Natalie''s brow furrowed as she looked at him. She was in a hurry to find Susan. With Joanna around, anyone close to her could be in danger.


    "Move. There''s nothing for us to talk about. You''ve schemed against me time and time again. From now on, I will never trust you again."


    Sebastian''s brow tightened as his deep eyes focused on her. Seeing her in pain made his own heart ache.


    But he was the one who had brought her this pain and sense of betrayal.


    He could understand why she was so angry. It was just too coincidental that the design he had received from her was the exact one Joanna had presented.


    He honestly didn''t know when the design had been leaked.


    He had been thrilled with the design, and he knew it would be a massive hit.


    He had always trusted Natalie''s design skills.


    "Natalie, I swear I didn''t help her this time," Sebastian exined, watching her reaction.


    As expected, she didn''t believe him in the slightest. A sarcastic smile touched her lips, and the coldness in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine. "Sebastian, I''m starting to realize what a real jerk you are. Is it that hard to admit you helped Joanna?"


    "Is it that hard to admit you love her so much?"


    "Before, if you''d manipted me like this, I would have been miserable for days. But now, I don''t feel sad at all. I''m perfectly calm. I lost all hope in you a long time ago. When you stop expecting anything, you stop being disappointed. So, get out of my way."


    In truth, it wasn''t that she wasn''t sad. She was heartbroken.


    Her expression was calm, but a storm of pain raged inside her, a sharp ache spreading through her chest.


    Even though she knew Joanna was the person Sebastian cared about most, it still hurt.


    A storm of conflicting emotions crossed Sebastian''s handsome face.


    Knowing she wouldn''t listen to anything he said right now, he didn''t press the issue. He knew she wouldn''t believe him. All he could do was feel helpless and resolve to find the truth to prove his innocence.


    Anxious to find Susan, Natalie didn''t want to get entangled with Sebastian.


    Outside, she saw Susan''s assistant.


    "Josie, have you seen Susan?" she asked.


    Josie was also looking for Susan. She shook her head and said, "Ms. Sanders I''m looking for my boss too but I can''t get through toner phone."


    Now Natalie was truly starting to panic. While the venue was chaotic and it might be hard to hear a phone ring, Susan wouldn''t go this long without checking her phone. Besiges, thepetition was over Natalie left, Susan wouldn''t have stayed behind.


    BLA


    A sense of dread washed over Natalie. "Josie, let''s split up and search."


    "Okay!"


    Natalie stood there, unsure where to even begin looking for Susan. The venue was huge. Where could she have gone?


    Even if she was on a call, she should have been back by now. Her phone had been ringing, so it wasn''t dead.


    Natalie was frantic.


    Sebastian walked over to her. "Natalie, let''s check the security footage from backstage," he suggested in a low voice.


    Natalie considered it for a moment. That was a good idea. "Fine. I''ll go take a look."


    Just as Natalie was about to leave, she ran into Joanna.


    Joanna smiled as she blocked Natalie''s path, determined not to let her find Susan


    so easily. "Natalie, I told you I would crush you."


    Natalie let out a coldugh. "Joanna, are you really that proud of yourself for


    winning first ce with my stolen designs?"


    "All I care about is the result. I won.


    You''re just calling it theft because you can''t stand to lose, Natalie


    Isn''t


    that just being a sore loser


    belongs to swhovels


    Natalie looked at her calmly, saying nothing. Sometimes, true anger is a quiet, expressionless thing.


    It seemed her previous decisions had been wrong, allowing Joanna to be so arrogant and brazen in front of her.


    "Joanna, I''ve never seen a thief act so shameless before."