She does not get the job but later marries Sinclair. Meanwhile, Natalie applies for a job as secretary to a very powerful and rich stock analyst named Sinclair Bryant ( Alan Rickman). The editor, Colin ( Karl Johnson), is somewhat skeptical of Richard's intentions but takes him on anyway to work with his deputy, Jessica ( Lesley Sharp). Richard, committed to the environment and sustainable town planning, is interviewed for a job with the magazine Urban Alert, formed to put pressure on the planners of Docklands to consider the needs of the local residents. During this time, Richard becomes an extremely successful town planner and something of a lothario while Natalie's career stagnates in a succession of low-level administrative jobs she hates. Richard does not seem to have a reaction. Richard's attempts to lighten the mood are ended when Natalie pulls him into a somewhat passionate embrace, although she immediately apologizes and makes the excuse she just wanted someone to hug.
On Richard's insistence, they go for a late-night walk and Natalie seems to cheer up, but on waking in the middle of the night, due to loud music from the neighboring apartment, Richard finds Natalie still awake and still extremely depressed. She is also unhappy in her job as a buyer.
Natalie has recently bought a fairly noisy apartment with her lover only to have him leave her within two months. Town planning student Richard Gillespie ( Clive Owen) walks through a scene of tower-blocks en-route to visit his older sister Natalie ( Saskia Reeves), whom he is not very close to since they each grew up with a different parent after their parents divorced.