Chapter 582 Am I The Fifth Wheel?
"Is there a problem?" Lucas's keen senses picked up on the tension as he quietly asked Oliver.
Natalie, not wanting her brother to get involved, quickly intervened, "No, we're just beefing up the security, that's all."
Before she could finish, Oliver simply hummed in acknowledgment.
Annoyed, Natalie glared at him. Couldn't he see what she was trying to do?!
"He's not as in the dark as Lilian—you can't keep things from him," Oliver said calmly. If secrets couldn't be kept, it might be better to be upfront about it. After all, Lucas was quick-witted and knew how to prioritize; he was better off informed than kept in the dark. Besides, as a key figure in the Wells Organization, Lucas's knowledge of the situation would likely ensure further protection for him by the organization itself.
The mere thought of anything happening to Lucas was enough to give Oliver a headache, knowing it would devastate Natalie.
"What about me?" Lilian had been busy sharing gossip with Mia about her cousins and hadn't caught on to her cousin's comments, but she had a hunch it wasn't anything flattering.
Oliver shot her a glance and signaled Lucas with a look before turning to Lilian, "Are you finished eating? If you're done, we should get going."
Barely having started her meal, Lilian looked at the oatmeal she was about to enjoy, "Cousin, do I... am I really that much of a fifth wheel here?"
Her complaint went unvoiced. After all, during broad daylight, what could possibly happen between Natalie and Oliver? It didn't make much sense to send her away.
"Have you heard about the local special pancakes? Let's go try that," Lucas suggested to Lilian.
Her eyes lit up. "Yes, let's go!"
"I'll go grab my bag; wait for me!" she exclaimed gleefully, dashing back to her room, oblivious to the undercurrents at play.
Oliver summoned his personal bodyguard, "Fill him in on the situation, but don't let Lilian know. And bring seven others with you, they'll be in charge of his and Lilian’s safety."
"Understood," the bodyguard, having received his orders from Oliver, respectfully said to Lucas, "Mr. Watson, right this way, please."
Once Lucas had been designated as a priority for protection by Oliver, he became the temporary boss for the bodyguards, and showing respect was the least they owed him.
"How did you manage to take Lilian away?" Natalie couldn't figure out when Lucas and Oliver had established such an unspoken understanding. They hadn’t exchanged a single word—just one look was enough to agree on so much!
It was all about distracting Lilian, assigning bodyguards, and who was privy to the information.
"Lilian isn’t suited for this kind of information," Oliver stated, unfazed that she was his cousin. In Oliver's eyes, his cousin and a fool were no different.
"And what about Lucas?"
"The event organizers sent a team of bodyguards, but not until the third day. Isn't that unusual? And why were they only from my staff, out of all the prestigious families involved?"
Natalie got the point after Oliver's nudge.
Indeed, paying attention to these two facts made the issues apparent.
But still... in such a short amount of time, Lucas noticed all this?
As if reading Natalie's mind, Oliver coolly remarked, "I've said it before, don’t underestimate Lucas."
"He's still my little brother," Natalie huffed, convinced that Oliver was only belittling Lucas because they were at odds, never really associating her good and sensible brother with any formidable organization.
"Do you have something to tell me?" If there wasn't something specific to discuss with only her, there would be no need to pull Lilian aside.
As Natalie finished speaking, a guess formed in her mind, "Is there an update on yesterday’s incident?"
The restaurant was spacious, and to ensure privacy for conversations among couples or spouses, the tables were set far apart. Unless someone spoke loudly, others wouldn’t overhear.
"Yeah," Oliver affirmed, "It was him."
'Him' was unmistakably Leonard.
Natalie tensed, her instinct was to go find Leonard, but she held back. To an outsider, it didn't look like she'd just heard a deep secret.
"You have quite the composure, Miss Watson," Oliver let out a small laugh, acting as if the life-threatening issues he just mentioned were nothing serious.
He even had the nerve to laugh! Natalie thought, her grip tightening on the cookies in her hand, tempted to hurl it his way.
Just as she was about to press for more details, Leonard and Susan arrived fashionably late.
Side by side but with an evident chill between them, it was clear they weren't cozy.
Susan was pale, and her spiteful eyes pierced Natalie as she entered.
At first baffled, Natalie realized, despite Susan's usual disdain for her, this blatant hostility was abnormal. Then it hit her—
Could it be about last night?
If Oliver hadn't lied, their very public kiss and drunken stumble back to their room might have led any bystander—no, most folks—to jump to scandalous conclusions...
It made sense; in Susan's mind, she was probably seen as flaunting a victory.
A power move... Well, if Susan was the target, it was worth considering.
With this thought, Natalie met Susan's gaze head-on and tossed in a defiant glance for good measure.
Fuming, Susan shot Oliver a longing look for a few seconds. Noticing his indifference, she turned and headed for a different breakfast table.
"Leonard!"
After a couple of steps, she realized Leonard wasn't following but instead making his way to the table where Natalie and Oliver were, her jealousy surging uncontrollably.
"Mr. Windsor, Miss Watson, good morning."
Leonard, with a casual smile, surveyed the variety of dishes on their table. "Got yourselves quite the feast here. Mind if I try a dish?"
Natalie had never had much affection for Leonard; considering he was Susan's fiancé and last night's events, she found him even less pleasant company.
She was about to decline when Oliver beat her to it: "Leonard's in the mood for breakfast?"
Natalie sensed this was more about Leonard confronting Oliver than sharing a meal. As the undercurrents swirled between the two men, she opted to close her mouth and focus on her breakfast.
She did quite enjoy the burritos; too often her busy schedule prevented such indulgence, but today presented a delightful opportunity.
"What's there not to enjoy?" retorted Leonard, his smile unwavering, yet a glint of coldness in his eyes unmistakably intensified.
Oliver laid down his fork and, with a languid gaze, remarked to Leonard, "Didn't Ashford get audited? Some things just can't be done. They're major offenses."
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