Chapter 564 Unparalleled Affection
"Mr. Windsor, what do you want?" The woman stood tall, her chin lifted in a show of defiance. Her usually gentle eyes now sparkled with mischief and allure, seemingly sure he had no power over her.
Oliver stopped a step before her, a smile breaking across his face as he marveled at her audacity.
"There's really nothing I can do to you," Oliver admitted, his voice tinged with resignation.
Natalie's eyebrows raised in triumph.
"But," Oliver leaned in, his breath warm at Natalie's ear, his voice a deep, melodious whisper, "what I have in mind isn't quite suitable for the light of day, or for public places."
Natalie took a step back, her cheeks flushing at his words.
It was quiet around them, save for a photographer trailing not too far behind.
Natalie cast an awkward glance at the cameraman, who had already very consciously pretended to capture the surrounding scenery, careful not to let his eyes fall on her and Oliver.
Her awkward attempt to hide her embarrassment only made it more obvious that he'd heard everything.
"Oliver, have you no shame?" Natalie gritted her teeth.
But she let it go. She'd already got one over on him earlier, and decided not to hold this against him.
Pulling out a map to check their next location, she quickly said, "This way," and strode ahead.
Oliver caught a glimpse of the redness tinting her ears as she turned away and couldn't help but smile.
Ah, she's embarrassed.
"Mr. Windsor, aren't you coming?" the cameraman asked, noticing Oliver standing still.
"Got a question for you," Oliver replied.
The cameraman approached nervously, "What is it, Mr. Windsor?"
Oliver covered his lapel mic to speak privately, away from the nosy onlookers, "That couple behind us earlier, that guy clearly wasn’t convinced. Why did he back down?"
The cameraman was at a loss for words.
Oliver asked, "Tough question? Or you don't know either?"
He read the cameraman's expressive silence not as ignorance, but as reluctance to speak.
"Well, it's not like that," the cameraman hesitated. "Mr. Windsor, in most cases, boyfriends should avoid arguing with their girlfriends. Once you start reasoning, the problem often escalates into questioning your love for her or accusing you of insensitivity."
Oliver was baffled. "What kind of logic is that?"
"Natalie's the same?"
"Miss Watson..."
"She's not like that," Oliver didn't wait for the cameraman's full response, sure of his own.
Natalie was always reasonable.
Inside, the cameraman thought, “You're quite confident, huh?”
He had been about to say that probably Miss Watson thought the same deep down.
No wonder everyone says Miss Watson has such a good temper. A wife that understanding – truly enviable.
After his moment of envy, the cameraman realized, oh, they were divorced now. Miss Watson, with her great temperament, was no longer Mr. Windsor's wife.
On the way to the next location, Natalie kept looking at those adorably photos of Oliver.
The next stop was close enough to walk.
After a short while, Oliver just couldn't muster any anger, only a bittersweet resignation, indulging and cherishing her all the same.
"Still staring at it?" Oliver said, clearly irritated.
"Mr. Windsor, this picture of you is absolutely hilarious!" Natalie beamed unabashedly, looking as triumphant as if she'd just snagged Oliver by the tail.
"Aren't you usually all about getting the job done?" Oliver had resigned himself to the ridiculous photo that Natalie seemed to find so delightful.
Natalie lifted her chin and said, "Missing one shot doesn't matter. There are people who can't even find the place."
Oliver chuckled, his eyes twinkling with intense pleasure.
This confident, almost arrogant Natalie was, honestly, kind of... adorable.
The older folks who were watching the live stream heard what Natalie said and immediately glanced over at the other teams, all thinking the same thing: "..."
The status quo for most of the other teams consisted of a loop of searching for the way, bickering about each other's stupidity, grabbing a bite, and then repeating the cycle.
The last photo point was at the exit of a horror-themed escape room, meaning you had to solve the room to get the shot.
"Miss Watson, what a coincidence," greeted Leonard with a smile as Natalie approached the haunted house.
Leonard and Susan had arrived one after the other. When Susan caught sight of Natalie, she was briefly surprised but then quickly looked past her, her eyes lighting up when she saw Oliver.
"Oliver, are you guys doing this escape room too?" Susan asked, walking over cheerily.
But before she could get to Oliver, he had already made his way to Natalie's side. The two of them standing together clearly left no room for Susan.
Natalie gave Susan a mocking glance.
Susan clenched her teeth.
"Since we're all here, we might as well go in together," Leonard suggested with a smile, eager for the challenge. "I'm quite looking forward to teaming up with Mr. Windsor."
"Sure," Oliver said, his expression unchanged, though the air between them was fraught with tension.
"I need to use the restroom," Natalie announced after a quick look at the escape room's rules, which required at least eight people to start and had a record escape time of forty-eight minutes.
The restroom wasn't far.
After taking care of business, Natalie came out to find Susan at the vanity applying a subtle 'no makeup' look, while Natalie had simply drawn in her eyebrows.
Some people, like Natalie, are simply born with enviable looks.
"Getting dolled up for Oliver?" Natalie asked, her voice light and slow as she washed her hands, emanating a sense of superiority.
Susan's expression changed. She had come with the intention of unsettling Natalie but was caught off guard by Natalie's preemptive strike.
"What if I am?" Susan retorted, slipping her lipstick back into her purse. "Natalie, you're not Mrs. Windsor anymore."
"Neither are you, the future Mrs. Sterling," Natalie responded, using a hair tie to put her hair up in a bun as she looked in the mirror, a smirk on her lips. "So you're already preparing to be cheated on by your future husband?”
“Whether I cheat on Leonard is none of your business! If it weren't for you, I would've been Oliver's wife by now!”
Natalie put herself in Susan's shoes. If she was Susan, knowing how cold and final Oliver had been with her, Natalie would never have kept any affection for him.
Leaning leisurely against the sink, Natalie was genuinely curious: "Do you still have feelings for Oliver?"
Without a hint of hesitation, Susan declared, "Yes!"
Perhaps at first, it was because Oliver seemed a better catch than Arthur, but over time, she saw not just Oliver's status and position, but also the aura that shone around Natalie as Mrs. Windsor, and the affection Oliver had for Natalie.
An affection so strong... that it filled her with envy and jealousy.
An affection so intense... that she firmly believed if she could become Mrs. Windsor, if she could be Oliver's woman, she would receive that ultimate adoration.
Natalie let out an "Oh," and said lightly, "Then you're bound to be disappointed."
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