Chapter549 Sorry, Natalie
After paying and collecting her purchase, Natalie aimlessly strolled deeper into the old city.
Not far away lies Chinatown. The further she went, the more crowded it became. A constant hum of noise surrounded her, which was not at all annoying but instead filled with a bustling warmth.
Every now and then, the aroma of grilled skewers wafted through the air, the mingling scents of meat, chili, and cumin making mouths water.
Distracted, Natalie accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry!"
She apologized instinctively and looked up to see an attractive man smiling back, amusement mixed with an intensity in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide.
"Leonard." Natalie’s expression cooled.
"Miss Watson, what a coincidence," Leonard said with a smile.
"Small world," thought Natalie, wishing it weren't so. "Enjoy yourself, Leonard. I'll be going."
"Hey!" Leonard stepped in her way. "You bump into me and just walk off?"
"What do you want, Leonard?" Natalie suspected he did it on purpose.
Leonard hadn't quite figured out what he wanted, but spotting the couple's wooden plaques in Natalie's hand, he snatched one, saying with interest, "How about this as compensation?"
"Leonard, do you make a habit of bullying and taking people's things without asking?" Natalie's tone was less than pleased as he grabbed from her hand without so much as a by-your-leave!
"Indeed," Leonard said, his words heavy with implication.
"I can offer something else, not these." The plaques were a matching set; giving one to Leonard didn't feel right.
"Why not?" he asked, feigning ignorance. After a pause, "Oh! They're for couples! But it doesn't matter since you and Oliver are divorced."
"You and Susan are engaged," Natalie countered. "You can be shameless, Leonard, but I have standards."
"Natalie, you've always had a sharp tongue."
"What was that?" Natalie had missed Leonard's muted words.
Leonard just smirked, knowing full well she couldn't take it back, and teased her, "I'll be keeping this."
The two of them standing in the middle of the narrow, ancient street, both striking to look at, quickly drew the eyes of passersby, adding to the already congested path.
Natalie didn't want to waste her breath on him. Anyone associated with Susan or the Hawthorne group was someone she preferred to keep at a distance.
It wasn't fear; it was revulsion.
"Fine, keep it." She glared at him and hurried away, not wanting to linger even a second longer.
The crowd was thick, but her elegant figure soon vanished around the corner of the alley.
Leonard examined the small wooden token in his hand, noticing on the back a poem.
He softly read the full verse: "A brief encounter surpasses countless others."
Natalie reached the riverbank, where the cool breeze off the water cleared her mind.
It was quieter here, the presence of anyone approaching easily noticeable, especially when their gaze felt so intent.
"Leonard, what do you want now—" Natalie started to say, turning around but cutting herself off mid-sentence.
The man wasn't Leonard; it was Oliver.
He stood against the light, his thin coat rippling in the night wind, his striking features obscured by shadows but still exuding an imposing atmosphere.
Instinctively taking a step back, Natalie's foot found only air, and she realized too late she was at the water's edge, falling backward uncontrollably.
"Ah—"
As she reached out, Oliver's quick reflexes had him grabbing her hand, pausing momentarily, his eyes inquisitive and aloof under the lamplight.
Was he seriously leaving her hanging?
Baffled, Natalie used her own strength to pull herself up, but the effort was too much, and she ended up tumbling into Oliver's arms. Her ear against his chest, she could hear his steady, robust heartbeat.
"Thump—thump—thump—thump—"
"Miss Watson, you just parted ways with Leonard and now you're throwing yourself at me?" His voice carried a mocking tone from above her head.
Just moments ago, Natalie had been on the verge of thanking Oliver, but now she was ready to retreat her thought. Men like him didn't deserve gratitude!
"What, you think I’m flirtatious? Fine, I am!" Natalie was seething, unable to contain the frustration she'd undeservedly taken from Susan and Leonard, and she pushed Oliver hard, releasing a torrent of pent-up ire onto him.
If it hadn't been for Oliver, she wouldn't have gotten entangled with Susan, and without Susan, she wouldn't have crossed paths with that lunatic Leonard!
Natalie turned and stormed off.
"...Sorry," Oliver caught her wrist, "I misspoke."
He had detected the impatience in Natalie's tone from the start, suspecting Leonard had been pestering her. What really bothered him was Leonard getting to Natalie before he could.
Natalie, her back still facing Oliver, blinked.
Why did she always go soft when Oliver apologized? Maybe the time when her leg was injured was the only time she could be tough with him—back then, she had no other choice.
"Natalie, Leonard is bad news," mumbled Oliver, trying to puzzle out why Leonard was after her.
"Oh?" Natalie's interest was piqued, wondering what else Oliver knew.
Oliver wasn't blind to Natalie's curiosity.
Given that it was her, especially since she rarely reached out to him these days, he wasn't about to refuse the conversation.
"Leonard is back by the Ashfords."
"Which Ashfords?"
Natalie had some knowledge about the major families, thanks in no small part to Jane, who was a treasure trove of information about the elite and a consummate social queen.
"The Ashfords from the southwest," said Oliver.
The Southwest wasn't crowded with powerful families; the Foster family led the pack with only a few minor players of note, and the Ashfords were among them. However, the Ashfords had risen swiftly in recent years, now second only to the Foster family.
Natalie frowned, "I heard the Ashford heir was sickly."
Certainly not Leonard.
"The original Leonard died years ago. The one you met is adopted, but now he's like a son to them," Oliver explained, his eyes narrowing with a glint of something darker.
"Dead? Leonard, though not the picture of health, was rich enough to live well into his fifties or sixties. How could he just..."
Natalie's voice trailed off as a shocking suspicion flashed through her mind—the real Leonard was dead, and the adopted son stood to gain the most!
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