Chapter 6

Amelia gave Natasha a quick wink as they stepped out of the room together. "Here, I had this ready for you." She handed over a cup of warm honey lemon tea. Natasha took a big gulp without hesitation. She was used to this kind of workload, but she still had to take care of her voice. "I knew it the moment you opened your mouth. Don't tell me you ate spicy food again—" Before Amelia could finish, Natasha cut her off. "I got it, I got it. I won't next time." Not wanting to listen to another round of nagging, she quickly changed the subject. "Amelia, do you have any idea why they requested me specifically?" Natasha was signed with Summer Entertainment, but this dubbing project was for a game under a completely different company. As far as she knew, the two bosses had no connection. "How would I know? The higher-ups are picky as hell. Maybe they just think your voice suits the role." After chatting for a bit, they parted ways at the company lobby. Natasha always worked fast. She could usually finish everything in a few hours. She sat in the back of a cab, typing rapidly on her phone. "So close... I could've met you today, but I was late. Ugh, I'm so mad." She sent another message. "When will we finally get to work together? I've been waiting forever. And also I bumped into someone today who looked just like you…" In this industry, tons of people never showed their faces. Even after chatting online for so long, meeting offline still felt like meeting a stranger. As soon as she got back to her apartment, Natasha barely had time to breathe before an invitation arrived. She hadn't planned on going before she received a text from Owen. "There's barely anything left from the incident seven years ago. I've sent you everything we found. I did manage to trace the IP from that anonymous email, but it seemed that the sender had noticed. The latest ping came from here." He attached a location pin, which was the same venue as the party. Natasha figured she might as well check it out. She knew it was unlikely she'd find anything useful at such a crowded event, but it would be better than doing nothing. The Foster family hosted the party. The guests were all either Cendale's elites or young heirs and heiresses. It was clearly thrown for Matthew and Nicole. Natasha opened her wardrobe and stared at her limited selection of dresses. She could afford new ones now, but she wasn't about to waste money on a party that had nothing to do with her. "Besides, I'm not the star of the night. I'm not here to suck up to anyone. It doesn't matter what I wear," she shared her thoughts with Liana before hanging up. Thankfully, Liana was busy and couldn't go with her. Otherwise, she'd have made Natasha spend money again. Natasha quickly did a light makeup look. She chose a white strapless fishtail gown with a high slit and styled her hair in bold waves, giving her the look of a mermaid walking out of the sea. A vintage sandalwood box sat on her vanity, looking out of place among her other things. Inside was a pearl necklace that shimmered faintly, with a blue taaffeite gemstone at the center. It was a keepsake from Tasha Avril, who'd named Natasha. Just as Natasha was lost in thought, her phone rang. "You're outside already?" "Alright, alright, I'm coming down." She gathered her dress and got into the cab, checking the location again. Owen was really great at this. He had managed to narrow it down to a specific room in the banquet hall. That would make things easier. After arriving, she thanked the driver and walked toward the red carpet at a calm pace. The doorman spotted her coming from a cab and didn't even try to be polite. "Invitation only. If you have no invitation, take a left and keep walking." Natasha had seen this kind of snobbery too many times. The world was full of people who judged others by appearances, and there was no point in teaching them a lesson one by one. She handed over her invitation, and only then did the doorman scramble to let her in. "Damn, the Fosters really went all out." The moment she stepped inside, Natasha was stunned by the extravagance. Crystal chandeliers cast dazzling light over the entire hall, including herself. Not long ago, rumors had been flying about her marrying Matthew. Now that she'd shown up alone, it drew everyone's attention. Natasha thought people were staring because her makeup was smudged. Just as she reached for her compact, she spotted Matthew and Nicole. "Nat!" Nicole beamed and wrapped her arm tightly around Matthew's. Her voice rang loud, drawing everyone's attention. Natasha rubbed her forehead. She just wanted to be left alone tonight, yet Nicole had to stir the pot. "Wasn't Matthew supposed to marry Natasha? Why does Nicole look so close to him?" "Who holds their future brother-in-law's arm like that? Especially in front of her sister?" "If it were me, I'd have slapped her already." Nicole could hear the whispers loud and clear. "Nat, isn't that the same dress you wore to Dad's birthday two years ago?" Nicole said, instantly shifting the crowd's focus. "That is indeed an old design. It's so out of season. Isn't she embarrassed to wear that?" "Don't you guys know? Ms. Natasha left the Bradley family after university. She hasn't taken a cent from them since. It's perfectly normal that she can't afford new outfits." Some scoffed, some pitied her, and a few actually respected her. Natasha smiled faintly. "You're right. It is from two years ago. But you probably can't fit into your old clothes anymore, right? That waistline… Tsk." Nicole's face flushed bright red at the public jab about her figure. "She was just worried about you. Do you have to be so aggressive?" Matthew finally spoke up. Nicole switched to her usual pitiful expression. "Matthew, you might be deaf, but I'm not. I can tell the difference between concern and mockery. If you've got time to lecture me, maybe go get your ears checked instead." Just as Natasha was about to walk away, Matthew stopped her. "Since you're here too, I'll take this chance to make an announcement." Everyone perked up, eager to catch the drama. "Matt, isn't that too cruel to Nat?" Nicole said softly, pretending to care. Her act only served to fuel Matthew's irritation toward Natasha. "Natasha, Nicole's done so much already. Why do you have to keep pushing her?" He confronted Natasha directly. Natasha replied calmly, "If she really cared about me, maybe the two of you could keep a little distance. Do you think I'm an idiot?" She tilted her head, looking both amused and exasperated.