An Affair With The Ceo (Natasha and Jared) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157 Everything Paid by Him

Chapter 157 Everything Paid by Him

‘Could it be that Percy is seeing Joelle in a new light just because of this handkerchief?’ Natasha wondered. ‘If that’s really the reason, that would be so ironic!’

Percy waited for a long time, but Natasha still didn’t respond, making him even more restless. He grew impatient. “Hand over the handkerchief, did you hear me?” Percy pressed.

Natasha quickly pulled herself together. “You have until the weekend to clear out all your stuff. Or the deal’s off,” she said, her voice icy. She cut him off and hung up without another word.

Natasha knew immediately that the handkerchief was hers. Percy had made a mistake, yet he was now asking her to retur something that already belonged to her.

‘Well, this is the perfect chance to kick him out for good,’ Natasha thought. ‘Guess I should hurry up and clear out that apartment and put it on the market; no point letting him drag me into more drama, she decided.

*****

Natasha and Dorothy had made plans to try out that new Western restaurant for dinner.

“Nat, are you thinking about going abroad?” Dorothy suddenly asked.

“Going abroad?” Natasha blinked, caught off guard.

“I’ve got a cousin who’s heading overseas for school after the New Year. My aunt and uncle are worried, so they want to hire someone to go with him. Why don’t you go with my cousin?” Dorothy suggested.

Natasha had definitely been planning to leave. She just hadn’t figured out where to go yet.

Now Dorothy had given her a way out. If she could go abroad as a study companion, at least she could escape the Whittier family and make new plans later.

“Let me think about it,” Natasha said, nodding.

“Sure, take your time,” Dorothy replied.

Just then, Dorothy suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, how did you get back after our trip to Oakna Isle?”

Natasha hadn’t been feeling well that day, so she didn’t go hiking with the others. When Dorothy got back to the hotel room after the hike the next day, Natasha wasn’t there.

She tried calling her, but Natasha didn’t pick up. In the end, Dorothy had no choice but to head back with the rest of the

group.

Dorothy never had a chance to ask Natasha how she got back that day. Dorothy wondered why she could not get a hold of her and why she had not been at the hotel either.

“I…” Natasha mumbled, fumbling for an answer.

She hesitated, unsure what to say. She couldn’t exactly tell Dorothy that she’d spent the night with Jared. Or admit that she got a ride back the next day in Jared’s fancy car.

Even though Natasha and Dorothy were close, close enough that Natasha could tell her about divorcing Percy, that didn’t mean she had the nerve to confess what happened with Jared. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about that.

After all, on the surface, she was just Jared’s employee. If word got out that they’d slept together, everyone would assume she was just another girl trying to sleep her way up the ladder. Natasha didn’t want Dorothy to judge her for that.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Dorothy asked, her voice full of concern.

Natasha bit her lip and lied, “No, I just wasn’t feeling well that night, so I went to a clinic nearby and got an IV drip. Mr. Mulder gave me a ride back the next day.”

Dorothy’s eyes lit up. “Derek?”

“Yeah,” Natasha nodded quietly.

Dorothy immediately gave her a teasing grin. “Don’t tell me Derek’s got a thing for you?”

Natasha froze for a second. “A thing for me? No way.” She hadn’t expected Dorothy to get the wrong idea.

Dorothy teased her with a sly grin. “Come on, if he wasn’t into you, why would he check on you and personally drive you home?”

Natasha could only blink, at a loss for what to say. Actually, it was Jared who gave her a ride home. But since she couldn’t spill about what really happened with Jared, she just let Derek take the blame instead.

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Chapter 157 Everything Paid by Him

Now, even though Natasha knew Dorothy had totally misunderstood, she couldn’t bring herself to clear things up. She

hel, thought she’d explain things to Dorothy another time, but something unexpected happened when it came time to settle the bill.

Natasha flagged down the waiter, only to be told that the bill for their table had already been paid. Dorothy wanted to know who picked up the tab.

“It was a Mr. Mulder,” the waiter replied.

Dorothy jumped in right away, “Was it Derek Mulder?”

The waiter paused, thinking. “Let me see… Yeah, that’s the name he signed.”

Dorothy shot Natasha a sly look. “See? Told you Derek’s got a crush on you. He was around and already picked up the tab for you.”

Natasha was speechless,she started to have doubts. ‘Did Derek really pick up the tab for us?’ she wondered.

Natasha felt a hint of unease as she realized that the first person who came to mind was actually someone else. “Where’s the person who picked up our tab?” she suddenly asked.

“Upstairs in the VIP private room,” the waiter replied.

Natasha jumped to her feet and hurried upstairs. She couldn’t quite say what was pulling her upstairs. Maybe she just wanted to see if her hunch was right.

“Nat, are you really going to thank Derek face-to-face?” Dorothy hurried after her, curiosity in her voice.

“Yeah,” Natasha said coolly, barely showing any emotion.

When they reached the door of the private room upstairs, a waiter happened to step out just as they arrived.

The moment Natasha glanced inside, she spotted Jared sitting there. He was seated at the head of the table. Looking every bit the boss, his aura practically filled the room.

Everyone in the room was fawning over him. ‘Figures, Natasha thought. She’d known all along it was Jared who picked up

the tab.

Derek’s name ended up on the bill for a reason. Jared was the one who told him to sign it.

Maybe Natasha had been staring at Jared for too long without even realizing it. Jared’s eyes flicked over, catching her in his peripheral vision. Those deep, dark eyes zeroed in on her.

Their eyes met and held. Natasha felt a shiver run through her.

“Hey, isn’t that Mr. Rundell over there?” Dorothy exclaimed from behind Natasha, sounding surprised.

Natasha broke eye contact. “Let’s head back,” she said, keeping her tone casual.

No point hanging around now that she’d confirmed it. Natasha turned on her heel and headed out first. Dorothy paused for a moment, then followed after her, still a bit uncertain.

As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, a luxury car pulled up right in front of them. “Natasha!” Derek called out.

He was sitting in the passenger seat of Jared’s luxury ride. Jared had called ahead and told Derek to drive Natasha home.

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