[Chapter 13]
Enoch ripped off a sheet of paper towel and handed it to her.
"Go ahead and do your thing.I'll clean up over here."
He didn't want her to get injured due to his own carelessness.It didn't take long for Sebastian to finish tidying things up.
When he was done, he wiped his hands and walked out of the kitchen, only to pause at the scene that greeted him.
The floor was absolutely spotless, and the huge windows were wide open, letting in beams of light and the refreshing afternoon breeze.
The previously messy cabinets and shelves had all been arranged neatly as well.
Wild daisies and irises adorned what was once an empty and dusty vase on the dining table.
Several potted plants popped up here and there, giving the house an artistic vibe that was edgy and refreshing at the same time.
"What do you think? It feels different, doesn't it? The house was clean enough before, but it was dull and a little depressing.It needed some life kicked back into it."
Natalie was standing by one of the windows.She had a bright smile on her face and a bottle of soda in her hand.
Why was she so pleased, anyway, when she had to make do with such a small house? Nevertheless, her cheerful mood was infectious.
A soft smile appeared in Sebastian's eyes.
He reached out to the wild daisies, taking a soft white petal between his fingertips.
"You're right.It does feel different.Just like it did in the past."
His mother had liked to put flowers on the table, too.
Although they'd been dirt poor, she had managed to brighten up their lives with these tiny, trifling details.
Sebastian hadn't had a proper home since his mother had died.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he finally had a place he could call a true home.
"Your mother must have loved life very much,"
Natalie remarked, studying him out of the corner of her eye.
Sebastian's expression tuned much tender as he thought of his departed mother.
"Not your mother-in-law? Are you still getting used to the fact that I am your husband now?"
He tried to sound nonchalant as he opened the fridge.He soon realized that Natalie had taken the last bottle of drink they had.
"I… I'll be careful next time."
It was true that she had yet to get accustomed to the fact that they were married.She hadn't thought much about it when she spoke.
Had she offended him, by chance? Natalie was mulling her words with regret when her soda was suddenly snatched out of her hands.
The next thing she knew, he was tipping it up against his lips.
"No! I already drank,"
Her words caught in her throat as she watched Sebastian touch his lips to the same spot where hers had been.She was mesmerized at the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he drank the whole bottle.
As for Sebastian, he was too thirsty to care about anything else.
It occurred to him then that he had something else to do.
He took out his phone and glanced at the time, then tapped Natalie's forehead with the now empty bottle.
"I'll be leaving now.I have matters to deal with this evening.Don't wait up for me."
For some reason, the atmosphere had grown quiet and intimate.
Natalie's hand shot up to touch the place he had tapped, her ears hot.
Even as Sebastian disappeared through the door, she remained frozen in place, still thinking about their indirect kiss just now.
The next morning.
Natalie woke up to shrill ringing of her alarm clock.She got up and padded to the kitchen.
On her way, she noticed the slight depression on the sofa.
Sebastian had obviously spent the night there, and it seemed like he had already gone out for the day.
Natalie sighed and thought nothing more of it.She was going to have another interview today, and not much time to get herself ready.
Later, she was on the subway on her way to the company when she received an email.
It was from the Larson Group.
Natalie was quite surprised.She hurriedly opened the mail and found herself reading a formal apology.
The email said that the notice of her failure at the interview had been withdrawn, and that the Larson Group was inviting for another one.
"How is this possible?" Natalie murmured, confused.
"I've never heard of a failure notice being withdrawn before."
Even so, she decided to give it another shot and went to the Larson Group.
The receptionist ushered her to the meeting room and motioned for her to enter.
As soon as she stepped inside, all eyes fell on Natalie.
It gave her a momentary fright, but she calmed herself and mustered a smile.
"I apologize.I'm afraid I've come to the wrong place."
But before she could turn and get out of there, a voice called out, "You're in the right place, Miss Quinn.Please come in and have a seat.Now that she looked closer, Natalie recognized her.She was one of the interviewers yesterday, the woman with straight, chestnut colored hair.She must not be mistaken, then.
Natalie swallowed and cautiously moved forward.What was going on?
"Hello, Miss Quinn.I'm Garrett Harding from the Larson Group.We invited you here today because we wanted to deal with some problems that occurred in yesterday's interview."
The one who spoke was a handsome man in a tailored suit.He was sitting right in the middle of the long table, and he was eyeing Natalie carefully.His silver-rimmed glasses made him look like the typical boy next door, charming and friendly.
It helped that he also had a mole at the outer corner of his eye.
Garrett Harding? Why did he have to do with all of this? Natalie had only ever seen him in financial news and magazines.He was the vice president of the Larson Group, as well as a notorious playboy.
Back at university, a lot of her female classmates were so enamored by him.
They had been shameless and vocal about their fantasies to be his lover, and they eventually went on to try their luck in landing a job at the Larson Group.
"I see," Natalie said now, not really seeing anything.
She still had no idea what was happening here.
And then she noticed that Elaine was also present, albeit looking like rather distressed.She looked up and gave Natalie a glare filled with hatred.
Natalie only looked away.She didn't know why Elaine had just done that, either.She was absolutely clueless.
Garrett pressed his glasses against the bridge of his nose and glanced at either side of the table.
Seeing that everyone was there, he cleared his throat and spoke in a gentle but clear voice.
"All right, let's get down to the matter at hand.Elaine, you rejected Miss Quinn on the grounds that she had moral issues, but we cannot simply take your word for it.Now, kindly tell us in detail what exactly is wrong with Miss Quinn's character.It is only fair that you clarify things face-to-face, with us as your witnesses."