A DEAL WITH MY BEST FRIEND'S HUSBAND

Chapter 4

THIRD PERSON's POV.

"Congratulations! Your Admission and Scholarship Offer."

Nathalie paused for several seconds, feeling as though her entire world was spinning. She closed her eyes, took a succession of deep breaths, and then snapped them open again.

“What?!” she muttered, utter surprise painting her face. She dropped her phone onto the mattress and turned the screen off. Clutching her chest, she could feel her heart hammering violently against her ribs. She picked the device right back up on the verge of tears, refreshing her email inbox. The scholarship offer was still there.

“How... How?!” Her voice cracked as hot tears finally streamed down her cheeks. “I haven't even applied yet.”

Her sobs became more frequent as the tears rolled down relentlessly. A massive wave of happiness was bubbling inside her chest, mixed with the absolute shock of it all. She paused for a brief second as a sudden, terrifying thought crossed her mind.

“Wait. What if this is a scam email?!” she muttered. Snatching up her phone again, she refreshed the page multiple times and confirmed the sender's address was directly from the college administration. The phone fell back onto the bed as she used her hands to fan her face, trying to stop the tears that couldn't stop pouring from her eyes. Everything she had spent years dreaming about had just landed in her lap, without her lifting a single finger or working herself to the bone for it.

In between her crying of happiness and the excitement bubbling in her chest, her phone buzzed. She picked it up, seeing a text from an unknown number. Wiping her tears with her free hand, she clicked it open.

Unknown number: “What flavor of ice-cream do you like?!”

She paused, staring hard at the digits. Confusion flickered in her eyes as she prepared to type back, but deep down, her mind already knew exactly who it was. It had to be Mr. Weird.

Nathalie: “Who is this?!”

She bit her fingernail, waiting anxiously for a reply. A single second felt like an hour as her curiosity burned, desperate for confirmation. She dropped her phone back onto the sheets, assuming the reply wouldn't come anytime soon, but it buzzed almost instantly. Her hands quickly grabbed the phone, her thumb tapping the notification.

Unknown number: “You said you liked ice cream.”

She rolled her eyes, but a helpless smile tugged at the corners of her lips anyway. “Such a stalker,” she huffed. Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment as the realization fully connected with her head. She typed out her next question without holding back.

Nathalie: “Did you do something about my scholarship?”

The reply came almost immediately this time.

Unknown number: “Vanilla?!”

She scrunched her face in pure frustration, her fingers typing back in full force.

Nathalie: “Are you going to just ignore me?!”

She stood up and walked up and down her room, waiting for his text. But seconds turned into minutes, and he did not reply. Her chest tightened with every second that passed without a reply.

“Fine. Don’t answer if you don’t want to. Rude stalker!” she said out loud. But a part of her really wanted him to text back. She wanted him to talk to her and tell her if he bought the scholarship. Deep down, she knew it was him.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Emily was already in the kitchen, so she went to open the door. Nathalie stayed in her room, lost in her thoughts. She felt a mix of anger, happiness, surprise, and joy. She kept wondering: Who is this man? Why does he act this way?

“NATHALIE!!” Emily screamed.

The loud shout made Nathalie jump. She pushed her door open and walked quickly to the living room and the open kitchen. The moment she looked at the kitchen, she froze. Her mouth opened in shock.

So many boxes of vanilla ice cream from different expensive brands were sitting on the kitchen table. More boxes were packed tightly inside the freezer. Her eyes went wide. She looked at Emily, who looked just as shocked, and then looked back at the mountain of ice cream.

“Nathalie, say something! Did you buy all this by mistake?!” Emily asked. She picked up one of the ice cream boxes to look at it. “This brand costs over 500 dollars for just one box! Why would you spend so much money on this??”

“I... I did not buy all this,” Nathalie said. Her voice shook because she was so surprised.

“Ugh. You don’t have to lie. The delivery man literally said your full name,” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “You always say you don’t have money for my school fees. You always complain when we ask for money. But you just spent thousands of dollars on ice cream!”

Nathalie snapped out of her shock. Her sister’s words felt like a slap in the face. The shock turned into real anger. She took a step closer to her sister.

“I. JUST. SAID. I. DID. NOT. ORDER. ICE. CREAM.” Her words were hard and firm.

Emily swallowed hard and looked surprised. Nathalie had never talked to her like this before.

“And even if I did, Emily, you do not tell me how to spend my money,” Nathalie snapped.

Nathalie turned around, walked back into her room, and slammed the door. She grabbed her phone from the bed and started typing as fast and hard as she could.

Nathalie: “Seriously?! Why would you fill my house with ice cream? You came into my life, and you know everything about me. But I don’t even know something as simple as your name?!”

She dropped her phone, folding her arms in annoyance. She couldn't understand why she was so pissed off about all of this. The idea of someone knowing everything about her while she knew almost nothing about him rubbed her the wrong way.

Her phone pinged, and she picked it up quickly. He had sent her a web link. She stared at the message in confusion.

“I am literally losing my mind, and this man sends me a link,” she scoffed. Her fingers tapped on the link, and then she froze. Her eyes went wide as she read the article.

NATHANIEL HARRINGTON, COO OF HARRINGTON HOLDINGS.

Her mouth fell wide open. She had heard that name before. Everybody in the city knew the Harrington’s. They were one of the oldest, richest families, and they still controlled most of the city.

The phone dropped from her hands onto the bed. “Oh my goodness,” she muttered. Her thoughts began to spin. She didn’t know what he wanted from her yet.

She switched off her phone. Then she switched it on again. Stared at his number. Switched it off once more.

“No.” She whispered shakily. “I’m not doing this.”

She only used her mother’s phone to contact Caroline, asking when they could meet up. She really needed someone to talk to right now.

They agreed to meet at Bennett’s Café the next day. Nathalie went to the club that evening and insisted she only wanted to dance on the main stage. She refused to dance for Nathaniel in the VVIP room, and she refused to show up for him.

During her dance on the stage, all she could think about was those blue eyes. She also wondered why she wasn’t feeling his hot gaze on her. Something deep inside her heart really wanted to see his face again.

****

“Wait! You’re telling me this stalker got you a scholarship with every expense paid?!” Caroline asked. Her eyes were almost popping out in surprise.

“Yes! Like, I just don’t get it,” Nathalie huffed, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

“Me too. Like, no offense, but who would spend this much money on a stripper?!” Caroline chirped, rolling her eyes.

Nathalie swallowed hard. Her chest tightened because her real-life situation hurt, but she thought to herself that Caroline wasn’t lying. “I’m worth every penny, Caroline,” she muttered, her fingers tapping against the cup.

Caroline laughed nervously. “Obviously you are, Nathalie. So, what’s his name? Like, how rich could he be to spend money this way?!”

Nathalie puckered her lips. She took out her phone and showed Caroline the news article.

“NATHANIEL HARRINGTON?!” Caroline’s voice boomed through the quiet café, making Nathalie jump back in shock.

“Do—do you know him?! I mean, I know you do, since your father and the Harrington’s run that tech company together. But do you know him, like, personally?!” Nathalie asked. Her heart thumped harder, scared that her best friend might already have a history with the man she was secretly falling for.

“NO!” Caroline chuckled weirdly, scratching the back of her neck. “I mean, I’m just surprised. A man like that wouldn’t go for strippers like you.”

Nathalie froze for a second as those words rang through her ears. The bad feelings she already had about Nathaniel’s power had just been fed by her best friend. “I know, right? That’s why I have decided to ignore him.”

“Yes, you should definitely do that,” Caroline replied way too quickly. “Can I please have your phone?!" I need to check out some of our throwback pictures.”

Nathalie agreed, passing her phone to Caroline. Excusing herself, she went to the restroom. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She did not plan her life to be this way, but unfortunately, it turned out like that. It made her feel like she was not good enough for a

billionaire. She concluded that Nathaniel was way too powerful for a normal girl like her.

Caroline and Nathalie said their goodbyes. Nathalie promised to keep her updated and then left Caroline alone in the café.

The moment Nathalie left, Caroline’s smile disappeared. She picked up her phone quickly and dialed a number.

“Yes, sweetheart,” her father’s loud voice came through the phone.

“Daddy, we found her!” Caroline said into the phone.