Chapter 206 Oliver, I don't believe it!
“Adrian, don’t sugarcoat it,” Natalie said with a chuckle, "You liked me? It’s more precise to say what is unattainable appears the most desirable. Otherwise, would you have resorted to drugging me last evening?"
"You know about it?!" Adrian's eyes widened in shock before he quickly composed himself. "You didn’t drink the drink? You were only pretending? But I clearly saw you drinking it!”
"Are you sure I drank the drink you tampered with?”
Natalie mused over the possibility that, should Adrian continue to demonstrate such a lack of intelligence, the downfall of the Harrington family might be inevitable.
"Adrian, my initial intention was to treat you like a stranger. It was you who sought to provoke me. Had you not drugged me last night, had you not harbored intentions of taking advantage of me, I wouldn’t have retaliated. It’s solely your inability to exercise restraint that led you to this predicament."
"Natalie, do you think you found a great catch? Let me tell you, every word I said last night was true!" Adrian said, laughing angrily as he pointed at Oliver, "He has no feelings for you! You’re merely a stand-in. His current treatment of you, his indulgence, stems from his whimsical mood and his desire to bed you! Once Susan returns, you will be deemed insignificant..."
Adrian abruptly stopped speaking and let out a painful cry. Oliver's kick, delivered with both precision and ferocity, silenced him mid-sentence.
“Say it again?” Oliver said icily.
Adrian, now huddled in a corner, clutched at his lower body, shivering from the pain. His complexion was pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat.
"Oliver, aren’t you going a bit too far?"
Natalie, witnessing the scene, empathized with Adrian’s pain. She pondered if this meant the Harrington family would not have any more descendants after this.
"Too far?" Oliver raised an eyebrow in question.
"No. After thinking about it, it’s justified.”
She recalled the incident where he had grievously injured Victoria with a single bullet. This, in comparison, was rather tame.
Oliver seemed satisfied with her response.
“Let’s go.”
He drew Natalie close, and they proceeded to leave. They had barely advanced a few steps when Hailey appeared before them.
“Hailey?”
Despite her makeup, the fatigue on her face was evident, and Natalie could not help but notice Hailey's distinctly swollen lips.
For the first time, Hailey did not stir any trouble for Natalie. Instead, she fixed Oliver with a glare and hastened toward Adrian's room.
Soon after, the sounds of argument emanated from within.
"Adrian, you promised me you won’t ever cheat again! What is this?!”
"Why are you screaming? You’re crazy!” Adrian, still reeling from the impact of Oliver's kick and numbed in certain regions, could not contain his frustration.
Lyra emerged from the room upon hearing the commotion.
“Hailey.”
"It’s you?!" Hailey stared at Lyra in disbelief. "How dare you seduce my fiancé, you shameless woman?!"
"Hailey, I didn’t…
Tears welled in Lyra's eyes as she looked desperately at Adrian.
‘Pretentious little b*tch!’
Driven by rage, Hailey struck Lyra across the face.
Lyra cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
“Stop pretending!” Hailey shrieked.
In retaliation, Adrian delivered a forceful slap to Hailey, sending her tumbling to the ground. The buzzing in her ears and the numbness in her face were immediate.
"Hailey, that’s enough!" Adrian, feeling a mix of guilt and protectiveness, helped Lyra to her feet and held her in his arms.
"Hailey, when did you become so vulgar? You’re behaving like a shrew! You were jealous of Natalie before this, plotting against her. Now, you’re targeting an innocent woman! I’ve misjudged you!”
"Vulgar? Shrew? Innocent? How can you say such words?”
Each of Adrian's insults felt like a physical blow to Hailey; every word was like a slap across her face.
Reflecting on the events over an hour ago and now witnessing her fiancé defend another woman before her eyes, Hailey felt like a clown.
She was aware of Adrian's infidelity, a trait she had somewhat accepted as a common failing among men. However, she had not anticipated such blatant cruelty from him. His heartlessness, exhibited openly before her, was unbearable.
…
At the same time, Oliver remained silent, his expression stoic. Yet, as Natalie quietly approached him, she sensed a shift in his mood. Despite his unchanging facade, their time together had allowed her to perceive his mood. She wondered if it had anything to do with her commenting that he had gone too far earlier.
Natalie said, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what you did earlier. Although kicking a man in… that part is a little… extreme, Adrian deserved it. Kicking him there will prevent him from causing more trouble. So I didn’t think you were overly harsh…”
Oliver looked at her in confusion. Seeing that she no longer spoke, he asked, “Are you finished?”
Natalie pondered for a moment before responding honestly, "Adrian set a trap for me yesterday, so I arranged for another woman to take my place. However, I was not the one who alerted the press."
"Is that all?" Oliver inquired, his tone implying he was already privy to these details. It was evident to him that Natalie was not behind the leak to the press, as he had arranged for someone else to handle that matter.
"What else do you want me to say?" Natalie asked, genuinely confused. "I have no information on Hailey's whereabouts, nor have I been in contact with her."
"Don’t mention that woman in front of me,” Oliver said as his expression soured, and he walked away.
Natalie pouted, observing him closely. She wondered why he was reacting so strongly. His mood swings were baffling.
Oliver had anticipated Natalie might inquire about Susan. He typically found prying and pettiness in women unattractive, but Natalie's indifference struck him differently.
Given Adrian's nature, Oliver knew that Adrian had likely shared every detail, perhaps even embellishing the truth. Yet, Natalie showed no curiosity. Could it be that she viewed him as inconsequential?
To Natalie, he might just be a person she made a promise to, someone she treated with kindness out of a sense of duty, rather than genuine interest.
…
At the pier, the individuals Adrian had contacted were already gathered.
Around ten people quickly made their way toward the bar.
The commotion caused by Adrian's actions this time was significant, making it a challenge to simply sweep under the rug.
Additionally, Lyra was not someone to be underestimated.
Hailey was absent until they boarded the ship. She arrived alone, without Adrian or any member of the Harrington family accompanying her. Her appearance was notably worn and pale, suggesting she had suffered greatly.
The onlookers offered her looks of sympathy. After the public exposure of her fiancé's betrayal at their engagement party, followed by his blatant infidelity at this party, it was understandable why Hailey seemed so distraught.
However, a woman suddenly said in a voice loud enough for Hailey to hear, "It’s retribution! This is what she deserves for being a third party in someone else’s relationship!"
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