The departure would be just as humiliating as her arrival had been triumphant.


    Joanna grabbed her arm. "Verna, I told you, I can get you a job. You can continue your design career."


    "I don''t need it." Verna smiled bitterly. "Joanna, it''s true I like Sebastian. But giving up my dreams and my future for a man means betraying myself. Our deal isplete. I''m leaving."


    She took a cold step back and disappeared into the elevator.


    Joanna watched her go, a slight frown on her face before it twisted into a sneer. "Verna, besides mypany, no one will hire you now."


    She would wait. Verna woulde crawling back to her.


    This whole scheme had one true purpose: to make Natalie give up on Jerome for good, to make her hate him with a passion. And it had worked. But it had also pushed Natalie closer to Sebastian, which irritated her to no end.


    She started walking toward the coffee shop.


    ...


    Inside, Natalie and Sebastian sat facing each other. She radiated an aura of pure rejection.


    Seeing that her anger had subsided slightly, Sebastian spoke in a low voice. "Natalie, I had no idea the designs were yours. Verna showed them to me a few days ago, I was very pleased with them, and we prepared for theunch."


    "This was my oversight. I''ll give you all the profits."


    "No, thank you. I have no rtionship with you, so I don''t want all of it. Just give me what I''m owed. I won''t take a penny more. After all, you once said I wasn''t qualified to use your money, and I never have..."


    "Natalie, I was just angry..." Sebastian trailed off, because he knew he had said those exact words.


    "I''m sorry," he said, his voice deep with something that sounded like regret. "At the time, I didn''t understand... rtionships. Joanna saved my life, and we grew together. I trusted herpletely. The Joanna I knew was always gentle and kind. That''s why I said those things."


    Natalie''s heart clenched with a familiar pain. She couldn''t describe the feeling.


    He was right. How could their few short yearspare to a lifetime of shared history?


    "Sebastian, when you say Joanna saved you, which time are you referring to?" she asked. She had wanted to ask this before but had been interrupted by Joanna.


    "It was..."


    “Sebastian, I brought you breakfast. You should eat something," Joanna''s loud voice cut him off as she burst into the coffee shop.


    Natalie looked at her, a thoughtful expression on her face. Could it be that Joanna took credit for saving Sebastian from that fire too? She had been nearby that day. The fire had started so mysteriously.


    Joanna opened the thermal container and poured out a pork rib and lotus root soup. Natalie could tet a nce that it was poorly made sebastian disliked that type of lotus root, and the color of the broth was off.


    Sebastian''s gaze turned cold. "Joanna, can''t you see I''m in a meeting?"


    Joanna smiled yfully. "Sebastian, Natalie is one of us..."


    "Don''t tter yourself. Who''s one of you? Don''t make me sick." Joanna''s face fell.


    Just then, Sean arrived with the contract. Natalie took it, scanned it briefly, and seeing no issues, signed her name and added her thumbprint before walking out.


    Joanna watched her leave, then smiled at Sebastian. “She''s certainly developing a presence, isn''t she? Has she been pushing you for a divorce? Sebastian, when are you going to file the papers?"