The Executive & The Artist (H.S)

III

IT was eight o'clock in the morning when Nat's doorbell rang.

She was asleep, of course- cuddled up in her warm blankets and dreaming of Jesse from Hannah Montana- when this event occurred. The sun hadn't risen yet over the London skyline, so, therefor, neither had Nat.

The sound was loud and repetitive, only a ten second time frame in between each ring. It was precise, she noticed, as she rolled out of bed and struggled to perch her glasses on her nose in her half-asleep state. It was precise and calculated, and it was then she knew who it was.

"I'm sorry for taking your money, but you gave it to me so I'm not giving it back," she said, opening the door and trying to look professional as her words slurred. Harry had a smile on his face, and Nat thought that he should smile more often. Happy looked good on him. "I'm not here to take back the money," he told her, taking a step into her flat. His nose crinkled in disgust at the clutter scattered across every surface but kept his mouth shut on the topic, because Business Harry had taken over him.

Regular Harry had left for the day. The Harry that would cringe at disorganization and demand that the clutter be removed had left. Business Harry had moved in. The Business Harry that turned on the charm and turned off the OCD.

His ex hated Business Harry. And frankly, Regular Harry did too.

"I heard that you're raising money for domestic violence awareness?" Harry asked, his accent thick. Nat nodded and blinked a few times because Harry Styles was in her flat, whilst she's in her pajamas, with absolutely no make up on, and looking like a troll. He said, "that's very kind of you. How many have you sold already?" "About seventy." "And how much have you raised?" "Why is this relevant?"

Business Harry turned to look at the girl who was incredibly selfless but tired, staring at him with a mixture of confusion and exasperation. "I was simply curious." "I seriously doubt it," Nat shot back, crossing her arms over her chest that was only covered by a t-shirt, the outline of her bre.asts embarrassingly apparent. "You want some of the money, don't you?" Harry didn't speak, and just took in the messy state of her flat. There were textbooks scattered around, so he assumed she was studying whilst pursuing her hobby of painting. A male jumper was draped across the back of the couch and a picture of her and a boy with dark features and an admittedly... attractive physique was perched on the side table. Boyfriend, probably. It was hard to believe that someone that looked as fit as Nat wouldn't have an abundance of male attention, so he wasn't surprised. Maybe a little disappointed, but not surprised.

"How much have you made?" Harry asked again. Nat huffed and rolled her eyes in frustration and annoyance. "I'm not becoming a partner of yours, Mr. Styles." "Why not?" "Because most of the money goes to charity." "You don't keep any of it?" "Only what I need." "That's an unwise business decision." "What's unwise is barging into my home before the sun rises, rudely pressuring me into a business deal."

Business Harry's jaw dropped. He had never been so rudely treated by someone he bought something from, someone he considered a business partner. He clenched his fists and forced a smile. "Miss, please just consider-" "Nope, sorry," Nat interrupted and started to push him out the door. He pushed back against her with pleading eyes. "Miss Beck, please understand what this could mean for your company." Nat said, "I do understand. I understand that I'd lose some of my control within the business I built from the ground, and I understand that you would be in charge of which path the studio takes and I don't want that. So yes, Mr. Styles, I understand."

He was staring at her. Business Harry was staring at her with green eyes, wonderment streaked across his features, mixed with something that looked like annoyance but Nat couldn't tell. "I would not take over your company, Natalie." "How do you know my name?" "You signed it on your painting." "The painting you supposedly hated?"