Chapter538 Reconciliation?
Oliver, who had been cold and distant throughout the journey, barely glanced at her.
It was always Mr. Windsor giving the orders, never taking them.
"Susan will be at the café, and I don't want to be with her," Natalie turned away.
It wasn't just Susan; there was also Sharon. Wherever women congregated, drama often followed. More than just Susan and Sharon were likely to mock her, as she had become quite the topic of idle gossip. Men, on the other hand tended to be more straightforward; their banter lacked the sting of insinuation, making their company considerably more bearable.
In Oliver's eyes, however, Natalie's stern tone came off more like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.
It was rare for her to reveal such a capricious side, and even rarer for her to make such demands of him.
Oliver watched Natalie, a flicker of unexpected emotion passing through his usually indifferent eyes.
He hadn't wanted her to enter the old town, traditionally a man's domain, but now... faced with her request, he found himself at a loss for words.
"If you don't want to pair up with Susan, then don't," he said.
The young elite gasped in surprise as they witnessed Natalie stepping into the old town alongside him.
"Miss Watson, what's the deal with you and Mr. Windsor? A reversal of the usual roles, huh?" someone jokingly teased Natalie.
"Cut it out!" Barrett, Oliver's loyal defender, quickly jumped to his defense, "Natalie's just looking out for our bro, right Natalie?"
A fake smile appeared on Natalie’s face.
Natalie's sarcastic expression was so blatant it sent several of the guys into bursts of laughter.
The guys found Natalie to be surprisingly approachable despite her aloof demeanor, and inquired about her leg injury.
"It's all healed up now, thanks for asking," Natalie replied.
"Then that Sharon... was really spreading rumors about you, huh?"
"Shh! Carter's right over there!" a friend warned.
Barrett glanced at Carter, whose face had soured, and shrugged nonchalantly, not giving a damn about Kensington.
Carter was Sharon's boyfriend, but they hadn't been dating long. He had been attracted to Sharon for her good looks, but now... instead of garnering status, he had become the butt of jokes!
What a mess — if you can't handle Natalie, why even provoke her? Foolish!
Once inside the old town, everyone had a map. Before receiving hints from the organizer, they were free to hunt for treasure on their own.
The treasures were packed into authentic-looking treasure chests, and the whole setup felt like a reality show.
Natalie and Lucas, while close, went their separate ways. They had different task sheets and destinations; the old town was too vast to waste time sticking together.
"Natalie, have you and Oliver tied the knot again?" Barrett trailed behind Natalie. Once they were alone and the others had dispersed, he tried to cloak his curiosity with an air of casual indifference.
"Do I look like it?" Natalie didn't even look up from the map she was perusing.
"No, not really."
"Then why ask?"
Barrett added, "Doesn't look like you're divorced either."
Natalie remained silent.
"Come on, spill the beans," Barrett pressed, unwilling to give up. "It's just the two of us here. I swear it won't go any further!"
"If you're that interested, go ask Oliver." Natalie couldn't fathom why, after their highly publicized split, people still thought they were together.
"Forget it." Barrett shrugged off the thought.
Prior to entering the old town, everyone was given a task list and a quirky background story.
Natalie reread the story, studied the map for a bit, and then made her way to a stall. In no time, she found a treasure chest tucked away in a hidden spot.
Engraved on the chest were the names: Natalie and Oliver.
Everyone's task list was unique, and the location of their items differed to avoid confusion, with each treasure chest bearing a name.
Once found, there was no need to carry the treasures oneself, staff were on hand to collect them.
Natalie showed no interest in the chest's contents, instructing the staff to take it before moving on to the next spot.
"How did you know there was something here?" Barrett was astounded but his thorough search of the stall yielded nothing more.
Natalie responded with a chuckle.
Barrett took a deep breath, “Don't get angry, it's not worth it!”
Curiosity piqued, Barrett continued to follow Natalie and watched as she found not one, but three chests in a row, like she had some sort of supernatural knack. He began to suspect she might obliterate the competition without needing any hints from Oliver.
"When is Cadence going to give me a clue?" Barrett complained, embarrassed by his lack of finds.
"So, are you and Cadence an item?" Natalie decided to indulge in some gossip herself, seeing that Barrett and Cadence always seemed close, yet she never saw them together.
"How's that possible? She's someone I hired for ten grand a day!" Barrett exclaimed. "I'm still single, you know. Instead of being paired up at random, I'd rather pick someone easy on the eyes."
Oliver sat amid a group of fourteen women, his presence chilly and aloof. Susan hadn't expected Oliver to be the one who stayed behind. A fluttering mix of anticipation and excitement welled up inside her.
The journey into the old town would surely be tough; it seemed Oliver was sending Natalie into the fray as some kind of punishment. Perhaps he couldn't stand her anymore. Both of them had been through a divorce, and for some reason, they wound up in the same team—what were the elders thinking?
Susan had managed to pull strings through a friend who happened to be a major shareholder. She aimed to embarrass Natalie, to set her up for ridicule—not to rekindle any old flames between her and Oliver.
"Oliver, can I sit next to you?" Susan approached Oliver's table with a soft voice.
Oliver had deliberately chosen a corner spot to keep his distance from the women, and now Susan was closing in!
"No! Go back to your seat!" Oliver's voice rose slightly, icy as a glacier.
He was normally impassive, but in his eyes, there flashed a momentary look of disdain and repulsion.
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