For a moment, neither of them spoke. Natalia could sense Matthias’ discomfort, and she began thinking about how she should ease the current awkwardness here upon seeing this.
“Let’s sit down and have a good chat, Director Locke,” she then suggested, knowing that Matthias would not be leaving any time soon.
When he noticed how Natalia voluntarily shifted the conversation away, the words that were stuck in his throat didn’t seem important anymore. Instantly, he let out a breath. He had no idea if Natalia had picked up on his thoughts, but he felt at ease right now.
Matthias didn’t feel pressured around Natalia, and he didn’t need to think about filtering his words. In fact, he quite liked this carefree feeling. If love weighed people down, was there any real need to continue?
“Okay,” Matthias immediately agreed. Things couldn’t get any better than this.
Similarly, Natalia also hoped that he would stay a little longer. She knew that there was a KFC nearby which was on the cleaner side. This area was awful, and there weren’t many nice shops around here. Hence, her inferiority complex kicked in once again.
In the meantime, Matthias spaced out as he stared at Natalia’s back while he followed her, for the woman looked far too much like Heather from behind. His lips curved up faintly, and he couldn’t help but feel a little glad at the sense of familiarity.
When he realized that he had been constantly searching for traces of Heather in her, Matthias felt immensely guilty toward Natalia. After all, he truly couldn’t stop himself from those actions.
Just then, they had reached the aforementioned KFC. Business didn’t seem to be going well for this particular outlet, for there were only a handful of people inside there. Natalia felt that it would be weird to just sit down without ordering anything, so she got a sundae.
Naturally, Matthias had no interest in fast food. Natalia didn’t ask him what he would like to eat either, for she knew that people with deep pockets would not eat this kind of food at all.
“There aren’t any other decent places nearby, so…” Natalia said awkwardly as she felt embarrassed. Matthias had personally come to see her, but she could only bring him to KFC.
“It’s okay. It’s nice inside here,” Matthias said with a smile.
It certainly was nicer than the outdoors, for it was freezing outside. The heating in this KFC had been cranked up a comfortable level, so it felt cozy and warm inside. Matthias wasn’t a picky person.
Natalia was surprised by this, for she could tell that Matthias’ words weren’t false assurances. Who would have thought that a CEO would be so down-to-earth?
“Is there anything you want to ask me since you’ve come all the way here, Director Locke?” Natalia switched up her phrasing. She had to get Matthias to say something, or her conscience would be weighed down.
“I’ve already asked you my question.” Matthias eyed the sundae sitting before Natalia. The temperature inside the KFC outlet was a little on the higher side, and the sundae would probably melt completely in a short while.
Natalia wracked her brains to recall what Matthias had said earlier. He did seem to have asked her something just now, and it was why she had resigned.
Natalia couldn’t give a satisfactory answer to that question at all, feeling that she’d sabotaged herself. She had just clawed her way back up from a pit, but she was slipping and falling back into it again.
Natalia gave an awkward laugh, seemingly unwilling to continue that topic. Matthias didn’t mind it though—he didn’t have any say over anyone’s resignations, after all.
“Director Locke,” she said. However, she didn’t know why she had to call his name. She needed to find some other line of conversation to talk about, for she couldn’t stand this awkward atmosphere.
She recalled how she had run out of Matthias’ home in despair previously, but when she looked at him now, all those negative emotions completely disappeared.
Even Natalia herself found it strange; she had only ever met Matthias a few times, but she felt an inexplicable bond with him. Moreover, she didn’t mind even if she got her feelings hurt by him. If Matthias hadn’t come to look for her this time of his own volition, Natalia would probably never know just how tolerant she could be toward others.
“Ether.” Matthias was more used to addressing Natalia this way.
However, it was her first time hating the name ‘Ether’. She had only called herself that because she liked how it sounded, but she didn’t want to hear that name coming from Matthias’ mouth. After all, she knew that Matthias fancied someone named ‘Heather’.
Now that she had made that connection, Natalis couldn’t stop herself from continuing down that rabbit hole. In any case, she never wanted to hear the name ‘Ether’ anymore.
Matthias picked up on the unnatural look on Natalia’s face. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard Natalia speak up. “You can call me Natalia or something else, but please don’t ever address me that way ever again, Director Locke.”
Upon hearing that, Matthias wondered if Natalia didn’t want to hear anything related to her time at the club because she thought that working there had been humiliating.
“I’m sorry.” Matthias never easily apologized back then, but now, apologies came from him easily. Perhaps it was because he had been around Heather for a long time.
“You don’t have to keep apologizing to me. You’re making me feel bad this way.” Natalia thought about the distance between herself and Matthias. They were in two completely different worlds, and the more she thought about it, the less she could stomach Matthias’ apology.
“All right,” Matthias answered helplessly. He knew that Natalia had a fragile sense of pride, and he had to protect her carefully precisely because of that.
The two of them were awkward around each other, and they didn’t know what to talk about. As such, the duo simply stared at each other. Natalia couldn’t think of a conversation topic that would work with him, and Matthias had no idea how to talk to her. They simply sat there stiffly inside the KFC, and Natalia didn’t even finish her sundae. Since she had no appetite to eat it, she simply chucked the sundae into the bin.
Their eyes would meet from time to time, but they darted away just as quickly. Evidently, the pair were stiff with each other. Matthias didn’t like this atmosphere, and he thought about how he should ease the awkwardness between them.
Meanwhile, Natalia psyched herself up internally. She couldn’t miss this rare opportunity, so she should at least say something to him.
In reality, Natalia had been attempting to leave a good impression on Matthias all this time, but things kept playing out differently than she hoped. As such, she felt that she had lost all her confidence in front of him.
Eventually, Matthias pulled out an envelope from his pocket. It was thick and filled to the brim with something. He handed the envelope over to Natalia and said, “Your boss asked me to give this to you.” It had been tough for Matthias to think of something to talk about.
He had never been so awkward with Heather before. In truth, he also beat himself over this. Why couldn’t he think of something to say when he was with Natalia? On one hand, Matthias didn’t want to say anything that would get Natalia worked up, and on the other hand, he didn’t know anything about her at all. He didn’t know what to talk about with a stranger.
“This envelope…” Natalia was a little hesitant, but in the end, she took the envelope that Matthias had brought.
Natalia knew her financial situation very well; since there was money being given to her, she wouldn’t turn it down. If it wasn’t for the severe lack of money, Natalia would probably have continued to be in school as the top-scorer of her year.
Ever since she was little, her grades had been exceptional. However, as her parents got older, the family couldn’t afford to pay off their bills. Since she was their eldest daughter, Natalia had no other choice. However, she couldn’t find any decent jobs with only a high school diploma and having given up on attending the best university in Bradfort City. When her family fell sick, she was in utter despair since she had no other alternatives. Natalia had gone through so much turmoil when she brought herself to step into that industry, but when she saw how much money she could easily earn, she ended up sinking further.
If she hadn’t met Matthias, Natalia figured that she probably still wouldn’t have made the decision to leave the nightclub. Her situation at home had clearly improved, and she didn’t need to continue earning money that way. However, Natalia was reluctant to part with a job that brought in money so easily.
It was Matthias who made Natalia get reacquainted with herself, and he was the one who made her pride and shame return to her. In other words, he was like a ray of light in the darkness as he shone down on her. Now that this ray of light was sitting in front of her, Natalia felt uneasy as her heart raced. She used to never believe in love, nor did she believe in love at first sight. But now, her heart was telling her that love was right by her side.
“Do you have any plans later?” Matthias took the plunge and extended an invitation to Natalia.
The latter looked at him blankly. She didn’t understand Matthias’ intentions; she just felt inferior, and she didn’t dare to believe what Matthias was saying between the lines.
“I’ll just be heading home to spend time with my grandmothers,” Natalia answered honestly.
“In that case, do you mind spending time with me instead?” He had no idea how else he could phrase this so that it wouldn’t sound so intimate.
It felt as though pure friendship didn’t exist between men and women, and such intimate situations could arise by accident. Matthias could look Heather honestly in the eye and tell her clearly that he loved her.
However, when he was with Natalia, Matthias felt that whatever he said wasn’t right. He had never talked to a girl like this in a one-to-one setting. Although he had been alone with Lara before, they mostly talked about work or just like how friends would do.
When he was with Natalia, Matthias could clearly sense the intimate air between them. He was troubled over this, and he had no idea how he should treat her. He was like a middle school kid when it came to romantic matters, and he was at a complete loss. All this time, he assumed that he was in love with Myra, but he ended up falling for Heather instead. What was he doing now?
Matthias side-eyed himself. He was now with a woman in a public space, saying things that couldn’t sound any more suggestive. It seemed that hitting on ladies was an innate skill, and Matthias didn’t need to practice it much to become a master at this.
“Where would you like to go after this?” Natalia naturally wanted to go with him after hearing such a frank invitation, but she knew that a lady should show some restraint.
“The State Science Center.” The places that Matthias’ went to unwind had always been unusual. He wanted to take a look at the latest technology.
……
Natalia was taken aback by his answer, but where they were going wasn’t important as long as Matthias was with her…
“Okay,” Natalia whispered. A blush crept up her cheeks, for this was simply too embarrassing.
A pleased smile made its way onto Matthias’ face. He knew about his charms, and he also knew that he was being despicable like this.
