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Chapter 8
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Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 9
Natasha's exasperation grew. She sneered at the "perfect couple" standing before her with their arms tightly wrapped around one another."I've just realized how blind you are, Joshua. Have you forgotten why the Grayson family almost went bankrupt three years ago? One big reason for that is that you don't know the people around you."The woman you're holding so tightly now isn't like what you imagine. I'd advise you to think long and hard about this," Natasha said.Joshua looked at her sharply. "I'm blind? Indeed, I am. I've always thought you were a gentle, kind woman, yet you've turned out to be someone who gets jealous easily and even gets physical with another woman. I can't believe you allowed your jealousy to make you lash out like this!"So, Joshua thought she and Natalie had gotten into a fight because she was jealous of Natalie? What was there to be jealous of?The fact that Natalie had his heart? The fact that Natalie could live a happy life with him?This was such a jok
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 10
Natalie became as pale as a sheet. Her hands trembled violently as she tightened her grip on Joshua's shirt."Josh, hear me out …" She extricated herself from his embrace as tears filled her eyes.Natasha raised an eyebrow when she saw how Natalie could summon her tears at will. It was a pity she wasn't an actress."I came out with Gina to buy some daily necessities when I saw Natasha driving past us in a Maybach. I followed her because I wanted to greet her." Natalie's voice was shaky, but she made sure to emphasize "Maybach", as if afraid Joshua wouldn't catch it."Wow. You followed me, too, huh?" Natasha gave her a cold look.Natalie didn't respond to that. She continued tearily, "As soon as I came in here, I saw Natasha wanting to buy a house."She pointed at the brochure on the countertop. Joshua's gaze followed her finger and landed on it. His gaze darkened.Natalie observed him. When she saw the change in his gaze, she relaxed a little. Even the Grayson family couldn't af
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 11
Now that Natalie was sure she had Joshua's support, her voice grew louder. "As far as I'm aware, you have been unemployed for the past three years. All you've done is stay at home, so there's no way you could've gotten the money by working."You're also an orphan, so your money couldn't have come from your family. So, where could the money have come from?" Natalie looked at Natasha.With every possibility that she crossed out, she became more confident that she knew where Natasha's money had come from.Natasha smiled while listening to Natalie analyze the situation. She couldn't wait to see what Natalie would frame her for.Joshua listened while looking icy. Natalie continued, "Natasha's always been in charge of the Grayson family's finances. You must've trusted her, right, Josh?"Joshua nodded. Indeed, he'd trusted Natasha wholeheartedly for the past three years. He'd left the Grayson family in her capable hands. She was a satisfactory wife who'd taken good care of his mother and
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 12
"Jamie, I want you to check all the cash we have. If there's anything that doesn't match up, tell me immediately! Also, I want you to have the finance department check on the company's cash flow. Make sure everything matches up." Joshua hung up.He returned to Grayson Villa in a rage and immediately summoned the butler, Greg Zuckerberg.Greg approached the fuming Joshua cautiously. His back was slightly bent from his fear. He'd worked for the Grayson family for decades and had watched Joshua grow up. It was rare to see him so mad."Greg, I want you to check all of the Grayson family's assets. Don't leave out a single thing," Joshua said ruthlessly."Yes, sir. I've already checked everything after taking over from Ms. Sullivan. I'll show you the records right now."Natalie stood beside Joshua and handed him a cup of freshly brewed tea. "Don't get too worked up, Josh. Have some tea and calm down."She helped him sit down and patted his back. "C'mon, sit down. Don't let Natasha get
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 13
"It would be a major embarrassment to the Grayson family if such a shameless woman continued staying with us!" Joshua felt the anger rising inside him. He couldn't control himself from curling his fingers into a fist.He had still felt bad about divorcing Natasha at first, thinking that it must be too cruel for her. He actually thought of compensating her properly for the past three years she'd been by his side.Now, however, all he felt for her was disgust.He had to divorce this shameless woman immediately!Joshua couldn't withhold his anger anymore. He jumped to his feet at once and got into his car before starting up the engine."Josh? Where are you going?" Natalie asked, running up after him with concern in her eyes.If Natasha really was seeing other men behind his back, she wouldn't be welcome at the Graysons' house any longer. Joshua would most definitely kick Natasha out without caring about their past. In other words, the title of "Mrs. Grayson" would very soon be Nat
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 14
Joshua scoffed and entered the courthouse with long strides.Natasha was still trying to catch up with him when she was stopped by a figure that suddenly appeared before her."Lorelei?" Natasha exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the figure.Joshua heard her exclaim and turned around. When he saw his mother, he frowned even deeper than before. The look of disgust on his face turned more intense.Did Natasha invite his mother to the courthouse so she didn't have to divorce him? She should have known from the start that this would be the outcome once she saw someone else behind his back. Was she trying to keep him and her side-lover too? Was that why his mother appeared?Joshua forced himself to suppress the utter disgust in him as he politely greeted his mother. "Mom, what are you doing here?"Lorelei Madison reached out and smacked her son on the hand. "Who gave you permission to divorce Natasha?"What was Lorelei doing here? Natasha hurriedly held her back as she began throwin
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 15
Natasha looked at Joshua and said calmly, "Everything I did for you for the past three years was done out of my own volition. You don't have to guilt-trip yourself over it."Things had ended too abruptly between her and that man the last time. She hadn't been able to do anything but watch helplessly as he suffered.If only she had arrived a little earlier, things wouldn't have ended between them. She also wouldn't have felt so guilty that she gave up everything she had and married Joshua despite her family's protests.Natasha stared at Joshua's face as her mind wandered. She was lost in her memories and didn't realize that Joshua was looking at her with emotion in his eyes.Joshua stared at the deep look in Natasha's eyes. There was a conflicted look on his face.Was she really having an affair with someone else?There was no way someone could pretend to have such a deep look in their eyes. In fact, Joshua still believed that Natasha loved him. But at this moment, he wasn't too
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 16
Natasha drove back to the villa. She casually threw the keys on the shelf near the door and stormed over to the couch.For the past few days, nothing had gone as planned.Zack happened to text her just then. She tapped on the notification and saw a link to a news article about the International Drug Research and Development Center. They were looking for collaborators for their upcoming project.The text read, "The center specifically said they wanted to collaborate with you. Have you got the time for it?"Natacha raised her eyebrow and replied, "Did you tell them about my return?"Zack had let the cat out of the bag about Natasha's return just a few days after she had left Grayson Villa. She had barely caught her breath, and her divorce wasn't settled yet. She was probably going to die of exhaustion.Still, she felt an itch in her heart. She had left the drug research industry because she hadn't wanted the Grayson family to learn about her real identity. But now, the opportunit
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Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 696
He didn't know where this sense of loss came from, but it hung over Joshua like a low-pressure system and seemed impossible to dispel. His expression visibly darkened. Yet, he seemed to want to maintain his dignity and didn't want Natasha to discern his sense of loss. So Joshua pursed his lips, forcefully suppressing the feeling and putting on a blank expression. He seemed indifferent to Natasha's proposed condition."How about it? Does Mr. Grayson need more time to consider?" Natasha sat calmly in her chair, tilting her head slightly. She was confident this time that Joshua would definitely agree. Although she felt a bit uneasy about using Philip's life as leverage against Joshua, she believed it was the best option at the moment. Given Joshua's personality, using trivial things as leverage wouldn't pose any threat to him. Besides family members' lives, everything else was insignificant to him. She had no other choice.As Natasha spoke, her eyebrows furrowed lightly, and her
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 695
As soon as Joshua heard Natasha mention there were conditions, he instantly had a bad feeling. Although Natasha didn't explicitly state the conditions, Joshua understood that they definitely wouldn't be easy."What conditions are you talking about?" He propped his chin up with his hand, looking at Natasha seriously.Natasha smiled and raised her lips. "What are the conditions? You should know."Joshua was slightly stunned. He knew what the conditions were?He furrowed his brows earnestly, trying hard to figure out what conditions Natasha was talking about.Could it be…"Are you trying to make it a condition to drive Natalie away from the Grayson Villa?" Joshua raised an eyebrow. Considering recent events, Joshua couldn't think of any other conditions.As soon as this was said, Natasha was momentarily dumbfounded.What was he talking about?Natasha tried to find a word to describe Joshua's thoughts, but after a long time, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Joshua's train of
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 694
Natasha blinked her eyes. It seemed that Joshua was anticipating her rejection in advance."Since you can enter the Sullivan residence, your relationship with them must be extraordinary."It's not like people with Joshua's and Natalie's status could enter. But Natasha could, which undoubtedly indicated that she still had something to hide from him."Since you have this relationship with the Sullivans, helping Grandfather should be a simple matter."As soon as these words came out, Natasha sneered, "Simple matter?""Although I do have some connection with the Sullivans, it's not to the extent where I can freely arrange the Sullivans miracle worker's schedule."The position of the Sullivan's miracle worker is well-known. Since you are aware of it, you shouldn't say such things. You're overestimating me."Natasha was blatantly lying and trying to deceive Joshua."Someone with the status of the Sullivan's miracle worker would only save someone if he wanted to. If he doesn't have th
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 693
As soon as Joshua said the name "Jacob", Natasha felt like her throat was being choked, and was unable to breathe properly.Her breathing became somewhat erratic."What's wrong? Do you know him or not?" Joshua spoke, narrowing his eyes. His pupils contracted, and he looked sharp and almost menacing.It seemed like any slight movement from Natasha couldn't escape his gaze."I…" Natasha began.She seemed a bit hesitant but also seemed not at all. Finally, she calmly spoke, "I don't know him.""Don't know him?" Joshua raised an eyebrow.He seemed somewhat incredulous, repeatedly confirming, "You really don't know him?"Natasha nodded, her expression very firm. "I don't know him."She looked somewhat puzzled, her tone confused as she asked, "Who is Jacob? Is he also from the Graysons?"Joshua stared at Natasha motionlessly, as if trying to find a flaw on her face.But Natasha remained calm. Her expression was very normal and without any flaws.Joshua stared for a long time. Eve
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 692
"Please help us remove all these dishes and replace them with some new ones." Natasha pointed to the dishes on the table.The waitress was startled, instinctively asking, "Is there any problem with these dishes? Please point them out, and we will correct them immediately."Natasha smiled gracefully. "No, there's nothing wrong."It was just that these dishes accidentally touched Joshua's nerve."Is it because the dishes don't suit your taste?" the waitress continued to inquire."Not really." Natasha shook her head.Although, she hadn't even taken a bite. She didn't even know if these dishes were good or not.If Joshua's gaze hadn't been so intimidating, she would have tried them so as not to waste them.Next time, she had to bring Austin to try the dishes at this restaurant."So what's wrong with these dishes? We can convey your feedback to the kitchen, or we can replace them with new dishes for you free of charge. Would that be acceptable to you?" the waitress asked.The wait
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 691
Joshua had been the president for a long time, and his whole demeanor was daunting, seemingly suffocating others with his pressure.Natasha sat in her seat. Even if she deliberately avoided looking up at Joshua, she could still feel the scalp-tingling sensation.His gaze was just too sharp. She couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to."Uh… Didn't you just say you don't like these dishes? Do you want them all removed?" Natasha awkwardly changed the subject."I'll listen and remove it now. I'll call the waiter in to take them away." After saying that, Natasha lowered her gaze and pressed the button on the table to call the waiter outside on standby.Joshua remained silent. His gaze fixed on Natasha without wavering.It made Natasha feel even more trapped.Her mind was already in a mess at the moment. She regretted that she had spoken too hastily earlier without thinking.She had never let slip of anything during her time in the Grayson Villa.What was happening now? Just a few
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 690
She was trying hard to change the subject.But Joshua looked at the dish, his mind filled with the image of Jacob's face and the various rejections he had faced during his youth.This made him very uncomfortable."I won't eat it. Take it away," Joshua said coldly with disdain."This dish… actually tastes very good. You can try it. Don't have a prejudice against it." Natasha tried to calm Joshua's mood.But he clearly had little patience. He roared angrily, "Take it away!""I don't want to see this dish!"The sound made Natasha's hand tremble as she held the plate."Alright, alright, I'll take it away. Why are you so fierce?" Natasha bit her lip, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her rising anger, and then withdrew the dish of delicious cheese curds."Then have some other dishes." She gestured to the several dishes on the table.But unexpectedly, Joshua's face turned even worse. His gaze swept over the dishes on the table, his brows deeply furrowed, looking very dissati
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 689
Joshua's tone sounded casual and his expression indifferent, as if discussing something unrelated to him. Yet, it gave the impression that he was talking about his own affairs."Is it worth it?" Natasha murmured, repeating the question.Perhaps because Joshua exuded a melancholic air, Natasha stopped in her tracks and earnestly answered the question. "If this mother is willing to do it, then it must be worth it."Upon hearing this, Joshua looked at her, his melancholy seeming to deepen."Is that so? Do you also think that everything this mother does is worth it?"The sorrowful expression in his eyes seemed so thick that it was unbreakable.Natasha was surprised to see Joshua like this. She didn't understand why Joshua had suddenly changed."A parent's love for their child involves careful planning. Every mother who selflessly sacrifices for her child is great…"Natasha considered her tone carefully. "A mother who wholeheartedly loves her child would do this, wouldn't she?"Bef
Who's the Substitute Now? Chapter 688
They were different people.In a flash, Natasha instinctively pushed him away.She stood up straight, her tone serious as she said, "Joshua, please behave yourself." Her gentle fingers brushed against Joshua's shirt, seemingly carrying her fresh fragrance with it.The sudden push caught Joshua off guard.Looking up, he found Natasha wanting to keep her distance from him as if he were a ferocious beast.This look even made Joshua doubt himself. Was he that bad to warrant such a reaction from her?Before he could come to a conclusion, Natasha had already picked up her bag, seemingly ready to leave."If Mr. Grayson has nothing else to do today, I'll be taking my leave first."Joshua's behavior just now caught her off guard.Anyway, from the looks of it, he probably wouldn't agree to a divorce.Since Joshua had made up his mind, it was pointless for her to linger here. It was better to go home and avoid hearing any more of Joshua's "seductive" words."Wait," Joshua called out
