Chapter 16 Birthday Banquet

• She shot a death glare at Natalie before leaving the banquet without a word.
• In the meantime, Alfred led Natalie and Shane to his private lounge.
• “Alfred, this is a present from Mercede. She wished you a happy birthday.” Natalie handed the gift over to Alfred. Actually, today was not only an ordinary banquet but Alfred’s birthday banquet. She was one of the few who knew it was his birthday.
• “Please pass on my thanks to her and send her my regards.” Alfred unwrapped the gift in front of Natalie. It was a Brown Betty teapot handmade by Mercede. Although it was not of great value, he couldn’t help but let out a heartfelt smile when his eyes met Mercede’s signature engraved at the bottom of the teapot.
• He put the gift aside and turned to face Shane, picking up their conversation interrupted by the commotion just now. “Shane, as you can see, I am past my prime. With regards to what you’ve said just now, I think I can’t be of much help.”
• Shane was tonight’s biggest donor. Instead of becoming a partner of the Moore family’s project, he was here to invite Alfred to become the chief designer of Thompson Group’s latest project - Project Rebirth.
• He was a stickler for perfection when it came to his work. The only two fashion designer he had in mind was Alfred and Mercede. Since the latter was currently residing overseas, Alfred was the only one he could turn to. Hence, he fell into silence when Alfred turned his request down.
• “Actually, I have a person in mind.” Alfred suddenly shifted his eyes to Natalie. “What do you think about Nat? She is a creative young lady.”
• In a befuddled state, Natalie stood rooted to the spot.
• Shane followed Alfred’s gaze, casting his eyes at Natalie, the lady whom he had only met twice. He was hesitant because he wouldn’t simply entrust his project to someone whom he barely knew.
• “Why don’t you let her work in your company for a month? You can assess her ability during this period of probation. If you think she is not competent enough, you can then ask her mentor to work for you.” Alfred proposed smilingly, his eyes revealing his trust in Natalie.
• The job referral came like a bolt from the blue. Natalie had the odd feeling that Alfred was selling her and her mentor out so that he wouldn’t need to work.
• But at the same time, Shane’s interest was piqued when he saw Alfred having such confidence in Natalie’s capability. He nodded his agreement and said, “Alright.”
• Hearing that, Natalie was at a loss for words. Hey... Shouldn’t you guys at least ask for my opinion?
• “You can report to work tomorrow.” Shane rose to his feet and gave her a gilded name card.
• Before she could even say anything, he had turned and left the lounge. “Alfred?” She was clueless as she looked at Alfred questioningly.
• With a faint smile, Alfred cleared her doubts. “Your mentor and I are of the opinion that it is time for you to gain some hands-on experience.”
• Natalie then kept the name card and nodded at him. She understood Alfred made the job arrangement for her own good. “I got it, Alfred. Thank you for doing all this for me.”
• When she was abroad, she managed to make a name for herself with the support of her mentor. Now that she was back in the country, she was a newcomer to the fashion industry since no one knew she was Mina - the well-known fashion designer and Mercede’s student.
• She was in desperate need of an opportunity to stand out and build her reputation. Hence, she was determined not to let Mercede and Alfred down.
• Alfred was glad as he nodded. “Good. Now you should go back and make your preparations. From now on, you can only count on yourself.”
• Following that, Natalie bowed to him respectfully before she left.
• It was midnight when she was finally back at her apartment. She gently pushed open the bedroom door and couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her children sleeping in bed.
• Joyce was standing beside Natalie, looking at the children lovingly. “Aww, they’re sound asleep.”
• “Thanks for your help today, Joyce,” Natalie said as she closed the door.
• “Hey, I’m Aunt Joyce, after all. I’m more than willing to take care of them. But why are you back so late today?” Joyce was curious.
• Natalie yawned as she walked toward the couch in the living room. “Ugh, I got into trouble at the banquet today. I’ve wasted some of my time to deal with the issue before I got to meet Alfred.”
• “Trouble?” Joyce was worried, so she asked anxiously, “What trouble? Was everything alright?”
• “Yes, everything’s been taken care of. And... guess what? I have a piece of good news!” Natalie sat on the couch and then took Shane’s name card out of her purse, handing it over to Joyce.
• “Oh my God!” Joyce couldn’t help exclaiming, “Nat, how did you get Mr. Shane’s name card?”