In the evening, Justin returned to the hotel after visiting a new home he was considering purchasing in the city. As the VIP elevator to the top floor was out of service, a staff guided him and Noah to a non VIP elevator which would take them to the floor below and they had to take stairs for the top floor.
On the way to the elevator, Justin noticed a familiar figure among the people entering the reception area, but couldn't see her face clearly. He furrowed his brows, trying to get a better look, but the figure had disappeared from the line of his sight.
Noah, noticing Justin's distracted gaze, excused the staff and explained, "There's a party in the hotel tonight, hosted by the second son of the Davis family. Most of the city's influential figures are invited. These guests must be here for that event. No one knows you're in the city, Mr. Harper, or we would have been invited as well. But, Mr. Rowan has been trying to reach you and asked a few times if you would like to go with him...."
"Tell him I'm busy," Justin simply walked into the elevator, his mind elsewhere.
Noah didn't push the matter, knowing that Justin rarely attended parties unless they involved business.
Inside the elevator, Justin quietly contemplated the possibility of having seen Natalie at the hotel. Considering her current circumstances, attending a party seemed unlikely and unwise, especially if she wanted to avoid being ridiculed by others.
As they stepped out and walked down a corridor, they overheard a group of girls talking. Initially, they ignored the chatter, but then a familiar name caught their attention.
"Natalie. I'm going to teach her a lesson today."
"Are you sure she's here, Briena? I don't think she'd dare show up at parties after the mess she caused."
"She's here with Mia. We saw her."
"What do you plan to do?"
"You know what she's most afraid of?"
"What is it?"
"Her mother died by drowning in the sea, so she's terrified of water. She can do anything but swim."
"So you mean...?"
"She loves to act fearless. Today, we can have some fun by making her face her worst fear."
Justin turned to Noah, who had also heard the conversation. "Find out where she is," he instructed, heading towards the staircase.
"Mr. Harper, she's indeed here for the party. It seems the person they were talking about is Ms. Natalie Ford, given they mentioned her mother dying by drowning in the sea."
Justin's expression grew even colder. "Mr. Harper..." Noah began, sensing the tension.
"Where is this party?" Justin asked, turning back towards the elevator.
"In the party hall on the first floor," Noah responded, following him closely.
"We are going there," Justin declared, lengthening his strides.
The group of girls were already gone from the corridor, causing his frown to deepen. Their words have brought up bad memories for him; he used to have the same fear, due to his experiences as a child. He only managed to conquer his fear with a great amount of effort, and he wouldn't wish that experience on a stranger, much less someone that could be his supposed step-sister.
As such, even if he did not like Natalie, he couldn't sit by and do nothing while someone tried to hurt her using her fear as a weapon.
"We need to make proper arrangements if we don't want to reveal your identity at the party, Mr. Harper," Noah commented, already tapping away on his phone to make the necessary arrangements. He could guess what his boss was thinking.
"I pay you to figure that out, and quickly," Justin ordered as he stepped into the elevator that had just arrived.
"I'm on it," Noah replied, a bit nervously. His boss could be demanding, often forgetting that his assistant was only human and needed time to execute tasks.
They reached the first floor, where a hotel staff member was already waiting for them. The staff member, aware of the VIP status but not the identity of the guest, greeted them and offered two black masks. Justin and Noah put them on; the masks covered their eyes and half of their noses. The staff member then led them into the party hall.
Justin's eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for Natalie among the crowd in the grand, bustling hall, filled with music and guests in bright dresses and masks.
"Mr. Harper, everyone is wearing masks. How are we going to find Ms. Ford?" Noah whispered.
Justin turned to the staff member, urgency in his voice. "Where is the swimming pool?"
"It's on the other side of the hall, outside. You can see it through the glass walls," the staff member directed, leading the way.
Midway, a masked figure approached them, his platinum blond hair gave away his identity, Rowan Lawson. "Harper, you didn't want to be here but then you asked my help to crash this party."
Justin Ignored him and continued to walk ahead, finding his way through the crowded hall, frown lines on his forehead deepening with each passing moment.
Rowan followed Justin, murmuring with a frown, "Always an ungrateful bastard," before turning to Noah. "What brought him here? I'm sure he's not following a woman."
Noah awkwardly cleared his throat, uncertain of what to say. Admitting that his boss was indeed following a woman could cost him his job. "Just something came up," he replied evasively, then quickly hurried after Justin, trying to avoid further questions from Rowan.
Rowan, curious, continued to follow them and instructed the staff to leave. What's this guy up to?
Justin crossed the hall with long, urgent strides, his mind replaying the girls' words about Natalie's fear of water and drowning. Worry curdled in his gut.
Was he too late? They reached the other end of the hall, which opened into an open garden area with a large swimming pool. Justin scanned the pool area, but there was no sign of anyone who looked like they might be about to push someone in.The partygoers seemed focused on enjoying themselves, drinks in hand, and none appeared to match Natalie.
Rowan caught up, his curiosity piqued. "Who are you looking for, Harper?"
Justin's eyes remained fixed on the swimming pool as he spoke, "You should get rid of that swimming pool. It's an eyesore."
"By chance have you lost your mind somewhere back in the hall?" Rowan sounded annoyed, "You barged in here uninvited with my help, only to criticize my hotel—the best one in the city."
"It won't be for long," Justin responded, finally turning to face Rowan. "Not with me here."
Rowan's eyes narrowed. "Are you planning to challenge my business, the first thing you want to do after reuniting with your best friend?"
"I keep personal relationships separate from my business," Justin countered.
"Bring it on," Rowan replied, grabbing two wine glasses from a passing server's tray and handing one to Justin, who accepted it.
At that moment, an event began inside the hall. Rowan gestured towards the entrance. "If you're done criticizing the swimming pool, let's head inside and enjoy the party."
"I'm fine here," Justin replied.
"Come on. If you're here for business, you should meet the people you'll be dealing with in this city. Don't worry, I won't reveal your identity," Rowan insisted.
Justin glanced around the pool area once more, thinking, She must be inside the hall if she's not out here. With a reluctant sigh, he followed Rowan back inside. He was determined to find Natalie and warn her. If necessary, he will find a way to take her away from here by all means. If something happened to her, Julia would be sad.
Rowan introduced Justin to a few important guests, keeping the introduction vague by describing Justin as a friend from another city visiting him. The entire time, Justin kept scanning the room for Natalie, with Noah doing the same.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the other side of the hall, near the pool. They caught snippets of conversation—someone had fallen into the swimming pool.
Justin's heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, he rushed outside the hall.