Chapter572 Is the toxin lethal
Under Leonard's leadership, Ashford had boomed in recent years, inevitably encroaching on the interests of the Fosters. If Oliver reached out to them, chances were the Fosters would consider a partnership.
"Do you have any ties with the Fosters?" Natalie inquired.
Lately, the Fosters had been keeping a low profile, opting out of public events and quietly amassing wealth.
"None," he replied.
Yet, connections between parties can blossom in minutes when their interests align. "However, Jane has some history with them."
Natalie straightened up instantly, eager for more. Oliver drove on steadily, indicating he had no more to say.
"That's it?"
"Yep."
"Any sort of history you’d like to share?" she pressed, discontent with his reticence.
The road was nearly empty, and Oliver slowed down the car, glancing at Natalie with a calm demeanor, "Miss Watson, considering our current relationship, I don't think it's quite right for me to spill the secrets of another family's dynasty, is it?"
Natalie thought, "So our current relationship allows for hugging and flirting—that's appropriate? A stolen kiss—that's okay Discussing the propriety of our relationship now?"
"Of course, as long as Mr. Windsor finds it fitting, there's nothing amiss," Natalie retorted with a feigned smile.
"Ah, I find it inappropriate," Oliver unabashedly confessed.
"Fine, don’t tell me then!"
Natalie crossed her arms, turned her back to him, and gazed out the window at the blur of the landscape, giving Oliver the silent treatment.
Her mind raced, trying to recall if Jane had any friends, or adversaries named Foster... But that was a dead end. Jane was popular, surrounded by many friends and even more rivals; pinning down the Fosters just by a surname was a fool's errand.
Natalie couldn't hold out for ten minutes before turning back to Oliver. "So... what would you like for dinner tonight?"
You. The word crossed Oliver's mind but he swallowed it back. Now wasn't the time. Instead he pondered.
"Can we talk now?" Natalie bartered crisply. "Otherwise, you're going without dinner tonight."
Chuckling lowly, the man's throat vibrated, his shoulders quaking with mirth.
In the back seat, the trio of bodyguards exchanged a quick, knowing look.
One bodyguard whispered, "The boss is laughing?"
Another muttered with a smirk, "Damn, the missus really got to him!"
"What's so funny? What's there to laugh about?" Natalie was baffled and felt uneasy.
She couldn't fathom what Oliver was thinking, unaware that her demeanor towards him had gradually reverted to the affectionate softness that used to be rare.
"The heir to the Foster estate was Jane’s match that Jovan had chosen," Oliver said, trying to hold back laughter to prevent Natalie from getting vexed.
"Was the Foster estate's heir the match Jovan chose for Jane?" Natalie only knew that Jovan had originally favored a potential husband for Jane, but she disapproved, leaving the matter unresolved.
Rushing to her phone, Natalie searched for any details on the Foster family's young master, but failed even to find a full name, let alone a photo.
"What's the name of the Foster family's young master? What does he look like?"
Oliver glanced at her coolly, "Why do you care about another man?"
"Who knows, maybe I'll run into him someday."
"If you do, it's none of your business."
"Can't we have a proper conversation? "
Jovan was known in Paykston for his overprotectiveness, so his choice for Jane would naturally be someone exceptionally talented and good-looking. Oliver had no intention of letting Natalie meet Richard in person.
The young master of the Foster family was indeed Richard.
"Oh yes," Oliver peered at the bodyguards through the rearview mirror.
They sat up straighter, ready for their boss's command.
"Natalie injured one of them with my knife."
Dropping a non-sequitur, the bodyguards, seasoned in Oliver's ways, instantly grasped the hidden implication. The lead bodyguard respectfully acknowledged with a "Yes," gratitude laced in his tone.
It was an important clue, one that Oliver would only reveal in good humor. As their training officer used to say, " If the boss shares information, consider it a favor. Otherwise, you need to figure it out on your own."
But Natalie was lost, asking innocently, "Huh? Is there some kind of secret?"
The lead bodyguard glanced at Oliver and seeing that the boss had no objection to him speaking, turned to Natalie to explain, "Sir's personal defense knife is coated with a special kind of toxin. Anyone injured by it will experience paralysis and see their wound rapidly fester. This toxin was developed exclusively for sir and isn't available on the open market. We can track down our target by these two distinguishing characteristics."
"Is the toxin lethal?" Natalie inquired with a frown.
"Of course not," the bodyguard assured her, eager to impress Oliver. "It wouldn't do for someone of importance to die because of it – that would leave room for scandal. Sir is a law-abiding and exemplary citizen," he added, with a sly pat on the back.
Oliver shot the bodyguard a look, and the man immediately fell silent—clearly, the boss thought he was being overly talkative with the lady.
It was a scheme tinged with sinister brilliance, or rather, deeply cunning. Natalie had to admire Oliver's foresight.
The assault on Oliver and Natalie was no minor matter. The photographers quickly reported to their superior who immediately got in touch with the Paykston elders to discuss whether to proceed with the event.
The consensus was ultimately to continue. Cancelling the event because of this incident would be underestimating the younger generation.
"And what do you say, Mrs. Windsor?" someone asked Marjorie, as Oliver and Natalie were her family.
"Let's keep going. My Windsor family doesn't scare that easy," Marjorie replied with a smile, sipping her tea.
She knew her grandson well enough to understand that if he hadn't made a scene, he simply wasn't taking the incident to heart and planned to move on.
"However, today's events have certainly revealed some issues. Let's send some additional bodyguards," Marjorie suggested. "We have plenty of capable people in the Windsor family."
The others agreed, their laughter echoing in the room.
Some felt like they were getting a bargain. The Windsors were wealthy and sending their own security to protect nearly thirty young ladies and gentlemen seemed like a thankless task—both expensive and draining.
The more astute, however, realized that Marjorie was seizing an opportunity to subtly position Windsor family members close by, ostensibly to ensure the young ones' safety, but really to provide support to Oliver.
Oliver and his group had reached an unspoken agreement to keep the mishap under wraps.
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