Natalie put her phone down as her stomach clenched with unease.
‘Why would a CEO worry so much about the work of an ordinary employee like me?’
They only chatted online. Therefore, Natalie couldn’t conclude that he had an ulterior motive.
She wanted to figure out what Brandon wanted from her.
“What’s up? You’re always on the phone. Who have you been texting all day? You said you don’t have a boyfriend. Then, who is it?” Natalie’s colleague, Gerda, turned around and winked at her.
“Not my boyfriend.” She couldn’t tell who she was texting.
After all, it was the CEO, and people might gossip about it.
Natalie propped her chin on her palm and thought for a while.
“Mr. Larson seems like an excellent man. He must be married, right?” she asked, hoping for her friend to say yes.
“I don’t know. Maybe he has a girlfriend. But who cares? Wealthy people like him will have several girlfriends and mistresses at the same time. We should never probe into their personal lives.” Gerda elbowed Natalie and arched an eyebrow. “By the way, since when did you start gossiping?”
Gerda felt that Natalie was a quiet person who never gossiped about anyone. So she was surprised to see her ask questions about their CEO’s personal life.
Natalie forced a smile and shrugged. However, the worry on her face didn’t fade away.
Seacisco had extreme climatic conditions. It had scorching hot summers and cold winters.
The fruit store near their apartment sold iced watermelon juice. The refreshing scent of the fruit wafted in the air.
Natalie bought two cups of juice and went home.
She was still thinking about Brandon’s messages.
As Natalie walked into the house in a daze, she saw Sebastian standing on the balcony, picking up dried clothes from the line. His hair swayed with the gentle breeze, and a few strands covered his bright eyes.
“What’s wrong? You look preoccupied.” Sebastian sat on the sofa and put the pile of clothes beside him. His droopy eyes made him look indifferent and lazy. His magnetic voice snapped Natalie out of her thoughts.
A pang of guilt settled in her heart when she met his gaze.
Natalie felt she had to tell him the truth. After all, she didn’t do anything wrong.
“I’ve been thinking about my company’s CEO, Brandon Larson.” Natalie’s brows furrowed as if it were something important.
Sebastian picked up a cup of watermelon juice from the table, inserted the straw into it, and brought it to Natalie’s mouth, “What?”
After taking a sip of the juice, Natalie turned her phone on and showed Sebastian the conversation between her and Brandon.
“I think he is being too nice to me. It doesn’t look like a professional conversation at all. That’s not how a CEO talks to his employees.”
Sebastian drank the juice whilst reading the conversation. He scrolled down the screen and read the messages.
Although Sebastian had sent all the messages, he had to read the conversation. Otherwise, Natalie would doubt him.
He was glad that Natalie had told him the truth.
Sebastian felt she was a righteous woman and a good wife who would never cheat on him with a wealthy man for personal gains.
“Well, it seems normal to me. Why don’t you just accept what he has given you? Brandon is an influential person. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you in case you encounter any problems.”
Sebastian leaned back on the sofa, and his hair rubbed against Natalie’s neck. “Honey, you smell so good.”
He couldn’t speak ill of Brandon, for it was equivalent to cursing himself.
Natalie frowned and studied his face. “Is this how you really feel?”
Sebastian’s reaction surprised her.
She had always felt the man was jealous and possessive, but he seemed strangely calm now.
“Husbands usually get upset and angry when they find out other men are trying to hook up with their wives. Why are you so calm about it?” Natalie was confused.
Something seemed fishy. Sebastian had never reacted this way.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that Brandon’s up to something,” she added.
Sebastian was smart enough to understand the intention behind a message. Natalie felt he, too, must have sensed the conversation didn’t seem normal but couldn’t understand why he was strangely calm about it.
“He just wants to help you, doesn’t he?” Sebastian shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Although he didn’t think he had done anything wrong, he could sense Natalie’s unease. He sat up straight and turned to look at Natalie, who was staring at her feet.
A frown lined Sebastian’s forehead. He wanted Natalie to ask Brandon for help if she encountered any problems. After all, he was Brandon.
Natalie bit her lower lip and fell silent.
She didn’t expect Sebastian to take Brandon’s side.
His reaction both confused and upset her.
He had kissed and hugged Natalie. Now, another man was showing strange concern towards her. But Sebastian dismissed it as normal behavior.
‘Perhaps I’m not as important to Sebastian as I had thought,’ she wondered.
“All right. Forget it then.” Natalie stood up and picked up her clothes from the sofa.
“What’s wrong with you?” Sebastian frowned and grabbed her wrist.
The drastic change in her reaction surprised him.
“Nothing.” Natalie withdrew her hand from his hold.
She decided to remain calm and not reveal her emotions.
Natalie had married Sebastian only for her old maid’s medical expenses and didn’t have any expectations from him. Divorce was always an option in case he found out she wasn’t Cassie, the woman he was supposed to marry.
But still, knowing that Sebastian didn’t care about her made her heart sink with disappointment.
Perhaps she had unknowingly gotten attached to him since they had become intimate.
“You are not allowed to touch or kiss me anymore. We are just a nominal couple, Sebastian. If you dare to touch me again, I will move out of this house.” Natalie was not in the mood to talk to Sebastian anymore.
Sebastian’s brows furrowed, and his face darkened. “Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I did.”
He never got the chance to make love to her, and now she wasn’t even allowing him to touch her.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m fine.” Natalie stepped back to keep a distance from him. Then, she returned to her room, hiding her disappointment.
Sebastian could tell that Natalie was upset about something. He had a keen intuition as a businessman, but he couldn’t understand what was going on in his wife’s mind and what was bothering her.