Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
Natalie had been disappointed not to see Bryce over the rest of that weekend, Natalie felt as if he was really avoiding her.
Although their relationship wasn’t very close, since they had lived together, she had gotten used to seeing him regularly.
However, thinking it through, she realized that she actually felt somewhat relieved. After all, this kind of slow separation might be best for both of them. How, then, could she explain the feeling of frustration in her heart?
Leaving all the chaos in her heart behind, she headed to the office early Monday morning to get busy. Not long after she sat down at her desk, a phone call came in. It was from Optimal Magazine. Nadley was surprised because she didn’t remember working with that magazine before. She answered the phone politely. The woman on the other end sounded like an experienced, confident professional.
“Hello, Natalie. I’m Laura Caylis, the chief editor of Optimal Magazine. Natalie, we’d really like Tony Bovel to be the cover star for our next issue. Do you think he’ll be available to do that?”
Nadley recalled what she knew about Optimal Magazine. It specialized in high-end recipes and was considered a top-quality magazine with an excellent reputation. It might be a good fit for Tony’s image.
“Yes, Laura, I think that could be arranged.”
Laura laughed delightedly. “Excellent, Natalie. We’d like to start shooting tomorrow, ideally. Can you take a look at Tony’s schedule and let us know if that works?”
Natalie liked Laura’s straightforward approach. She agreed to the deal, then hung up and began to plan Tony’s next steps. Tony was getting involved in more and more work and promotional activities. Besides shooting “The Crossing 2,” there were already several other partnerships agreed upon. If this went on, Natalie would also start to get very busy. She decided to employ an assistant to handle Tony’s administrative and personal matters. When Tony’s career took off, there would be no way she could take care of all aspects of his management. So, she started to post some recruitment notices online, confident she’d be able to secure someone for the role in a few days.
Before she knew it, it was already noon. She was about to go out for lunch when Tony walked in. She was surprised to see him. To let Tony spend more time with Gina, she had specifically given him permission not to come to the office in the morning.
“How come you’re here so early?” she asked.
Tony grinned. “Gina’s recovery is going pretty well, and in a few days, we’ll start filming ‘The Crossing 2,’ so I want to keep ahead of the game.”
As Tony walked over, she noticed that he was carrying a bag. “What have you got in there?” she asked.
Tony opened the bag and looked at her uneasily. “This is, um, some food I prepared at home. You can have some if you want.”
Natalie laughed. She hadn’t expected Tony to know how to cook. Opening the lunch box, she saw two different salads and a container of soup inside. It all looked pretty tasty.
“I didn’t know you could do all this,” she said.
Tony looked nervously at his feet and said, “When my sister and I were young, no one took care of us, so I learned to cook. Come on, Natalie, eat while it’s hot.”
Natalie nodded and carried a dish to the sofa to sit down and eat. She gestured to Tony and said, “Come over here and have some yourself. I can’t eat it all.”
Tony sat down beside her, and they started to eat. She quickly realized that Tony’s cooking skills were pretty good. She felt melancholy and sympathetic, though, thinking about his childhood suffering.
Since Tony was there, Natalie told him about the photoshoot for Optimal Magazine she had agreed upon. He looked panicky for a second, perhaps overwhelmed by how much work was coming in for him. She caught his look, put down her bowl, and said soothingly, “Tony, you have to remember that you’re a star, and being a star gives you a lot of things that other people don’t have. I’m going to make sure you keep those things. No matter how you’ve been treated in the past, those days are over. In the future, you’ll definitely be an even bigger star, so you have to stay confident, okay? All this work is an investment in the future—in you.”
Tony nodded quickly. Just as he was about to say something, the phone rang. Nadley picked it up. It was a message from the head office, informing everyone employed by Star Entertainment that the big company meeting and banquet was scheduled for 7 PM. The venue was the Grand Hall of the Superluxe Hotel. She told Tony to go home and get dressed up. She had brought her own formal clothes to the office, so she decided to wait there until it was time to leave for the event.
Around 6 PM, Tony returned, dressed in a very snappy suit. Nadley had changed into her own formal clothes by the time Tony arrived. Seeing her in the amazing white dress mesmerized him.
He said, “Wow, Nadley. Just wow.”
She smiled and took his arm as they left the office. “Let’s go,” she said.
Tony felt a bit nervous. He could smell Natalie’s perfume, and she looked like a million dollars. With her by his side, he suddenly felt like a million dollars too.