Chapter 851 Childhood
If she lacked that memory, she might occasionally sense an incompleteness from time to time. Whether good or bad, having some memories was always preferable to confusion.
"Alright."
Marjorie glanced at Oliver, who showed no objections, sighed, and admitted, "Your relationship with her was indeed very good."
Marjorie then fell into reminiscence; the events from over a decade ago seemed distant now.
"Natalie, the first time I saw you was in her arms, you were so tiny—" she said as she gestured to indicate the size, "Not even a year old. At that time, I thought such a beautiful little girl would be perfect as my grandson's wife. But Natalie, later, I had such feelings about Susan when I saw her. I was puzzled, how could such a beautiful child become less likable as she grew up!"
Even at this moment, Marjorie did not hesitate to express her disdain for Susan, which made Natalie marvel at Marjorie’s bluntness.
Natalie remained silent, listening to Marjorie attentively.
"Later on, I saw you a few more times, and you were always with your grandmother. During meals, she would feed you, and you were a quiet, obedient child, always chatting and showing affection towards her."
"Then, when the Hastings family’s young lady was kidnapped and went missing, I heard she fainted from distress several times and her old illness relapsed. When the young lady was found, her condition didn’t improve, and not long after, she passed away."
Marjorie sighed deeply. "I wonder if it was a divine sign that she felt the child was not her beloved granddaughter."
If Marjorie were still alive, one could only imagine the depth of her sorrow.
Marjorie fell silent, and Natalie strained to remember the past, but memories eluded her. Nonetheless, the warmth and sadness of those recounted moments felt too palpable to dismiss.
…
The following day, Samuel received a call from Natalie.
"I'll come tomorrow to pay my respects to her."
Samuel expressed surprise, saying, "Great, I'll wait for you to return!"
Natalie corrected him, saying, "Not return, but come."
The Hastings estate was not her home; what did he mean by 'return'?
Samuel clicked his tongue, dismissing the nuance. "Alright, it's 'come' then."
He hung up and relayed the message to the Hastings family to make preparations.
Now that everyone in the Hastings family knew Natalie was the true young lady and Susan was merely an impostor, the announcement of Natalie's visit brought smiles to some faces.
"Samuel, since Natalie is coming; will Oliver come too?" a middle-aged man inquired.
"Of course, Oliver is known for his devotion to Natalie. Since his wife is visiting her family; how could he not accompany her?" another person added enthusiastically.
"Since our company previously conducted some rare earth business with the RisingKing Group, should we approach them again? We are, after all, relatives; they ought to offer us a three percent profit margin! No, make that at least five percent!"
"Oliver has a good relationship with Wyatt and Isaac. Why not have him introduce them so one of the Hastings family's other eligible daughters could marry them? That would certainly bring our families even closer!" another chimed in excitedly.
Everyone was aware that Wyatt and Isaac were as close to Oliver as his own brother. If their daughters could marry one of them, it would be advantageous to them!
Samuel smirked, his expression dripping with sarcasm.
'A five percent profit margin? Are they living in a fantasy? Their daughters are hardly exceptional, but they're talking as though their success is guaranteed…'
Samuel chose not to enlighten these dreamers, preferring instead to wait and see their reactions when they met Oliver and Natalie in person the next day. Perhaps then they would realize the importance of working hard instead of indulging in mere fantasies.
…
On the anniversary of Natalie's grandmother's death, Natalie and Oliver made their way to Tycoon City via private plane.
At the airport, Samuel stood waiting, his tall and handsome figure exuding both nobility and a hint of playboy charm, drawing the eyes of many in the bustling terminal.
Natalie noticed him immediately. As they approached, Oliver kept his arm securely around her waist, their presence flanked by several discreetly dressed bodyguards.
"I came to pick you up. Why didn't you call me?" Samuel greeted them with a smile, his voice warm and welcoming.
Before he could continue, a stern look from Oliver cut him off.
Natalie, catching the exchange, turned to Samuel and said politely. "Samuel, long time no see."
Samuel felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped for a warmer greeting.
Considering Natalie's pregnancy, Samuel had thoughtfully prepared a spacious and comfortable SUV for her comfort. Alongside were three backup cars; two were designated for the bodyguards accompanying Oliver. Despite the option of having an entire car to himself, Samuel opted to sit in the front passenger seat of Natalie's car.
"Natalie, I was quite good to you in the past, wasn't I? I understand that you don't want to acknowledge the other members of the Hastings family, but does it have to include me?" Samuel's eyes met Natalie's through the rearview mirror and he said, "I cared for you so much when we were young. It's really not worth it."
He shook his head, looking regretful and seemingly on the verge of muttering, ''You heartless person.''
Natalie looked at him skeptically. Her expression seemed to say, 'Do you really think I'm a fool?'
"With your attitude, you should be thankful I didn't bully you when we were kids," she retorted sharply.
Samuel was momentarily lost for words.
Natalie pressed on, asking, "How old were you back then? Around ten? Everyone was annoying at that age!"
Samuel felt a mix of frustration and helplessness. Even after all these years, her words were as harsh as ever.
"Don’t you know how to respect your elders? I’m your brother, am I not caring and considerate enough for you? Who was the one who kept that man out of the hospital room in Bayfield? Have you forgotten?"
He directed a pointed glare at Oliver when he said 'that man'.
"Do you know how to protect the younger ones? I'm younger than you," Natalie fired back, not backing down, "When we were in Bayfield, you promised to keep some people away, but they still came in. It seems you're not very capable!"
Samuel opened his mouth to respond several times but found himself at a loss for words against her sharp retorts.
"You have nothing to say, right? If you have nothing to say, then just keep quiet!" Natalie turned away from him, ending the conversation.
Samuel muttered to himself, "I'm just worried you’d start crying. When we were young, you'd always cry if you lost an argument with me."
In that moment, the fierce demeanor that Natalie had displayed earlier seemed to soften, as if a balloon had been deflated.
'When I was young…'
Looking at Samuel's genuinely aggrieved expression, Natalie chose not to argue further and chose to stare out the window instead. Internally, she thought, 'I'm not angry, there's no need to comfort me! Really, there’s no need for that.'
However, the thought did not seem very genuine.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
