Natalie felt a mixture of emotions, and her eyes welled up as she observed his firm expression. “Wherever 1 go, you will always be my mentor. Mr. Wesley, I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
Draco grinned as he remembered something. He interrupted her and asked, “How have things been lately? I mean you and Brandon.” He sounded like a boss who was concerned about his subordinate.
Natalie returned her gaze with a frown and asked. “Did Brandon come to you? He can be unreasonable sometimes. Please don’t mind him.”
“Well, I noted that you lately commuted from another place. I assumed you had relocated. It turned out that you and Brandon are at odds.” Draco was calm, but his eyes had a humorous glint.
Natalie’s smile froze. “It’s a minor issue. Don’t worry, Mr. Wesley. It will have no impact on my work.”
Elizabeth approached Natalie after she had left Draco’s office and asked, “Did he suggest you consider becoming an independent designer?”
“Were you just eavesdropping outside? 1 was only there for three minutes.” Natalie gaped at her in disbelief.
“How could I? It seems that you are not well informed. Everyone knows Mr. Wesley wants you to be an independent designer,” Elizabeth explained.
For a brief moment, Natalie was in a stupor and thought she had been paying too much attention to the situation with Brandon to notice anything else.
“1 don’t want to work as an independent designer for now. But Mr. Wesley just revoked all my ongoing projects and requested that I carry out additional ones in my own name.” Natalie appeared distressed.
“That’s great. Come on, I believe you,” Elizabeth said, patting her on the shoulder.
Natalie was contemplating where to get the orders while propping her cheeks with her palm. A message popped up in her mailbox unexpectedly.
She opened the e-mail and saw it was an invitation to a new project.
“A new order already?” Natalie murmured incredulously before swiftly tapping the email icon to peruse its contents.
The client made a heartfelt plea to customize a few sets of casual clothing for an elderly lady in the family, whom he claimed was his distant aunt. This lady had toiled hard all her life in the fields, and now in her old age. she suffered from poor health. Moved by compassion, the nephew decided to bring her to the city for a trip and sought to order her some bespoke garments to make her feel comfortable and cared for.
Upon reading the description of the client in the email, Natalie’s thoughts immediately turned to Hannah. It dawned on her that she hadn’t visited Hannah in quite some time, leaving her concerned for Hannah’s wellbeing. She couldn’t help but wonder how Hannah was faring lately.
Natalie accepted the order, perhaps out of empathy stemming from her ability to relate to and understand the old lady’s situation.
Come lunchtime, Natalie shared the news with Elizabeth. “Are you out of your mind? The price you ask for is too low.” Elizabeth coughed. “We hardly made clothes for the elderly before, and this is your first order under your name rather than the studio name. Since this is your first attempt, you should approach it with care and precision. If you took such a low-paying order, it could potentially backfire. After all. it’s not a charitable event.”
“This is the price I’m considering offering. 1 just thought it would be better not to charge too much for the clothes made for that old lady. However, I haven’t communicated my price to the client yet. I plan to discuss the matter further with him this afternoon.” Money wasn’t at the forefront of Natalie’s mind, as she was eager to showcase her skills and capabilities.
“Let’s go talk to him together after lunch. Even if you have a lot of money, the price must be reasonable. You need to realize that W Marks is a luxury brand. As an independent designer who used to work there, you have to uphold the studio’s reputation and standards,” Elizabeth suggested, dabbing at her mouth with a serviette.
Upon returning to the W Marks Studio, Natalie was greeted with more emails regarding the price the client was willing to offer. She settled herself down and took a moment to read through them.
“The amount offered is quite substantial!” Natalie exclaimed in surprise, caught off guard by the unexpectedly high price. Her initial reaction was one of caution and wariness.
“It seems that your client has familiarized himself with the W Marks prior to quoting a price.” Elizabeth analyzed the situation and concluded that the amount offered was similar to the typical order price for evening dresses W Marks got.
Nonetheless, Elizabeth still found it somewhat suspicious. “Be sure to proceed with caution. He claims to be the lady’s distant nephew. We should question why he would be so generous towards a relative he hasn’t seen in a long time.”
“1 think it would be best for me to meet with him in person first to discuss the details.” Natalie promptly called the client to arrange a meeting.
“Am I speaking with Miss Natalie Quinn?” The man’s voice sounded unusual, hoarse, and strained as if he spoke through a clenched throat It didn’t sound like a typical male voice, which made Natalie suspicious. Natalie’s nerves were suddenly on edge as she asked, “May I ask how you know it’s me calling?”
“The number is from Barnes. I’ve only ever shared my phone number with one person in Barnes, and that was you.” After several abrupt coughs on the phone, the man stated, “Sorry, I have contracted the flu, so please pardon any abnormality in my voice.”
“Of course, that’s no problem. May 1 inquire as to how 1 should address you, sir? I appreciate the detailed file you sent me, but if it’s convenient for you, could you provide me with more information about the styles your aunt prefers currently?” As she prepared to speak with him about the styles, Natalie grabbed up her pen.
“I’ve been traveling abroad all year, and I’m not particularly fond of my first name. My business partners usually refer to me as Mr. L.” His voice seemed to be filled with delight.
“That’s certainly an unusual title,” Natalie remarked with a smile. “Mr. I., when would be a good time for us to meet in person to discuss the project?”
In a low voice, Mr. L replied, “How about I choose the time and place? I’m currently at work.” “Absolutely, we can work around your schedule,” Natalie replied cheerfully.v
Upon ending the call, Natalie was unable to focus on her work. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the gentleman’s voice sounded familiar. Had she heard it somewhere before?
Elizabeth finished organizing the remaining documents and prepared to leave work.
Elizabeth raised her head and noticed that Natalie was still in the studio. “Is everything okay? Are you still avoiding Brandon?”
When Elizabeth asked Natalie, her gaze wandered past her and settled on the fresh lilies.
“He knows where 1 live now. I’m worried he’ll come and bother me.” Natalie explained to Elizabeth, unsure how to handle the situation with Brandon
After much hesitation, Natalie finally decided to return to her villa. However, she was prepared to move to a new location if Brandon persisted in staying nearby.
As she entered the villa, Natalie noticed that the lighting in the living room was dim, and no one seemed to be there.
“Brandon, are you home?” Natalie asked tentatively as she walked in the villa. Her voice echoed in the large living room before the place became silent again.
Natalie climbed up the stairs and searched every room, but she couldn’t find Brandon anywhere. He had left. He didn’t call or text her. He just left without telling her.
Walking over to the sofa, Natalie sat down. Although she told Brandon she wanted him to leave, his absence still made her feel uncomfortable.