Sebastian decided to switch between his two identities.
That way, he could hit two birds with one stone.
After all, he didn’t have to show up as Brandon for too long.
On the evening of the party.Sebastian and Natalie arrived at the venue hand in hand.
Everyone was wearing a mask.
In addition to its own employees, the Larson Group had also invited some of its partners in the entertainment circle.
Fashion models from Fashion Week and female soap opera stars also graced the event.
However, the light in the banquet hall was dim, and they all had masks on their faces.
Recognizing even the most well-known people seemed like a difficult task.
Natalie strolled around the dance floor. She wanted to find Brandon.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
Sebastian let go of her wrist and broke out of the crowd.
Natalie nodded and secretly followed him to the bathroom.
The light was brighter here.
Natalie’s eyes were fixed on Sebastian, so she didn’t notice the woman walking toward her.
The woman bumped against Natalie, almost spilling the wine on her beautiful, long dress.
“Ah! Are you blind? Don’t you have eyes?”
“The woman bellowed in rage.
“I’m sorry.I’m looking for someone,”
Natalie said as her eyes continued to search for Sebastian.
The woman was also wearing a mask, but she still looked like a regal beauty.She was wearing an elegant dress, and her assistant accompanied her, so Natalie concluded the woman was a celebrity.
However, her eyes widened when she saw the woman’s light green silk dress.
They both were wearing almost the same outfit.
The woman turned to look at Natalie as well.She froze for a brief second, then her eyes narrowed into slits.
‘Is she a celebrity, too?’ Natalie was a gorgeous woman, but not in the way that most women in showbiz were.
She wasn’t the type to turn heads at first glance, but her charms never failed to make a lasting impression on everyone she met.
Needless to say, this quality of hers attracted jealousy from other women inasmuch as it inspired admiration in most men.
Emani Gomez shot Natalie a look of displeasure, which only darkened when she realized that they were wearing an almost identical evening dress as hers—the same style, in the exact same color.
And it looked far more beautiful on Natalie.
Emani glanced at her assistant pointedly. The girl understood the message at once, and she proceeded to point a finger at Natalie.
“Hey, you!” she snapped in an arrogant tone.
“Who the hell do you think you are? You almost bumped into Miss Gomez just now.Hurry and apologize.”
Natalie’s brows furrowed.
“You said ‘almost’, so I haven’t really done anything to her, have 1? Why should I apologize?” The assistant sputtered, obviously taken aback.
“How dare you—Where are your manners? Well, whatever! Go and change your clothes.Don’t you see that you’re wearing the same dress as Miss Gomez?”
Natalie cocked her head to the side, wondering what the fuss was all about.She didn’t think it was a big deal at all.
Granted, the woman was a star, so it was understandable that she wouldn’t be keen on having anyone wear the same outfit to the same event.
If only they had asked her nicely, then Natalie would have gladly obliged.
Unfortunately for them, she wasn’t the type to tolerate rude and presumptuous people.
“Why should I change?” Natalie countered.
With that, she turned on her heel, intending to continue her search for Sebastian.
But the assistant suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back forcefully.
“Which company are you from, you ungrateful bitch? Do you have any idea who she is? She is the Emani Gomez! You can never afford to offend her, not even in your dreams!” Natalie glanced sideways at the actress.
She was tall and slender, with dark and shiny curls framing her delicate features.
Natalie was all too aware of Emani’s identity.
In addition to being a popular star of their age, she was also the new face for the Larson Group’s clothing business.
Emani wore a butterfly-shaped mask which covered half her face, so Natalie didn’t recognize her just now.She didn’t look half as pretty nor sexy as she did on the screen.
Maybe it was because of her heavy makeup, but she was looking particularly tacky.
Natalie shook off the assistant’s hold and stared straight at Emani.
“I am not an actress, but a designer for the Larson Group.And I am not changing my clothes.I can wear whatever I want; you have no right to give me orders. If you’re so bothered by the similarity, then you can go and change yourself.”
The assistant huffed, and she began to roll her sleeves up, ready to teach Natalie a lesson.
“You! You’re just another employee of the company; how dare you act so arrogant? Don’t blame me for punishing you, since you brought this upon yourself!” The air around them crackled with tension.
Emani instantly stepped between them.
“Watch yourself,” she chided her assistant.
“We must not ruin Mr.Larson’s party on account of this nobody.Let it go.” She gripped the girl’s hand and gave Natalie a sneer.
“My assistant was being impulsive just now.Let me put it bluntly. Your dress is just a knockoff, right? The details are very different from the ones on mine.It wouldn’t be good for you to wear such a cheap imitation to this kind of party.I’m afraid you will only embarrass yourself if you insist on wearing it for the rest of the event.”
Natalie looked down at her dress. It was one of the articles of clothing that Brandon had asked her to keep.
“lm not wearing a knock-off,” she argued.
She knew that Brandon would never give her something fake.
Emani sighed heavily, as though she felt sorry for the poor Natalie. She straightened the bead drops on Natalie’s evening dress for her and smiled.
“Then show me the label on the collar of your dress. I’m good friends with the designer of this dress, so I’ve seen it before. The logo on the label should be embroidered in gold thread.” Without hesitation, Natalie showed her the label. Sure enough, the thread was not golden, but purple and silver. The assistant took one glance at it and burst into peals of laughter.
“See? And you had the audacity to argue with me! You said that your dress isn’t a fake, but look at the evidence. You’d better change into another dress, sweetheart. You’re just a regular employee. How on earth did you expect me to believe you could afford a dress worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
There were other female guests who were headed to the ladies’ room. When they heard the quarrel, they couldn’t help but prick their ears.
“Oh, look! It’s Natalie!” The women exchanged glances and smiled. They were all keen to see Natalie make a fool of herself.
After what had happened with Natalie’s foster parents and the usury lenders, Natalie had become a hot topic in the Larson Group lately.
Just then, ladies’ room’s door swung open and Tiffany strode out. She was wiping her fingers carefully with a tissue in her hand.
