Natasha looked at the text message and blinked.Initially, she had hoped to distract herself by reading the message, forcing herself to detach from her emotions. However, seeing that the message was from Joshua only made her feel worse.No matter how important the matter was, it had nothing to do with her. In the end, she put her phone back on the desk.Natasha got up and walked downstairs to pour herself a cup of coffee, hoping to calm herself down.She put a scoop of coffee powder into the cup and diluted it with water. The coffee's fragrance wafted through the air, bringing a sense of tranquility.After finishing her coffee, Natasha sat back at her desk. She took some glue and carefully stuck her leather-bound notebook back together.She was a perfectionist, and the paper in the notebook was thin, so she had to focus to ensure the paper was stuck back in its original form.Her phone vibrated repeatedly on the side, and the sound echoed through the silent villa. The continuous
While Natalie failed to find the rich person who was against Grayson Corporation, she was surprised to find out her position in Zack's heart. The letter of authorization was now within her grasp!As time passed, Joshua didn't show up. Natalie furrowed her brows as she glanced at her watch. It was already noon. She couldn't help but wonder if Joshua wasn't coming to the company today.…Meanwhile, at Gwen Restaurant, Natasha was dressed in a Chanel black shawl coat, paired with a low-key cocktail dress that showcased her fantastic figure. Her dark hair fell with a natural curve over her shoulders.She slowly made her way into the restaurant."Hello, ma'am. May I ask if you have a reservation?" The voice of the receptionist at the entrance was gentle and extremely polite.That was a members-only restaurant. Even with wealth, one couldn't make a reservation without membership. It was also very famous in Topola."Mr. Grayson has reserved private room No. 9," Natasha said casually.
Natasha arched an eyebrow. "Me? Stubborn?" She swallowed the rest of her words and then chuckled lightly.She had almost forgotten the image she projected in front of Joshua. As an orphan who lived off the Grayson family, she couldn't have possibly visited or qualified to visit Gwen."Yes, I'm being stubborn. However, as an orphan, I'm also unworthy of tasting Gwen's dishes. So, are you saying it or not? If not, I'm leaving."With that, she grabbed her bag from the side and got up to leave.She had no interest in having a meal with Joshua. Looking at Joshua's face, which was so similar to Jacob's, she couldn't even bring herself to eat.On the contrary, it only deepened her feelings of grief and misery.Joshua sat at the table. His eyes were calm and devoid of emotion. He didn't even look at her.It was as if he didn't care about her leaving at all. He even calmly picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee.Natasha walked to the door without a second thought and pulled open the
Joshua knew that was what Natasha had been hoping for in her heart, and she wouldn't refuse.However, upon hearing Joshua's words, Natasha couldn't help but sneer inwardly.She hadn't expected Joshua to think that a birthday banquet could compensate for her authorization.Her authorization was worth a high price, and he actually wanted to trade it for a single banquet. She thought he was delusional.Even if Philip's banquet was priceless and couldn't be measured in terms of money, a letter of authorization was incomparable to it.Yet, Joshua was trying to use his grandpa's birthday banquet as a bargaining chip for her favor. Or perhaps Joshua saw this banquet as a commercial opportunity to obtain the letter of authorization.His actions truly made her feel astonished.With a smirk, she slowly picked up a dish with her fork and put it into her mouth.Joshua narrowed his eyes as he glanced at her. "What do you think?"Natasha chewed slowly and swallowed the food before putting d
Joshua raised his eyebrows slightly. He listened to her words and glanced casually at Natalie, who was snuggling up to him. "Natalie, stop messing around. Sit properly.""I'm not messing around. I'm telling the truth." Natalie still nestled gently against Joshua.She pouted slightly, seeming a little unhappy. "As you know, the last time was an accident. I can assure you that it won't be fake this time."The sight of Natalie cuddling Joshua made Natasha instantly lose her appetite. She felt disgusted instead of hungry. Hence, she quietly set down her knife and fork. Joshua ignored Natalie's words as he frowned. "I said sit properly." His tone unwittingly implied a position of authority that did not tolerate contradiction.In fact, Joshua saw today's invitation to Natasha as a matter of strict business. Since it was a matter of business, it had to be done properly.He had always kept his public and private matters separate, and to him, Natalie's behavior was inappropriate, both lo
"You, a lone girl who can only survive by relying on the Grayson family, have no idea how much luxury you've enjoyed in those three years with the Grayson family."You don't know how to be grateful, and yet you want the Grayson family to thank you?" Natalie exclaimed.Hearing her words, Natasha blinked. "Where's all this luxury you're talking about? Ask your Josh what life was like for me after I married into the Grayson family."Natalie wanted to say something else, but Joshua grabbed her arm. He frowned at Natalie. "Stop talking." It was only then that Natalie realized that she had gone too far with her earlier words. She quickly held back the rest of what she was going to say.Natalie explained in a tone of grievance, "I just couldn't stand Natasha treating the Grayson family like this, so I got a bit carried away with my words…" She tried to salvage her image.However, before she could finish her sentence, Joshua interrupted, "I know." There was unmistakable trust in his eye
"That's good." Natasha looked deeply at Natalie, nodded, and stood up.Given the Grayson family's status, a birthday gift would be worth at least several million.If Natalie truly was willing to spend that money, it might be considered somewhat sincere. However, if she only did it to save face, that would be a different story. Seeing that Natasha was already prepared to leave, Natalie felt somewhat reluctant."Aren't you preparing anything for Mr. Grayson Senior's 70th birthday?" She couldn't bear spending money on her own!Natasha raised an eyebrow. She blinked and glanced around. "Are you talking about me?""Yes. Besides you, who else is there? Stop pretending." Natalie's eyes widened."I'm a penniless orphan. How can I afford a birthday gift?" Natasha smiled ambiguously. Joshua's brows furrowed, and his tone was icy. "Natalie, don't make things difficult for Natasha. She's no longer part of the Grayson family. There's no need for her to buy my grandpa a birthday gift."Na
Natalie watched her leave with a smile on her face. She couldn't believe Natasha was silly enough to turn down an opportunity that had been served to her on a silver platter.Joshua watched Natasha leave with a cold gaze, but she suddenly stopped and turned around.Natalie's smile froze on her face. Natasha wasn't about to change her mind, right?"What is it? Did you finally come to your senses?" Joshua asked."Of course not," Natasha said with a smile. She waved her phone and said, "I wanted to remind you not to send me any more messages from now on. It's quite annoying."After that, she turned to leave.Joshua's expression darkened as he gritted his teeth.Natalie looked scandalized by Natasha's brash attitude. Before Joshua could say anything, she yelled, "Hey! How dare you talk to Josh that way? You need to be taken down a notch!"Natasha completely ignored the yelling behind her.…She reached Gwen Restaurant's main doors. One of the waiters approached her and said, "Tak