Chapter 243 Mr. Heilbronn Is Treated Differently
Nathaniel strolled back in with the water, shutting the door behind him like Aurelia asked.
The cup clinked softly as he set it on the table.
Aurelia was deep in her work, her pencil scratching away on the paper, totally ignoring him.
She looked chill, but inside, she was a hot mess, not even sure what she was sketching.
Nathaniel grabbed a chair and sat across from her. Seeing her head down, he nudged the cup closer.
In a gentle voice, he said, "Hey, drink some water before you keep going?"
Aurelia finally snapped, a bit annoyed, "Mr. Heilbronn, stop coming here. You have a wife, and it's not cool for you to keep visiting me. If people start talking, it could damage your reputation."
Nathaniel was quiet for a moment. At least she was willing to talk with him; her cold silence was the worst, leaving him with no way to respond.
"Aurelia," he said softly.
She looked up and corrected him, "My name is Anne!"
After a few seconds of eye contact, she buried her head back into the work.
Nathaniel followed her lead, saying in a deep voice, "Anne, let me explain. I've looked into what happened. That malicious woman..."
He struggled to continue and summed it up, "In short, there won't be a third person between us anymore. I never loved Chelsea. Can you trust me again and give me another chance?"
He added, "A chance to make amends to you."
Upon hearing that, Aurelia's pencil trembled, leaving a series of crooked lines on the paper, ruining the design draft.
She crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the trash, visibly upset and agitated.
She snapped, "Mr. Heilbronn, how many times do I have to say it? I don't have time for your games anymore. Go find someone else. There are plenty of women out there, and you'll find one you like."
Nathaniel's throat tightened, feeling a sense of defeat. He glanced sideways and saw a bouquet of baby's breath on her desk, a gift from Caleb.
When he arrived, he noticed that the flowers he had sent over the past few days were given to the other employees, but she had kept only Caleb's flowers, placing them in a vase on her desk.
At that moment, he felt bitter, like he was defeated by Caleb.
He instinctively reached into his pocket, wanting to smoke to ease his tension.
Just then, Caleb appeared at the door with another bouquet of baby's breath.
Caleb hadn't been pursuing her so diligently before, but Nathaniel's presence seemed to have spurred him on. Recently, he had been sending flowers every day, and today, taking advantage of a less busy Friday, he came in person.
As soon as he walked in, Caleb could sense the awkward atmosphere in the room.
He strolled over, placed the bouquet on the table, and couldn't help but smile when he saw the flowers he had previously sent still in the vase.
Caleb suggested, "Have the assistant replace these with the new ones; these are no longer fresh."
Aurelia nodded. "Just leave them there. I'll have the assistant change the water later."
Seizing the opportunity, Caleb asked, "What do you want for lunch?"
Aurelia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pretending to think, and after a moment, answered, "I feel like having some local barbecue."
Caleb raised an eyebrow and replied excitedly, "Sure, I'll have the assistant make a reservation at Embers & Co. Steakhouse. It's close by, so it won't take up your lunch break."
Embers & Co. Steakhouse was just a street away from Anne's studio, within walking distance. In the past four years, Caleb had only dined there with her once.
Deep down, Caleb knew Aurelia agreeing to lunch was just a way to dodge Nathaniel. He was just her excuse to escape.
But hey, Caleb was cool with it. At least she didn't give Nathaniel a chance, which meant he still had a shot.
Caleb walked over to the window to call his assistant, while Aurelia tidied up her papers and locked them in a drawer, getting ready to bounce.
They chatted about lunch, totally ignoring Nathaniel like he was invisible.
Just a minute ago, she told Nathaniel she couldn't do lunch 'cause she had work. Now, she was all in for barbecue with Caleb.
This double standard left Nathaniel feeling like crap, like the more he chased her, the further she slipped away.
After tidying up, Aurelia grabbed a sunshade umbrella from the drawer and said to Caleb, who had just finished his call, "Let's walk over. I need some fresh air."
Caleb put away his phone, opened the door, and smiled, "Whatever you say."
As they were about to leave, Nathaniel suddenly felt like the whole world had ditched him.
Just as he was feeling down, Aurelia turned back at the door and said, "Mr. Heilbronn, take your flowers with you. Stop doing pointless stuff."
Her words left Nathaniel speechless. He remembered when they lived at Bloom Villa, and on her birthday, she had a rash and wanted flowers. But the doc had advised against anything with a strong scent to avoid allergies.
He had casually said, "It's just a birthday, no need for pointless flowers."
At this moment, he realized that he might have exhausted all his emotional intelligence at work. Why couldn't he ever say something nice back then?
Lost in thought, he snapped back to reality to find Caleb and Aurelia had already left.
He thought of the sunshade umbrella she had taken, and a bad feeling washed over him. Caleb and Aurelia sharing an umbrella—just the thought made his heart clench.
He quickly chased after them and saw Aurelia and Caleb about to leave the building as he exited the elevator.
Just as Aurelia was about to open the umbrella, he rushed over and snatched it from her hand.
Aurelia was startled and turned to look at him in shock, asking, "Mr. Heilbronn, do you want my umbrella? Sorry, but I need it now and can't lend it to you."
Nathaniel's mouth was dry; he hadn't had a sip of water in her office, only her sharp words. He remembered Zack's advice: when chasing a woman, you need to be thick-skinned!
He opened the sunshade umbrella and held it over her head.
Nathaniel knew his words were harsh, so he decided to let his actions do the talking.
Aurelia was baffled by this sudden gesture.
For someone like Nathaniel, it felt out of place. He was the kind of guy who'd leave her in the rain, let alone hold an umbrella for her.
'Is he out of his mind?' she thought.
But he wasn't the only one acting crazy. At the same time, Caleb took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders, saying dotingly, "Cover up a bit, so you won't get sunburned."
Aurelia couldn't help but remind him, "Caleb, it's summer."
She knew the two were competing, but could they consider her feelings? What were they thinking, making her wear a jacket on such a hot day?
With these two flanking her, she finally made it to Embers & Co. Steakhouse, feeling relieved.
It was time to return the jacket and put away the umbrella.
The reservation was made by Caleb's assistant, and he felt quite pleased with himself, teasing, "Thanks for escorting us, Mr. Heilbronn. We've arrived at the restaurant, so we won't keep you for lunch. Feel free to leave."
Nathaniel felt a surge of frustration. Caleb was taking his wife out for lunch and had the nerve to ask him to leave.
He would not let things go Caleb's way.
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