I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 308

Natalie realized her phone wasn't with her and quickly asked Anne to fetch it. By the time Anne brought it over, the screen was already lit up with several missed calls from headquarters.

She gave Samuel Thompson a quick apology and stepped away to call them back.

Ten minutes later, she returned to the table.

“What happened?” Samuel asked. Her expression was calm, but he could see she wasn’t in a good mood. It was obvious the call hadn’t been a pleasant one.

“Headquarters knows about the auction,” Natalie said. “They’re upset. I have to write a report, and they’re docking my bonus for the quarter.”

Anne looked shocked. “But we didn’t lose anything. The auction went ahead, and the pieces sold for great prices.” She honestly couldn’t understand why Natalie was being punished when she’d worked so hard to save the day.

Natalie shook her head. “It only worked out because Mr. Thompson stepped in. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had anything to auction. And I didn’t have a backup plan ready.” She wasn’t letting the excitement of their livestream success cloud her judgment. She knew exactly where things had gone wrong.

Samuel leaned forward. “The Ramirez Group was trying to shut you down. Even with a backup plan, it probably wouldn’t have mattered.” Alexander Ramirez had managed to get both buyers and sellers to cancel their contracts with Billy Firth. No matter how well she’d prepared, if nobody was willing to work with them, it would have been useless.

Natalie was quiet for a moment. “I’m going to talk to Alexander Ramirez.”

After all, she’d managed to pull off the auction through a livestream, something Alexander clearly hadn’t expected. If there was a next time, she knew he’d probably block every route she could take. She had to face him, no matter what.

A few days later, after taking some time to rest, Natalie made her way to the Ramirez Group.

“Hi, I’m Natalie Watson from Billy Firth. I’d like to see Mr. Ramirez,” she said at the front desk.

The receptionist recognized her right away. “Ms. Watson, do you have an appointment with Mr. Ramirez?”

Natalie shook her head. “No.” Alexander wasn’t answering her calls, so there was no way she could make an appointment even if she wanted to.

She waited, and after a while, her eyes grew heavy and she dozed off right there.

Upstairs, Alexander Ramirez returned to his office after a meeting, with Aaron Lee trailing behind him. “Mr. Ramirez, Ms. Watson is here. She wants to see you.”

Alexander paused. “Did she say why?”

“No, sir. The front desk just called. She’s waiting downstairs.” Aaron hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Would you like me to bring her up?”

Alexander loosened his tie, sank into his chair, and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. His answer was cool. “No. Go handle your work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Aaron started to leave, but then turned back, his voice careful. “The front desk said Ms. Watson has actually fallen asleep while waiting in the lounge.”