Ten minutes earlier, Mandy was in her car. She had been waiting outside for a long time, but there had been no response from Draco. What’s more, Natalie and the designers hadn’t emerged from the house either.
Mandy couldn’t prove they were there, nor did she know what they were doing. Frustrated, she got out of the car and approached the villa. She wanted to see what was going on.
If she could record a video or audio of Natalie trying to poach the designers, Draco would have to believe her. Fortunately, the villa didn’t seem to be heavily guarded. There was no one at the door.
Mandy sneaked into the garden but encountered a servant heading toward her. Just as she was about to escape, a gardener appeared. He punched her in the right eye and dragged her into the house. This is Tasha’s house. It’s up to her whether to let you go or not,” Natalie replied, calmly. “What are you doing here?”
Mandy laughed angrily. “I am here to get evidence of your poaching. You’re an ungrateful wretch, trying to poach designers from Draco?”
“Do you have any evidence for this accusation? I am doing no such thing. We’re visiting a colleague who has just given birth,” Natalie replied, disdainfully.
Mandy rolled her eyes and sneered. “Why bother to lie? Do you really think I am that naïve? There are no pregnant designers in the W Marks Studio. That’s a clumsy lie!” Mandy roared.
As she finished speaking, a baby’s cry erupted from the crowd.
Trying to calm the child, Tasha stared at Mandy unhappily and said, “Let her go. I have been on maternity leave. That’s why you haven’t seen me before. But I was a designer for W Marks; everyone here will testify to that, and I recently gave birth to my son.”
Several colleagues said, “Yes. Tasha is a designer at W Marks. You can call Mr. Wesley to confirm that if you don’t believe us.”
“It’s disgusting. You wronged Natalie before knowing what’s going on.”
Everyone stared at her, repulsed. Mandy looked at the crying baby and realized she had really made a mistake.
But she was Mandy Hamilton; and she would never admit that she was in the wrong.
Mandy rubbed her sore wrists and stood up. She raised her head and said, “You can say whatever you want as Mr. Wesley isn’t here to dispute it. But lunch break is almost over, and you are still idling around. Your salary will be deducted!”
Everyone gritted their teeth and left, feeling sulky and resentful.
Before she left, Natalie turned to Tasha and apologized. “I’m so sorry. We just wanted to come and visit you, but I didn’t realize this would happen.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Tasha said, patting her baby’s back. She frowned at Mandy, who stood guarding the door. “That woman is a troublemaker. Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle her.” Natalie stroked the baby boy’s tender cheek and left, smiling. A familiar Mercedes then met them at the front doo and Draco got out of the car.
Seeing that it was Draco, Mandy brushed her skirt, lifted her chin, and trotted over proudly. ‘‘Draco, I knew you would come, but you’re late…”
Mandy was about to tell him that Natalie tried to poach his designers when she spotted a delicately packaged gift in Draco’s hands. It didn’t look like he came here to catch Natalie on the spot but to celebrate something…
“What do you want to tell me?” Draco looked confused.
The moment Mandy opened her mouth, Tasha’s voice came from behind, “Mr. Wesley, you’re finally here.”
“You called him?” Mandy stared in disbelief. Bypassing the shocked Mandy, Tasha greeted her boss. “Mr. Wesley, I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”
Mandy took a deep breath and tamped down her rage. Dracos stern face broke into a smile when he saw the baby in Tasha’s arms. “I had a business meeting nearby, so I decided to visit.”
Embarrassed, Natalie also greeted Draco. Draco nodded. “I received your message.”
Then he glanced at the other designers and said cheerfully, “I didn’t expect you all to be here. I’m sorry, Tasha. I’ve been very busy, but I should have made time to visit you.”
Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, Natalie explained, “We made an on-the-spot decision, so we didn’t think to call and invite you. I’m sorry, Mr. Wesley.”
In truth, Draco did not seem to enjoy socializing, so no one thought to invite him.
“Don’t apologize. Tasha, this is a small gift from me. Please accept it.” Handing the gift to Tasha, Draco congratulated her sincerely. “Congratulations on becoming a new mother. You are welcome to come back to work when your maternity leave ends. Since you won first prize in the parent-child clothing competition, we have received orders from clients who love your style.”
Tasha covered her mouth in surprise. “Mr. Wesley, are you serious? I got clients? I have no idea of this!”
“You will find out when you return to work.” Draco smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.” Tasha was so excited that she invited almost everyone to stay for lunch. Mandy was not invited. She stood aside, stiff with embarrassment.
“Why does it feel weird here? What happened?” Draco sensed something was wrong between Mandy and the others.
Now, with Draco’s encouragement, a colleague stood up and told the truth. “We were chatting with Tasha when Mandy sneaked in and tried to take pictures. She was caught by the gardener. She didn’t apologize but threatened us with reduced pay if we didn’t go back to work immediately.”
Mandy was shocked. She immediately denied the accusation, “It’s not like that!”
“Then what was it like?” Draco looked furious. He knew Mandy, and it did seem to be her style. Mandy pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, speechless.
Taking a deep breath, Draco approached Mandy. “It’s obvious you are prejudiced against Natalie. But as I said before, she won’t stay at W Marks for long. She will go on to do great things, and I want you to put aside your prejudice and help her become an independent designer.”
Mandy raised her head and caught Draco’s stern look. Her beautiful face was hardened by hatred. “So you want me to apologize to her? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?”
She threw a resentful glance at Natalie, turned around, and left.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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