Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

"You don't look happy. But don't worry, she won't threaten you again so long as I'm around."

Vernon patted himself on the chest as he spoke, only to be met with a faint

chuckle from Natasha.

"It's fine. I'm not exactly a part of them anyway."

Now that she had already given her gift, she had no reason to stay around for the banquet.

But Vernon was not planning to let her go just yet. "You're not in the jewelry business, are you? So how could you tell that the necklace was a fake just by looking at it?"

Natasha found him rather loud, but she hadn't expected him to believe her.

He continued, "I don't believe you. I just believe my own eyes."

The smug look on his face immediately wiped out any good impression he had left on Natasha. She just felt that he was both loud and narcissistic.

After that, they ended up chatting about jewelry in general for some time. Natasha did not expect to have a decent conversation with Vernon.

"Mr. Foster, are we really not going over to her?"

Julian was already panicking, while Zachary remained as calm as ever.

That was until Natasha and Vernon walked away from the banquet together.

Vernon explained, "I didn't expect you to have a background in chemistry. Surprisingly, you could tell something was wrong with the necklace at first glance."

Natasha shrugged and replied, "Ms. Simon doesn't believe what I said. There's not much I can do about it."

The dye used on the necklace contained a chemical substance extremely harmful to the human body.

Exposure to it from wearing the necklace for too long will lead to all kinds of illnesses for the wearer.

Since Hayden had already dismissed Natasha's attempts to unveil the truth, Natasha had no reason to go out of her way to help.

"I'll be straight with you. Let's work together! We'll split it 40:60. I'll take 40%, and you'll take 60%. I guarantee that we'll make a killing!"

Vernon blinked with anticipation as he stared at her.

"You want to run an unethical business? I'm afraid Ms. Bradley would never agree to that."

Zachary suddenly appeared behind them, leaving Natasha confused.

Vernon stroked his chin as he scanned Zachary from head to toe. "I've always heard about you and your reputation, Mr. Foster. Now that I've finally gotten to see you in person. You look alright, I guess."

That was the first time Natasha had heard anyone talk to Zachary like that.

Vernon continued, "I'm being serious here! Didn't you say that you were looking for a side hustle? You can just come and help me out for an hour after work. I'll pay you triple!"

He was genuinely tempted by the business opportunity. With chemical dyeing techniques, the increase in profit margin for one necklace was at least 90%. The remaining 10% was practically negligible.

"Sorry, I don't want to be a part of that."noveldrama

Natasha declined his offer firmly. She would never use her knowledge to harm others.

"I knew that you would turn me down. That's right, I was just testing you."

Vernon had a smug expression, as if he had already anticipated everything from the very start. It made Natasha laugh out loud.

Even though it was only their second time meeting each other, for some reason, Natasha felt that Vernon was not a bad person.

"I still have some other things to do, so I'll be saying goodbye now. If you ever want to work together, just look for me whenever."

With that, Vernon got back into the car and left.

Natasha felt that his offer was not a bad idea, considering that she just needed to be a sales assistant after working hours. It was also a chance to experience something different.

Zachary suddenly spoke up. "Have you been short on money recently?"

Only then did Natasha remember that he hadn't left.

She observed him cautiously and replied, "Not exactly, but it's pretty normal to have a side hustle, isn't it? By the way, Mr. Foster, do you already have a side hustle? If you don't, I can recommend one."

She found that he shared many traits with Jack, be it his physique or voice.