Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
Natalie thought for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Perkins. I just had a little too much to drink and made myself ill. I’m sorry I made you worry.” She didn’t want to talk about the drugging or any of the other stuff for the time being.
Mrs. Perkins nodded with relief and said, “You young people can’t control yourselves when you drink sometimes. Liam and I were very worried. Please don’t drink like that anymore.” She didn’t force Natalie to spill the truth and accepted whatever she had said.
Natalie nodded her head. Her alcohol tolerance had always been low, and she definitely wouldn’t drink so much ever again. By the time the afternoon came, she was ready to leave the hospital. She remembered that she had an appointment with Optimal Magazine for a photo shoot with Tony, and she didn’t want to be late.
Mrs. Perkins tried to stop her from going to work, but it was in vain as Natalie’s attitude was firm. She asked Mrs. Perkins to look after Liam, then left the hospital. Seeing that it was getting late, Natalie texted Tony the address and said she’d meet him there, then she rushed to the location.
Meanwhile, Mark Ellington was beside himself with worry after he heard that Howard had been taken to jail. He hadn’t expected that anyone would be brave enough to have Howard arrested. Howard was a Clare, and the Clares were a rich and influential family with many friends and contacts in City Hall and elsewhere in positions of authority. Ellington knew that he was implicated in what Howard had done, and thinking about this, his anxiety levels had gone through the roof. Not knowing what else to do, he rushed nervously to the jail to see Howard.
Just as he parked his car outside, he saw Howard emerging from the building’s front entrance. He grew even more nervous, but he bit the bullet and approached Howard, asking, “Howard, are you okay?”
Howard’s expression was dark. Thinking about what happened last night, he snapped, “How can I be okay? I’ve been in jail all night. If it wasn’t for my grandpa getting the family lawyer to bail me out, I would still be in a cell.”
He looked at Ellington, and his anger boiled over. He shouted, “How could you screw this up so badly?”
Ellington was on the verge of tears as he said, “Howard, I don’t know what happened. Whoever did this to you certainly has a lot of nerve.”
Howard was also puzzled about how he had been thwarted and was afraid that news of this matter had reached Bryce’s ears. The two did not have a good relationship in any case, and there was a Clare family gathering scheduled for the near future. If Howard created trouble that reflected badly on the Clare family, Bryce would be furious. Things were not going to be easy for Howard.
He softened and said, “Look, Mark, forget it. I can’t really blame you for this. Where is that woman, Natalie?”
The tension eased a little. Ellington was relieved and hurriedly replied, “She didn’t come to the office today, but I heard she went to shoot a magazine cover with Tony Bovel.”
Howard replied with a faint “Huh” and a mysterious expression flitted across his face. He pondered for a moment before finally shaking his head and saying, “Forget about her for now. I’ll have plenty of time for her later.”
Ellington nodded doubtfully. It seemed that Natalie wasn’t as easy to deal with as Howard had thought.
Meanwhile, Natalie and Tony had arrived at the studio. The photographer from the magazine was already waiting outside. When he saw them coming, he hurried over and greeted them enthusiastically. “Natalie, Tony, hi. Good to see you again.”
The photographer was one of the top people in the industry. He was especially enthusiastic about this shoot because he knew that Tony’s popularity was soaring. Natalie responded with a faint “Hmm,” but her expression was cold. Tony, on the other hand, seemed a bit shy and distracted, maybe nervous about the photoshoot.
Inside, as the assistants prepared the sets, the photographer explained the photoshoot concept. “Okay, because this is for a gourmet magazine, we’re using gourmet food as the theme, and we’re going to use a historical theme too to evoke the French royal court of pre-revolutionary France. You know, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the 18th century, powder and wigs, all that.”
Natalie and Tony looked at each other and shrugged. She said, “Sure, why not.”
The photographer said, “Cool. We’ve got some other models to work with Tony and all sorts of costumes and props to get the period atmosphere right. We’ll be using the core idea of a kind of banquet at Louis and Marie Antoinette’s Palace of Versailles.”
A makeup artist arrived and quickly got to work on Tony, transforming his appearance into that of an 18th-century French king. Tony’s features looked good under the pale makeup and the powdered wig. A female model played the role of Marie Antoinette. She and Tony were to be photographed eating a series of complicated foodstuffs typical of the French royal court.
The photographer’s assistants worked quickly and efficiently, and everything was soon made ready. Natalie moved to the side, indicating that the photographer could start shooting. But for some reason, she had a feeling that Tony wasn’t at his best today. Tony’s temperament was more of the melancholy kind, and she wondered whether he would be able to convincingly portray a powerful, carefree king at this banqueting table.
Sure enough, Tony was unable to get into the mood of the shoot, no matter how many times he tried. Moreover, he and the female model he was working with couldn’t come to a good understanding, making Tony feel even more uncomfortable. The photographer grew impatient and short-tempered, and Tony’s face gradually assumed a dejected look.
Eventually, the photographer said, “Look, let’s take a break. Everyone is obviously tired.” He sighed deeply, then hurried across to Natalie’s side and complained, “Natalie, what’s wrong here? Can you think of anything to get Tony to perform? We’re on a tight schedule here. We need to get this done.”
The photographer looked at his watch pointedly. There wasn’t much time left. If Tony didn’t get his act together, the photographer would have to tell the magazine’s editor to get another cover star.