Whisper Destiny

Chapter 53

~ 3rd Party POV ~

The Carlton Hotel loomed into view, its iconic white facade glowing under the golden sun. The journey to Cannes had been surprisingly smooth, with Catherine once again surpassing expectations. This time, she had gone so far as to charter a private plane for Natasha, despite Natasha's insistence that flying commercial would have been perfectly fine.

Since their arrival at the airport, there had been no sign of the usual media frenzy or lurking paparazzi, a detail Natasha was certain Catherine had meticulously arranged. She felt a surge of gratitude for that, relieved to strike one more stressor off her list.

"Wow, this hotel is stunning..." Astrid's excited voice pulled Natasha from her thoughts. Astrid had accompanied her on this trip, and they were scheduled to meet Catherine, along with Louisa and the rest of Catherine's team, here in Cannes. That was the plan that she aware off, at least.

It had been five days since Natasha last saw Catherine, and she found herself counting down the days, anticipating to meet her again more than she cared to admit—something she never imagined would happen to her. She convinced herself it was the sex she craved, not Catherine.

But after all, that didn't stop the frustration from bubbling up. Catherine had made no effort to contact her all week. But, she reminded herself that they weren't in the kind of relationship where they updated each other on their lives, they weren't bound by those unspoken rules, which makes Natasha brushed her feeling aside, determined not to let it bother her. But deep down, it did.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Natasha was escorted directly to her room. She had expected to meet Catherine there, but her expectations were quickly dashed. There was no sign of Catherine—only a fleeting glimpse of Tommy, Catherine's head designer, surrounded by a few more staff members from Ortiz & Co. and a bunch of dresses in her hotel room.

"Ola, Natasha! Good to see you again," Tommy greeted her warmly, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "Don't mind us, we're just making the final preparations for tomorrow. You know how crazy Cate is when it comes to perfection. You, my dear, should go to your room and get some beauty sleep—or better yet, wander around, if you want. The weather's quite nice today."

Natasha opened her mouth to ask where Catherine was but hesitated, deciding against it at the last moment, and go straight to her room decided to take nap.

By the time she woke up, Catherine was still nowhere to be seen. Instead, only Louisa greeted her with cheerful voice and a warm hug, "Hey, you're up. How was your flight?"

"It was okay..." Natasha give a simple respond.

"Astrid mentioned you haven't had lunch yet. Are you hungry? I can call room service, or we could head downstairs if you'd like," Louisa offered.

"Where is she?" The question finally slipped out.

"Cate will be here soon. She asked me to check on you first." Louisa answered, her words vague and unsatisfying, fueling Natasha's growing irritation. If Catherine was going to be so busy, why insist that she be here at all?

Sensing Natasha's irritation, Louisa quickly suggested a change of scenery. "How about we grab something at the café downstairs? They've got the best view in town and, trust me, the world's best pastries. I'll let Cate know to meet us there when she's done."

Natasha shook her head, irritation simmering just beneath the surface. "No need. She's busy, right? Let her focus on her work. I know how to entertain myself," she replied, her voice edged with frustration.

"But—" Louisa began, but before she could finish, Natasha had already turned and disappeared into her room to change.

Louisa had been right—the view from the café was breathtaking. But it did little to quell the irritation Natasha felt towards Catherine. Louisa tried to explain away Catherine's absence, but Natasha merely shrugged it off, unwilling to listen.