Chapter 757 Protecting His Wife
Natalie knew that Jane would never want anyone to see her in such a miserable state, including herself.
Jane had always been proud; it would have been hard for her to imagine that one day she would speak to her love rival with no way to protect herself; she could only suppress her own emotions and brace for failure and humiliation.
Natalie thought to herself, 'Jane was her goal? She said she excelled in her studies and never ranked lower than third and that she studied various musical instruments, painting, and flower arrangement? However, Jane always ranked first in her studies. Musical instruments, painting, and flower arrangement were just a few of her many interests. She didn't even have to put in much effort to excel in them. What gives Aurora the confidence to compare herself to Jane?'
To put it plainly, Aurora was not worthy!
"Oliver? Natalie?"
At this time, Ann emerged from the room and spotted two unexpected visitors. Initially, she was displeased when she saw two guests who had not observed proper etiquette by coming to the corner tower without permission. However, upon closer inspection, she discovered they were Oliver and Natalie.
Oliver's face was now recognized by everyone in the social circle, and as for Natalie, Ann had known about Natalie for a long time. After all, Natalie was Jane’s best friend. In her eyes, not only did Natalie come from a lowly background, but she was also friends with Jane, which was considered unacceptable in high society.
"Why are you here, Oliver?" Ann asked Oliver first before she turned to Natalie and said, "Natalie, if I’m not mistaken, you didn't receive an invitation, right?"
Her tone was markedly different toward Oliver and Natalie; she had shown a degree of respect to Oliver but was very dismissive and disdainful toward Natalie.
"She's my companion," Oliver said, wrapping his arm around Natalie's waist in an intimate and possessive gesture.
Seeing Ann's stunned expression, Oliver added nonchalantly, "It seems like you’ve been busy forcing your son to get married, so the news hasn't reached you yet."
"You!"
Ann's face contorted into an expression of anger.
Although she had kept the matter of her forcing Anthony to marry a secret, some people in the social circle had suspected that Anthony did not care for Aurora. Whether he liked Aurora or not was insignificant compared to the benefits of an alliance through marriage. As such, most people believed that the marriage between Anthony and Aurora was either a union between the Clark and Dewar families or a repayment for the Dewar family's support over the years.
Only a few were aware that it was neither an alliance nor a repayment.
The truth was Anthony was forced to marry Aurora, and it was Ann who was forcing him to marry Aurora.
Now that Oliver had revealed this matter so nonchalantly, how could Ann not be angry?
'Is he trying to embarrass the Clark family?'
"Mr. Windsor," Ann said, "There’s no conflict between you and me. It's not beneficial to make enemies everywhere you go."
Despite her words, she did not dare to confront Oliver directly.
At this point, although the Clark family had achieved significant success, they still lagged behind Oliver's current status. After all, Oliver not only had the support of the RK Group and the Windsor Group but also had the backing of the prestigious Norton family.
In contrast, the Clark family only had Anthony as their supporter.
"It's absurd that you claim to be unaware of any conflict. As the hostess today, you're really lacking," Oliver stated.
At this time, Natalie interjected, unable to stop herself from defending Jane, "Ann, to be honest, if it weren't for your underhanded tactics forcing Jane to come here, I wouldn't have stepped foot in this place."
No wonder it was commonly said that the high rate of divorce and the low rate of marriage were all due to the interference of mothers-in-law. This saying seemed to be true!
"Then leave! Leave CY Manor immediately!" Ann said, pointing toward the door.
"If you think you’re capable of driving me away, please go ahead and try. I'm curious to see how many will remain here after you publicly demand my departure!" Oliver said as he narrowed his eyes. Then, he shifted his grip from Natalie's waist to her hand, leading her away.
Ann's heart skipped a beat. She knew there was no way she could make Oliver leave. Not only that, but even if she did not say anything, if Oliver and Natalie were to leave abruptly, rumors would surely spread in less than a day. She had no doubts that rumors that the Clark and Windsor families were at odds or that Anthony had a conflict with Oliver during the engagement party would spread through the circle quickly.
Oliver did not state it outright, but Ann was not stupid. She naturally understood Oliver; he was displeased by her words and attitude toward Natalie.
'Wait… I thought Oliver and Natalie were divorced? Shouldn't they hate each other?'
Ann quickly summoned the middle-aged woman she had spoken to earlier and asked, "Alice, what's happening with Oliver and Natalie? Do you know?"
Alice had been brought into the household by Ann's family and was her most trusted aide.
Alice was indeed aware of Oliver and Natalie's situation, as their past relationship had been a topic of interest in their social circles. However, Ann had been predominantly focused on her son's marriage, so she still thought Oliver and Natalie were divorced.
"Mrs. Clark, there were rumors previously that Mr. Windsor was pursuing Ms. Watson, but she rejected him. As such, their relationship was never clearly defined. However, it appears they've reconciled today."
Not only had they reconciled, but Oliver seemed utterly devoted to Natalie!
"These men have all gone blind. How could they all be attracted to women like Jane and Natalie!" Ann exclaimed indignantly.
"Mrs. Clark!" Alice called out, giving Ann a reminder.
Ann realized her outburst and swiftly regained her composure and adjusted her facial expression. Usually, she maintained the image of a refined lady, but discussions involving her son's relationship, or anyone associated with Jane could easily disrupt her composure.
…
After leaving the corner tower, Natalie looked around but did not see Jane. She stopped a waiter to inquire and learned that Jane had not left the building.
'Could she be hiding in the restroom?' Natalie speculated inwardly.
…
Jane was someone who never showed weakness in front of others. Even during her family's toughest times, she would hide when she felt her emotions getting out of her control.
Previously, before the Watkins incident, Jane had been open about her vulnerabilities to Anthony, the inconspicuous 'bodyguard'. But later, Anthony had crushed her courage to show her vulnerabilities.
Jane's heart ached, and she felt suffocated. For a while, she struggled to breathe.
She thought about Ann's arrogance and derogatory words before she thought about Aurora's composure and bold pursuit of love. The former repulsed her, but she found herself unable to despise the latter.
Jane was adept at dealing with difficult and despicable people; they were nothing to her. However, she was at a loss on how to deal with someone like Aurora, who hurt her deeply without meaning to.
Jane would not hesitate to deal with those who deserved it, but she could not bring herself to harm those who were weak and without malice.
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