Chapter 819 Having a Son or Daughter?
While berating him, Marjorie continued to strike Oliver.
Throughout the ordeal, Oliver did not utter a word of pain, nor did he grunt. His expression remained unfazed. If Natalie had not seen the stick strike him and later confirmed there was no padding under his clothes, she might have suspected he was protected by foam. He appeared remarkably calm. It did not seem as if he were being beaten at all.
Natalie was astonished by Marjorie's pretense. Was she really in her eighties?
Feeling she had witnessed enough, Natalie decided she could not watch Oliver get beaten any longer. She said, "Grandma, I'm a bit tired. I'll go rest in my room for a while."
"Sure, go ahead! Leave your husband here!" Marjorie quickly flashed a smile at Natalie.
Natalie was once again struck by Marjorie's rapid change of expression.
…
Returning to the master bedroom after over a month felt as if she had been gone only a day.
The blankets, likely sun-dried the previous day, smelled of sunshine.
Natalie was unconcerned with whatever continued downstairs, indifferent to whether Marjorie would keep hitting Oliver. She felt Marjorie had already vented a significant amount of frustration. It must be noted that having a sensible elder at home could be immensely beneficial in easing tensions.
In the end, Oliver managed to escape Marjorie. He went upstairs and quickly entered the master bedroom.
Natalie had dozed off while reading. The open book precariously perched on the edge of the large bed. Her lower body was seated upright while her upper body lay twisted across the bed.
Although sleeping in such an awkward position seemed uncomfortable, Oliver knew it did not bother Natalie too much. Her flexibility was excellent, which he had noticed on several occasions. Even in this contorted position, her beauty while sleeping remained undisturbed.
Pregnancy had enhanced Natalie's beauty. Her features were the same, yet there was an extra glow about her, particularly noticeable between her eyebrows, which Oliver found captivating.
With a carpet softening his steps, Oliver moved quietly. He placed the book on the bedside table and gently adjusted Natalie into a more comfortable sleeping position.
Suddenly, Natalie opened her eyes and gazed at him, still half-asleep.
"Awake?" Oliver asked, assisting her to sit up, "Still sleepy?"
Drowsiness was a common trait in pregnant women.
Natalie shook her head, using the support from Oliver's arm to sit up straight and scrutinize him.
"Do you feel relieved?" he asked, his tone a mix of helplessness and doting.
Natalie did not answer the question. Instead, she asked curiously, "Oliver, did you secretly wear some technologically advanced protective gear before you came back?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow, expressing his doubts.
"I don't see any signs of injury on you."
"Grandma is getting old and weak," Oliver replied nonchalantly, "I'm going to take a shower first."
Taking a shower as soon as he got home was his usual routine.
However, today, this routine was delayed due to the beating he received downstairs.
The bathroom door closed firmly behind him.
Oliver took off his shirt, revealing the crisscrossed red marks covering his strong, broad back and muscular arms. These marks would likely turn into even more severe shades of purple by tomorrow.
Marjorie had not been pretending; she had truly exerted herself.
Although part of her motivation was knowing that Oliver had upset Natalie and wanting to help Oliver hold onto Natalie, she was also genuinely angry. She could not fathom Oliver's behavior! In short, she felt that he deserved the beating.
Oliver only glanced briefly at the marks and finished his shower before donning his bathrobe and stepping out.
Natalie noticed that this time, Oliver's bathrobe was not worn loosely as before. The belt was tightly fastened, and no part of his chest was exposed. He was dressed very modestly, revealing nothing.
…
Natalie's health had improved more than the doctor had predicted. Apart from experiencing increased nausea the previous month, she had returned to normal after returning to Rosewood Estate. As long as she avoided meat, she could eat normally.
"Natalie, you're such a brave woman! After you give birth to my great-granddaughter, I'll reward you," Marjorie exclaimed as she gently touched Natalie's belly, her face crinkling into a smile.
"But Grandma, didn't you say it was going to be a grandson just a few days ago?" Natalie teased.
"That would make it seem like I favor boys over girls! I have to clarify that I also hope for a granddaughter to show that I don’t have a preference for boys. I'm a fair person," Marjorie explained.
Natalie could not help but laugh at Marjorie's remarks; she found Marjorie to be quite an intriguing character.
"Natalie, do you want a son or a daughter?" Marjorie inquired.
"It doesn't matter," Natalie replied, her smile fading slightly.
She had never pondered whether the child she was carrying would be a boy or a girl. In fact, she had not planned on becoming pregnant at all—it had been an unexpected event.
Despite how harsh it might sound, Natalie did not feel the typical joy associated with pregnancy.
She was aware that her inner feelings toward the child, which Oliver had planned for, were far from the calm and accepting demeanor she showed to the world.
While Marjorie's scolding of Oliver had made Natalie less angry, it had not brought her any relief.
…
Elsewhere, Samuel received Susan's DNA from a prison guard—a vial of blood.
"Mr. Hastings, your sister hasn't been doing well lately," the guard informed him, though he did not specify why.
Both understood that Susan's difficulties were partly because of Oliver’s support of certain disreputable individuals and were also influenced by Susan’s own nature.
Having known her for many years, Samuel was aware that Susan usually presented herself as a graceful socialite, interacting mainly with people from her social circle or those she deemed valuable.
However, her demeanor in prison was quite different. She was often arrogant toward others, which was likely why she encountered problems.
"You can carry out your official duties. I'm a law-abiding citizen," Samuel responded before he left, taking Susan’s blood to the hospital where Rosy worked.
…
This private hospital, invested in by Oliver, also stored Lucas' DNA. The fact that Samuel chose this facility for the test demonstrated his willingness to cooperate with Oliver.
"What's going on with you guys? It seems like you're always doing DNA tests. I wonder if maybe your ancestors were blood relatives," Rosy could not help but comment.
Samuel opened the brown paper bag, pulling out the test report. The results confirmed a blood relationship between the individuals tested.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Rosy asked, noticing the change in Samuel's expression, as if a dark cloud was gathering overhead, signaling a brewing storm.
"Who else knows about these results?" Samuel asked.
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