Chapter 3 Cunning Strategies

Oliver had encountered numerous individuals who used various techniques, ranging from captivating allure to cunning deceit. However, he had seen his fair share of those who pretended to be foolish and innocent.

Such methods only served to make Oliver feel foolish and repulsed!

"Woman, do you think you can capture my attention by pretending to be ignorant?" Oliver coldly taunted, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

In an instant, Natalie's face turned mournful, and she apologized to the shadow behind the screen, "Oliver, it wasn't me. I didn't say those things!"

And then she turned to the half-naked man standing beside her, with an embarrassed expression.

"Big brother, please don't harm me. I am married! My newlywed husband is weak and sickly, and he has an ugly appearance. I have no interest in you!"

"Hmph!" Oliver let out a short, cold laugh, his eyebrows and eyes filled with a cold and icy aura.

With a kick of his long leg, he sent the priceless antique screen flying, revealing a human model wearing his latest custom-made suit behind the screen.

Natalie was instantly dumbfounded.

Is this a fake person?

And without a head?!

Only then did Oliver get a clear look at Natalie's face.

Her deer-like eyes were clear, her nose was well-shaped, her small mouth was rosy, and her delicate features were enchanting and charming but also pure and clear, an exquisite and beautiful face beyond compare.

It met all his aesthetic preferences for women.

However, this woman not only mistook a headless mannequin for him but also repeatedly called him ugly.

Oliver took a swift step forward, his slender and jade-like fingers pinching Natalie's chin, seeing the panic on her face that she couldn't hide.

"Woman, instead of pretending to be innocent, you might as well undress. I might look at you a bit longer."

"I am not, I didn't, I..."

His pupils were light brown, cold and full of irony, his handsome face so dark that water might drip from it, like a demon from hell.

It was the first time Natalie had been in such close proximity to a strange man. She was forced to meet his gaze, and the overwhelming pressure made it difficult for her to breathe. Her heart pounded like a drum, her face turning pale.

"S-Sorry!"

Whoever he was, she had to apologize first.

Natalie felt that if she said another word back, he might strangle her!

When Natalie came to see Oliver at night, she specifically wore something conservative, but she didn't notice that the neckline of her nightgown was loose, and when she bent over, her neckline opened.

Under the bright lights, it was suggestive.

Had she really resorted to seducing him with her body?

Hmph!

"Get out!" Oliver's gaze darkened.

Natalie hurriedly left the room, as if escaping from hell.

Mr. Liam was downstairs, and Natalie went over to confirm.

Upon learning that it was indeed Oliver, Natalie felt like crying. "Wasn't Oliver supposed to be, very ugly and sickly."

"Madam, rumors cease with the wise. Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving."

The rumors of his sickness and ugliness had nothing to do with Oliver, but his eccentric and hot-tempered personality fit perfectly!

Natalie sighed in frustration. She was already unwelcome, and now she had offended someone as soon as she entered. How could she negotiate terms with Oliver?

If she didn't have Oliver's permission, she wouldn't be able to leave the estate or the Western Mountains.

‘

The guards wouldn't open the gate, and she couldn't walk down the vast Western Mountains.

The next morning.

Natalie's phone vibrated, and when she saw the caller ID, her beautiful face instantly turned cold.

"Hello, father."

"Natalie, did you give the gift to Oliver?" Robert's voice came through the receiver. "Remember, you must behave well in the Windsor family. You cannot make Oliver Angry.”

Don't anger Oliver. Is this something a father would say to his daughter? Robert's words to her when he forced her to get married. 

Hailey was even more cruel – 'Natalie, I'm telling you! If you refuse to marry, I will throw you and Lucas out!' This sentence almost shattered Natalie's expectations of paternal love, leaving only disappointment and desolation. 

‘'I will go deliver the gift in a little while,' Natalie suppressed the pain in her heart and said, 'Dad, please make sure to keep the news of my marriage a secret from Xiao Rui. I'm worried he won't be able to accept it.'"

"What do you mean he won’t accept it? Marrying Oliver is a blessing!" Robert said impatiently after a few seconds. "Oh well! If you behave, no one will say anything!"

Besides Natalie, no one went to see Lucas anyway.

The gift was in the luggage, packaged in a half-meter wide flat box, wrapped in delicate embossed paper and leather and looked noble and elegant.

Natalie didn't know what was inside, so she took the gift and went to Oliver.

The study door was closed and this time, after Natalie knocked on the door, she didn't dare to enter casually.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before the door opened it was an automatic door, controlled by an intelligent system.

The study was surprisingly large, with an area of one hundred square meters dominated by deep brown colors. The floor was covered with an expensive short-pile carpet, and the walls were surrounded by a 270-degree bookshelf filled with various rare books in different languages.

Oliver sat behind a large mahogany office desk, leaning lazily against a leather office chair.

The morning light shone through the glass windows, illuminating half of the man's face, his features appearing exceptionally handsome and divine in the morning glow.

Such a good-looking person, yet he was rumored to be ugly and dreadful by outsiders.

He looked at her with a cold expression, his gaze questioning her purpose of coming.

"Oliver, my father asked me to bring you a gift." Natalie presented the box in her hands.

The woman stood quietly and obediently at the door, and her appearance of last night, pretending to be foolish, still lingered in his mind.

Oliver's slender, powerful fingers tapped the desktop rhythmically. "Bring it in."

When alone in the room with Oliver, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by his inherent dominance. Natalie took a shallow breath before walking in.

Oliver glanced at the exquisitely packaged gift box in front of him and lifted his chin imperiously, commanding, "Open it."

As she unpacked the gift box, Natalie discovered an antique gilded sword inside. The blade had smooth lines, the hilt was set with rare gemstones and the scabbard was exquisitely carved with lifelike dragon patterns, making it priceless.

However, Oliver didn't find this kind of thing appealing.

He held it in his hand, lacking interest, and played with it a few times. The crimson red ruby shimmered under the crystal lamp, but it couldn't compare to the beauty of the woman's red lips in front of him.

Oliver was about to throw it away when he caught sight of something at the bottom of the box.

Using two fingers, he hooked the piece of fabric and after seeing it clearly, he laughed.

"Natalie, are you tempting me with this new approach?" He laughed, a cold and mocking expression in his eyes.

"Huh?" Natalie couldn't see clearly what it was and furrowed her brow in confusion.

The next second, the fabric at the tip of his finger flew towards her, accurately and without error, covering her head.

Natalie took it off and looked. Several translucent and torn pieces of fabric were connected by thin threads, it was a common sight in action movies, a leopard-print lingerie!

Natalie's scalp tingled, her blood rushed, and she felt like she was on fire. She quickly discarded the clothes, not even daring to glance at them.

A gift from a woman, and there was lingerie inside!

This implication is too obvious! "This, this, this, this is not me. How could there be such a thing?" She was so embarrassed that she couldn't speak coherently. 

Oliver saw her cheeks and ears turn red, like a hot plate of a frying pan, feeling so embarrassed that she couldn't control herself.

Well, this women is better at seducing him than the ones before.

"Having the courage to give, but not to use? What are you pretending for?" Oliver's voice was as oppressive to the embarrassed Natalie as torture.

"I'm not pretending!" Natalie felt wronged , took a deep breath, and calmed down.