Chapter 791 Oliver Admits He Has Double Standards
He had played tricks like this more than once or twice!
"Besides, you have the intelligence and cunning to plan this whole series of events," Natalie said.
"Mrs. Windsor, are you praising my intelligence again?" Oliver smiled slightly, appearing to be in a good mood.
Natalie punched him in the chest. He did not seem to feel anything, but she ended up hurting herself.
"You're just assuming that I have no solid evidence, aren't you? I don't want to talk to a scheming man like you. I'm not your match when it comes to playing tricks. Let go of me!" Natalie snorted.
Actually, she was not really angry, but she had to pretend to be. After all, Oliver refused to admit it, right?
'Let go? Impossible.'
Oliver scooped up Natalie in his arms and headed toward the bathroom.
"I won't say anything. I'll bathe you."
He was certain that she had no evidence and that she was not truly angry.
Evidence? How could she have evidence?
Indeed, this publicity stunt was carefully planned by him, but he also improvised.
For instance, on the night of the competition, if he had dressed more low-key or chosen not to sit in the most conspicuous seat, he would not have caught the public's eye.
Another example: even if someone had spotted him, as a spectator, he could have remained silent.
However, he would not give Natalie a chance to dismiss the issue.
Even though she could also choose to publicly acknowledge their relationship, he did not want to wait.
…
"Do you have two days off?" Oliver asked Natalie before going to bed.
Natalie nodded. "Is there something?"
After the competition, the mentors would have a two-day break.
"Isaiah and Maddison want to meet you tomorrow night."
"What?"
Natalie suddenly woke up. She sat up abruptly from the bed.
"Tomorrow night?"
Seeing Oliver nod, Natalie asked again, "Just you, Isaiah, and Maddison?"
"Don't worry about the others," Oliver said, adding, "You just need to pay attention to Isaiah and Maddison regarding Lucas' matter. Ignore the others."
"So the Norton family is having a party?"
"Yes."
Natalie did not know what to say.
"Don't worry!"
"How could I not worry?"
Natalie was wide awake. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, then turned over and pinched Oliver's waist. She felt the firm muscle and pursed her lips.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I don't believe this party was planned at the last minute!"
"There's no need to prepare in advance for an insignificant event."
Oliver did not want Natalie to waste time and energy on those people.
"It's too rushed. I don't even have time to prepare gifts!"
"They don't need gifts," Oliver said, tucking Natalie in.
The indoor temperature was now 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Natalie was quite sensitive to cold, so she still needed a thin blanket to sleep.
'It's because you don’t want me to make preparations, right?' Natalie complained in her heart.
"It's customary to prepare a gift for a first meeting," Natalie said, lecturing Oliver.
"Not necessary," Oliver was very stubborn.
After finishing his sentence, he saw Natalie glaring at him unhappily, so he added, "The Norton family has a long history, and the people in this family have their own hidden agendas. You don't need to be polite to them, and you won’t meet them much in the future."
Oliver even thought it would be better to be a little rude, but he knew that Natalie valued etiquette. As long as it did not cause a conflict between the two, she would not want to be rude.
…
The next day after breakfast, Natalie still decided to go out and buy some small gifts for Isaiah and Maddison.
"They don't lack anything."
Oliver thought it was unnecessary for Natalie to especially bring gifts for the two. Even if she really wanted to buy gifts, he could have Jamie arrange it.
Every Christmas and their birthdays, Oliver would have Jamie prepare gifts to be sent over.
"But you don't lack anything either, so you don't need me to give you gifts, right?" Natalie tilted her head and asked.
Oliver fell silent before admitting, "I still want them."
Oliver acknowledged his double standards.
Natalie could buy gifts for him, but in his view, setting aside time to choose gifts for others was unnecessary. They could simply pick up suitable items from a store they happened to pass by.
"Sir, the board meeting will start in half an hour. The lounge is already prepared with the desserts that Mrs. Norton likes. The car is waiting downstairs," Jamie informed as he entered.
Seeing that everything was ready, Oliver asked, "Are you ready?"
"Where are we going? The shareholder meeting? Do I have to go? What am I going to do there?" Natalie asked, confused.
"To accompany me."
Today's shareholder meeting was unavoidable. It had to be attended by Oliver, the person in power. He had arranged for a lounge to be prepared for Natalie in advance.
Natalie would have agreed to accompany him whenever she had nothing else planned. After all, she spent most of her free time reading; it did not matter where she was. However, today was not convenient for her.
Shareholder meetings usually lasted at least two hours. If there were important matters to discuss, they could extend through the entire morning or even the whole day. During this time, she would be free to do as she pleased.
Natalie suddenly had an idea. She said, "I'm not going. I want to go buy the gifts."
"Ma'am, I've already prepared the gifts for Isaiah and Maddison," Jamie promptly responded.
"Do you think others can't tell what I prepared and what you prepared?"
"Natalie!" Oliver frowned.
"I'm not going! Oliver, you made our relationship public just yesterday. Are you already starting to restrict my activities? You've been scheming behind my back, but I haven't settled the score with you yet!"
Natalie turned away, refusing to engage further with Oliver, appearing slightly angry.
'Pregnant women shouldn't get angry,' Oliver thought and sighed.
After a moment, Oliver compromised, saying, "Then be safe, and someone will come to pick you up for lunch."
"Great! I'll bring Casey along!" Natalie exclaimed happily, as if she had not just been upset.
…
Choosing gifts for Isaiah and Maddison was not easy. It was their first meeting, and her gifts needed to reflect her intentions. As a junior, she did not need to buy anything too expensive. The gifts she chose would not be as valuable as the one Jamie had selected.
With the Norton family's wealth, what valuable things had they not seen before? Even if there were, she could not afford them.
"Hold on."
While shopping in the business district, Natalie suddenly stopped in her tracks, her gaze falling on the sign of a ceramics DIY shop.
A gift made by her own hands would best represent her intentions—as long as her craftsmanship was decent enough.
The owner of the ceramics DIY shop appeared to be in their fifties or sixties. The shop offered high-quality finished products for customers to purchase directly, as well as special rooms for customers to make their own ceramics, catering to those who wanted to create something by hand. But in reality, most people would end up buying the finished products from the store after making their own ceramics, because their homemade items were often too amateurish.
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