Natalie soon forgot her encounter with Kent, thinking it was a trivial episode, and carried on with her work. However, that evening, as Natalie walked out of the company, she was shocked to see Kent’s sports car parked at the gate.
Natalie’s colleagues saw Kent getting out of the car and began whispering to each other.
“Hey! Who is that man? Gosh, he is so handsome!” “Is he waiting for his girlfriend? He looks like Kent Perkins!”
“You mean Kent Perkins from the famous Perkins Bank?” Natalie was speechless. She wanted to sneak away. Unfortunately, Kent had seen her and was walking toward her.
“Miss Quinn, you were busy in the morning. Do you have time to have dinner with me now?” He walked towards her. Kent was wearing a flannel suit; his coat was casually slung over his arm. He looked like a real gentleman.
Natalie hated the confidence in his tone.She stopped and looked at him.
“How do you know my name?”
Kent thrust his hands in his pockets and looked into her eyes.
‘It’s easy. I’ll tell you during dinner.”
“Sorry, I don’t have the time,” Natalie hissed through her teeth.
At that moment, the setting sun cast an orange hue on her face, softening her angelic features. She looked breathtaking even without makeup.
After a moment’s pause, Kent returned to his senses and asked patiently, “Do you have any specific restaurant in mind that you’d like to try?”
Natalie was speechless. ‘Did he not hear me?’
“I don’t want to have dinner with you, Mr. Perkins. I hope I don’t see you ever again,” she said bluntly.
Before Kent could utter another word, she turned around and left.
Natalie thought that Kent would stop following her. After all, someone like him, born into a wealthy family, would have pride and self-respect. However, the next morning, Kent was standing outside the Larson Group building again with a large bouquet of roses.
Natalie looked behind him and saw the driver holding boxes of expensive gifts. Natalie ran away as soon as she saw him. However, Kent stopped her before she could escape. His face softened when he saw the anger blazing in Natalie’s eyes.
“Miss Quinn, don’t worry. I just want to give you these,” he said, handing the gifts to her.
“I don’t want it, Mr. Perkins. Stop pestering me; it’s disgusting!” Natalie snapped as she ruthlessly pushed the bouquet away
She couldn’t control her anger anymore. Seeing Natalie storm away, Kent burst out laughing. He somehow found her adorable when she got angry. Poor Natalie was oblivious that her constant rejection had only aroused Kent’s desire to conquer her. Kent always went after the things he couldn’t have ever since he was a child. He liked the challenge. He had a kick out of the things that were out of his reach. Kent sighed and threw the bouquet into the trash can on the roadside.
There were thousands of ways to get a girl, and Kent was sure at least one such trick would help him get Natalie.
The repeated failure made him realize that constant persuasion wouldn’t work on her. He had to find a way where she couldn’t refuse his offer.
A smile emerged on his face. He immediately picked up his phone and made a call.
“Yes, this is Kent. I want you to customize new uniforms for our bank staff. Give the project to the Larson Group and ask their best designer to do the job for us.”
Kent had never failed in getting what he wanted.
This time, he was determined to get Natalie.
The tension between Natalie and Sebastian continued to prevail.
One day, after the regular meeting of the senior executives of the Larson Group, Sebastian asked Garrett to stay back
Garrett had already guessed Charis’s return would bring a lot of problems between Natalie and Sebastian. But he couldn’t figure out how Natalie found out about Charis.
After all, Sebastian should have been able to hide the truth from her.
“Well, Charis called me one night; Natalie saw it. She asked who she was, and I told her,” Sebastian said intently. The smile on Garrett’s face vanished in an instant.
After all, Sebastian’s relationship with Natalie was hanging by a thin thread now.He rubbed his forehead and let out a weary sigh.
“No one would want their partner to have secrets, especially when it has something to do with the opposite sex. You should be able to connect with her.”
He sat on the sofa, cross-legged, and blew out a loud breath.
“Women get jealous easily. You have to coax her.”
‘I’ve explained it to her. I’ll tell her about my past soon, but now isn’t the right time.” Sebastian’s face darkened.
“I’m not good at coaxing women. You know I have used force all my life to get the things I want. But women prefer men who are kind and gentle toward them, right?”
Garrett arched his brows and thought that Sebastian had finally understood the problem.
Meanwhile, Garrett had warned Charis to say away from Natalie. The two had been friends since high school. From what he knew of Charis, she wouldn’t make any trouble.
‘It’s not because Natalie is jealous. You need to understand that she’s upset because she knows you’re hiding something from her.
She won’t forgive you unless you tell her the truth. Moreover, women tend to overthink. She is probably imagining the worst after you told her about Charis but without any details.”
“You know I have no feelings for Charis.” Sebastian sighed. He was a man of few words, so he didn’t bother explaining himself.
“What’s the use of me knowing it?” Garrett patted his shoulder.
“You have to make her believe that. But I don’t think she would believe you even if you told her so, since you’re still hiding things from her.”
Sebastian leaned back on his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a weary sigh. He realized the friction would persist until he told her the truth.
The following day, when Natalie arrived at the company, Tiffany told her that a client had requested her to be the chief designer of the new project.
Although it was a small project, Natalie was still glad to be a part of it.
After all, she had just begun her career, and opportunities like these would never knock on her door twice. She happily sorted the documents, preparing to meet with the client.
Natalie’s breath caught in her throat when she pushed the door of the meeting room open. Kent was sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee. He looked up and smiled at her.
“Sorry, wrong room.” Natalie slammed the door shut and took a deep breath.
“Miss Quinn, is this how you treat your clients? That’s very unprofessional of you.” There was a hint of ridicule in Kent’s voice.
Gritting her teeth, Natalie pushed the door open and smiled at him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Perkins. I thought you were here to see another designer.” Kent smiled at her. Then, he poured a cup of coffee for Natalie and slid it toward her.
“Don’t be nervous. I’d never mix work with private life. I chose you because I think you’re an exceptional designer.”