Chapter 7

The air seemed to freeze at that moment, and everything else in the background fell lifeless and silent.

It was as though the only person entering Natalie's vision was Austin, and nothing else.

He was wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt paired with black pants. He looked handsome, radiant, and clean-cut. His exceptionally handsome features and robust physique made him appear exceptionally noble and elegant, even though he was just wearing a regular work outfit.

His eyes were deep and dark, making Natalie feel uneasy and on guard.

Emily brought over his slippers and put them by his feet.

"Here, Aust. Change into your slippers."

Austin didn't respond, continuing to stare intently at Natalie.

Emily forced a smile and explained, "It's about my trademark infringement case. A friend recommended this law firm, but I didn't think that they would send her here."

Natalie frowned as she glared at Emily. How could she just lie and say that "she had no idea"?

Austin turned to look at Emily, his voice low and deep as he asked, "What trademark infringement are you talking about? You don't even have a company."

Emily just grinned awkwardly. "Uh…"

"I'll just take my leave and not bother you anymore," Natalie said, feeling her chest being unbearably stuffy. She didn't want to stay here for another second. But Austin was standing right next to the shoe cabinet and standing in the way of the door, so she couldn't change into her shoes either.

"Fine. You may leave," Emily said arrogantly with a hint of dissatisfaction. "Your skills are just average anyway, and you're not professional enough. I don't trust you to handle the case after all."

How hilarious.

Emily didn't even own a company, so what trademark infringement case could she possibly be talking about anyway?

Natalie still had a temper, so she shot back, "My professionalism lies in respecting facts and the law, not in listening to a 'client' who hasn't even established a business entity trying to humiliate me just to satisfy their own vanity.

"Keep in mind that I will be charging you by the second for today's consultation. The invoice will be delivered to you later."

After she was done speaking, Natalie walked up to the shoe cabinet, squeezed between Austin and Emily, and elbowed Austin forcefully out of the way.

"Excuse me."

Austin took a step back after being pushed out of the way. He frowned lightly and stared at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Emily then exclaimed angrily, "What kind of attitude is that, Natalie Sherman!"

Natalie ignored her, changed into her own shoes, and walked out. Yet, she couldn't stop herself from blurting out in anger, "Ms. Upton, might I remind you that Derollo's Frozen Lasagna doesn't make the most authentic-tasting ones? It's not even made with the freshest ingredients.

"I'd recommend that you try Geronio's Frozen Pastas instead. Theirs are more authentic, and actually taste more like a proper 12-hour lasagna."

Emily's face turned purple as she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and glared hatefully at Natalie. "You…"

Meanwhile, Austin's eyes narrowed slightly as a barely perceptible smile played on his lips.

Natalie didn't wait for Emily to explode before walking out the door. She finally felt a little better after seeing the foul, awkward, and embarrassed look on Emily's face earlier.

She took the elevator down, only to realize that it was pouring outside.

It had been hot and humid when she arrived earlier, but at the very least, it was still a sunny day with blue skies. But now, it seemed like she wouldn't be able to make it back anymore.

She dug in her briefcase for an umbrella, but she couldn't find it.

Instead, she looked up at the dark sky, the ominous clouds looking like they were about to engulf the earth at some point. A fierce wind raged in the storm, causing the branches of the large trees in the area to crack and snap.

Natalie's phone beeped with a notification. She tapped it and realized a Hurricane Warning had been in effect since that morning. There had been multiple alerts sent to her phone, but she had been so distracted that she hadn't even noticed them.

Sandbury was near the coast, so hurricanes like this were quite common. And if she didn't leave now, she was going to be stranded here when the hurricane finally hit her!

The briefcase was waterproof, so it was fine if she got a little bit wet. Natalie gritted her teeth, stuffed her phone into her briefcase, and rushed out into the rain with it in her arms.

However, she'd severely underestimated the force of the torrential rain and hurricane after all.

She made it out of the building. But now that she no longer had shelter, she was immediately blown off balance. It seemed as though the strong wind had grown arms and was actively trying to push her over as she swayed hard while struggling to walk straight forward.

The storm lashed at her in cold, stinging waves. Natalie was completely drenched, and she could barely even see ahead of her.

She was thin with a slender build to begin with, and she couldn't fight the storm at all. She'd only managed a few steps forward before she was blown down onto the grass next to her.

It was a heavy downpour, and she shivered hard in the cold as she struggled to her feet. She'd barely managed to find her balance and take a few more steps forward before being blown over by the wind once more.

Ultimately, she grabbed onto a nearby branch with one hand and held on to her briefcase with the other, holding on for dear life.

Just as she was about to straighten up again, a large hand suddenly reached out, the arm wrapping around her waist as she was pulled up to her feet. She felt her back pressed tightly against a warm, firm chest that felt like a man's embrace.

He was holding on to her waist from the back.

She suddenly found herself lifted into the air like a doll as the man carried her in his arms and brought her back inside the building.

Every step the man took was strong and steady. He was undoubtedly strong enough that the wind just couldn't topple him over.

Natalie finally felt alive again when she was back inside the lobby.

The man gently set her down. Natalie gasped slightly and shivered hard as she clutched her briefcase with one hand and wiped away the rain in her eyes and on her face, not forgetting to thank her savior.

"Thank you so much. I was nearly blown away by the hurricane. Thanks so much for saving me."

"How can you be so skinny? Don't you eat at all?"

The voice was eerily familiar. It was deep, cold, and tinged with anger.

Natalie gasped as her heart clenched hard, turning around abruptly to look at him.

She was met with a familiar handsome face, along with the familiar voice.

Austin?

She froze on the spot without moving, suddenly forgetting to react.

Austin was drenched from head to toe. Water droplets dripped from the ends of his short hair onto his equally soaked face.

He wiped the rain from his face and ran his fingers through his hair from the front of his head to the back, brushing off the water droplets in his hair with a flourish.

Frowning, he looked at Natalie's dazed expression and asked in a stern tone, "There's a raging storm outside. What did you think you were doing, running out there like that?"

Natalie finally snapped out of it and replied in a weak, exhausted voice.

"The hurricane will be here in an hour. If I don't leave now, I won't be able to leave after that."

Austin turned to look at the weather outside. "The wind right now is already strong enough to blow you right off your feet."

"Then, can you drive me home instead?" Natalie asked shamelessly.

Austin frowned. "And then what?"

"Huh?"

And then what? Natalie didn't get it.

"If I send you home, and the hurricane hits then, flooding the streets, I'll also be stuck and stranded at your place."

Natalie felt as though the rain had soaked through her skull and short-circuited her brain. She apologized at once.

"My bad. I didn't think of that."

Austin's gaze grew even more fiery. He inhaled deeply and looked at the rain outside once more, gulping slightly.

"Let's go. Change into some dry clothes upstairs instead."

The thought of seeing him and Emily living together made Natalie feel a pang of bitterness in her heart. She just wanted to stay as far away from them as possible.

"It's fine. Thanks anyway."

She would rather freeze to death here and wait for her clothes to air-dry than suffer that kind of torment upstairs.

Moreover, she'd just exposed Emily's lie with the lasagna earlier, and she figured that Emily probably wouldn't want to let her into the apartment anymore either.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Austin asked, displeased. "Worried that I'll do something to you?"

Natalie froze and looked at him. It was only then that she realized that Austin kept looking out the window every time he was talking to her.

Her gaze then drifted down to her own body, and she got the shock of her life. She jolted and hurriedly covered her body with her briefcase, clutching it tightly to her chest. Her heartbeat quickened, and her cheeks turned a deep red.

She'd forgotten that she had put on a white blouse this morning, and now that she was soppingly wet, the material clung tightly to her skin, looking almost transparent and invisible, perfectly outlining her figure and even revealing the color and style of the bra she was wearing underneath.

Austin's ears turned bright red. He exhaled slightly and turned toward the elevators, saying coldly, "Come up."

Natalie hesitated as she stared at his retreating figure. She considered her current situation once again.

The hurricane hadn't even arrived yet, but the winds were already aggressive and unforgiving outside. It seemed like she wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon anyway.

It wasn't like there was anything to lose if she just waited out the hurricane here, though. However, if she were to catch a cold from this, then it would be an even greater loss.

Whatever. She just had to put up with Emily again. And if Emily refused to let her into the apartment, then she would just wait it out in the stairwell for the night.

Austin pressed the button for the elevator, and the doors slowly opened.

Natalie hurried over and followed him in with her briefcase in her arms.