"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
"Can't be bothered with me?" Joshua repeated in a low voice. His gaze was steely and dark like a thunderstorm, and as cold as one, too."Exactly," Natalie said with a nod. "She even used to call me a gold digger, but look at her now! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."Since I'm joining the Grayson family soon, I've been following all of the necessary traditions. I've been keeping track of my spending and ensuring I'm not too frivolous."Look at this Chanel jacket. I wouldn't even dare to dream about buying it, but she wore it so casually. Who knows what tycoon she's managed to get into bed with?" Natalie finished, looking curious.Her words managed to kill two birds with one stone. First, she fed into the idea of Natasha sleeping with other men, and then, she subtly uplifted herself and her wise money-spending habits.Joshua mindlessly toyed with his mug as his expression remained cold and stoic. It felt like anyone who went near him would be turned into ice.As Natali
Natalie was overjoyed. "Josh…" she cooed in a soft voice. Her gaze failed to hide her excitement.Joshua stood up and ignored her. He began to walk away with a dark expression."Josh! D-Does that mean I can join the party?" Natalie carefully called out. She didn't want to miss the chance to ask him about it."Yes," he said simply before walking away.Natalie was practically glowing with happiness. She glanced at Joshua's coldly retreating figure and murmured to herself, "I guess I just profited from a misfortune, huh?"However, the misfortune was Natasha's while Natalie was reaping all the profits.She smiled, feeling extremely proud of herself.…Natasha had just reached home.She tossed her car and house keys on the table next to the front door and only realized something was missing when she reached her bedroom."What am I missing?" she thought to herself with a frown.She thought about it carefully and finally remembered the jacket she'd been wearing when she left the ho
"Yes. If you want reliable bodyguards, your best choice will be from the Zales family."Zack's gaze was determined as he continued, "The Zales are known for being involved in some gang matters. Oceanville can kind of be considered their territory.""If they really are as famous as you say, why haven't I ever heard about them?" Natasha said with a frown.She had never heard about the Zales family before.Zack smirked and said teasingly, "All you cared about was Joshua! I bet if he wanted a star, you'd find a way to give it to him."Of course you wouldn't care about that stuff. I'd find it weird if you actually knew about them."Even though he hadn't seen Natasha in three years, the Grayson family's business had long since spread around among the rich families.Natasha's feelings and everything she had done for Joshua had become a hot conversation topic for rich families to gossip about and laugh at over coffee and desserts.He had tried to shut them up once, but it hadn't gotten
She silently walked on the shore.Natasha couldn't help but marvel to herself that the serene, calming view really contrasted with the Zales' identity as part of the mafia. She finally walked into the building. It was a very tall corporate building and was mostly decked out in black furniture. It was both subtle and tasteful, and there were well-equipped guards all over the place.Natasha took her phone out and tapped the number that Zack sent. The call went through in a matter of seconds.She said simply, "Hi, I'm here to hire some bodyguards. Zack recommended me to come here.""Oh, it's you. Mr. Lynch has already informed us you'll be dropping by. I'll bring you upstairs right now," the voice on the other end said kindly.Someone came down to pick her up in just a matter of minutes.The person who came to bring her was a stony-faced man with a cold expression. He was dressed in all black and emitted a dangerous, sharp air. He seemed intimidating."Please come this way," he s
Natasha walked out of the building in confusion. Should she ask Ryan about it? What if it wasn't him?If she asked him, she would expose the fact that she'd gone to the Zales' company. What would she say if Ryan asked her what she was doing there?Natasha's eyelid twitched. If Ryan asked about it, she wouldn't be able to lie to him, which meant she would have to come clean about who she really was.She continued to walk on the beach slowly in deep thought. Before she realized it, she had arrived at the spot where she parked her car. With a sigh, she opened the door and got in.She began to drive past the seemingly endless expanse of ocean. She drove far along the coast while the Zales' company building faded into the distance, just like her busy thoughts.……The next day, faint sunbeams from the early sunrise shone weakly into the bedroom.Due to her recent dejected mood, Natasha failed to get a good night's rest. She woke up early that day, almost at the exact same time the s
"She can't stay in this condition for too long," Natasha explained."Okay," Ella replied. However, after a brief moment, she came back to the phone and stammered, "M-Madam won't pick up the phone. I passed it to her, but she pushed it away."Natasha frowned and narrowed her eyes. Why wasn't Lorelei willing to pick up? Natasha felt her heart skip a beat."What happened which made Lorelei act this way? Did something trigger it?" Her car sped up as she drove while staying on the call. Did Natalie run off to the Graysons' mansion to piss Lorelei off again?"I'm not too sure either," Ella said urgently. She was clearly panicking because of the sudden situation.Natasha understood that Ella wouldn't be able to answer any of her questions in such a panicked state. She said calmly and reassuringly, "I'll be there right away. Don't worry."Natasha reached the Graysons' mansion in just a few minutes.She screeched to a halt and ran into the Grayson mansion, beginning to jog upstairs.She