Since Hayden Sheffield isn't afraid, what would she have to be afraid of?
This secretary job—she's definitely taking it!
Sterling Group.
Natalie Jennings stood in front of William, smiling brightly as she introduced herself: "I'm the secretary President Sheffield just hired. I'll be counting on you."
"Uh, Madam… President…"
"Get her set up," Hayden tossed out before striding into the CEO's office.
Natalie changed into the secretary uniform, pinned on her badge, tied up her hair, and sat down at the secretarial desk.
Her seat was positioned perfectly to see the door to the CEO's office—clearly William had done it on purpose.
Natalie put on her headphones, opened a streaming site, and started… binging shows!
The coworkers next to her were all dumbfounded!
Close to lunchtime, Natalie sat on the toilet, texting Hayden—
"What's for lunch? I'm your wife, you expect me to eat the staff meal?"
Before Hayden could reply, a group of people suddenly entered the restroom.
"Hey, who the heck is this parachuted-in Natalie Jennings, anyway?"
"Exactly! Even William treats her so respectfully. And she's watching dramas in the office—this is Sterling Group, people would kill to get this kind of job!"
"This morning, she got out of the same car as President Sheffield."
Everyone knowingly went, "Ohhh..."
"But," someone raised a question, "When has President Sheffield ever been involved in any scandals? What's so special about Natalie Jennings? Sure, she's good-looking, but President Sheffield could have any beautiful woman he wants."
"Maybe it's just a passing fancy. If she really meant that much to him, would he have her working as a secretary?"
The group burst out laughing.
At first, Natalie didn't care, but their talk got more and more out of line—stuff about being "good in bed," "seductress," even "not even good enough to be a mistress"—now, she couldn't ignore it.
She'd never lost out to Zoe Vance—why be afraid of these coworkers?
Natalie strolled out, arms folded, leaning against the wall: "You finished talking yet?"
"Ah! Wh—Why are you here…"
"You can use the restroom, but I can't?"
The group glanced at each other and all fell silent.
Natalie chuckled: "I get that you guys are bitter. After all, you worked so hard for these jobs, and I just strolled in. But that's not a reason to gossip or slander me behind my back."
Someone mustered up the courage to ask, "So can you say your thing with President Sheffield is totally innocent?"
"Why should I share my private life with you? Does it get in the way of your work? Hurt the company's performance?"
Natalie's comeback shut them up.
"Only this once. Don't let it happen again," she said. "If I hear any more nonsense or rumors find their way back to me, none of you will get away with it!"
As soon as she finished, her phone dinged—Hayden had replied.
And he'd sent a voice message.
Natalie intentionally cranked the volume and played it—Hayden's magnetic voice echoed through the restroom—
"Come to my office."
She replied by voice: "Okay."
Natalie headed to the door, then turned back to look at them: "As for what's really going on between me and President Sheffield… why don't you guess?"
With that, she left in style.
Natalie didn't even bother knocking, just strode straight into the CEO's office: "I'm here. I'm starving—I could eat a horse. What did you get us to eat… Uh, sorry, didn't realize someone else was here."
In the lounge area, besides Hayden, there was another man.
The man was in a suit too, wearing an expensive watch, exuding an elite professional vibe, his tie meticulously done.
The look on his face when he saw Natalie was exactly the same as when Silas Spencer saw her last night.
She couldn't help but wonder—do I really look like a ghost or something?
"My wife, Natalie Jennings," Hayden said with his usual calm. "This is Gideon Grant, the company's vice president."
Gideon's expression quickly returned to normal: "Mrs. Sheffield, hello."
"President Grant, do you know me?"
"Nope, first time," Gideon answered. "Just surprised that President Sheffield managed to get married so quietly."
He quickly smoothed things over—this guy wasn't simple.
Natalie smiled: "Hayden fell for me at first sight, you know."
Gideon's expression cracked for a second but he just barely held it together.
He stood up: "I'll leave you two alone. Excuse me."
Gideon's every movement was poised and proper. Natalie thought, A man like this—I wonder which lucky woman will get to marry him.
As they brushed past, Gideon looked at her again, more intently.
The longer he looked, the more rattled he became.
Gideon was usually the very picture of composure. In all Southedge, only the second Miss Sheffield ever threw him off. But today, face-to-face with Natalie Jennings, he did lose his cool a bit.
They say you attract what you most want to avoid.
Lost in thought, Gideon hadn't even noticed that Mia Sheffield was standing right in front of him.
"Hey!" Mia slapped his shoulder. "Gideon, what are you daydreaming about?"
"Miss Sheffield, I've told you many times, don't call me that…"
"Okay, okay, President Grant, President Grant," Mia switched the title, though clearly against her will. "Let's go to lunch together!"
"Sorry, no time."
But Mia said, "I asked your assistant—you're not booked for lunch."
She quickly hooked his arm, fearing he'd run.
Gideon frowned.
Mia was Hayden's real sister, pampered princess of the Sheffield family—she could have anything she wanted, except that the man she liked, Gideon, had no interest in her whatsoever.
She chases, he dodges.
She advances, he retreats.
Usually, when Gideon spotted Mia from afar, he'd make a beeline the other way—but today, he'd slipped up.
"Your brother and your new sister-in-law are both here today," Gideon said, "why don't you go see them?"
"They're having their romantic couple time—why would I want to interrupt?"
"You haven't met your sister-in-law yet?"
Mia shook her head. "Nope. But I trust my brother's taste!"
"I have a client appointment," Gideon pulled his arm free, "Let's do lunch another time, Miss Sheffield."
Mia stomped her foot—the old routine.
Everyone in Southedge knew she liked him, but he just kept playing dumb.
Disappointed, Mia made her way to the CEO's office. If she couldn't eat with her crush, at least meeting her new sister-in-law would cheer her up.
But William said, "Sorry, Miss Mia, President Sheffield and his wife just left."
Mia: "..."
At the western restaurant.
Hayden sipped his red wine, watching as Natalie wolfed down her food, thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Slow down," he drawled lazily. "People might think I'm starving you to death."
"I'm just wondering if I can eat you into bankruptcy."
"That's highly unlikely."
Natalie bit into a piece of steak, reached for her wine, and saw a server leading someone familiar to a nearby table.
The silhouette looked oddly familiar.
Before she could see who it was, she heard a trembling voice call out, "Natalie…"