Natalie walked into the furniture showroom in the five-star plaza in the heart of the city. It wasn't a regular showroom; it was the state-of-the-art, luxury at its finest for the elites of society.
Access to the plaza required a two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar non-refundable access fee, which was no problem for the crème de la crème.
Natalie walked in, having hurriedly booked an appointment on her way. She ought to have booked in advance, however, because of her status as Mrs. Clay, her booking for accepted without delays.
She walked in with confidence, turning heads as she walked past. She was rarely seen in public; seeing her was more like seeing a celebrity.
The staff were courteous, and a salesperson personally took her on a tour of their showroom, showing the finest upholsteries.
She called Kayla while they spoke on video call, as she asked for her input. Since they had both taken a virtual tour of the apartment, it was easy for Kayla to have an idea of what style and pattern of arrangement worked best.
"I'm thinking of something futuristic for the sitting room and a homey feel for the kitchen_" Natalie paused as she had bumped into something, no one with her back. She had felt her back up against someone's chest suddenly and had to stop her conversation with her friend.
She turned to look at who it was.
Her breath caught.
"You." Her voice hitched as she came face-to-face with the most beautiful face she had ever seen. To be honest, he was a very good-looking man. Jake Morton's angular features were quite refined, and his eyes stared deeply into hers as though looking into her soul.
She was staring at him, as was he.
"Hello," Kayla called, bringing Natalie's attention back to earth.
Natalie blinked.
"Let me call you back, Kay." She responded, cutting off the call. "I'm sorry, I seem to always meet you up in the most awkward ways." She laughed awkwardly.
He smiled. "That's okay." He said, not breaking off his stare.
Natalie felt her face flush red, her heart pounding, and her lips felt dry all of a sudden as she took a closer look at him.
She observed that he was wearing an Armani suit and a Graft Diamond Hallucination wristwatch worth fifty-five million dollars. His shoes were a John Lobb limited edition.
She looked up at him to find him equally appraising her. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything.
"Have a nice day, Natalie." He said with a smile and walked to the adjoining showroom. She blinked, biting her lips as she watched him. Just then, she noticed his bodyguard from the other night.
She blinked and turned back with a smile on her face.
She didn't know why, but she felt giddy.
She sighed, called Kayla back to pick up other items, then asked for modern antiques she could use as designs for her home. She was taken to the floor above to make her picks.
It was almost noon by the time she was done shopping after much analyzing and assessment with Kayla regarding what went where in the home.
She was about to make payments when she was told all items had been paid for.
"Excuse me?" She asked in surprise.
"Yes, Ma'am," the sales rep responded. "One of our VIP clients already paid for your purchase."
"May I know who that is?" She asked, looking around. Somehow, she knew it was the grey-eyed man with a gaze so deep it could open up her soul.
She smiled. "I'm unable to divulge that, Ma'am. It's part of our confidentiality policy for our VIP clients."
"I see." She sighed deeply. "Very well then, have these items delivered to this address." She said, typing in the details of her new home on an electronic tablet.
She was about to leave, then decided to go to the men's department to get something.
She wasn't ready to start getting indebted to anybody.
She called the lawyer, asking him for an hour as she would be running late. He offered to meet her at the Chinese garden restaurant, a ten-minute drive from the plaza, which she was grateful for, giving her ample time to shop for one more gift.
She thought hard on what to get for a man, especially for one who had so much money to splurge. Her husband was a e, so she knew how nothing money meant where he was concerned.
This should be the same for any other person of the same caliber. She thought
Should she buy something extremely expensive, then she thought of the cost of the items she had gotten in the showrooms and decided to get gifts within the same price range in amount.
Natalie opted for a cufflink, a Richard Mille wristwatch, and a limited edition black Stuart Hughes Diamond tux. It wasn't up to the three million, five hundred thousand dollars she had spent on everything, furniture, interior décor, home, and kitchen appliances she had gotten. It was about one million five hundred thousand dollars, but she was running out of time for her appointment, cutting short her purchase.
She noted down her new address for the items to be delivered to; hopefully, she would be able to hand the items over at an appropriate time.
Wrapping up, she walked out of the plaza and took a taxi to the restaurant. She wasted no time in ordering some dishes as she was famished.
The whole shopping had taken a toll on her strength. She was so hungry.
Soon, the lawyer arrived, and they got down to business. Not long after, the waiter came with some dishes.
"Forgive me, but I took the liberty of placing an order. I hope you like the preference, Mr. Shaw."
Mr. Shaw laughed politely. "It's no bother, Mrs. Clay."
He was a talented gentleman, perhaps in his early thirties, and was quite keen and meticulous. She had decided to use him not only because of his expertise but because of his pedigree and his understanding of his clientele.
She didn't want a messy divorce and would want the whole process quietly sorted and dealt with as quickly as possible.
Mr. Shaw understood her demands and made a mental note to send her the amended demands on her divorce request later in the day for review.
Once they concluded, he wasted no time and excused himself while she was left alone.