[Chapter 42]
In the end, Sebastian had taken Garrett's advice.
But now that he had to make an apology, he needed to show his sincerity. He would not do that in a perfunctory way.
"Oh, I see. Anyway, I'm starving. Let's eat." Natalie lowered her gaze, unable to meet his. She couldn't bear to look at the thin scars on Sebastian's face. It made her remember what had happened last night.
She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat the dumplings in her bowl slowly. A little while later, she put her bowl down, exposing three lone dumplings.
Sebastian raised his hand and took her bowl, pouring her leftover dumplings into his bowl. "We can't let them go to waste."
"Sorry, I really can't eat another," Natalie said softly, looking down guiltily.
After a pause, Sebastian smiled and asked gently, "What's the matter? I was just making up some excuse to eat your leftover dumplings."
"Oh?" Realizing that she misunderstood him yet again, Natalie found herself unable to meet his eyes. She was still very sensitive about what other people thought of her. After all, she used to be the outcast, excluded from many school activities.
"Look, I know I was wrong about the ring. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. Don't think too much. I trust you now." Sebastian brought up what had happened the other day, scratching his head embarrassedly.
He really wasn't used to this whole "apology" thing. He hadn't needed to humble himself in years.
"It's in the past. Never mind." Natalie wrung her fingers nervously.
So many days had passed. She had nearly put this matter to rest.
After thinking about it, she realized it wasn't entirely Sebastian's fault for judging her. It was her carelessness that led to the ring getting lost. Besides, she was supposed to be Cassie, who had a reputation for being extravagant. It was only natural that Sebastian suspected her.
"Are you sure?" Sebastian raised his head to look at her, his dark eyes filled with skepticism.
He had a stress reaction to what she had said a few days ago, and now it was hard to tell whether she meant what she said now or not.
Finally, she gave him a small smile. "I'm sure. I was ignorant and made many mistakes before, but people change. You've lived with me for a while now, so you should know what I'm like now."
In fact, she was talking about Cassie. But she wanted Sebastian to understand her now.
"Okay." After wolfing down the rest of the dumplings, Sebastian fished the emerald ring out of his pocket and handed it to Natalie. "Since you're not angry anymore, put it on."
Natalie took the ring and held it tightly. She shook her head and said, "I'll hold onto it, but I won't wear it. I had no idea this ring was so precious, and it'll make me anxious if I have to wear it every day. If you really want others to know that I'm married, we can buy another ordinary ring."
Sebastian eyed her pensively for a while before finally agreeing. "Okay. I'll buy you another ring."
The following morning, as Natalie was brushing her teeth, she suddenly felt a pair of thick arms wrap around her waist from behind.
The man's morning stubble rubbed against her bare shoulder. With groggy eyes, he said in a low voice, "What lotion do you use? It smells so good. Anyway, look at what I got you!"
"Hey! Stop it." Natalie shrank away from his touch, feeling itchy from his stubbles.
As she continued to brush her teeth, she eyed the wine red velvet box that the man had laid on the counter in front of her. After rinsing her mouth, she opened the box. Inside lay a diamond ring that glistened under the morning light. Nestled in the center was a huge blue diamond—a beautiful eye-catcher.
"Wow," Natalie said breathlessly. "It's beautiful… and it looks expensive." All of a sudden, she sighed. "Don't tell me you spent a fortune on me again."
"Don't worry. It didn't cost much. I got it from my friend." Sebastian said affectionately, lying as easily as breathing. As he spoke, he ran his fingers across the woman's slender waist restlessly.
It never occurred to Natalie that the gem in front of her was a genuine diamond. And how could it be real? If it was, Sebastian had to be extremely rich.
Eyeing the twinkling gemstone, she said in awe, "Technology these days must be amazing. It looks like a real diamond!"
Sebastian looked at her cute face and had to hold back a smile that kept tugging at the corner of his lips. Lowering his head so that she couldn't see his face, he took the diamond ring out of the box and slipped it onto her index finger. Her fair, slender finger made the diamond pop out even more.
Delighted, he nibbled her neck and whispered, "You're right. It does look real."
"Ouch! Hey!" Natalie shot him a glare, rubbing the spot he bit. Raising her hand, she stared at the diamond under the light. Each facet glistened and twinkled.
Even she couldn't help but nod with satisfaction. Now, no one would try to rob her with such a big diamond ring on her finger, because it looked way too big. It was obviously fake.
"Oh, that hurts already? Then what should you do when we get down to real business someday?" Looking at the faint teeth marks he left on her neck, Sebastian snickered.
"What're you talking about?" Hearing his naughty words, Natalie blushed, her ears burning bright red. She quickly yanked at a towel to wipe her face. Pushing him, she barked, "Get out of my way. I'm going to be late for work."
But Sebastian's hands still lingered on her waist, unwilling to let her go. "I'll let you go if you kiss me."
"Sebastian, stop it. I'm going to be late!" Natalie quickly turned her face away stubbornly. It was as red as an apple.
"It's not like we've never kissed before. Why are you so scared?" Sebastian whispered in her ear teasingly.
But in the end, he let her go. He patted her on the head and murmured, "You win."
Natalie looked at him, bewildered. She had thought that he'd force her to kiss him, but he didn't. Sebastian turned around and walked away. She stared at his back blankly, lost in thought.
When she arrived at the office, she found the design department bustling busily.
The new director, Tiffany Fisher, was quite strict. She required everyone to submit an independent design within two weeks, and all the designers running around like headless chickens to meet the deadline.