Chapter 127: The Day When Natalie Returned From Xyros

Ivan sat in his office, staring blankly out the window behind his desk. His mind was consumed by today’s encounter with Natalie, her angry words she said in the parking lot, still echoed in his ears.

"Why does she always say I comforted her and that she owes her life to me?" Ivan muttered to himself, frowning.

His thoughts drifted back to a day from two years ago when Natalie had come to meet him right after returning from Xyros City.

Natalie stood outside the gate of the Brown residence, waiting for Ivan, even though his mother had asked her to leave and hadn’t allowed her to enter the property.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, she waited outside the entire day, taking shelter under a tree.

While waiting, she pulled out her phone to check if there was a response to the message she’d sent to the user "Little Star." She had informed him that she was coming to meet him at his home, but there was still no reply.

Not feeling discouraged, she put her phone away and smiled.

Although Amelia knew she was outside, she didn’t invite Natalie in to wait. Not a single offer of water or shelter came her way, despite the stifling heat.

Evening finally came, and a car approached the gate. Leaning against the wall for support, Natalie immediately rushed to the vehicle and knocked on the window before it could enter.

"Ivan, is it you?"

The car window rolled down, and a familiar face came into view.

As if she had found her entire world, Natalie smiled brightly. "It’s really you, Ivan. I’m back, finally. I promised you I’d return safe and sound."

Ivan looked puzzled, as if struggling to grasp what she was talking about. But then, he stepped out of the car, to talk with this familiar girl in simple t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"Nat?"

"Yes, it’s me." The smile on her lips grew even wider.

It was probably the last time Ivan saw her smile with such genuine happiness.

"When did you get back?" he asked. If he had to be honest, he had even forgotten about her existence.

"This morning. I came straight here to see you. I’ve been waiting the entire day."

"Here?" He glanced around in confusion.

"Yes. I didn’t want to miss the chance to see you. I don’t even have your contact number," she explained. "But didn’t you read my message?"

"What message?" Ivan asked.

Just then his father stepped out of the car.

’Oh, his father is here so he might not want to let him know of the secret social media account he had just to talk with her,’ Natalie concluded. "Ah, it’s nothing. Forget it."

Turning to Ivan’s father, she greeted him politely, "Good evening, Mr. Brown."

The man gave her a curt nod before addressing his son. "Ivan, don’t take too long. Your mother is waiting for us." He then got back into the car, which drove through the gate and into the property.

Natalie turned back to Ivan. "How have you been, Ivan?"

"Good," he replied awkwardly. "And you?"

"You already know how I have been all these years," she commented softly. "You’re the only one who understands. Thank you for being my strength all these years. I don’t know what would have happened to me without you. You don’t know how happy I am to see you again."

Ivan, still puzzled by her words, simply hummed in response. "Good to see you back as well."

Noticing his distant demeanour, so different from their talk in chat, Natalie added, "I know your parents don’t like me, so you’re being careful. I won’t take up more of your time now. Just let me know when we can meet again, so—"

"Nat, our company is dealing with some issues, and I’m busy helping my father," he interrupted, the stress visible on his face. "Maybe another time."

"Maybe I can help with something?" she offered earnestly.

"You can’t," he said curtly. "For now, go back, and I’ll see when I can find time to meet you."

"Alright." She gave him a gentle smile. "Don’t stress too much. Just as you’ve been my strength, I’ll be yours. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help you and your company."

Though he doubted she could offer any real help, he nodded. "Thank you." His words were merely an attempt to get her to leave quickly.

"See you soon," she said quietly before turning and walking away.

As Natalie left, Ivan headed inside the house.

"What was that girl doing here?" Amelia asked angrily. "She stood outside the entire day waiting for you! I’ve told you to stay away from her. We already have enough issues to deal with, and I don’t want that scandalous girl involved with you, creating even more problems."

"I know, Mother," he sighed lightly. "But I can’t just turn her away without even talking to her. You could have at least let her wait inside. It’s the middle of summer."

"I didn’t expect her to be so stubborn, even after I told her to leave," Amelia frowned. "Just stay away from her."

Ivan merely hummed in response, not wanting to argue further.

Then, a few days later, Natalie showed up at his office again. He considered telling her to come back another time, but she had something with her that he couldn’t ignore.

"Ivan, I’ve studied your company’s entire situation over the past few days, and I came up with a plan," she said, sitting down and handing him a file. "See if this can help." She then placed a small box in front of him. "This is a perfume I created specifically for this project. I can guarantee it will help you regain sales and recover your losses."

Ivan was taken aback as he looked through the plan. Natalie had meticulously researched potential investors and devised a strategy that addressed the company’s current problems in detail. She had single-handedly created the project and developed the product. All they needed now was an investment.

He opened the box and took a whiff of the perfume. Being in the cosmetic industry, his trained senses immediately recognized its quality.

"I’ll need to discuss this with my father and the other board members," he said cautiously.

"Of course." She smiled at him with unwavering confidence. "You can trust me with this project."

"Thank you."

"No need. I owe you more than you could ever owe me. I told you I’d be your strength."

Ivan stared at her in amazement. In that moment, he truly felt as if he could see his strength reflected in her—felt that, with her help, he could overcome this crisis.

Thanks to Natalie’s plan, Brown Industries began to recover. The company started getting back on track, and eventually, Ivan offered her a permanent position. She became in charge of developing new perfumes for the brand.

There was no looking back after that. Under Natalie and Ivan’s leadership, the company thrived, doing better and better with each passing day. Ivan’s parents could say nothing as they needed Natalie for their company’s sake as well.

Now, sitting in his office in the present day, Ivan found himself lost in thought.