Chapter 282 That is Oliver
Although the photographs online did not reveal Oliver's face or any clues to his identity, Natalie recognized him instantly. After all, it was the man whom she shared a bed with, the man who had told her he had work the night she called him.
“Natalie, don’t overthink it. Perhaps that’s not Oliver. Why don’t you call him and ask?” Jane suggested as she cursed Oliver inwardly.
"That man is Oliver,” Natalie said before she lowered her gaze and sneered. She recognized the cufflinks she had given him.
Furthermore, it was well-known among Paykston's elite that Oliver Windsor’s car of choice was a top-of-the-line Rolls-Royce Phantom, characterized by its black exterior and understated elegance, and bearing the license plate with the number ‘7’. The car shown in the photos matched Oliver’s car.
"Take your positions, we’re about to start!" a staff member called out.
Lily applied the final touch to her makeup and approached with a smile, asking, "Natalie, have you seen it? Don’t pay attention to it. I’ve heard that Oliver and Susan were childhood sweethearts, so their relationship is inevitably different.”
At this time, the director said, “Let’s divide the teams now. Grace will be Sharon’s stylist, Jacob will be Natalie’s stylist, and Zoey will be Lily’s stylist. The three groups will visit the campus and search for props, be it costumes or makeup. You’ll do the styling with the props you find.”
Natalie, visibly puzzled, inquired, “Director, didn’t you mention previously that Zoey would be in a team with me and Jane?”
Jacob hailed from a wealthy family, but his family was not among the top ten wealthiest families. They own several public companies, and Jacob was the sole heir. His rebellious nature attracted some criticism, but his good looks and acting skills also won him many fans. He was somewhat challenging to get along with.
On the other hand, Zoey was nearing forty, possessing both experience and depth which would help in the competition.
The director explained, "After deliberation, we concluded that Jacob would be a more suitable match for you."
Lily cast a triumphant glance at Natalie.
Suddenly, Natalie understood that this change was likely influenced by the scandal involving Oliver. The assumption was that Natalie was falling out of favor, so the filming crew rushed to curry favor with Lily, who possessed greater clout in the fashion industry, by assigning Jacob to Natalie.
Needless to say, if Natalie could figure this out, Jane could naturally figure it out as well.
Jane’s eyes glinted coldly as she narrowed them and watched Lily leave.
“Jane, don’t act rashly,” Natalie pleaded. She held Jane’s hand, worried that Jane would confront Lily.
"Don’t worry. If I decide to take action, it won’t occur in front of the cameras."
The real question here is the appropriateness of confrontation. Natalie did not find Lily's actions unforgivable, attributing them to jealousy.
For Jane, however, the situation was different. Attacking her best friend was akin to attacking her.
“What should we do if we can’t find any props?” Grace, projecting a sweet and innocent demeanor, timidly raised her hand and asked.
"If you can’t find any makeup, then you’ll have to go without it. Similarly, if you can’t find any costumes, you’ll have to wear what you’re wearing. However, that’ll give you zero points.”
“What about the range of areas we can search?” someone asked.
"You’ll have access to the two teaching buildings of the modeling academy, the main building, and the library in Building A."
Considering the size and complexity of the buildings, the task seemed daunting.
Anticipating the participants' concerns, the director's team assured them with a smile.
"Don’t worry. We have staff members in place. Should you need assistance finding the props, completing a mission for the staff member will provide you with a clue."
Given that the models from the three teams were all students from the same institution, navigating the campus and identifying the designated buildings was not a challenge.
Sharon's team opted for the teaching building, while Lily briefly deliberated over the library.
Meanwhile, Natalie decided on the main building.
Natalie had attempted to maintain an air of indifference regarding Oliver's decision to pick Susan up, yet deep down, she was unmistakably affected. Her facial expression betrayed her bad mood.
“Natalie, this place is quite hard to find. Did you choose the wrong location?” Jacob asked impatiently.
He was aware of the stories surrounding Natalie - her status as an illegitimate daughter, her connection to Hailey, and various rumors painting her as ruthless, vain, and seductive. Consequently, his perception of Natalie was rather negative.
Jane shot Jacob a warning glance.
"The main building holds significance, and there are limited places to conceal items on the surface. Perhaps there might not be many props that could be hidden there, but if I were part of the team, I’d definitely hide the props here. Let’s just look for staff members first,” Natalie explained before she looked at a security guard stationed at the building.
Before Jacob could interject, Natalie had already approached the guard.
"Hi, we’re looking for clues. Can you help us?” Natalie asked the guard.
The staff member, disguised as a security guard, was clearly taken aback. His expression clearly said, ‘How did you know I’m a staff member? Is it that obvious?’
Finally, the security guard said, “Look at the wall of balloons. There’s a piece of paper hidden within the balloons. The words on the paper are the clues. You have ten bullets to burst the balloons.”
Not every balloon contained a piece of paper. This meant that each balloon they burst that did not contain a piece of paper was a wasted chance.
Jacob, still contemplating how Natalie had identified the guard as a staff member, swiftly responded upon hearing the instructions, saying, "Let me deal with this!"
With those words, he snatched the black gun from Natalie’s hand, looking arrogant and confident.
Natalie exchanged a glance with Jane.
Jane smiled indifferently as she watched Jacob.
Bang!
Jacob missed.
Bang!
Jacob missed again.
"Damn it," Jacob muttered in annoyance, "This can’t be happening!"
Jacob’s third attempt also yielded no success.
"Three strikes," Jane said as she took the gun away from Jacob. She had intended to give him only three chances before she took over.
"What do you think you’re doing? Do you think a woman like you can shoot?" Jacob retorted, his tone laced with derision.
Undeterred, Jane raised the gun and aimed it, looking skilled.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each of Jane’s seven shots found its mark, and seven slips of paper fell to the ground.
"Seeing how confident you were, I thought you were a sharpshooter,” Jane said mockingly as she put the gun aside, exuding a cool air with each of her movements.
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