Chapter 041 Under a Veil of Suspicion
Once Adrian had departed for his business trip, Natalie found herself slipping back into the rhythm of her old life, dividing her time between the sterile halls of the hospital and the bustling classrooms of her school.
Rosalie, afflicted by a severe case of kidney failure, was a constant presence in the hospital. The Cullen family generously shouldered the cost of her hospital stays and various treatments. However, the only true remedy was a kidney transplant, an elusive solution given the scarcity of suitable donors. As Rosalie's condition worsened, her dialysis treatments became more frequent, shifting from a bi-weekly routine to a weekly necessity.
Just then, a fine, misty rain began to descend from the heavens, blanketing the world in a soft, damp haze.
Natalie found herself standing at Stanley's grave, meticulously weeding around the headstone before gently placing a bouquet of flowers at its base. Her fingers traced the contours of the photograph embedded in the stone, tears welling up in her eyes.
The recent events had left her feeling overwhelmed, cornered, and helpless, especially when it came to Rosalie's deteriorating health. "Dad, if you and Ryan were still alive, what would you do?" she whispered into the silence.
She found herself recalling the fateful day Stanley had died, a day entangled with the Cullen family's business affairs. It was supposed to have been Curtis in the car that day, but somehow, it had been Stanley and her young brother, Ryan. Ryan had been just fifteen that year, and Natalie couldn't help but imagine the terror he must have felt as the truck bore down on them.
Stanley and Ryan's untimely deaths had a profound impact on Osborn, who passed away a few months later, his heart unable to bear the weight of his loss. Curtis, too, carried a heavy burden of guilt for the tragedy that had befallen the Teeger family, but what could his guilt possibly change?
Rosalie, in her grief, suffered a mental breakdown, teetering on the brink of insanity for a while. It was during this time that Avery moved Rosalie and Natalie from the grandeur of the Cullen Villa to a modest bungalow nestled behind it. This small house became their sanctuary.
With Stanley's passing, the family lost their primary source of income. Gradually, Rosalie found some semblance of normalcy and began working as a maid for the Cullen family. Curtis, in an attempt to assuage his guilt, offered Rosalie a substantial sum of money as compensation.
Rosalie, however, refused to touch the money, declaring, "This is the price of my husband and son's lives; I can't use this money."
Occasionally, Natalie would overhear the Cullen family's servants whispering in the kitchen, their voices filled with hushed speculations.
"Stanley's death is suspicious, I heard..."
"Should've been Mr. Cullen in that car, not Stanley."
"Poor Rosalie, so young yet she has a head full of white hair, her husband and son gone, only her young daughter left."
"Shh, the little girl might hear."
"What are you afraid of? Natalie is too young to understand." Yet, at ten years old, Natalie understood all too well.
Within days, those servants were dismissed.
Natalie once asked Rosalie if Curtis was responsible for the deaths of her father and brother. Her question was met with a harsh slap from a delusional Rosalie.
"Nonsense! Mr. Cullen is our benefactor!"
After that incident, Natalie never broached the subject again, but the question lingered, buried deep within her heart.
Nata lie found herself alone in the light rain, sitting by the gravestones for a long time, oblivious to the fact that her clothes were drenched. The cemetery in Vachilit was a well-kept, expensive place. After Stanley and Ryan's passing, a heartbroken Osborn had them buried there, ensuring someone cleaned the site weekly.
As dusk began to settle, she plucked a flower from her father's grave, tucking it into her pocket as she prepared to leave. A few steps away, she noticed a young man in a wheelchair struggling to navigate the stairs. Natalie approached, offering to assist. "Sir, let me help you."
The man in the wheelchair frowned slightly, his face a mask of resistance to Natalie's offered assistance.
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