Chapter 245: Warning From Justin

While others were sleeping soundly, the Brown family was restless, especially Ivan Brown. It had been hours since he issued the statement declaring their stand on the incident during the perfume event, but there was no response from the opposite party.

Other than Ivan, the ones most desperately waiting for a response from Mia and Natalie’s side were the reporters. They had been closely monitoring the company’s website, social media, and any other possible source of updates, but there was no activity.

Dan, who was usually the spokesperson for Natalie’s side, was unreachable, as he had turned off his cellphone—and so had the others.

Little did they know, the few people they were so concerned about were sleeping soundly in their beds after days of exhaustion, leaving the outside world in chaos.

"Ivan, it’s midnight. Get some sleep now," Ivan’s father instructed.

Ivan looked utterly exhausted. After returning from a tiring business trip, he had to deal with yet another mess created by his family. He simply nodded and returned to his room. Lying in bed, he couldn’t help but wonder why problems had suddenly started appearing in his previously peaceful life.

Since the day Natalie left his company, he had already been facing various issues and dealing with unexpected losses affecting his company, as if he had offended someone powerful who was targeting him for no apparent reason.

His most profitable venture, the perfume brand, desperately needed innovation and capable talent. When Natalie was the director of the R&D department, he never realized how much of a difference she made—everything had seemed effortless and well-managed. But with Natalie gone, it felt as though there wasn’t a single capable person left in the department. Productivity had plummeted, and now he had to focus on bringing in new perfumes.

Though Briena was appointed to Natalie’s place, she never worked there due to her busy schedule. And now that she had signed a movie, there was no way he could ask her to take charge of the department.

Just then, his cellphone rang. It was Briena. She had called him a few times earlier, but he hadn’t answered due to the stress he was under.

Finally, he received the call, only to hear her sweet voice. "Ivan, where have you been? I was so worried about you. You didn’t answer my calls."

"I’m home," he replied in a tired tone. "Don’t worry."

"Is it about today’s matter? Are you alright?" She sounded concerned.

He hummed. "I am."

"If you need any help, let me know."

"Sure."

"It’s late. You should rest. I’ll come to see you tomorrow," she assured him.

He hummed again, hung up the call, and stared at the ceiling of his room. For the first time, Briena’s sweet, caring voice didn’t comfort him. In fact, he felt like, even if he hadn’t spoken to her, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

When he was with Natalie, whenever there was a serious situation, she wouldn’t call to comfort him. Instead, she would take action and solve the issue. That was her way—straightforward and effective.

He scrolled through his contact list, and his gaze stopped at Natalie’s name. He wished to call her, but what was the use? This time, she was the one standing on the opposite side, the one he needed to deal with.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Unconsciously, his lips moved as he mumbled, "Nat."

------

"How is he?" Clara asked Briena, who had just hung up the call and was now lounging lazily on the couch in her lavish room.

"Seems really stressed," Briena replied casually, as if Ivan’s situation didn’t concern her much.

"Now that he’s standing against Natalie, he’ll see how ruthless she is. He’ll realize even more that you were always the right choice for him," Clara said. "And the more troubled he is, the more he’ll rely on you. Once you’re a superstar, you’ll have complete control. That way, when you marry him, you’ll take over the Ford family and the business."

Briena couldn’t help but smile. "Ford and Brown—both companies would solely belong to me. With my status as a superstar and the wealth of these two companies, I’ll probably be one of the richest women."

"Of course," Clara said. "You’re born to rule, not to live a lowly life."

The mother and daughter continued to paint their sweet dreams.

-----

The next day, after Natalie had breakfast in her room, the doctor came to visit her. Once he finished his checkup, he said, "Ms. Natalie, you’re really being irresponsible toward your body. I clearly told you that you need to be in complete rest for at least two weeks," his tone grew a little strict. "Just because there’s no big cut or fractured place, you seem to be taking it lightly. What is more important than your own health?"

Natalie, sitting quietly, glanced at Justin, whose cold expression scared her more than the doctor’s words. She didn’t dare say a word in her defense.

"For the next two weeks, I want you to rest only," the doctor said.

"Two weeks?" Her eyes widened.

The doctor nodded. "If you don’t want to end up needing to rest for a month or two, please take these two weeks of rest seriously."

"I... I have a perfume competition to attend next week," Natalie said. "I can’t give it up. Please."

The doctor sighed. "Alright! But until then, you have to rest properly. If I feel you look fine, only then will I allow you to go—with proper precautions."

Natalie nodded like an obedient girl. "I will follow all the instructions."

She had a plan related to this perfume competition and would never give it up.

The doctor and Justin left the room.

Justin asked, "Is it really that serious?"

"Mr. Harper, some patients recover after a week, but Ms. Natalie’s body is weak. She left the hospital just a week after being told to stay for at least two weeks. And after coming out, she exhausted her already weak body even more. That’s why I have to be strict with her this time. If I say two weeks, she might at least follow it for one week, which should be enough for her to regain her strength and go out."

"I understand."

"But make sure she doesn’t do any strenuous physical work for at least two weeks," the doctor added.

Justin hummed and thanked the doctor.

Upon returning to the room, he found Natalie quietly lying in bed. He went to the couch and sat down with his laptop to work. Her gaze followed him, wondering what he would say—more like she was worried if he would ban her from stepping outside the house.

Sensing her gaze fixed on him for a long time, he finally spoke in a warning tone. "Did you clearly hear what the doctor said, or do you want me to remind you once more?"

"No. I remember," she replied in a low voice.

He hummed and added, "Dare to forget it, and you won’t step outside this house for an entire month."

She pursed her lips and hummed in a barely audible voice. She had so many things to do, but now she was stuck in bed.