Chapter 536 Game Started
"Are you kidding me? Holding hands like a bunch of kindergartners!" Barrett was taken aback, his face twisted in disgust. ”I’m not doing this!“
"Barrett, this holding hands segment was actually orchestrated by your grandmother," the coordinator approached Barrett with a calm stride and said, before casually gesturing toward the nearby camera that was following the action.
The event had thirty participants—fifteen couples or romantic pairs. Each had an assigned spot that was under the watchful eyes of twenty cameras, broadcasting live to the elders who had bankrolled this affair.
Compelled by the elders to be here, compliance was a given.
Barrett was told was to bring a girl for a good time, all expenses paid – no one mentioned all these complications!
"Oliver, I had no idea you'd show up," Natalie reluctantly paired with Oliver, whose face was stern. She couldn't help but try to justify herself.
She knew the last person he wanted to see was her, yet here he was, not only facing her, his ex-wife, but also forced to play partner.
Didn't suspect I'd be here? Would you have stayed away had you known? Oliver shot Natalie a frosty glance, a suffocating tension in the air around him as he sat down on the designated bench.
He should've never agreed to this event.
With Natalie here, it was even worse. His presence was far from willing.
His gaze dropped to Natalie's legs; he had been uninformed about her complete recovery until Marjorie mentioned it.
But the idea of not attending, and the thought of her paired with another man, sent a surge of jealousy through Oliver so intense he felt murderous.
Marjorie, ever vigilant over Natalie's business, had caught wind of the company mandated event and immediately invested in this couples' camp, insisting Oliver participate and pair up with Natalie.
It was just another one of Marjorie's schemes to give Oliver another shot.
"Mr. Windsor, Miss Watson, time to join hands! Mrs. Majorie Windsor is watching you two through the camera!" The coordinator, noticing Natalie and Oliver's lack of cooperation, approached with a considerate gesture.
Oliver, from the corner of his eye, caught the coordinator reaching out to take Natalie's hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
In an instant, Oliver stepped in front of Natalie, his voice was icy.
A warm grip enveloped Natalie's left hand.
Coming to her senses, she looked down at her hand, now held by Oliver. His was much larger and broader, making her feel almost childlike in his grasp.
The unexpected intimacy of their hands linked caused Natalie's heart to skip a beat.
"Mr. Windsor, please don't misunderstand! I was just, just trying to help you two to—to hold hands! I meant to put Miss Watson's hand in—in yours!" The coordinator, rattled by Oliver's intimidating look, stumbled over his words, feeling like a scoundrel caught with designs on another man's wife.
Oliver's eyes flickered, suddenly aware of his overreaction, his grip on Natalie's hand an undeniable testament to his feelings.
Seeing that Oliver wasn't blaming him further and their hands were still joined, the coordinator quickly went away.
They continued to hold hands, neither acknowledging the accidental touch. Silently, they sat side by side, their unspoken agreement hanging in the air.
The other young lords and ladies around them exchanged looks and assessed Natalie and Oliver quietly, not daring to make a sound.
Whoever planned this event had a wicked sense of humor, reuniting Natalie and Oliver—a recently divorced couple—back into a pair.
"If they weren't holding hands, I'd have thought Oliver and Natalie were strangers." Lilian couldn't help but quip to Lucas.
"Oliver, that kind of guy? He's lucky if someone bothers to share a seat with him," Lucas retorted with a sneer.
"How can you talk about my cousin like that?" Lilian snapped back, her protectiveness clear, before sheepishly conceding. "Well, Natalie left him while injured, so it must have been his fault."
The coordinator grabbed the microphone, delivered some official welcoming remarks, and then announced the rules for the event.
"I bet some of you aren't too thrilled to be at this summer camp, right?"
The camp director's voice rang out with infectious enthusiasm. "For those of you eager to cut your retreat short, your chance has arrived! Our couples' summer camp lasts for 15 extraordinary days, with daily missions lined up for you. The first three couples to complete these missions each day will score points - three for first place, two for second, and one for third. Rack up 20 points, and you get to finish your adventure early! Of course, you're more than welcome to stick around and have fun with the rest of us."
"Does anyone else get the feeling we're unwitting stars of some reality show?" one of them mumbled.
"The real audience is just our folks at home with too much time on their hands!" another chimed in.
"We could win every single time and it'd still take us a week to get out of here."
"I heard they hired a reality TV planner."
"No way, they're turning us into actual reality show contestants?"
"Don't be so downhearted. We get to witness the juicy drama unfold between Natalie and Oliver, plus Susan and her fiancé are here, not to mention Sharon!"
"Barrett, got a sec?" Noah whispered, seizing the moment while others grumbled.
Barrett, still deep in thought about being conned by his own family, barely grunted in acknowledgment.
"What's the deal with Mr. Windsor and Natalie? I thought they divorced. Back together now?"
"Why do you care?" Barrett shot back defensively, but inside she was just as curious.
Her voice dropped even lower as she shared her little secret, "I'm actually a huge fan of Mr. Windsor and Natalie!"
Barrett, confused, was met with silence from Cadence.
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