Only Natalie and Natasha were present at that moment. Also, the fact that Zack was unfamiliar with Natalie was revealed during the phone call when Natalie put the speakerphone on. This made it clear that Natasha was connected to Zack.If Natasha chose not to admit it now, Natalie could easily turn the tables later and make it seem like Natasha was deliberately distancing herself from Zack. Natalie would insist that Natasha was trying to cover something up.It seemed better for Natasha to come clean now.When Natasha remained silent and toyed nervously with her glass, Natalie taunted, "You must have an intimate relationship with Zack. He called you 'Natty!' Why would he use such an affectionate nickname if you were just friends?"After a moment of thought, Natalie continued, "Natasha, are you going to deny this now? Don't even try."It's just the two of us there. If Zack wasn't calling me 'Natty,' then that nickname must be referring to you! How are you going to deny that?"Natash
"Why should I talk about it? Joshua hasn't told me anything about his friends, either, has he?" Natasha's gaze turned icy and was laced with contempt.She had kept her identity as a Sullivan a secret and married into the Grayson family as an orphan. But in those three years with the Graysons, she hadn't intentionally hidden anything except for her true identity.No one had ever questioned her about anything in those three years. It was ridiculous that they were questioning her now instead."Are you saying that Josh should report to you? Just who do you think you are?" Natalie replied disdainfully.She continued, "Besides, all of Josh's friends are business associates. You're just an orphan. How could you possibly understand that? It would be a waste of time to talk to you."The more Natalie spoke, the more agitated she became. "And Josh never hid his friends like you did—"Joshua grabbed her by the arm before she could finish her sentence. Her words were abruptly cut off, and she
The atmosphere was intense as everyone looked in the same direction. A sense of dread was instilled, especially by Joshua's gaze, which was accompanied by a chilling vibe."How much longer are you going to keep up this stubborn act?" he asked.Natasha remained calm and collected. There was no emotion in her eyes. It was as if she paid no attention to the scrutinizing looks.Annoyed by Joshua's question, she furrowed her brow without even bothering to glance in his direction.She felt there was no need to waste her breath since Joshua only believed Natalie's words. She had no desire to respond or to engage in further questioning.As the three of them came to a stalemate, Philip, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, "Natasha, do you really know the president of Radiance, Zack?"There was a sharpness in Philip's eyes that closely resembled Joshua's.Natalie scoffed. She immediately noticed that Philip had changed the way he addressed Natasha.He'd stopped calling
Natasha glanced up at Joshua quietly. There was no hint of triumph or remorse for the situation she found herself in. She was simply watching him and waiting for his reaction.On the other hand, Natalie felt a sense of urgency.Joshua had torn up the letter of authorization because of her manipulation. She had shifted the blame to Natasha to avoid the consequences, but now the matter was back on the table.Natasha proved to be far more formidable than Natalie had expected. Natalie's mind raced as she desperately searched for a way to prevent the exposure of her past deception.Natasha caught the look on Natalie's face.Natalie had staged everything to draw attention to Natasha. Though Natasha was innocent, she was unable to defend herself against the presumption that she had sought another man outside of her marriage.It became clear that Natalie had been involved in causing Joshua to tear up the letter of authorization. Joshua was known for his calm nature. He wouldn't tear up s
"The incident about the letter of authorization is over. There's no point in going pursuing it anymore."It's better to think about how we can get the authorization again. That's the whole point," Joshua quickly spoke in Natalie's defense.Natalie was relieved when she heard Joshua speak up for her. She looked up at Philip and waited for his reaction.Philip's expression was unreadable. "Forget it. I won't hold you responsible."Natasha was surprised at the outcome. Philip had decided not to pursue the matter after Natalie played the victim.In the three years she had been married into the Grayson family, Natasha had had no contact with Philip other than to take care of him daily.She knew nothing of Philip's nature. She had no idea what Philip's thoughts could be when the anger on Philip's face was instantly gone."Thank you, Grandpa Philip!" Natalie smiled and looked gratefully at Joshua. She quietly held his hand under the table.Joshua had mentioned that Philip was a very o
"You used to blame me for not helping the Graysons back then. Isn't Natasha doing the same thing?" Natalie looked earnestly at Lorelei and seemed somewhat hurt.Lorelei refused to believe Natalie. Her heart was in Natasha's defense, but the words caught in her throat. Natasha had already said she couldn't do it.Lorelei dropped her head silently.Joshua's expression remained unchanged.He had expected that Natasha would say no. After all, when he invited her to dinner at Gwen's restaurant and then to Philip's banquet in exchange for the authorization letter, Natasha declined.What he didn't expect was that Natasha didn't even want to explain herself. She seemed completely indifferent.Joshua's eyes narrowed as he remembered Natalie's words earlier. Natasha couldn't possibly care about the Graysons anymore. She already had Zack.His hand tightened on the wine glass. The pressure seemed as if it could shatter the glass in the blink of an eye."Tasha, are you not willing to help o
Joshua would not be wearing that expression if what Natalie said was false.Natalie was about to say something else but was interrupted by Lorelei. "Tasha."Natasha turned her head. Her cold expression softened at the sight of Lorelei. She didn't care about anyone present but Lorelei. Lorelei was one of the reasons for her hesitation."Are you really not going to help the Graysons?" Lorelei had mixed feelings about the situation.She hoped that Natasha would agree to help the Graysons so she could confirm that Natasha was not the person Natalie described.Natasha was afraid of the look on Lorelei's face right now. She couldn't quite put it into words. Maybe it was the fear of disappointing Lorelei, or maybe it was the fear that Lorelei's mental state would get worse because of it.She pursed her lips, thought for a while, and still said nothing.Suddenly, Natalie's voice interrupted Natasha's surging feelings. "Lorelei, I immediately thought of calling Zack to help the Graysons
Everyone at the dining table widened their eyes, looking at Philip.Were they really kicking Natasha out?Even Natalie was dumbfoundedly staring at Philip, shocked into silence.Upon hearing his words, Natasha lifted her head to look at Philip. "Are you kicking me out?"Lorelei was the first to react.Hurriedly, she said, "Dad, what are you doing? It's your 70th birthday today. Can't we all happily enjoy a meal together? Why must you let the youngsters move you to anger?"Besides, there are so many guests watching us. If you just kick our daughter-in-law out like this, how will people view our family in the future if word gets out?"Philip snorted. "Do you find it embarrassing? If you feel embarrassed, why did you seduce other men? If you're going to do such things, you can't be afraid of embarrassment!"Aggravated, Philip said, "Her presence here is a disgrace to our family. With her around, how can we maintain any dignity?"Trembling, Natasha replied calmly, "Let me repeat t