The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband – Episode 27
Natalie met Sarah at a café near the hospital because she was not ready to return to the penthouse with questions she could not yet ask. She described George’s denial, Lauren’s accusations, and the fear that crossed the Quinn family when she mentioned the cleared account. She left out the instant when Sebastian’s face had seemed more guarded than surprised, afraid that saying it aloud would turn unease into suspicion. Sarah listened without interruption, stirring the same cup of coffee until the drink had gone cold.
“So did your father pay or not?” Sarah finally asked. Natalie wished confusion had a simpler answer. “I think he did and denied it because Lauren threatened him. What other explanation makes sense?”
Sarah’s expression suggested several, but she understood why Natalie chose the least painful one. George had disappointed her for most of her life; believing he had finally honored one promise cost nothing unless the belief proved false. “As long as your mom is covered, you can investigate later.”
Natalie exhaled. “That’s what I keep telling myself.” For the first afternoon in months, she could imagine a future not organized around the next hospital deadline. “Now I need a job in the city, repay Daniel, and start living like my life belongs to me.”
Sarah brightened and opened her laptop. Two interview confirmations waited in Natalie’s inbox, both at respectable firms. “Forget B.M. Enterprises. Serena doesn’t deserve another chance to humiliate you.”
“Serena isn’t the whole company.” Natalie looked through the window at B.M.’s tower several blocks away. “They changed the industry in three years. Their founder built something no one thought possible, and no one even knows what he looks like. Working there has been my dream since college.”
“Bash Myers,” Sarah said dramatically. “Genius, recluse, possible international criminal.” Online rumors connected the invisible founder to foreign weapons dealers, private security networks, and fortunes that appeared without investors. Some claimed he was a former intelligence operative; others insisted Bash Myers was a name shared by several investors. No verified photograph existed. Each theory contradicted the last, which only strengthened the mythology surrounding his name.
Natalie smiled despite herself. “Successful people become monsters in stories because ordinary explanations are boring.” She thought of the rumors surrounding Sebastian: violent, useless, recently released from prison. Living with him had exposed how cruelty and gossip could build an identity around someone they did not know.
“You defend mysterious men now?” Sarah teased. “Marriage has changed you.”
“Marriage has made me suspicious of everyone except my mysterious husband.” The admission surprised Natalie. Trust had not arrived all at once; Sebastian had earned it in kitchens, hospital conversations, and moments when he protected her without making her feel owned.
Her phone chimed. She expected another automated rejection and almost ignored it, but the sender line bore B.M. Enterprises’ human-resources address. Natalie opened the message, read the first sentence, and stopped breathing.
Sarah leaned across the table. “What happened?”
Natalie handed her the phone. The company was offering her the entry-level sales position she had interviewed for, complete with a start date and onboarding instructions. There was no mention of Serena’s evaluation or the humiliating rejection. An official signature at the bottom confirmed the offer was genuine.
“You got it!” Sarah’s shout drew looks from nearby tables. She hugged Natalie across the narrow space, nearly overturning both coffees. “Your dream company hired you.”
Joy rose, then collided with suspicion. “Serena said I wasn’t qualified. Why would human resources reverse her decision?” Natalie reread the offer, searching for an explanation buried in professional language. The salary exceeded both other opportunities Sarah had found, and the benefits would eventually help Natalie protect her mother without depending on anyone’s mercy. That made the offer harder to question and more dangerous to accept blindly.
“Maybe someone reviewed your grades and realized Serena was abusing her position.” Sarah saw justice where Natalie saw another unexplained intervention. “Take the win. You earned the chance, even if she tried to steal it.”
Natalie remembered Sebastian saying one dishonest interviewer could not decide where she belonged. He had spoken with certainty, but Daniel was the friend with contacts at B.M. If either man had interfered, accepting the job might mean beginning her career through favoritism. She called Daniel; the call went unanswered because he was meeting with Sebastian about the Quinn acquisition.
She then called the number in the offer. The human-resources representative verified every detail and said the instruction had come through executive review. When Natalie asked whose review, the woman politely explained that internal approvals were confidential. The answer confirmed influence without identifying its source.
Sarah closed the laptop. “You can interrogate corporate bureaucracy after you sign. Right now, say yes before somebody changes their mind.” Natalie looked again at the salary, the health benefits, and the chance to prove Serena wrong through actual work.
She accepted the offer. A welcome page appeared, followed by instructions to report Monday morning. Natalie laughed with Sarah and ordered two fresh coffees to mark the occasion. She promised herself that whatever influence had secured the second look, her performance would justify it. Across town, Daniel’s phone displayed the completed onboarding notice. He turned it toward Sebastian, who allowed himself a satisfied smile—until Daniel reminded him that Natalie’s first day would place her inside the company where every corridor knew Bash Myers was the real authority.
