Chapter 718 Is it Meaningless?
"You are my wife, not hired help," Oliver had his own explanation for this.
He brought the staff over for two reasons, one was to take care of Natalie and the other was to conveniently handle Natalie's diet, as well as to prevent any accidents when he was not at the villa.
Natalie rolled her eyes and couldn't help muttering, "So, before this, you treated me like hired help?"
"Not really," Oliver said, "It was just that your previous apartment was too small."
"..." In other words, my small house restricted the young master's capabilities?
The two servants overheard their conversation from a distance, exchanged a glance, and couldn't help but smile to themselves.
Before meeting Mrs. Windsor, he had never seen Mr. Windsor display such a fiery side. Not only did he lack passion, but he also seemed completely emotionless.
The head chef also felt particularly pleased that he was finally able to snap out of the illusion of being "unemployed in his prime and receiving a hefty retirement salary."
Natalie brought up the matter of Joseph wanting to meet Emily Reed.
Oliver responded with a cold and indifferent expression that clearly conveyed his lack of interest, as if to say, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Just to prove that Joseph has no ulterior motives towards me," Natalie recalled the young master's previously petty words. "I feel like Joseph's participation in this event might be because of Emily."
Oliver nodded.
Natalie looked at Oliver suspiciously and asked, "What does your nod mean?"
For others, a nod might be a perfunctory or casual response, but not for Oliver. Every one of Mr. Windsor's responses carried meaning.
"It means you got it right," Oliver said.
"How did you know?" Natalie was shocked.
Of course, Oliver wouldn't tell her that although he believed Joseph probably didn't have any improper intentions towards Natalie, he still had him investigated just in case.
"Joseph wasn't originally on the list, but he had some connection with the intended mentor," Oliver hinted.
Natalie could roughly guess the rest.
Because of their connection and Joseph's sufficiently qualified status, he took the initiative to negotiate with the other person and secured the position as a mentor for half a month in China.
"Why do you know so much?" Natalie suspiciously scrutinized Oliver.
Oliver didn't answer but expressed his attitude of "I naturally know everything" through silence. He also handed Natalie a small porcelain cup, indicating for her to eat.
"What is this?" Natalie scooped a spoonful and found it sticky. "Bird's nest?"
Oliver nodded and said, "The kitchen will deliver meals to you for the next few days."
It wasn't that the committee's food was bad, but Oliver was worried that Natalie might accidentally eat something she shouldn't.
"Why? The food provided by the organizers is not bad. I don't want anything special," Natalie refused.
Oliver propped his chin on his hand on the table and calmly watched Natalie eat the bird's nest. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Mrs. Windsor, what gives you the illusion that you aren't special?"
Natalie's mind was flooded with a myriad of thoughts - she no longer lived with the organizing committee, and today she publicly announced that she was cohabitating with a member of the opposite sex... Well, it was clear from the beginning that she was up to something unusual.
Additionally, Barrett Mia and a group of wealthy second-generation individuals would be present at the fashion show competition later on. Just the thought of it made Natalie's scalp tingle.
She could only hope that only a few of them managed to snatch tickets...
Oliver watched as Natalie finished drinking the bird's nest soup and glanced at the dishes on the table that she had consumed. He silently heaved a sigh of relief.
It seemed that this baby was quite well-behaved and did not disturb his mother's appetite while in her womb.
"You don't have to help with Joseph's matter," Oliver brought up the previous topic again.
"Why?" Natalie grumbled.
In a certain sense, Joseph and Natalie were similar, so she wanted to help him.
Both had once given their all to become better and more deserving of their beloved ones, and to withstand all external pressures and doubts.
Moreover, it was just a casual remark, and the outcome would depend on Emily herself, but...
Emily had the right to know.
"Emily Reed doesn't like Joseph," Oliver stated with certainty, causing Natalie to raise an eyebrow involuntarily.
"How do you know?"
Oliver leaned back on his chair. "Emily Reed is well aware of her identity and responsibility. She also knew about Samuel from the very beginning. If she didn't want to marry Samuel, she wouldn't have had any contact with him or the Hastings family."
Natalie found this reasoning to be logical.
Furthermore, it was evident that Emily and Samuel had broken off their engagement later on, indicating that the Reed family did not pressure her into the marriage. The initial betrothal with Samuel was also willingly chosen by Emily Reed herself.
"So, you mean Emily doesn't like Joseph, and it was Samuel who initiated the contact for the engagement?"
Oliver nodded. "Yes, so Joseph never stood a chance."
No chance - these four words sounded so cruel.
For Joseph, all his years of hard work were for that one person.
Yet, in reality, perhaps this drive was always elusive, and the goal was unattainable from the beginning.
When it comes to matters of the heart and emotions, sometimes they are the farthest distance away.
It's not something that can be achieved simply through effort.
"Did you also think... that what Joseph did was meaningless?" Natalie couldn't help but ask.
The word "yes" was on Oliver's lips, but when he saw the woman staring at him intently, he couldn't help but change his response. Deep inside, he couldn't help but sneer at himself.
It turned out that he also had a day without principles.
Natalie let out a sigh of relief and waited for Oliver to continue speaking. It seemed that if he didn't give her a reason, she would think he was just fobbing her off.
"Compared to before, at least he now has the capital to stand up to Samuel." Oliver looked into Natalie's eyes and gradually softened his tone. "And Natalie, people are different. Joseph was wrong from the beginning, but that doesn't mean everyone else is."
Natalie averted her gaze awkwardly.
She felt like Oliver had discovered all her thoughts and secrets.
She tried her best to hide the fact that she had the same mindset as Joseph, where a strong sense of self-esteem and a hint of inferiority played a role.
Such a mindset didn't want to be discovered by the people who mattered.
What Natalie didn't say was that maybe others don't know if their starting point was wrong or not, right?
Before the final result came out, no one really knew if they had lost at the starting line or were just accepting the hardships fate had arranged for them.
Although Natalie also believed that Joseph didn't have a chance, in the end, she still fulfilled her agreement and gave Joseph a chance to "die understanding" by conveying his wishes to Emily Reed.
As for how the two of them planned to handle it, it was not Natalie's concern.
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