Chapter 162 Natalie, Speak Up
Natalie knew very well how domineering Oliver could be, so she tried to explain, “Oliver, Roger saved me, and he also helped me…”
Oliver interjected, “You owed him, and I’ve already repaid him on your behalf. You should see less of him in the future.”
"Why?" Natalie's expression turned cold. She held strong beliefs and had her own way of interacting with people; he should not tell her who she should or should not see.
Oliver found her reaction particularly irritating. He retorted, “Oh, you’re upset? It seems like your relationship with him is quite special.”
He suppressed the true reasons hanging on the tip of his tongue and continued to speak in his customary arrogant and domineering manner, "Why? Because that man has bad intentions toward you; he’s been interested in you for quite some time!"
Natalie took a deep breath, attempting to reason with him. "You’re my husband, but you have no right to dictate my friendships. Roger is my friend. It’s not just him. I have other male friends now and I’ll have them in the future. I’ll have to work with many other male models in the future. Are you going to control all of that? Are you going to stop me from socializing completely?"
Initially, Natalie intended to discuss this calmly, but as she spoke, it became increasingly difficult to control her emotions.
Oliver sneered. He held her chin and made her look at him before he said, “So what if I do that? Who can stop me?”
Indeed, was there anything Oliver could not do, or anything he could not achieve?
"Natalie, you deserve zero points on stage earlier," Oliver stated.
A chill pierced through Natalie's heart.
Within the confined space, the overhead light cast shadows on Oliver's face, making him appear distant and intimidating.
Natalie felt suffocated. He could manipulate her like a toy, shaping and squeezing her as he pleased, and she had no practical means of resistance.
She could scheme against the Watson family, against her greedy colleagues outside, but when faced with Oliver, she was powerless. Not just because of their vast difference in abilities, but also because he had no weaknesses.
As long as he did not care about her, she would never hold significance in his heart, and he would continue to utter such arrogant and cruel words.
Natalie attempted to shake her head, but she belatedly realized his hand on her chin prevented her from doing so.
"Why don’t you speak?" Oliver murmured. His voice sounded gentle, but it could not hide the hint of coercion.
"What do you want me to say?" Natalie met his gaze, finding it somewhat absurd. "Promise to cut ties with Roger? That's impossible. Promise not to interact with other men in the future? Equally impossible. Promise not to work with male models again? Also impossible."
Oliver narrowed his eyes, and his grip tightened.
He thought, ‘Is she really going to defend Roger like that? Is she challenging me because of him?’
Natalie remained silent and endured the pain radiating on her chin.
"Impossible?"
Oliver lowered his head and lightly kissed the corner of Natalie's mouth. It seemed like a tender gesture, but it felt heartless and indifferent.
Then, he stated, "I can make the impossible possible."
He could imprison her, destroy her, and end her career. He had endless ways at his disposal.
Natalie was furious. Just as she was about to retort, she heard noises from outside.
"Was it really Natalie’s first time? Her headshot was great.”
“There’s no one here? I thought I heard something.”
"You must have misheard!"
The voices grew closer as the two female models entered the dressing room to change.
After some time, accompanied by the sound of clothes rustling, the two continued their conversation.
"But is there really fair competition in competitions nowadays? With multiple investors involved, the relationships are complicated. The Harrington family supports Hailey, and although Arwyn's reputation is tarnished, she’s still the top model in her agency company. Her agency is giving her full support this time to repair her reputation. Do you really think Natalie’s earlier victory is so simple?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Are you talking about… Roger?"
"Who else could it be? It's all over the Internet. Natalie is actually rumored to be Roger's secret lover. Everyone’s talking about it."
"No wonder! I mean, why would a man like Roger show up here and willingly become a model for Natalie? Their relationship must not be simple!”
All the colors drained from Natalie’s face when she heard the conversation outside. She had no idea that in the eyes of these people, she and Roger were in such a scandalous relationship.
Oliver looked at her expressionlessly as though he could not even be bothered to show her his angry expression. His brown eyes were like a still pond, but underneath, there seemed to be a surging tide.
Natalie anxiously looked at Oliver.
In the next moment, Oliver cupped Natalie's face and kissed her fiercely. He was clearly venting his anger through the kiss.
Natalie tried to push him away, but no matter how hard she pushed with both hands against his chest, he remained unmoved. In the struggle, Natalie's foot kicked the partition in the changing room.
That sound was like a thunderclap to Natalie. She was so frightened that she stopped moving.
The two models outside stopped their conversation.
"Did you hear that?"
"Not anymore."
"Is someone here?"
"Something must have fallen. Let's hurry up and change. We still have to prepare for the next round."
Natalie's body was tensed in Oliver’s arms, afraid of being discovered by the people outside.
On the contrary, Oliver wished Natalie would make more noise so those two women outside would discover them. With that, they would know who her husband was!
Things did not go as Oliver had hoped for.
The two models quickly left, leaving behind a silent room.
Oliver loosened his grip on Natalie, and she gasped for air, feeling like she was about to suffocate.
Seeing Natalie's flushed face and rapid breathing, Oliver instinctively wanted to pat her back. However, he stopped himself just as his hand was about to move.
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