Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 23

Natalia stifled her anger and returned to the studio, apologizing profusely to the crew before heading back to the company. She knew Hamilton had deliberately kept her in the dark the night before. But for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she had done to tick him off this

time.

After settling into her office for a bit, Hamilton’s call came through. “Come up and fix me a cup of coffee.” “Sorry, Mr. Fowler, | need to reschedule the studio shoot.”

“And?”

“| don’t have time right now. Maybe someone else can make your coffee.” Natalia hung up without another word. After the call, she felt a surge of rebellious pride—she had just hung up on Hamilton Fowler.

But damn the consequences, she really didn’t want to see him right now. Did he actually enjoy playing these games?

Natalia was still seething. The man never seemed to lose. Now she thought about it; it was probably because she had given the food she had made for him to the stray animals.

But what was she supposed to do? Leave it out for him to eat after coming back from dining with Eveleen? As if he would care for her simple home cooking after Eveleen’s gourmet meals?

Soon after, the intercom buzzed, and Tess, her assistant, cautiously knocked on her door. “Boss, Mr. Fowler wants to see you.”

Tess was well aware of the stunt pulled on Natalia today. Everyone at the studio had a pretty good idea of what was happening. It seemed to be another round in the ongoing rivalry between two women. And once again, Natalia seemed to have lost.

Eveleen, the untouchable queen bee, could make Natalia crumble without even showing up. Even Tess felt it was unfair. But with Hamilton high on his throne, if he sided with Eveleen, no

one dared speak up. Natalia slumped in her chair, reluctant to move. But she knew if she didn’t, someone else would catch the heat.

Hamilton was adept at manipulation. He always knew what she valued. If she disobeyed, it would be Tess or the executive secretary who would suffer.

In his world, she had no choice but to play along.

“I got it.”

Pushing down her frustration, Natalia gathered her composure and headed upstairs.

As she approached the door, she heard a loud bang from inside, and her steps halted abruptly. 4/4

14:34

She looked back at the executive secretary.

“It's the Sales Manager reporting in,” the secretary informed her.

Natalia paused. “I'll come back later.”

The secretary's lips twitched. “You can go in now.”

Natalia wasn’t one to rush into the line of fire.

Hamilton was a perfectionist at work. Except, of course, for the last-minute switch in the campaign plan.

But she could understand why — the replacement was Eveleen, Hamilton’s first love, his lost dream. Eveleen must really enjoy a lot of privileges with Hamilton.

Avoiding confrontation, Natalia turned towards the pantry. Pouring herself a glass of water, she sat by the window, feeling a persistent discomfort in her heart.

For some reason, her thoughts drifted back to her childhood.

Back then, Hamilton had spent about half a year in that little coastal village. He had only a nanny with him, and Natalia always thought he looked so lonely, even if she was living a rough life herself — at least she had her mother.

So, she always felt sorry for him. Whenever her mother made something tasty, she would rush to share it with Hamilton. He would light up with joy, thanking her with a smile.

“Evi, | really like you. You're the kindest person in the world to me,” he would say. His words of affection stayed with her for years. But then, he fell for someone else.

When she met Hamilton again three years ago, she realized he wasn't pitiable at all. The true pitiable one had always been her. It seemed she had loved the wrong person from the start.

The Hamilton of today was not the boy from her childhood. His words of affection were no longer for her. The pantry door swung open. It was the executive secretary.

“Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Fowler is waiting.”

Natalia nodded and pushed open the door to Hamilton's office.

Hamilton sat behind his desk, head down, his voice dripping with sarcasm as she entered.

“Ms. Jenkins, always finding time to slack off, | see.”

“Sorry, you seemed busy.”

“Yes, the boss is swamped while you find the time to enjoy the view. Do you think your salary is justified?”

Natalia simply muttered an apology. After a moment, she spoke up. “Mr. Fowler, when can Ms. Schafer start shooting? If she can’t recover soon, | suggest finding a replacement. We need to

2/4 Chapter 23 launch next month, and any further delays will affect the campaign.”

Hamilton finally looked up. “That would mean you're not doing your job properly. As for a replacement, that’s not an option. Don’t even consider it. If you can’t handle the job, maybe it’s time for someone else to take over.”

Natalia stiffened. Hamilton’s threat was clear: it wasn’t just the campaign at stake, but her position as Marketing Manager. How ridiculous.

Eveleen was the one not cooperating, yet Natalia was the one he wanted to replace.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself several times that she needed this job and the money. and she couldn’t afford to lose it. “I'll do my best.” she met his gaze.

That seemed to satisfy him.

“Good. Then | expect you to complete the task on time and to a high standard.”

“Understood.” Natalia nodded after a short silence.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Back at her desk, she started to call Eveleen’s agent to reschedule.

This time, the agent picked up.

After a series of polite apologies, Natalia cut in, “Please give me a time when Ms. shoot. | need to plan the next steps.” The agent laughed lightly. “A specific time? That might be tricky to arrange.”

Schafer can

Natalia felt the fire in her chest ignite, unable to be tamed any longer. “If Ms. Schafer is truly swamped, then perhaps it’s best that she focus on her other commitments. I’m not exactly desperate for her participation.”

The agent let out a derisive snort. “Ms. Jenkins, Eveleen’s schedule is indeed jam-packed. Mr. Fowler has just financed a new film for her, and they’re gearing up for production. But Mr. Fowler has made it clear that no matter how busy, the endorsement deal is reserved for Eveleen. | believe you don’t have the authority to discuss replacements, do you?”

“Then, at least give me a specific date.” “Sorry, can’t pin that down just yet.”

Natalia hung up with a resounding click. She flung her phone onto the desk and stormed off to the bathroom. A splash of cold water on her face helped douse the flames of her frustration.

When she returned to her office, she found Tess on the verge of speaking but holding back. “What’s wrong?” Tess threw down her pen in irritation. “Eveleen’s here at the office, looking as far from being sick as one can be.” 3/4

Natalia let out a mocking laugh. “Isn’t that expected?”

While Natalia was unfazed, Tess was seething. “Our whole timeline’s been disrupted by her. It’s like she’s hogging the limelight without wanting to perform. If she doesn’t want to shoot, why insist on hogging the endorsement?”

Natalia chuckled. It probably wasn’t necessarily Eveleen’s insistence. Maybe it was Hamilton playing the generous benefactor, insisting on her taking it?

After all, it was a grand homecoming for his first love. Securing the lvy Gemstone endorsement was like unlocking the door to the entire luxury goods market. For Hamilton, gifting such a welcome present to his first love was hardly a challenge.

Natalia offered Tess some consolation. “Don’t fret. I’ll go up and have a word with her.”

When she returned to the top floor, she was greeted by an electric buzz of excitement in the secretary’s office. Each person was clenching a small gift, murmuring among themselves.

Upon seeing Natalia, their smiles instantly morphed into awkward grimaces. After all, her being. targeted by Eveleen was common knowledge.

“Ms. Jenkins,” the executive secretary called out. “I need to speak with Ms. Schafer.”

The executive secretary appeared slightly distressed. “Mr. Fowler just instructed us not to disturb her without his express consent.”