Chapter 740 Providing Support
Samuel stayed in the hospital, guarding the appraisal report and not daring to leave for a moment.
"Samuel, the report is out," the doctor informed, handing the sealed leather bag to Samuel while he received a call from his immediate subordinate.
"Mr. Hastings, there has been an unpleasant incident between Mr. Hastings Senior, James, and Miss Watson," the subordinate succinctly explained the situation between Natalie and the Hastings family.
Actually, it wasn't that simple. They had faithfully relayed the core messages from Mr. Hastings Senior, James, and Natalie.
The doctor delivering the documents saw Samuel's face turn pale in an instant, almost a ghastly shade.
"Mr. Hastings, are you okay?" the doctor asked cautiously.
Samuel waved his hand, motioning for the doctor to leave. He sat alone on the hospital bench, closing his eyes and pondering: Was this fate?
Fate that Natalie and their family were not meant to be.
Fate that once something was lost, it was truly lost.
Samuel remembered how their grandmother would often say in a daze before her passing, "That's not Natty, that's not Natty."
Natty was the nickname for his sister.
Before Mrs. Hastings Senior's death, tears in her eyes, she had sternly instructed not to call this girl they had found again as "Natty"—it was a precaution and refusal to recognize this "granddaughter" they had found.
At the time, everyone thought that Grandma was confused, but little did they know... she was the one who truly understood life.
Maybe it's better to forget about it?
Samuel tried to convince himself.
Even if Natalie was the real Natty, so what? It's been so many years, and so many things have happened. The truth coming out wouldn't benefit anyone.
A prominent family background?
Natalie probably doesn't care anymore.
She had once needed a status the most, and the Hastings family stood by Susan's side. Now that Natalie is returning to the limelight, why would she need a status to add to her accomplishments?
The Hastings family... it's not an accomplishment, but rather a source of trouble.
No, it's not right!
After thinking for a while, Samuel couldn't accept just letting it go, so he called his subordinate back.
"Why did they go to Hastings Diner today?" Samuel asked.
Although Hastings Diner is a high-end private restaurant under the Hastings family, the Hastings family rarely dines there because it looks too similar to their own establishment, lacking the novelty factor.
Subordinate: "It was a family gathering suggested by your second uncle."
Samuel frowned, "Who suggested going there?"
"Second Miss."
The Second Miss, that would be the second son of the Hastings family. By calculation, she would be Samuel's cousin.
The second son... was never well-behaved.
The adult second son wanted to gradually seize the Hastings family's assets. The Second Miss showed respect and affection towards Susan on the surface, but in reality, she couldn't wait for Susan to fall from grace.
It was fine in the past, but now she's targeting Natalie again!
Samuel gave a series of orders to his subordinate.
After leaving Hastings Diner, there was an alley, and further ahead was the road.
Oliver had just bought a new RV for her, which was parked by the roadside. Natalie was taken aback for a moment, and the RV's door was already open, with a man sitting inside, watching her.
"You were waiting for me?" Natalie had told Oliver before she went in, asking him to go back first.
Natalie knew it would be at least three hours before the dinner ended.
"Who else is worth me waiting for, besides my wife?" Oliver countered.
Once Natalie got in the car, Oliver instructed the driver to return to the hotel.
"The chef made fish tonight," Oliver said, wrapping his arms around Natalie's waist.
"You knew I would come out so fast?" Natalie, surprised at first, quickly realized, "You know that store belongs to the Hastings family?"
With Oliver's ability, it was easy to know what industries the Hastings family owned and which ones belonged to them.
"You only knew after going in," Oliver lied smoothly.
The production team planned where to eat, the dining environment, and who the restaurant owner was. Oliver found out all of this immediately but didn't tell Natalie right away. If he had informed her beforehand, she might have suggested going to another restaurant.
Having alcohol in the dining environment was an uncontrollable factor, so he let her refuse this gathering herself.
However, it wasn't until they arrived at the hotel suite that Oliver learned what had actually happened at Hastings diner and what insults Natalie had endured.
"...Although James mentioned his wife's background, saying that you couldn't support her for a lifetime, Mr. Hastings Senior said the Hastings family's industries do not welcome wives. But his wife fought back," Jamie recounted Natalie's words to Oliver verbatim. "She said that the Hastings family means nothing to Windsor Group and RK Corporation, and that Mr. Hastings Senior's attempt to suppress her with the Hastings family was absurd and foolish."
Jamie retold everything that happened at Hastings diner to Oliver word for word. If anyone from the Hastings family were present, they would have discovered that Jamie knew who appeared in front of Natalie, who insulted her, and what Mr. Hastings Senior, James, and the second eldest sister of the Hastings family had said, all without any omissions or mistakes.
As for how Jamie managed to do it, when they inserted someone or how they obtained surveillance from the Hastings family, no one in the Hastings family knew.
After a moment, Oliver let out a cold laugh.
"Since Natalie said so, he indeed should show the Hastings family what they really are!"
As for whether they could support themselves for a lifetime, they should see for themselves how long the Hastings family would support them.
The Hastings family experienced the largest collective creation since they started their business.
Several collaborating companies announced that they would cease working with the Hastings family, and all subsidiaries under RK Group and Windsor Group received instructions from their presidents to terminate their cooperation with the Hastings family immediately. Even for already established collaborations, they would be terminated despite paying breach fees. At the same time, all hotels, restaurants, resorts, and entertainment venues under RK Group and Windsor Group would not welcome the Hastings family.
Although this matter was not extensively announced, the business circle was small, and within a day, everyone knew that the Hastings family and the Windsor family were at odds.
Most people speculated that the Hastings family offended Oliver.
As for why they offended Oliver, it was too easy to guess, because of a Natalie.
But now, Arthur is the one in control of the Windsor Group. Would Oliver really refuse such a good business partner as the Hastings family just for a sister-in-law with whom he had little relationship?
In the upper class, conflicts are common, and many people cannot understand the dependence between Oliver and Arthur, instead judging them based on their own perspectives. They assume that if they were Arthur, they would only want to further strengthen the Windsor Group and be envious of Oliver's vast RK Group business empire.
Coincidentally, Arthur attended a business event that evening.
During the event, a financial journalist asked, "Mr. Windsor, by rejecting and terminating all cooperation with the Hastings family, aren't you worried about the loss of benefits? Don't you worry that such actions will bring negative reputation to you and the Windsor Group that you lead?"
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