Chapter 8

Natasha quickly said, "Anyway, thank you, Mr. Foster. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out now." She bent down to pick up her shoes, ready to slip away. Suddenly, she heard a cold chuckle behind her. "So, Ms. Natasha's way of showing gratitude is just empty words?" Zachary's tone carried clear dissatisfaction. Giving him money seemed inappropriate, and she had no idea what gift to buy him either. "In that case, how about I treat you to a meal?" Since Zachary's voice was so similar to Jack's, Natasha figured she might as well take advantage of the situation. It could be free entertainment for her ears. "Here. Scan me." Zachary held up his QR code right in front of her face. Natasha hastily added him and fled the meeting room like her life depended on it. Once inside the car, she finally let out a sigh of relief. As she brushed the back of her hand against her cheek, she realized it was burning. "It's chilly at night, miss. Make sure to keep warm. You're dressed so lightly," the kind driver said with a chuckle. Natasha mumbled a response. Her mind was still replaying the way Zachary had raised an eyebrow when he discovered her. His expression was oddly vivid. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It was too bad that I couldn't find whoever sent me that email." Owen finally relaxed after hearing she was safe. If anything happened to her, Liana would've skinned him alive. "I've locked onto the device. The moment they power it on, I'm hacking into their webcam!" Owen had already made a plan. There wasn't much else he could do but wait. It was already midnight. She quickly washed up and removed her makeup. When she turned on her phone, she saw three new messages from an unfamiliar contact. "Tomorrow, 11:00 am." A restaurant location followed. The last message read, "Don't be late." Zachary might've been a substitute for Jack. However, her heart ached when she saw how much that restaurant cost. It was worth half her month's salary. Still, he had helped her. After some internal debate, she reluctantly made a reservation. Over time, she'd developed a habit of venting in her chat with Jack, even though he never replied. She texted, "Got bullied by two jerks at a party tonight. Luckily, there are still good people in this world. That good person seems hard to please. I'm treating him to a meal tomorrow. Hopefully, that pricey food will help him forget the bad things I've done!" Natasha even took the day off and set an alarm for the lunch. Normally, if she didn't have work, she'd sleep like a log. The moment the alarm went off, she reflexively shut it off—a classic office worker move. After several snoozes, she finally dragged herself out of bed, grumbling. "I don't even know how to describe it. What kind of outfit makes me look pitiful and not like a liar?" She stared at her closet, utterly stumped. "I have no idea what's going on. But if that's the case, why don't you ask Nicole what she's wearing today?" On the other end, Liana's voice was followed by a burst of laughter. Natasha couldn't help but roll her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, Liana had a point. However, playing the pretentious woman wasn't her style. Having hung up, the dwindling minutes spurred her to choose a casual and understated ensemble. She resolved to play her cards close to her chest, knowing that maintaining a calm demeanor would deny others leverage. From the way Zachary reacted last night, he would've done it on the spot if he really wanted to hold her accountable. When she arrived at the restaurant, she cautiously scanned the area. There was no sign of Zachary. "It's already 11:00 am. Where is he?" she thought. "Ms. Bradley?" The waiter hadn't been sure at first. Someone that sneaky didn't seem like the person Zachary was looking for. It wasn't until Natasha reached the door that she realized this wasn't the table she had reserved. "Ms. Bradley, Mr. Foster reserved a private room." Private rooms at this place cost an extra thousand. Natasha felt her heart bleeding. When she pushed the door open, Zachary's indifferent gaze locked onto her. Her anxiety spiked. Why was he always staring at her like that? "You're hurt. Why haven't you put any medication on it?" She was still searching for an excuse when he stood up, peeled open a medical patch, and lifted her bangs. "Do you treat everyone this kindly, Mr. Foster?" Natasha smiled but winced as pain shot through her forehead. "Even if your love life's a mess, you still need to take care of yourself." It seemed that Zachary thought she'd been so heartbroken over Matthew that she'd neglected her own well-being. However, the truth was far simpler. She was just lazy. A bump on the head would fade on its own in a few days. Thankfully, Zachary didn't bring up anything from the night before. Natasha finally breathed a sigh of relief. With her mood lifted, her appetite returned in full force. Before she knew it, half the dishes on the table were gone. "Aren't you eating, Mr. Foster? The food here's actually amazing." Now she understood why it was so expensive. But the money was well spent if it satisfied her taste buds. "I'm not hungry." With that, Zachary swapped his untouched, perfectly sliced steak with her empty plate. Natasha was too focused on eating to notice. "How did you find the conference room yesterday?" he asked. She nearly choked on her pasta. She hadn't expected that question at all. She coughed lightly as she replied, "I just heard you were there, so I followed." Zachary raised an eyebrow. "But I saw you wandering around outside the hall like you were searching for something." "That's not true. Mr. Foster, this is good. You should try it." Desperate to change the subject, she stabbed a piece of mango and foie gras and held it out to him. When he didn't move, she realized that she had used that fork herself. To ease the awkwardness, she smiled and said, "I'm going to the restroom." She then fled the room like a gust of wind, leaving Zachary shaking his head in amusement. Staring into the mirror, Natasha saw the flush on her cheeks. Without makeup, the red was way too obvious. She splashed water on her face to cool down and composed herself before heading back. Down the hallway, Nicole was busy showing off her new ring to her girlfriends when she spotted Natasha. "Wait for me a second," she told them. Nicole knew Natasha well. Based on Natasha's usual spending habits, there was no way she'd be here unless someone else had brought her. Back in the room, Natasha had just sat down when she saw Zachary holding a gift box. "I can't accept this, Mr. Foster. I didn't really do anything…" But the moment she saw what was inside, the rest of her words got stuck in her throat. She hadn't even noticed that her necklace had gone missing yesterday. "This is what you left behind in the conference room."