After composing herself, she narrowed her eyes, rolled them, and sneered, "Natalie Morgan, if you weren’t hanging on to the title of Mrs. Grant, do you think you’d ever be invited to a function like this? Let tell you, Mr. Grant is taking this eting very seriously. If you screw up his business, you know what the consequences will be."
SMACK.
A crisp slap landed on Noelle Bell’s face.
She touched her stinging left cheek and looked at Natalie Morgan in astonishnt. "You hit ?"
Noelle Bell was just a secretary.
’Theodore Grant can threaten , but this secretary can’t.’
’Who does she think she is?’
"I’m warning you, Noelle Bell. If you ever use Theodore Grant’s tone with again, I’ll hit you again." She glared at the face before her, now red from her slap. "You’d better rember this: I am still Mrs. Grant, so show so respect."
"You..."
"Go back and tell your Mr. Grant that if he wants to accompany him to a business function, he can co ask himself." She gave Secretary Bell a cold look. "You’re not important enough. Get out."
"Fine. I’ll have Mr. Grant co see you himself. When he gets angry, you’ll be in for more than you can handle."
Secretary Bell left in a huff.
Natalie Morgan’s good mood was ruined.
She felt completely drained.
「That evening.」
Thomas Morgan’s doctor called her and explained the details of his treatnt plan.
"Miss Morgan, Thomas Morgan requires the most advanced dication available. The entire course of treatnt will cost about a million. Miss Sutton has already made a down paynt of two hundred thousand, but that’s nowhere near enough. I’m calling today to tell you that you need to raise the rest of the funds as soon as possible, so we can avoid interrupting or delaying his treatnt."
A million was an astronomical sum for Natalie Morgan.
Even though Serena Sutton had already contributed two hundred thousand, raising the rest felt like an impossible task.
But not treating him wasn’t an option.
This was Thomas Morgan’s last hope.
"Doctor, give three days. I’ll get the money to you."
"Alright, we’ll be waiting. We don’t want all our previous efforts to go to waste, either."
"Understood."
Natalie Morgan sighed and checked her bank account balance.
It was a drop in the bucket.
The doorbell rang.
Theodore Grant had arrived.
He looked furious. He curtly handed her a small red dress. "Change. You’re coming with to et a client."
"It’s my day off," she said, reluctant.
"You’ll be paid for the overti." His eyes darkened. "Go change."
Natalie Morgan bit her lip, clutched the dress, and went into the bedroom.
It was a small red dress made of silk, the color bewitching.
The hem was short and it had a high slit. The fabric clung to her body, accentuating her every curve.
Natalie Morgan looked at herself in the mirror. The dress reminded her of the ti Theodore Grant had made her try to seduce Rhys Lawson.
That dress had been even more daring.
This one, at least, wasn’t overtly revealing. It was sexy, yet carried a hint of elegance.
The dress was tailored to perfection—a single centiter larger would have been too loose, a centiter smaller and it wouldn’t have fit at all.
’In other words, the dress was custom-made for . This function wasn’t so last-minute decision, and it certainly wasn’t because Wanda Lynch was unavailable.’
She walked out of the room.
Theodore Grant looked up.
She always managed to leave him stunned.
’She has an incredible figure and long legs. Even plain clothes look stylish on her, to say nothing of a couture dress like this.’
’She was beautiful—so beautiful it could stir the soul, a beauty that could topple nations.’
His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Not... bad."
"So, who does Mr. Grant want to seduce today? Mr. Miller, Mr. Wallace, or Mr. Aldridge?" Natalie Morgan asked with utter disdain.
He leaned in close, chuckling. "Who could you possibly seduce? Haven’t you screwed it up for every single ti?"
"That was because Mr. Grant went back on his word, not because of anything I did."
He hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. Her waist was so slender he could encircle it with one hand and still have room to spare.
It reminded him of being in bed with her, how he loved to hold her by the waist...
He licked his dry lips, his gaze falling to her red-painted mouth. "Tonight’s client doesn’t require Mrs. Grant to offer up her body. If this goes well, I can give you a reward."
"I want a million."
This was the first ti she had ever stated her terms.
’She had no other way to raise the money for Thomas Morgan’s treatnt.’
’Theodore Grant was the one who drove Thomas Morgan to this state; he should be the one to pay for his treatnt.’
After a brief stunned silence, Theodore Grant laughed mockingly. He raised a hand and gripped her chin. "A million just to attend one function with ?"
He shoved her away. His cold eyes narrowed at her. "Natalie Morgan, I don’t like won who ask for money."
’Money was sothing he would give when he was in the mood, but she was never allowed to ask for it.’
Natalie Morgan said nothing more.
Her expression remained placid.
’She knew Theodore Grant too well. If this were just so ordinary function that Wanda Lynch could handle, he would never have sent for her.’
’The only reason he would want her to accompany him was either to use her looks...’
’...or because it was a task that only she could accomplish.’
’Take last ti, for example, when they went to Miles Wallace’s ho.’
’Wasn’t that because she and Mandy Chase were good friends?’
’She could guess what kind of client they were eting based on the clothes Theodore Grant made her wear.’
"Mrs. Grant, Mr. Grant’s ti is precious, and the client is already waiting. You’d best not make him any angrier," Secretary Bell said coolly.
Theodore Grant’s harsh expression softened. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned. "Let’s go."
The car drove out of Riverden and into the suburbs.
They drove up into the mountains.
The road wasn’t wide, shaded on all sides by lush green leaves, making it feel as if they were driving into a fairy-tale world.
A desolate look filled Natalie Morgan’s eyes.
Theodore Grant turned to her. "The person we’re eting is Ian Quincy, a famous master in the world of traditional Chinese painting. You’re familiar with him, aren’t you?"
Ian Quincy had been her professor in college.
The professor had been particularly fond of her, and his wife, even more so, had treated her like a daughter.
Back in college, she had eaten at Professor Quincy’s ho more tis than she could count.
’Theodore Grant really did his howork.’
"Mr. Grant, what kind of business are you planning with Mr. Quincy?"
"The Grant Group is preparing to build the largest auction house in Riverden. We’ve looked at several sites, but none have been suitable. As it happens, your professor owns a very fitting piece of land. It would be ideal if you could convince him to sell that land to the Grant Group and, at the sa ti, agree to have his works exhibited and sold in our gallery."
’He made it sound so grand and noble.’
’Translation: he wanted it all.’
’The land, the authorization, and complete control over the auction.’
His gaze lingered on her lips. "I hear Professor Quincy’s wife is quite fond of you."
"And?" Natalie Morgan glanced at Theodore Grant, a smirk playing on her lips. "So Mr. Grant wants to use my friendship with Mrs. Quincy to close this deal, but he’s only willing to pay whatever he feels like, is that it?"
Theodore Grant laughed.
He laughed as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"And so what if I don’t give you a thing? Natalie Morgan, what right do you have to negotiate terms with ?"
"I may not have any rights, but I can refuse to go." She shouted to the driver, "Miller, pull over!"
"Do you really think Miller will stop the car? Or that you can actually refuse to go?" A trace of impatience crossed his face as he sneered, "That’s enough. I told you I’d reward you, and I will."
"I want a million," she insisted.
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