Chapter 396 Attacked at the Party
"Oh, Oliver, you arrived so early!" a spirited elderly man, at the front, exclaimed as he stood up as soon as he noticed Oliver's arrival.
The others ceased their conversations and rose to their feet, following the elderly man's lead. They greeted Oliver politely while they looked at Natalie and Oliver secretly.
Caleb Hastings and Marjorie Windsor were long-standing friends, making Celeb the only person there whom Oliver genuinely respected. He took the opportunity to introduce Natalie to Celeb, exchanging pleasantries with him and paying little attention to the rest of the attendees. He was as arrogant as always, and he had every right to be arrogant.
"Oliver, I was under the impression you wouldn't come," Susan, positioned slightly behind, chimed in.
It was only then that Oliver acknowledged Susan. After a brief glance at Susan, Oliver remarked, "Natalie isn't familiar with this place, so I accompanied her. We hope you like the gifts we brought you. Happy birthday.”
Oliver and Susan had maintained a good relationship previously, and he had visited the Hastings' household on several occasions. The majority of those present were familiar with Oliver and recognized his reserved nature. His lukewarm birthday wishes to Susan, almost resembling condolences, did not surprise them. His attendance, initially unintended, now seemed a deliberate gesture of support for Natalie.
The women of the Hastings family shared knowing looks among themselves, thinking that Natalie really held some weight in Oliver's heart.
Despite the twinge of pain in her heart, Susan replied calmly, “Thank you.”
"I heard Arthur has returned?" Caleb asked, clearly well-informed.
"Yes, he's now running the Windsor Group. I don't know if he'll come today," Oliver responded.
"Let the women chat. You, come and join us," Caleb said, gesturing to the men of the Hastings family to come along.
Oliver stepped back and said, "Grandpa Hastings, Natalie is quite shy."
The implication was clear: he would not be separated from Natalie.
However, Caleb appeared to overlook Oliver's meaning. He smiled warmly and said, "She'll get used to it. The more she mingles, the more comfortable she will become. Besides, she seems to get along with my granddaughter."
His granddaughter was naturally Susan.
Natalie caught Susan's gaze, and Susan, standing next to her elders, offered Natalie a gentle smile. She appeared polite and proper, but a hint of anticipation could be seen in her eyes. She was like an eagle that had already had its prey in its clutches.
Natalie did not object, and coupled with Caleb's influence, Oliver eventually conceded.
"So, you're Natalie?” a woman, one who held the highest status in the Hastings family, asked.
Having prepared in advance, Natalie merely nodded in polite acknowledgment to the woman's probing question and greeted, "Hello."
She was Susan's mother. With Caleb's wife having passed away, Helen Hastings stood as the matriarch of the Hastings family.
Helen scrutinized Natalie openly and scoffed. "So you're the woman who outshone my daughter on the international runway? Well, you're pretty, I'll give you that."
Her tone was laden with irony and disdain, as though she were assessing a cheap item in a marketplace.
"Mom!" Susan exclaimed in irritation, then turned to Natalie and whispered apologetically, "I'm sorry, my mother tends to be this way. Please don't mind her."
Natalie saw through Susan's little scheme, but she was unbothered.
Helen had been waiting for Natalie to retaliate, which would have given her the chance to reprimand Natalie. To her surprise, Natalie maintained her composure admirably!
The women continued to chat among themselves, ignoring Natalie and deliberately embarrassing her.
Seated on the edge of the hall, Natalie could have enjoyed the view outside perfectly if not for the group of women engaging in incessant chatter. The view would have been much more appealing without their distraction.
Natalie could not shake off a feeling of familiarity with the place. She could not identify the exact source of this familiarity, but she seemed to have an intuitive understanding of the layout, even for areas that were not within her direct line of sight.
Observing Natalie seated comfortably on the side, appearing undisturbed and somewhat content, sparked anger in Susan. She tugged on Helen's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, don't you think it's inappropriate to ignore Natalie like this?"
"You're really naive. Why are you so worried about that woman?" Helen resented Natalie due to what had happened to Susan.
The manner in which the women of the Hastings family treated Natalie was heavily influenced by Helen.
"Natalie, you're so quiet. Aren't you bored?" Helen asked, turning her attention to Natalie, "Well, I guess you were raised in a different environment from ours, so it's hard for you to join in our conversations."
Natalie responded with a confident smile, "Indeed, I usually stay in Rosewood Estate and hardly go out, so I'm not very good at talking. Thanks for asking, but I'm not bored. In fact, I find it exhausting sometimes to talk to people."
Helen's expression stiffened, reinforcing her view of Natalie as a cunning woman. She interpreted Natalie's remarks as boasting about Oliver's love and that Natalie found talking to them exhausting.
However, Natalie's impeccable manner of speaking left no room for her to find fault. Even if one understood the underlying message in her words, it was hard to confront her directly.
At this time, the other women chimed in one after another.
"Natalie, you're really impressive. Although your origins are… unknown, you managed to marry Oliver. Many young women nowadays aren't as capable as you."
"Susan is in her twenties, beautiful, talented, and comes from a prestigious family. It is the men who are short-sighted if they don't marry her!"
"Some women are just cunning. Susan is pure and naive. How can she compete with those women who climbed up the social ladder? Don't you agree, Natalie?” someone deliberately asked.
At this time, Natalie also realized that Celeb had intentionally sent Oliver away earlier. Her gaze swept over everyone present before finally resting on Susan and Helen.
Susan appeared to consistently defend her, yet remained silent when they insulted her. She constantly used and hid behind others, maintaining her image of innocence.
At that moment, Natalie even began to suspect that Susan's act of saving her and admitting her mistake were part of a larger strategy, meticulously planned by both Susan and Hailey!
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