“Skylar, do you know Annie?” Natalie asked with curiosity, her eyes flicking toward the woman in question.
Skylar glanced over at Annie, a bit surprised to see that Joe and Annie had already parted ways. It seemed like their conversation had been brief, and they hadn’t shared much before going their separate ways. Even from a distance, Skylar could feel Annie’s gaze on her.
“We’ve met a couple of times,” Skylar replied, keeping her response simple.
Natalie nodded in understanding. “No wonder she’s staring at you.” There was a pause before she added, “But it almost feels like she sees you as a rival… like in a love triangle.”
Skylar quickly shook her head. “You must be mistaken,” she said, brushing it off. She didn’t want to delve into it further, especially not with someone like Annie, who was clever and dangerous. She didn’t want to be drawn into her drama.
“What are you two talking about?” Charles, who had been walking ahead, turned around, noticing them chatting and glancing back.
Natalie pointed toward Annie and asked, “Do you see that beautiful woman?”
Charles turned to look in the direction she was pointing, his gaze lingering on Annie for a moment. “I know her! That’s Annie Silver, right? Her show is really popular, and she’s really pretty too,” he added, obviously impressed. Based on her appearance alone, he could tell she was his type.
Natalie gave him a playful look. “No matter how pretty she is, she’s not as beautiful as Skye,” she said with confidence. No celebrity, not even someone like Annie, could compare to Skylar in her eyes.
For a brief moment, Natalie’s mind wandered, and she thought about someone else—Jeremy’s secretary, Annabelle. She was a woman with an incredible figure, one that she worked hard to maintain, and one that men could hardly resist.
Natalie frowned slightly. Why was Annabelle on her mind now?
She quickly shook off the thought. Annabelle was just Jeremy’s secretary. She wasn’t even his type, so why had she thought of her? The way Annabelle had looked at her recently, though, seemed… different. Almost like she saw her as competition.
“If I ever get to be on her show, it means I’ve made it big,” Charles said, his voice filled with dreams and aspirations. He envisioned a future where he achieved his career goals, and when he did, he’d find a girlfriend he truly loved.
Natalie smiled and pushed aside her earlier thoughts. “Charles, I have a feeling you’ll be famous soon,” she said, her tone warm with encouragement.
“Thank you! When I make it big, I’ll take you two to Nordland, and you’ll have the time of your lives!” Charles promised, excited about the future.
Skylar smiled brightly. “I believe you can do it! Visiting Nordland is my dream. I’ll be waiting for you to make it come true.”
“Just wait! I won’t let you down!” Charles declared confidently.
The three of them continued walking, chatting and laughing, their spirits light.
Meanwhile, Joe was getting closer to them. Suddenly, several middle-aged men stepped into his path, grinning with delight as they blocked his way.
“What a coincidence, Mr. Martin! We didn’t expect to run into you here!” one of them said with enthusiasm.
Since we’ve met, why not join us for some tea?” another man added.
“You’re becoming more and more composed these days,” a third remarked, admiring Joe’s presence.
Joe regarded the men blocking his way with a polite but distant smile, and his gaze discreetly flicked toward Skylar, who was still ahead with Charles and Natalie.
“Mr. Morris, Mr. Perez, Mr. Evans, it’s good to see you here,” Joe replied smoothly, acknowledging each of them by name.
Just then, Paul, who had been trailing behind Joe, caught up to the group. Seeing the men surrounding Joe, he approached them with a polite greeting.
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