Chapter 614 Mrs. Windsor, Looking Forward to Learning More
She wasn't one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, though she could be as impassioned as she had been half an hour ago, dragging Susan by the hair and slamming her head against the wall.
Most of the time, she approached things in a more nuanced way—strong yet gentle—like in the past few days, with her indulgence, preferential treatment, care, and even her occasional whims.
"I won't say," Natalie's grip on the couch tightened, "Not right now, I just can't."
Oliver’s eyes narrowed, the air heavy with his barely contained temper. He roared, "Natalie, what am I doing wrong that has you so hesitant, so torn? Is it my temper, or is it because of Susan?"
Internally, Natalie noted with a hint of sarcasm, 'So you do realize you've got a temper!'
Though she thought this, she couldn't bear to give voice to her thoughts. If she did, Oliver might just force himself to change. Oliver, someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, naturally had the privilege and the power to exhibit a temper.
Plus, Natalie was well aware that he had been more than gentle with her.
"Oliver, I don't want to talk about it right now," she concealed her reasons deep within, holding on to her last shred of pride.
Oliver's gaze bore into her, unyielding. Seconds ticked by, without the answer he sought.
"Then let me tell you something," he straightened up slightly.
"What?"
"You're still my wife."
"What?!" Natalie gasped, her face a mask of disbelief.
Seeing her finally showing some emotion, Oliver stood with a satisfied smile. "You might want to review the marriage laws about the legal binding of a signed divorce agreement. Besides, even if it was, the agreement was destroyed by my grandmother. It's gone."
Natalie stared at Oliver, her mind in a fog, struggling to process the bombshell.
She doubted her own ears and she said, "Could you... repeat that? I'm not sure I heard you right."
"I said," Oliver pinched Natalie's cheek and smirked, "Mrs. Windsor, I look forward to getting acquainted again."
Shortly after, Oliver got a call. Glancing at the company's name on the display, he took a step toward the bedroom door, then turned back, cupped Natalie's face, and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
Numb all over, Natalie could only frown, staring blankly at Oliver.
"You look speechless," Oliver chuckled lightly, walking out of the room.
Not divorced?
If they weren't divorced, then what on earth had she and Oliver been doing all this time? Didn't everyone know they were divorced, herself included?
What was really going on?
Was Oliver toying with her now, or had he been all along?
Her?
Susan examined the scar on her face in the mirror, cursing Natalie under her breath while worrying about permanent marks.
Exiting the bathroom, she intended to seek advice from her beauty consultant on how to treat the wound, when she heard a door open behind her.
Glancing back, Susan noticed Leonard and indifferently turned away.
In an instant, she was yanked backward and—smack!
Leonard's hand struck Susan's face with unrestrained force. She cried out and toppled to the floor.
Stunned, it took her several seconds to recover from the fall. Her face numb, she tasted a hint of blood in her mouth.
"Leonard, did you hit me?" Susan's look of bewilderment turned to loathing, "You hit me? Are you insane?"
"I don’t make it a habit to avoid hitting women—I thought you knew that." Leonard said coolly, even daring to add, "Surprised? Never been hit before?"
Once, a woman had stripped and tried to seduce Leonard in his hotel room. Susan, witnessing the scene, had cheered him on for throwing the woman out and praised him as a virtuous man.
Getting to know Susan more, he realized she was even more deceitful and foolish than his investigations had revealed. If she'd never been hit before, that was a kindness she was lucky to experience.
But Leonard was not kind.
"Leonard!" Susan screeched, standing and pointing at him, "you and that bitch Natalie are a perfect match!"
"A match?" Leonard raised an eyebrow, amused, “Thanks for the compliment.”
In Leonard’s eyes, Natalie was indeed much more agreeable than Susan.
"You…!" Susan felt provoked, "If you're so capable, why don't you take Natalie away? I wish you two eternal damnation!"
Leonard only deepened his smirk, though it was ice-cold.
He remembered his childhood—
His sick mother unable to care for him any longer, leading him to the doorstep of the Norton family estate, where his father's haughty first wife ordered the servants to beat them and throw them out like trash.
That same lady had sneered at his dying mother, "You filthy whore, don't you dare tell me my husband forced you. You slept with him and bore this bastard. It's your own fault!"
He glared back at her, defiance swelling even as the pain coursed through his small frame. Her foot connected with his body, sending him tumbling to the ground in agony, his mother's cries of distress ringing in his ears.
"Boy, I'm showing you mercy here by giving you a chance. If you ever manage to get Oliver Windsor wrapped around your finger, I'll accept you!"
He and his mother, both supporting each other, rose to their feet, hoping to cut a deal with Mr. Norton. They weren't after status or recognition; they just needed enough money to survive—enough for his mother's medical treatment and the bare minimum for living.
"Back off! Even a mongrel dares to run wild here. You'll be blocking the path of the nobility soon!" The butler had his men toss them onto a distant pile of trash.
He scrambled up from the filth, catching sight of a Rolls-Royce approaching the estate, a finely dressed young man stepping out of the vehicle. The butler was excessively deferential to the young man, his smile servile and obsequious.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the young man turned and their eyes met. Leonard wondered if he could plead with this fellow, seemingly his age, for some money to cure his mother. He was prepared to kneel if necessary.
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