The cab stopped in front of Mr. Khan’s gate and Kate, who was waiting for Natalie, opened the door for her. Natalie got out of the cab and smiled at Kate. Without saying anything, Kate paid the driver and he drove away after saying goodbye.
Natalie turned to Kate and asked nervously, “Did I waste any time?” She scratched the back of her head, feeling anxious when Kate mentioned that the client was willing to pay any amount for her service.
“You came just in time. Come on, let’s go inside,” Kate urged, pulling her by the hands.
They both walked into Khan’s sitting area and found him engrossed in conversation with the new client, who sat calmly listening attentively while Khan did all the talking.
Kate cleared her throat abruptly to announce their presence. Khan and the new client turned towards them.
“Ah, here is the shining star of my business, Natalie,” Khan praised, pointing at Natalie and urging her to come closer, which she did, clasping her hands behind her back. “Alright, I will leave you both to discuss now.” Khan stood up and hurried out of the room, leaving the three of them behind.
Garry turned his attention to Kate, curious as to why she hadn’t left yet, but he dismissed the thought, not wanting to come across as rude by asking her to go. “Good afternoon Natalie,” he greeted, standing up like a gentleman and offering the ladies a seat.
Kate couldn’t help but notice how attractive the young man looked as her eyes wandered over his body. Meanwhile, Natalie waited patiently for Garry to speak, feeling uneasy. They both took a seat.
He finally took a seat in front of them, his gaze never leaving Natalie. “My boss wants to see you, Natalie,” he said, his voice low and deliberate.
Natalie looked at him, bewildered, trying to figure out who his boss could be. She was certain she had never seen him before and he didn’t seem familiar at all.
Kate interrupted, “Who is your boss, and why does he want to see Natalie?”
Garry finally shifted his gaze, “It’s not your concern, young lady,” Garry snapped at Kate nonchalantly and rudely before turning to face Natalie, who hadn’t said a word.
Kate was taken aback by his harsh tone and felt embarrassed. She quickly turned to Natalie and grabbed her shoulder. “I’ll leave you two to talk then,” she said as she stood up and ran away, even before Natalie could stop her.
Natalie turned her attention back to the young man, “I don’t appreciate the way you spoke to my best friend,” she said, her voice tinged with annoyance.
“I apologize,” Garry said, insincerely. “The reason I came to see you is because my boss has an offer for you, and he wants me to bring you to his office,” he explained.
Natalie looked puzzled, “Who is your boss?” she inquired.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal his identity to you. You will find out everything when you meet him,” he said politely with a smile. “Shall we?” he asked, and Natalie nodded in agreement, standing up.
They both went outside to find Kate waiting. Although Kate was visibly angry, she quickly masked her emotions when she saw them approaching. She hurried over to Natalie and stood in front of her, confirming that she had been eavesdropping. But Natalie shrug it off.
“Are you really going with a total stranger that you know nothing about?” Kate’s eyes bore into Natalie’s. Natalie shrugged off Kate’s hands and took a step back. “I have a bad feeling about his boss wanting to see you, Nat,” Kate muttered, glancing at Garry who had been waiting for Natalie. “You’re not going to follow him, are you?” Kate pressed on, placing her hands on Natalie’s shoulders again.
Natalie sighed. “Are you coming with me or not?” she asked, shooting Kate a glare.
“B-but W-what … if he is a kidnapper that wants —-” Kate sputtered, trying to express her concern about Garry possibly being a kidnapper.
Natalie interrupted, “You know, that would even be better. At least if I’m under his custody, he will feed me, clothe me…” She sighs, “And I will be away from all these troubles. Then afterward I will come back for my Mother.” She concluded, staring back at Garry who was still waiting patiently.
“Okay,” Kate murmured, feeling a tinge of sadness for not being able to persuade Natalie to teach him a lesson for speaking to her so rudely.
“Are you coming with me or not?” Natalie repeated.
Kate chuckled softly, “Of course, I’ll follow you anywhere you go.” Kate then walked back to where the young man had been standing, waiting for them the whole time.
Garry smiled when he saw them approaching him. “So, shall we…” He gestured with his hands again.
But Natalie stopped in front of him, her lips curving into a smile. “But before we do that… just in case you’re a kidnapper. I have my likes and dislikes so that we can cooperate well” she began, prompting Garry to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. But that didn’t stop her from saying what was on her mind. “Firstly, I like eating… I mean, eating good food-”
Garry laughed loudly, holding onto his stomach, “Who told you I’m a kidnapper? Relax… young lady and stop overthinking.” He continued to laugh, but Natalie remained silent, staring at him in amazement at how wholeheartedly he was laughing despite just meeting him for the first time. “What else is going on in that head of yours?” He asked once he had stopped laughing.
“Before we can follow you anywhere, you have to at least tell me your name,” Kate interjected, staring at him. He shook his head slowly.
“So… You won’t talk?” she asked, noticing he wasn’t making any attempt to tell her his name. “Then go and tell your boss that Natalie is not interested in whatever thing he wants to say to her!” she said. “Nat, let go-”
“My name is Garry. Can we go now?” he ruffled his hair with his hand in frustration. “We don’t have much time left.”
Kate’s lips curled into a smirk as she glanced at him while he continued to ruffle his hair. She walked closer to Natalie and muttered, “Let’s go, Nat,” before hopping into the car, with Natalie following suit.
The ladies were surprised to see Garry standing outside, not joining them in the car. “Aren’t you coming?” Kate yelled, sticking her head out of the window.
“She is a real troublemaker,” he thought before getting into the car and driving off.
*******
Javier held his small teacup, sipping his coffee from it. The aroma of the coffee filled his nostrils, making him feel more relaxed as his other hand scrolled through his newsfeed on the laptop in front of him. The news of his engagement was causing a stir online.
Despite his cruel and arrogant attitude, some people wished he would never be engage to Olivia. They believed he deserved better, not someone they viewed as a city whore.
Javier couldn’t believe that despite his efforts to push Olivia out of his life, she was now going to be his life partner. It seemed like karma had caught up with him. He knew he couldn’t change his father’s decision, but he was determined to find a way out.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice his eager but incompetent secretary, Jasper, standing in front of him with a big grin on his face.
Javier knew that Jasper was once again causing frustration in his life, and he felt powerless to do anything about it. He couldn’t understand why he hadn’t fired Jasper a long time ago.
Javier was considering Jasper’s age and his long history of being helpful to the company. Jasper, at fifty-five years old, had been with Javier since the company was founded. Suddenly, Javier looked up, furrowing his brow and narrowing his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Javier asked, pushing his laptop away and waiting for a response. Jasper remained silent, causing Javier to stand up and walk to the front of the table, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you unable to speak? Do you want to be fired?” Javier muttered, furrowing one eyebrow.
“No, sir,” Jasper sputtered, trying to keep a serious expression.
“Start talking or leave,” Javier scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Congratulations, Boss!” Jasper exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. After years of advising Javier about marriage, he couldn’t believe his words had finally been considered. “I came to ask if I could join the groomsmen,” he quickly added.
“Jasper, do you want to lose your job?” Javier asked, stepping towards him with his hands released from his chest.
“It’s just a harmless request,” Jasper giggled, flashing a smile.
“Stop with the nonsense and leave,” Javier yelled, pointing to the door.
“Sorry son. Oh, sorry sir,” Jasper said.
Javier expressed frustration, pacing around his office and digging his finger into his hair. “I don’t understand why I haven’t fired you already,” he said to Jasper, who kept apologizing with his head bowed. “Just get out before I do something I’ll regret,” Javier muttered, palming his face.
Jasper quickly rushed to the door but then turned to look at Javier.
“Jasper, what–”
“Boss, I have some advice for you. If you keep frowning all the time, your face will end up looking wrinkled like an old man’s,” he whispered, nodding and smiling foolishly.
“Are you implying that I’m old–”
But Jasper quickly ran to the door, leaving Javier in a state of confusion.
“Jasper! Come back here…! You’re fired,” Javier yelled, hitting his fist on the table.
“I love you too, boss!” Jasper yelled, laughing, and ran off.
“Wait? Am I getting old?” Javier thought, rushing to the bathroom and examining his smooth, flawless face. “How dare he say that?” Javier sneered angrily, then checked his face for any changes. But found none.
“Elvis, you’re in big trouble when I see you today for hiring a crazy psychopath as my secretary and taking charge of my wedding plans,” he muttered before leaving the bathroom.
As he walked outside, he noticed his well-positioned and well-armed security guards surrounding the building. Two guards rushed to him as he approached his car, but he waved them off and they quickly returned to their positions.
He pressed the red unlock button on his brand-new Lamborghini with the key in his hand. It made a sound as he approached. He hopped in and quickly accelerated onto the highway.
In just two hours, he arrived at Elvis’ company and the gate opened automatically as he approached. It closed behind him as he drove through. He parked in the middle of the driveway without bothering to use the garage.
He exited his car and confidently walked towards the entrance. As he entered, all of Elvis’s employees gazed at Javier with admiration. He maintained a stern expression, but then he remembered,
‘One piece of advice, stop frowning all the time, or you’ll end up with wrinkles like an old man.’
‘Argh!! That fool.’
He would deal with Jasper later, he decided, but for now, he replaced his frown with a smirk. He wasn’t ready to age just yet.
Javier passed by the female employees’ area and briefly considered calling Elvis to announce his arrival, but he dismissed the idea and continued to his office. Instantly, some of the female employees began screaming excitedly, and a few even fainted.
Javier reached the door and pushed it open. He was starting to act like Fabby, and thinking about her only made him miss her and her problems more.
As he entered his office, he was shocked to see Elvis and a woman passionately kissing. The woman was holding his head firmly and kissing him forcefully, while Elvis was trying to push her away. Javier tried to see the woman’s face, but she had her back to him.
He did notice her figure, which seemed familiar. There was only one way to find out if it was someone he knew.
He was on the verge of slamming the door forcefully, but then Elvis forcefully pushed her away, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Olivia, have you lost-” Elvis stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw Javier.
Javier turned around slowly, and there she was, looking terrified, perhaps not expecting to see him there today.
“Javier?” Olivia whispered slowly.
“Woah… my bride-to-be.” Javier began to taunt her.