Chapter 192 Eat mine
Adrian, whose eyes showed conflicting emotions, persuaded, "Noah, there’s no need for you to leave. The gathering tonight…”
Noah cut him off. Her voice was resolute as she said, "No, Adrian, I must leave. I can’t bear to be around Oliver and Natalie any longer. I should have taken the lesson on the ship to heart. It’s best if I leave."
Adrian sighed deeply, recognizing the finality in Noah's decision. He took her hand and led her toward the dock, wiping away her tears.
The staff member had already prepared the boat and car to bring Noah away.
As they walked, Noah could not resist looking back at Oliver worriedly.
Oliver looked indifferent, ignoring Noah. It was clear to Noah that her fate was now entirely in Natalie’s hands. It was beyond her imagination that Oliver would show such care for a woman.
With Adrian’s support, Noah continued to walk. She never wanted to see Oliver and Natalie again if she could help it. She regretted not learning her lesson on the ship.
Meanwhile, Adrian glanced at Natalie, searching for a hint of regret. To his dismay, she ignored him and began to speak to Oliver. He comforted himself, thinking that perhaps Natalie did not notice him looking at her.
With the evening's party approaching, the crowd dispersed, having nothing more to watch. They left to prepare for the night's events.
As Adrian and Hailey escorted Noah to the dock, Hailey said regretfully, “With so many of our country’s elites gathered in one place, it’s a rare opportunity for us to network…”
Noah looked at Hailey, her expression unsmiling as she said to Adrian, "I wish to speak privately with Hailey for a moment."
Adrian presumed it was a confidential matter the two women wished to discuss, knowing his sister's fondness for Hailey. He granted them privacy, moving to a bench some distance away to wait.
“Noah, when I saw you were hurt, I…” Hailey began.
"You’re disappointed, aren’t you?”
"What?" Hailey was puzzled.
"When you heard Natalie telling me to leave earlier, you told me it’d be okay if I wanted to stay. Why didn’t you say it loudly so Oliver and Natalie could hear you? Wasn’t it because you were afraid? Moreover, you didn’t want me to leave not because you were reluctant to part with me but because you wouldn’t be able to use me as a weapon against Natalie. I’ve already become a laughingstock for everyone in the circle, and you still wanted me to stay? You’re really selfish!” Noah said with a mixture of disappointment and disgust.
"Noah, what are you saying?" Hailey's heart thumped in fear as she feigned innocence and asked, “Did someone say something to you? Was it Natalie?”
Noah replied, “She did remind me of something…”
Hailey breathed a sigh of relief before reaching for Noah's hand. "Noah, Natalie's aim is to sow discord between us. Don’t listen to her. She’s…”
"Don’t touch me! It has nothing to do with her,” Noah interjected with a sneer, “When her horse charged at me earlier, you could’ve pulled me away, but you quickly distanced yourself from me. Not only that, but when Oliver and Natalie were dealing with me earlier, you only stood aside and watched!”
"I..." Hailey began.
Noah did not give Hailey a chance to explain and said, “I’m only being civil to you now because of my brother. I don’t want him to listen to these words because he likes you and you’re going to be my sister-in-law. However, I won’t help you anymore in the future.”
In fact, when Oliver threatened Noah earlier, Hailey had considered defending Noah. It was an opportune moment to demonstrate her allegiance to Noah. However, she was so captivated by Oliver that she forgot to speak. His commanding aura was mesmerizing, and he looked extremely majestic. In his presence, Adrian looked like a coward. With this, she became even more infatuated with Oliver. She was vexed when she thought about how Oliver was originally supposed to be her husband.
Tears welled up in Hailey’s eyes as she said, looking aggrieved, “Noah, don’t you hate Natalie? Are you really going to let her go just like this? What happened to you earlier is all caused by Natalie, not me. Think about it.”
Noah held back her tears as she said, “I know that, but even if I want to seek revenge, I won’t stand by your side again. I’ll never allow you to manipulate me again!”
"I didn’t manipulate you, Noah," Hailey protested, shaking her head.
Regardless of Hailey's denials, Noah's trust had been irrevocably shattered. It was not solely the day's events that led to this breakdown but also the revelations from the incident on the ship. She now suspected that Hailey might have been the one to push Natalie off the ship. In any case, to her, both Hailey and Noah were not to be trusted.
After Noah's departure, Adrian asked the teary-eyed Hailey, "What did Noah say? Why are you crying?”
"It's nothing," Hailey replied, dabbing at her tears, "I just think Natalie was too harsh, pushing Noah to such extremes. What will become of Noah now?"
Adrian merely said, "Oh."
Adrian did not think that Natalie had been too harsh. In his view, without Natalie's intervention, his sister’s outcome would have been much worse.
Hailey did not want to speak to Adrian anymore. Since she had lost Noah’s support, it meant her standing in the Harrington family had also weakened. In conclusion, the Harrington family was no longer a good place for her. With this thought in mind, she was even more determined to quickly mend her relationship with Oliver and get rid of Adrian.
…
A lavish buffet had been organized for dinner.
However, Natalie and Oliver returned to their suite, which came with a small kitchen.
Earlier, Natalie had arranged for ingredients to be delivered so she could cook for Oliver.
Isaac and Wyatt trailed behind them, leading others to mistakenly believe that the two had just formed a new friendship with Oliver that day, unaware of their longstanding acquaintance.
Isaac, attempting to join the dinner, forced a smile and said, "Oliver, Natalie, can I join you for dinner?”
Isaac had been regretting the time that he had missed Natalie’s cooking.
"Get lost!" Oliver said bluntly before he left Isaac behind.
Isaac's smile faltered, and his expression turned awkward. Turning to Wyatt, he muttered, "Why didn't you speak up earlier?"
Isaac said accusatorially, “If Oliver had agreed, you would’ve benefitted. However, if he had not agreed, you also would not be affected! You’re really cunning!”
"Is today your first day knowing me? Have you just now realized my cunning?" Wyatt retorted and laughed, looking quite pleased with himself.
…
The ingredients that had been delivered were perfect for making French cuisine.
Natalie prepared a meal of French wine-stewed chicken and black pepper sirloin steak.
“We should eat quickly. Otherwise, we’ll be late for the ball,” Natalie said. The others should be done with dinner by now. After all, it took some time for her to cook.
"Do you want to dance?" Oliver asked, cutting his food with precision.
"No," Natalie replied immediately.
"Then why must we attend the ball?”
Oliver had little interest in such events, preferring the comfort of their suite and Natalie's company over mingling with people who scrutinized him or wanted to curry favor with him.
"Wouldn’t it be rude if we didn’t show up?" Natalie pondered the implications.
"Do you think I care about such things?” Oliver asked as he put down his fork and knife.
"No," Natalie conceded with a sigh. In fact, this decision suited her. She did not like such events as well.
Oliver cut a piece of steak and offered it to Natalie, insisting, "Eat."
“I have my own.”
Natalie gestured to her own plate, indicating she had her own serving, though notably smaller since she was not very hungry.
Oliver looked at her with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I know’, but he still said, “Eat mine.”
Natalie reluctantly acquiesced. Over time, she had grown somewhat accustomed to Oliver's inexplicable insistence on sharing his meals even if she could not figure out the reason why.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
