Chapter 597 The Proud and the Coy
"Ethan! Help me out here!" Noah pleaded with Ethan, her flair for drama apparent.
Ethan grimaced, but after a brief hesitation, he nodded.
He consoled himself by thinking, while his wife was certainly a handful, they had grown up together, and he had been cleaning up her messes for years. One more time wouldn’t hurt.
Noah let out a cheerful "Oh yeah," pulling Lilian into a discussion about going to a show together and whether they should prepare a gift for Natalie, or perhaps do some promotional stunts.
Lucas felt his moment to shine had finally arrived.
He had always wanted to assist his sister, but the right opportunity had never come. Oliver had been there previously, always arranging everything ahead of him, and now he didn't want to blow his cover, so he couldn't just ask a brand or designer to invite Natalie for a collaboration. After all, the divide between his secret organization and the fashion industry was significant, and his reach wasn't that long.
Even if it were, it would be too easy for his identity to come under scrutiny.
But now the opportunity was here!
Lucas called one of his subordinates, "I need you to create a fake identity as a sponsor and provide funds for a designer named Flora for her debut show next month."
"Flora? I know her; she's Miss Watson's friend, but it seems Flora isn't short on cash for her show." The one on the line was Lucas's secretary, who, aware of Mr. Watson's protective nature towards his sister, kept tabs on Natalie and her circle.
"Not short on cash?" Lucas was stunned.
His subordinate paused, gathering more information, "However, Flora seems to be looking for a suitable band. Her show is a bit special; she plans to have live music and invite singers to perform on stage. She hasn't found the right band or singer yet."
"Then go! Find the best and most suitable!" Lucas had a good memory; he recalled a European aristocrat and tycoon who had tasked him with designing a security system. That tycoon had offered not just financial compensation but also a promise.
Lucas mentioned the tycoon's name, urging his subordinate, "Go to him, tell him I want to call in his promise. Ask the royal orchestra from Austria to play for Flora's show."
"??"
The subordinate was full of question marks, trying to persuade his impulsive boss to reconsider, "Mr. Watson, that gentleman's promise could be used for something more valuable, something others can't easily obtain, and that's more precious than money. You..."
"Do as I say, my sister's comeback debut deserves the best! Everything must be the best!"
The vehicle set off once again.
The next leg of their journey was quite a distance, needing to cross mountainous roads.
Once inside the vehicle, Oliver started a video conference with Charles and Jamie.
Natalie sat listlessly beside him, having previously resolved not to ask Oliver if he had overheard her conversation with Flora. But now, hearing his assertive command during the work meeting with his team, if he indeed knew of Flora’s intentions and decided to support Arthur, then Flora's chances were slim.
She might as well grab Tina right now and leave without looking back.
Yet, there was no chance for inquiry—Oliver didn’t leave her any room to speak.
For an instant, Natalie suspected that Oliver was intentionally avoiding conversation with her, choosing this exact moment to engage in a two-hour meeting with Charles and Jamie.
Outside, a light rain had begun, the droplets streaming down the car windows, patterning them with tiny rivulets.
Natalie took out her phone, intending to message Lilian about her upcoming career plans, only to find there was no signal.
A glance to the side revealed Oliver’s video call carrying on smoothly, completely unhindered.
Natalie was baffled.
“How come your phone works?" she blurted out in disbelief without thinking.
After realizing Oliver had his earphones in for the video call and likely didn't hear her, she turned to the bodyguard and asked, "Do you have a signal?"
“Ma’am, we’re currently on a mountain road, and there's probably no signal coverage here. Mr. Oliver’s connection is through the Windsor Group’s dedicated satellite system. It’s not the same as yours.”
The subtext whispered a question of worthiness, ‘Am I not worthy?’
The bodyguard was about to respond when he felt a sudden chill.
Oliver lifted his gaze coolly towards the bodyguard, his stare as cold as ice.
It was Natalie who had asked a question first—why was this guy sticking his nose in their business? Was he too idle?
“If you’d like to use a network connection, you might discuss it with Mr. Oliver,” the bodyguard said quickly, compelled by a sudden instinct for self-preservation, subtly tossing the ball to Oliver.
Oliver then looked back down at the video call.
Charles and Jamie, on the other end of the call, exchanged glances, both confused.
“Who was Mr. Oliver just looking at? It seems like someone’s in trouble.”
“Was he looking at us? Doesn’t seem like he’s in the mood to continue the meeting... Should we keep talking or keep quiet?”
When Natalie turned her gaze towards Oliver again, all she saw was him “attentively” working, oblivious to the undercurrents that had just passed.
She opened her mouth, thought better of it, and decided not to disturb him.
Private satellite signals were a matter of confidentiality, not something you could just request on a whim. She figured she might as well wait till she was out of the dead zone to use her phone.
Oliver waited, but Natalie's voice never came through. He glanced around nonchalantly and noticed Natalie reopening the unfinished documentary. The documentary, entirely in English and without subtitles, focused on a "supermassive black hole". Could his communication with her really be losing out to some dull astronomy?
Oliver's frustration simmered silently; he drew a shallow breath and shut his eyes tight. This small display left Charles and Jamie on the opposite end of the video call trembling, feeling the wrath of their boss even through the screen. Natalie seemed to be the only one capable of getting under his skin, a fact that secretly delighted them. At last, someone had ruffled the boss's feathers, bringing a twisted sense of balance to his long-suffering staff.
Eventually, the SUV slowed down. "Mr. and Mrs., it looks like the car behind us is slowing down," the driver noted, glancing in the rearview mirror with curiosity. "They've stopped. Is something wrong?"
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