Chapter548 Limit Your Contact with Him
Cadence discreetly set her phone aside, pretending she wasn't worried enough about Natalie to accompany her.
"Oliver, where are you going?" Lilian suddenly called out to Oliver as he headed toward the yard, "Natalie said not to follow her."
Oliver gave his little cousin a blank stare. "Do you really think you can stop me, or even she can?"
Lilian awkwardly turned away.
With his domineering attitude, who could stop him?
Cadence glanced at Susan and noticed that she was fuming, glaring in the direction where Oliver had disappeared.
Cadence couldn't help but laugh. "Susan, you look like a jealous wife. Anyone who didn't know better would think Mr. Windsor is your fiancé. Aren't you a bit too dismissive of Leonard?"
"It's not like I have a score to settle with you," Susan ground her teeth, embarrassed under the watchful eyes of everyone present. "So what, you're sucking up to Natalie now too?"
"No score to settle?" Cadence retorted. "Weren't we just involved in a spat last time? Don't make it out like I'm the one who's always starting trouble."
Cadence was irked just thinking about Oliver being once linked to such a despicable woman. She had a crush on Oliver, and now it felt like she was indirectly insulted too!
Susan can't shake the airline contract. She can do as she pleases now, far more liberated than during her Hawthorne group heiress days. At least she no longer has to please the high-born, power-wielding young masters and mistresses.
When Susan stood up, a sharp pain shot through her hips, fingers, and knees—an unpleasant souvenir from Lucas's rough handling. She looked around; not a soul came to her defense. Times had certainly changed.
Once the radiant lady of the Hawthorne group, the most promising up-and-comer in the design world, the darling cradled in Oliver's palms, adored and flattered by many...
Then Natalie came along and everything changed.
Because of Natalie!
Susan shot Cadence a glare and resisted the urge to wince at her pain before retreatimg to her room.
Leonard, ever the gentleman, excused himself from the company but didn't retreat to his room. Instead, he left the castle.
As soon as the main attraction exited, the chatter began:
"Natalie's fierce! I thought she'd be steamrolled by Susan this time."
"You're out of the loop. This isn't Natalie's first clash with Susan. Remember the drama during Susan's birthday bash? Jane was there, too—it was electric!"
"Poor Leonard, with his pedigree, to be engaged to her? He might as well be a laughingstock."
"Hey, what's Leonard's story again?"
"He's the Ashford's ward. Since the Ashfords have no children, Leonard is the heir apparent—it's as good as being the prodigal son."
The walls have ears, so private chat groups popped up to dissect this juicy gossip. Is Oliver's sudden departure an excuse to see Natalie? To offer comfort, or to settle scores? In Oliver's heart, who matters more, Natalie or Susan?
Enough to keep the gaggle of idly rich gossiping well into the night.
"Lucas, are you okay?" Lilian asked, noticing his pallid complexion, her voice laced with concern.
"What could possibly happen to me?" Lucas looked at Lilian, his eyes still holding the residual fierceness from his confrontation with Susan.
"You seemed... troubled. I was worried about your health." Lilian shrank back a little, intimidated. "Your gaze was quite scary."
Lucas paused, gently tousling Lilian's hair as his voice softened, "Did I frighten you?"
"Mhm," Lilian nodded, her eyes brimming with hurt, "But you're not scary now. Even though Susan is despicable, don't be too angry. Natalie would worry."
A warmth spread through Lucas's eyes, "Alright."
Ethan ushered Mia into his house and, once inside, he cautioned her, "Try to keep your distance from that Leonard. There's more to him than meets the eye."
"Why?" Mia pondered, finding nothing particularly remarkable about Leonard.
Except that he was handsome – a charming scoundrel, the perfect comic book villain, she thought with a chuckle.
"What on Earth are you thinking about?" Ethan tapped Mia’s forehead, reading her amused expression, "Don't you find Leonard's attitude toward Susan strange?"
"How so?"
"Leonard doesn't seem close to Susan. She's clearly smitten with Oliver, yet Leonard isn't jealous at all. The Watson siblings lash out at Susan, and her fiancé Leonard doesn’t lift a finger to help. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"
"Maybe it's a marriage of convenience, a business alliance with no real feelings involved, like you and me," Mia suggested.
"Mia, sometimes I really want to crack open your head to see what you've got in there."
Ethan, exasperated, took a deep breath and tried a different tack, "What if I slept with another woman? How would you feel?"
"I would document the evidence, call a lawyer, and go after the biggest slice of our assets!"
"God damn it... I want you out!" Ethan erupted.
The old city was at its most beautiful and lively during the evening. Since the main part of the city had been closed off for their event during the day, tourists flocked to the area at night.
Natalie merged into the crowd, the sound of laughter and vendors' calls loosening her tense mood a bit.
"Miss, how about a souvenir? My shop has the best deals on this street!" Natalie had hardly paused when a vendor couple saw their chance.
They were a middle-aged pair, ordinary-looking, but their smiles were infectious.
Natalie returned the smile and nodded, thinking that a small trinket from a street stall wouldn't cost much. But when she looked down, she saw the couple's matching pendants for sale!
"Still in school, or do you have a boyfriend? With looks like yours, I bet you're taken. Girls are just so pretty these days!" The woman chattered warmly as she assisted Natalie, "This one! It's our best-seller, see the engraving? It's the ancient city's symbol."
In her head, Natalie thought, not only had she graduated, but she had also been married.
"I'll take this set." Natalie decided on a pair of carved wooden plaques. Her initial plan was to buy just one, but the idea of 'good things come in pairs' swayed her, and it didn't feel right to break the set.
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