waking

Chapter 15 

After posting her latest drawings, Naomi dived into sketching several more, but she held off on adding them to her draft folder online. Instead, she stashed some clearly different, rough sketches there. She was pretty sure Rosalind was eager to snatch any chance for the spotlight and was likely on the hunt for her right now. 

For Freddy, tracking someone down was a piece of cake, and Naomi was steeling herself for their inevitable next encounter. 

As Naomi’s pencil flew across the paper, hours slipped away. Throughout that time, Shawn didn’t say a word to her, although she couldn’t help glancing over at him now and then. 

Shawn had this cool charm when he was in the zone with work. Despite the scary scars on his face, his sharp features and deep eyes, topped with a perfect nose and strong jawline, were captivating. His hands were slender and moved swiftly over the keyboard. It was a sight both enjoyable and humbling to watch. 

His serious look and sharp eyes meant business, and with his lips compressed into a thin line, he looked every bit the boss. 

At that moment, Naomi actually started seeing his scars more like a mark of charm than something to fear. 

A tiny smile appeared on Shawn’s lips for just a second before he dove back into his work. 

Naomi waited a bit and then cautiously lifted her head. Seeing that Shawn wasn’t looking her way, she quietly let out a sigh of relief. 

The pings and dings of messages kept coming. It was Rosalind trying to reach out to her. Calls weren’t getting through, so Rosalind resorted to flooding her with messages, desperate to retrieve the password to the author’s account. 

Sis: [Naomi, where are you? I’m really worried about you, and so are Mom and Dad. Please, come home.] 

Sis: [Naomi, I’ve had Freddy check it, and no magazines around Atopan have hired you. Please, don’t do anything reckless for money. If you need cash, just tell me. You’re my only sister, and I’ll definitely figure something out for you.] 

Sis: [Naomi, you’ve got it all wrong about me and Freddy. We’re not together. He’s just been looking out for me, and that’s on your behalf, too. Mom and Dad were just panicked and worried about me. That’s why they spoke so harshly.] 

Sis: [Naomi, please come home. We’re all very worried about you. Freddy doesn’t want to break up with you. If you guys split because of some misunderstanding involving me, I promise I’ll cut off all ties with him. Just come home, okay?] 

Sis: [Naomi, what can I do to get a response from you? To get you to answer my calls or come home? Just tell me what you want, and if it’s within my power, I’ll do it.] 

A chill flashed in Naomi’s eyes as she quickly hammered out a reply. 

BreezyNomi: [Sure, I want you to drop dead. Do that, and I’ll come home. 

BreezyNomi: [As long as you’re gone, I’ll return.] 

Sis: [!!!] 

Sis: [Naomi, do you really hate me that much?] 

BreezyNomi: [Hmph.] 

Sis: [Naomi, how could you become like this? I can’t believe you’ve stooped that low just for money. Is it wrong for me to ask you to 

one home?] 

Seeing the nickname “Sis” Naomi felt disgusted. She swiftly deleted the nickname, and on the chat screen, “Sis” turned into “R&F“. Back then, Naomi didn’t give much thought to the name, but now it was clear as day. It was a combo of Rosalind and Freddy’s names, Rosalind’s way of shouting her love for Freddy to the world. 

Without a second thought, Naomi blocked Rosalind. 

After updating her webcomic, Naomi started to dig into information on Elaine Jewelry. She wasn’t actually working there, but she couldn’t just let Shawn support her without doing anything in return. Plus, Elaine was a solid company, one that could boost her rep fast. Apart from the TrueLove’s Kiss series, she knew she needed more designs to up her game. 

Naomi calmed her mind, recalling the pieces she had created in her previous life. Then, with a pencil in hand, she started sketching out new ideas. 

In her previous life, she had worked on whole collections, but now, she was going to release them one piece at a time. 

Right then, she had a spark of inspiration from the kiss she had shared with Shawn. 

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Chapter 15 

She planned to make a set of rings that were beautiful on their own, representing a pair for him and her, but when put together, they formed a beautifully patterned necklace pendant. 

She decided to name it “Kiss of Adventure“. After all, running into Shawn was an adventure all its own. 

Visions of their recent kiss kept popping into Naomi’s mind, making her cheeks heat up. She bit her lip, trying to focus, but her heart wouldn’t stop racing. 

“Naomi.” Shawn’s voice interrupted her. “Time to cook.” 

Naomi jumped to her feet. “Yes, Mr. Fischer.” 

“Be quick.” Shawn urged. 

“Understood, Mr. Fischer.” Naomi was all obedience. She would do whatever Shawn asked. 

The kitchenette was decked out with everything she could need, like the top–of–the–line appliances and all kinds of ingredients that were delivered fresh daily, some even flown in for the occasion. 

There were recipe books on the counter, too. If Shawn ever craved something she didn’t know how to make, she could easily flip through the pages and learn. 

Since Shawn hadn’t requested anything specific, Naomi decided to get creative. She opened the fridge, which was stocked with a variety of ingredients, and thought it was perfect for something light. 

She gathered some zucchinis, planning to make a cool zucchini salad starter. Then she took out some chicken breasts and fresh herbs, thinking of grilling them with a side of steamed asparagus. For dessert, she could whip up a berry salad with a light drizzle of honey. And for the soup, it would be the classic chicken broth with bits of spinach and a sprinkle of parmesan. 

She figured that for just Shawn, this should be plenty. 

Before long, the kitchenette came alive with the sounds of cooking. Shawn wrapped up his final paperwork and massaged his forehead. Barbara had clearly told him to bring Naomi over to the Fischer residence for dinner this evening. If he failed to, he knew without a doubt that she would make a beeline to his place the very next day. 

Rising from his seat, Shawn walked to the kitchenette doorway and watched Naomi moving around busily. 

The Edwards family were in a frenzy, searching all over for her, while she seemed calm, focused on staying by his side. 

The ringtone of her phone suddenly cut through the air. Shawn spun around and walked up to Naomi’s desk. There was an incoming call from an unknown number, and his finger slid across the screen to answer it. 

“Naomi, how could you stoop so low? I’m so disappointed in you. You met your sugar daddy just for a car. How could you do something like that?” Freddy’s voice was full of heart–wrenching anguish. “Naomi, is money really that important to you?” 

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