe. Natalie found it endearing. But as she thought about it more, she started to wonder if Brandon came because he had remembered something. She grabbed his arm and asked frantically, “Are you having headaches again?” Brandon sighed and stroked Natalie’s back… “I’m fine,” he said in a gentle tone. He was about to pull Natalie into an embrace when he realized that there were other people around. Elizabeth, for one, didn’t know where to avert her gaze. She hurriedly stared at her shoes, the tips of her ears slowly turning red. Brandon seldom came to the studio to pick up Natalie. Of course, she had always known that the couple were deeply in love, but she never had to bear witness to their displays of affection until now. Anyone who saw them would definitely feel just how devoted they were to each other. Embarrassed, Natalie pushed Brandon away and smoothed her hair. “Elizabeth,” she said after clearing her throat. “Shall we go back to the kitchen and continue preparing dinner?” “Oh, why don’t you go and have dinner with Mr. Larson instead?” Elizabeth replied, clearly amused. “He has come all the way to pick you up, after all.” “But we already bought the ingredients.” Natalie cast a sideways glance of reproach at Brandon. She didn’t want to leave a bad first impression on Elizabeth’s aunt. “Don’t worry about it and just go. You two are practically made of sugar. If my aunt sees you acting all sweet, she might end up pressuring me into getting a boyfriend.” Elizabeth snickered behind her hand. Brandon remained cool and silent, while Natalie felt quite sorry for the way things turned out. She had no choice but to relent.