Chapter 375 The Elopement
A sense of restlessness hung in the air as Oliver tugged at his tie. He knocked on the partition, his voice carrying a note of urgency as he addressed Charles.
"Check on that Wine," he commanded.
As the evening wore on, Charles managed to gather some information about the elusive Wine.
The details were scant, the mystery surrounding her only deepening. It seemed that hardly anyone outside had seen Wine, save for the evening gown she had donned that night. Her portfolio was not extensive, but her reputation was far-reaching, largely due to Eric's introduction that evening.
From the attire she had chosen for the night, it was clear that Wine was an exceptionally talented young artist. Moreover, it was confirmed that Wine was indeed a woman.
"She's going to participate in a design competition in Paykston next month," Oliver relayed, reading from a new message he had received.
Natalie's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"So, we might meet her, right?" she asked, a hopeful note in her voice.
If they did cross paths, Natalie knew she would have to express her gratitude. She had been sponsored by Wine before, and this time, she was recommended as the finale model. Even though Wine's current fame might not surpass her reputation in the modeling industry, Natalie knew that her gratitude could not be understated.
Moreover, Natalie had a genuine admiration for Wine's style. If given the chance, she thought, they could even become friends. She remembered that Flora had also been fond of this style of design back in the day.
Oliver glanced at her, his face devoid of expression. "Your husband is standing in front of you, yet you're so excited about a woman who could potentially be an ugly duckling. Do you deserve a reprimand?" he asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.
Natalie bristled at his words.
How could he judge someone's appearance so quickly? And wasn't a designer's worth determined by their talent, not their looks?
Natalie thought of Susan, who wasn't exactly a beauty queen herself.
"Are you scolding me in your mind?" She was jolted back to reality, only to find that Oliver had already walked away.
He approached her, gently cupping her face. "I'm not," he assured her, as if the thought of scolding her hadn't even crossed his mind.
Suddenly, Oliver hoisted Natalie up by her waist.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her fear of falling causing her to instinctively cling to his neck.
"Taking...a...bath..." Oliver replied, his voice low and husky.
Considering Natalie had been on stage the previous night, Oliver had deliberately held back. Now that the show was over, it was only natural for them to celebrate together!
"Natalie! Open the door!"
"Natalie, save me!"
"Natalie, I'm going to die, help me!"
Early in the morning, Natalie was jolted awake by a frantic phone call, accompanied by the incessant ringing of the doorbell downstairs.
"Lilian is outside," Natalie informed Oliver, hanging up.
Feeling drained, Oliver pressed Natalie back into the bed before heading downstairs to answer the door.
As the door swung open, Lilian prepared to throw herself into Natalie's arms. Instead, she was met with the sight of Oliver, his face a mask of gloom.
A wave of unease washed over Lilian as she felt the palpable tension radiating from her cousin. She swallowed nervously, cautiously peering inside as she asked in a small voice, "Where's Natalie?"
Irritated, Oliver lit a cigarette, struggling to control his urge to toss his cousin down the stairs.
"In bed," he replied tersely.
Lilian recoiled at the smell of the cigarette smoke, looking at Oliver with a pitiful expression. "I didn't mean to disturb you...being intimate."
Oliver took a drag from his cigarette, beginning to question whether his cousin had been admitted to a top global university because his uncle had made a generous donation.
"Weren't you dying earlier?" Oliver asked, leaning against the door frame with no intention of letting Lilian inside.
He didn't mind if he wasn't around, but he didn't appreciate others interfering in the spaces that belonged to him and Natalie.
"Oh!" Lilian suddenly remembered the reason for her visit, pointing downstairs in a panic. "Morris is downstairs! He came to find me! Oh no, I was just outside playing and he found me. What should I do?"
Oliver remained composed. "Isn't it normal for your fiancé to come find you? Go play by yourself, don't bother me."
In that moment, Lilian saw her cousin's true colors.
"Natalie! Oliver is bullying me! Natalie, come quick!" The desperate plea echoed from Lilian, her neck craned towards the door as she howled for assistance.
Oliver's forehead creased in a twitch of irritation. "Lilian, whatever happened to your ladylike demeanor?" he retorted.
"Who needs a ladylike image? I don't want to be a lady!" Lilian shot back defiantly.
The sight of Natalie descending the staircase was a beacon of hope for Lilian. Her demeanor softened, her eyes pleading as she turned towards her cousin.
"Why are you standing by the door? Come in and talk," Natalie urged, her brow furrowed in confusion at the apparent discord between the two cousins.
Lilian's face instantly brightened at the invitation, her head tilting back in triumph as she announced to Oliver, "Natalie let me in!"
’Why must the world be burdened with such troublesome cousins?‘ Oliver mused, his fingers tapping out a text message.
Moments later, breakfast was delivered.
"What happened, Lilian?" Natalie inquired, her ears having caught a faint whisper of ’what should we do‘ as she made her way downstairs.
With a mournful expression, Lilian began to recount her unfortunate encounter with her fiancé to Natalie.
"Fiancé?" Natalie echoed, her surprise evident. She had never heard Lilian mention a fiancé before.
Lilian's finger nervously twirled in the air as she confessed, "Well, you see, I actually ran away from my wedding."
Natalie was left to wonder, ”What's up with kids these days? Running away from weddings and ending up at their cousin's house?"
Her gaze shifted to Oliver, who was nonchalantly enjoying his scrambled eggs, seemingly oblivious to the drama unfolding around him.
"Natalie, I don't like Morris. He's dumb, ugly, and used to boss me around when we were kids and told me to marry him. I'd rather marry Lucas!" Lilian lamented, her voice heavy with sorrow.
Natalie was taken aback by Lilian's sudden change of topic.
Oliver shot his cousin an annoyed glance before patting Natalie on the back.
"You...you and... Lucas...?" Natalie stuttered, struggling to gather her thoughts.
Weren't these two always at each other's throats? How did they end up wanting to ‘get married’?
Unfazed by the confusion her words had caused, Lilian continued, "Though I dislike Lucas, he's still better than Morris."
Natalie observed no hint of shyness on Lilian's face when it came to expressing her feelings, so she temporarily suppressed her shock.
For the next several minutes, Lilian embarked on a lengthy tirade, listing all of Morris's 'wrongdoings.'
Morris was three years Lilian's senior, and their families had been close friends for years. They had known each other since childhood, and Lilian's grievances seemed to know no end.
Throughout Lilian's rant, Oliver remained a casual observer, his only action to pour milk for Natalie, his only words a grumbled complaint. "It's tasteless. This is so tasteless."
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