Natasha was stumped. "Please, get up. Stop kneeling."Lorelei was Jacob's mother. After three years under Lorelei's care, Natasha had come to see her as a mother figure.The sight of Lorelei on her knees was unbearable to her. It broke Natasha's heart to see Lorelei willing to put her dignity aside for the Graysons."Lorelei, please get up! I can't take this. This is too much for me."Lorelei seemed to ignore Natasha's words. She refused to get up from the floor."Tasha, I can't let the Graysons go down. I can't." Lorelei grabbed hold of Natasha's gown with one hand and hit herself with the other as if she was blaming herself.She cried as she continued, "The Graysons barely made it through the last ordeal. We can't afford to make the same mistakes again.""Lorelei, please, get up!" Natasha hauled Lorelei to her feet.However, Lorelei grabbed onto Natasha's gown. "Tasha, I'm not getting up. Please spare the Graysons, all right? Please!"Natasha couldn't bear to see Lorelei in
"Lorelei, since you're not getting up, I'm kneeling with you," Natasha said."Y-You…" Lorelei stuttered. She didn't expect Natasha to kneel."Lorelei, if you won't get up, then I'll stay on my knees together with you."Lorelei loosened her grip on Natasha's gown. When she saw the determined look on Natasha's face, she held back her tears and asked, "Tasha, are you unwilling to help the Graysons? I can assure you that this will be the first and last time."Lorelei looked sincere.Natasha couldn't help but mock herself inwardly. She had helped the Graysons through a difficult situation once before.It seemed that Lorelei thought that it had been Joshua who had helped the Graysons three years ago.Still, it didn't bother her that Lorelei wasn't aware of it. She had no intention of telling the Graysons, anyway.She dropped her head in silence."Tasha, you aren't going to help the Graysons, are you?" Lorelei heaved a sigh. Her hopes were dashed.Having calmed herself, she continue
"Jake? Who's Jake?" Natasha asked.Lorelei stared at Natasha. She wanted to know if Natasha was being honest. "You've never heard of Jake?""I've never heard that name before. Who's Jake?" Natasha asked calmly as she met Lorelei's gaze.Natasha knew Lorelei wasn't buying it. Fortunately, she had learned a lot from Natalie's skillful acting after spending so much time with her. She could easily handle Lorelei."Lorelei, why are you staring at me? Is Jake someone you care for?" Natasha's tone was filled with curiosity.Lorelei hadn't noticed anything strange about Natasha. She looked away and let out a sigh. "Nothing."Sensing Lorelei's reluctance to speak further, Natasha changed the subject. "Lorelei, it's getting late. Why don't you go home?"Lorelei's thoughts were elsewhere. After a glance at the sun that was quickly setting outside the window, she hung her head in silence.Natasha took advantage of Lorelei's distraction to tuck the brooch behind her back before calling out,
Natasha had been kneeling too long, and her legs were a little stiff. She couldn't get up.Shawn came over quickly to help. Natasha shook her head and said, "Don't worry about me. Help Lorelei to her feet quickly."Lorelei's legs were probably stiffer because she had been on her knees longer than Natasha.However, Shawn wanted to help Natasha first."Shawn, help Lorelei up first. I can manage on my own. You don't have to worry about me," Natasha said with a frown.Shawn ignored her and insisted on helping her up first. Natasha met his gaze. She couldn't help but sigh when she saw his determined look and said, "Fine. Help me up first."Despite being Shawn's boss, she knew she couldn't beat his determination. After Shawn helped her onto the couch, she bent over to massage her calves.Meanwhile, Shawn helped Lorelei up as well. She took a seat next to Natasha and said, "Tasha, can I have a look at that brooch now?"Natasha nodded and handed the brooch to Lorelei. Lorelei trembled
Natasha stared intently at the brooch Lorelei held. She couldn't believe that Jacob had decided to marry her the third time they'd met. They hadn't even exchanged many words back then."Tasha, if this brooch wasn't Jake's, where did it come from?" Lorelei asked with a wistful look as she touched the brooch.Natasha snapped out of her thoughts and scratched her head. She couldn't think of a good reason and blurted out, "I-I bought it on the street.""Bought it on the street?" Lorelei asked.She remembered that only the Graysons had that brooch. She had a good look at it but no matter how she looked at it, it was the Graysons' brooch."Tasha, are you sure you bought it outside?" Lorelei asked earnestly.Natasha felt unsettled but nodded calmly. "Yes."Lorelei fell silent. After a while, she looked up and said, "Tasha, I need your favor for something."Natasha distanced herself when she heard Lorelei's request. "Lorelei, I've already said I disagree—"Lorelei shook her head and c
Lorelei thought it was possible that Jacob had sold the brooch, and Natasha had happened to buy it. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to have the brooch.When Natasha stood up silently, Lorelei knew she wouldn't give her the brooch. She desperately grabbed Natasha's gown and mumbled, "Tasha, this is the only thing that Jake has left behind."Natasha wasn't sure what she meant. "What do you mean by that?""This is all that Jake has left behind. I want to keep it as a memento for myself," Lorelei explained.Natasha was thunderstruck, and her voice involuntarily rose. "Jacob is your son. How could you be so heartless as to throw away all his belongings? And if you've thrown them away, then why are you asking for this brooch now?"Lorelei was stunned. She tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come. "I—" Lorelei had no desire to be reminded of the days after Jacob's death."Just go," Natasha said. She felt furious and emotionally drained. She didn't want to see the
Lorelei froze in place. "Tasha, what did you just say?""I'm willing to give you the letter of authorization to help the Graysons get through this crisis," Natasha said calmly."Really?" Lorelei was in disbelief.Natasha nodded and replied with a hum. Her eyes were on the brooch Lorelei was holding. "You can return the brooch now that Grayson Corp survives."Only then did Lorelei remember that she was still holding the brooch."Tasha, you want the brooch?"Lorelei couldn't believe that Natasha would help Grayson Corp just for the brooch. Despite her doubts, Lorelei didn't dare speak up after Natasha had just agreed to help Grayson Corporation.Natasha nodded. She noticed Lorelei staring at her as she reached for the brooch. "Lorelei, what's the matter?""No, nothing." Lorelei waved her hands repeatedly. She took one last look at the brooch before reluctantly handing it over to Natasha.The brooch belonged to Natasha. Lorelei couldn't take it even if she wanted to.After takin
"Profess—" Ryan began, but was cut off by Natasha as she stepped forward and took the letter of authorization from him.Lorelei's eyes were on Ryan, who had suddenly shown up.Natasha gave Ryan a wink, and Ryan immediately realized he had almost said too much.He glanced at Lorelei before turning back to Natasha with a different tone. "Here's Professor Nancy's letter."Ryan cleared his throat and continued, "Stop bossing me around. I'm here to learn from Professor Nancy, not to run errands for you."Natasha gave him another wink and said, "Fine. You can ask for my help if you need anything in the future. We should help each other since we all work under Professor Nancy.""Yes, she's right. You should be helping each other out," Lorelei interjected, trying to smooth things over for Natasha. She knew it was her fault for asking Natasha to hand over the letter of authorization by today.Ryan feigned reluctance and said impatiently, "Fine, but just this once. No more.""Okay."Rya