Chapter 555 Mr. Windsor, Anger Ages You Faster
Indeed, Natalie had wrapped her arms around him the night before.
But there was context; Oliver had flung the blanket aside in his sleep, and Natalie, feeling the chill, naturally moved closer to Oliver's warmth in an attempt to stay warm.
In his heart, Oliver knew he hadn't lied to her.
The only downside was that he had to practice restraint the entire night, like a true gentleman, despite the tempting warmth in his embrace.
Oliver feared that if he continued to bottle up his desires, he might eventually implode.
Today's breakfast was provided by the event organizers in the grand dining hall, with a team of chefs from a five-star establishment offering made-to-order service.
However, feeling proactive after her little mishap and knowing Oliver's particular tastes, Natalie decided to cook breakfast herself, preparing a bagel with cream cheese for each of them.
"Are you still mad?" Natalie asked tentatively, eyeing the man across from her who continued to slurp his food with a stoic expression.
Oliver, engrossed in his meal, was actually quite pleased with the special effort Natalie had made just for him, yet he couldn't resist feigning a continued air of vexation.
Natalie, resigned to his mood, could only purse her lips in response.
Fine, she was mad, but what could she do? It's not like she had done it on purpose.
All she could do was wait for him to cool off.
Minutes ticked by until Natalie, unable to stay silent any longer, said, "Mr. Windsor, you know, anger is a fast track to an early grave."
Oliver's gaze, once tender, froze over as he looked up sharply, "What did you just say?"
Natalie hesitated under his steely glare.
"I said... let's eat. "
They finished their meal and waited in the yard for the others, not heading to the next destination until everyone had breakfast.
Up early, one read a book, the other sifted through paperwork.
Sure, the company was in Charles' capable hands, but Oliver couldn't just ignore everything, important documents still needed his review.
An hour passed before Lucas and Lilian emerged from their room.
Freshened up but still groggy, Lilian nearly walked into a flowerpot, saved only by Lucas' vigilant reminders.
"Good morning, Natalie," Lilian murmured, her foreign accent accentuating the softness of her voice, followed by a dainty yawn.
It melted Natalie's heart. Her brother had spent the night with such a delicate creature...
Natalie grew suspicious and seized the chance while Lilian tottered toward the dining room to lean close to Lucas, whispering, "Lucas, did you guys... sleep in the same bed last night?"
Lucas, puzzled, replied, "Wasn't it just a single room?"
It was a common arrangement for couples and partners.
"That's not what I mean," Natalie said, feeling her cheeks warm as she pressed on, "Did you sleep... together last night?"
Lucas, oblivious at first, responded, "We obviously had separate... wait, sis, what are you implying?" He paused, realizing what she meant, "You think I slept in the... same bed with the 'little one'? No, I crashed on the couch with a spare blanket, she took the bed."
Natalie was perplexed.
Why did they get spare blankets and not me?
She shelved her interrogation for the moment, staying focused on Lucas and Lilian.
"Nothing... happened last night, right?"
What Natalie meant to ask was if something inappropriate had occurred.
Lucas's heart skipped a beat as he stole a nervous glance at Natalie for a solid second, making sure his sister's concern was purely from worry, not suspicion. He sighed in relief, gazing at the sky.
The best thing is not knowing.
"Come on, sis, it's not my first time hanging out with the petite Lilian. You never used to worry about us playing together," Lucas said with a 'what's-there-to-worry-about' look.
But only he knew that last night, for a few fleeting moments, he'd had some indescribable thoughts about the sleeping Lilian.
"Hey!" Natalie slapped Lucas's arm, "Cut it out with the nicknames. Since when is it okay to call someone a 'midget'?"
"Sis, you're always looking out for Lilian. If she ends up marrying me one day, your relationship will get along famously."
"What did you just say?"
An eerie silence descended upon them both.
Lucas blinked, slowly realizing the gravity of his unfiltered words and quickly tried to backpedal. "I didn't mean that, sis. Just talking nonsense, don't overthink it!"
Natalie looked at her brother with a serious expression, at a loss for words.
"Lucas, do you really have no feelings for Lilian? I'm not against it..."
Lucas gestured for her to stop. "Nope! You're reading too much into it. She's engaged, and with her background... Trust me, as charming and smart as she is, being with her is no different from having a little sister around."
"Lucas, aren't you eating breakfast?" Lilian called out as she made her way to the dining room, realizing the others hadn't followed.
Lilian knew her cousin and Natalie were early risers and would have already had breakfast.
"I'll be there in a sec," Lucas told Lilian, his guilt intensifying under Natalie's watchful eye.
"Oh, okay. I'll get you some Spaghetti you said was so great here!" Lilian remembered how just last night, Lucas had raved about it, and she hadn't had it in over a year since she'd been away!
Natalie gave her brother a look, noticing how he had grown taller than her.
She thought some things are better left unasked.
"Go have your breakfast. Lilian has a bit of a weak stomach, so watch her spice intake," Natalie advised with growing realization she was coddling her future sister-in-law.
Goodness, how could she so readily slip into that role?
Once Lucas headed to the dining room, Natalie sighed.
In certain aspects, she understood Lucas better than he knew himself. Take, for instance, Lucas rarely outright denied anything; he always liked to be a bit mysterious, playing his cards close to the chest. If he genuinely didn't care, he'd likely tease her by saying, "If something really happened, would you still worry about me not finding you a sister-in-law?"
Lucas was no less proud than Oliver. Intelligent from a young age, when taunted by peers for being a so-called bastard, he never felt inferior. Instead, he'd fight back with both fists and smarts, leaving his adversaries and their incredulous parents with no leg to stand on.
But today, he subconsciously mentioned Lilian's fiancé and her reputable background.
Natalie suspected her brother had fallen for Lilian, but she couldn't pin down exactly why. She had a hunch, though... a hunch that Lilian wasn't the type of partner Lucas would usually go for.
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