The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband – Episode 32
Natalie arrived at B.M. before seven, carrying printed proposals for both possible meeting times. If Serena wanted confusion, Natalie would answer with preparation. She confirmed directly with the client’s assistant that ten remained correct, then documented the exchange in an email copied to human resources.
Serena appeared at eight and found Natalie already working. “You missed the meeting,” she announced loudly.
“The client confirmed ten.” Natalie displayed the reply. “I also asked scheduling to investigate who altered the internal calendar.” The evidence turned Serena’s performance into an embarrassment, and several employees failed to hide their interest.
At ten, the distributor’s owner entered with two advisers. He recognized Natalie from their call and requested that she lead. Serena sat beside her, smiling whenever Natalie looked over and interrupting whenever the client appeared engaged. She misstated figures, dismissed concerns Natalie had prepared to address, and repeatedly redirected attention toward premium services the client did not need. Each interruption threatened both the contract and B.M.’s credibility.
Natalie adapted. Instead of competing for airtime, she redirected each interruption into a question about the client’s needs. Serena’s generic claims made Natalie’s research appear stronger by contrast. Gradually, the owner stopped addressing the manager and spoke only to the new employee.
The negotiation lasted an hour. Natalie admitted one limitation in B.M.’s current service rather than disguising it, then proposed a phased contract that reduced the client’s risk. She showed how the first stage could measure results before expansion and offered a clear exit if B.M. failed. Honesty accomplished what polished pressure could not. The owner requested final terms and promised to sign after legal review.
Serena waited until the visitors left. “A request for paperwork is not a sale.”
“No, but it is progress.” Natalie gathered her notes. She refused to let Serena redefine every success into failure.
Daniel had observed part of the meeting through the executive conference system. He sent Sebastian a brief report: Natalie had won the client without assistance. Sebastian read it twice, satisfaction overcoming the guilt attached to arranging the introduction.
That afternoon, the signed preliminary agreement arrived. The value exceeded the monthly target for experienced representatives. Natalie forwarded it to the department and credited Serena for attending, an act of professionalism that made Serena’s resentment look even smaller.
Colleagues offered cautious congratulations. Some had assumed Natalie’s executive approval meant she was ornamental; the contract forced them to reconsider. One analyst asked how she had reached a client others could not. Natalie answered truthfully that persistence had earned a conversation, unaware of the fear Nick Volkov had used to ensure someone answered her call. Their respect pleased her precisely because it followed visible work rather than family name or hidden influence.
Serena could no longer invoke the one-month sales rule. She assigned Natalie administrative tasks instead, burying her beneath reports and supply requests unrelated to selling. Punishment changed shape when the first version failed.
Near the end of the day, Kyle visited Natalie’s desk again. He praised the contract and repeated his offer to escort her to Friday’s event. “I can introduce you to people who matter.”
“My husband is coming.” Natalie’s answer was polite and final.
Kyle glanced toward Serena’s office. “Sebastian Klein? Bringing him might hurt your reputation. Everyone knows what he is.”
Natalie closed the file in front of her. “Everyone knew I wasn’t qualified too. Rumors have been wrong a lot lately.”
Kyle attempted a smile, but rejection bruised his pride. He warned that B.M. rewarded alliances, not ideals, and left before Serena saw how long he had lingered.
At home, Natalie showed Sebastian the preliminary contract. He read the figures with a speed she associated with senior executives, then caught her around the waist and lifted her from the floor in an impulsive embrace. Her laughter filled the penthouse. For one uncomplicated minute, they celebrated work she had truly performed, and Sebastian allowed himself to imagine that one honest success might survive the dishonest road that led to it.
Then she mentioned Kyle’s warning. Sebastian’s expression cooled. He trusted Natalie, but Kyle’s willingness to insult her marriage while pursuing her confirmed Daniel’s doubts about the man’s character.
The next morning, Serena sent Natalie a list of coffee orders for twenty employees and instructed her to collect them before beginning her actual work. The assignment had nothing to do with sales and everything to do with reminding the department who could still humiliate whom. At the bottom was an order for Daniel Walter. Natalie read the request twice, sensing another trap hidden among harmless errands—then Serena changed the CEO’s drink after the order had already been placed.