Chapter 36 I Am Busy At Work
Hearing Gideon’s impatient voice at the other end of the line, Christina had to fight back the urge to hang up on him.
“What is this about? I’m busy at work,” she responded indifferently.
Gideon took a deep breath, and his voice turned grim as he said, “It’s already the end of a workday, so come back home now. This is about your mother.”
At the mention of her mother. Christina felt her heart leap to her throat. “I’ll come back home now.”
After hanging up, she quickly tidied her desk and left.
When Christina pulled up in a taxi to the Steele residence, the imposing black steel gates were already. wide open. She got out of the taxi and made her way into the house.
Before she even stepped into the house, she could hear Emilia’s coy voice. “Nathaniel, try some of the white strawberries. They were flown in this morning!”
Nathaniel was not at all interested in the fruits, so Miranda told the housekeeper to bring them some tea. “Nathaniel, have some tea. This is an expensive and delicious variety imported from Ustrana.”
Lounging on the ivory-white couch. Nathaniel had his legs crossed in a graceful manner. His top for the day was a white shirt and black vest that drew attention to his well-built body, and his pants were perfectly ironed out with no signs of creases. Like himself, his attire was cold and unapproachable.
His ebony eyes were slightly narrowed as he regarded the elegantly-dressed mother and daughter with a gleam of frostiness in his gaze.
The price of the snacks on the table is sufficient to pay for Christina’s tuition fees for an entire year. Just how do they usually bully my girl?
“You’re Emilia Steele, right?” Nathaniel suddenly spoke up.
Emilia grew excited to hear her name fall from the man’s lips. “You remember my name. Nathaniel?” she replied, nodding eagerly.
The man’s brows furrowed together. “You are both daughters of the Steele family, so why is Christina wearing such inexpensive clothing while you are dressed so extravagantly?”
He sounded as if he was interrogating prisoners, pressing them for immediate responses without allowing them a moment to pause and consider their replies.
Emilia was taken aback to hear Nathaniel pose such a sharp inquiry. After all, she had not anticipated him to do so before everyone else, nor was she as acute as Christina to be able to react to it immediately.
Since we were young. Mom never bought pretty clothes for Christina or treated her well. Despite being known to the public as the eldest daughter of the Steele family, Christina wears clothes that are cheaper than our housekeeper’s
Miranda offered a placating smile as she explained. “Nathaniel, you may not know this since you haven’t had many chances to spend time with Christina, but she has always been a hard-working girl and is used to living a frugal lifestyle. This is why she isn’t comfortable wearing clothes of famous
brands or living in luxury.”
In an instant, Emilia was filled with admiration for her mother and inwardly praised her for giving Nathaniel such a suitable explanation. “That’s right, Nathaniel Christina doesn’t like wearing expensive
clothes.”
Christina, standing in the doorway, never anticipated that she would hear such deceptive words as soon as she reached home.
How could she say I don’t like wearing expensive clothes? Miranda never bought me anything but always spoils Emilia with costly garments. Not only that, but she would often serve delicious meals to Emilia’s room while I would be subjected to her abuse in the form of yelling and physical punishments.
The childhood trauma left an unelidable mark in her heart.
Nathaniel was not foolish enough to trust their nonsense. “Christina doesn’t like wearing cheap brands. like these, so I make sure to provide her with clothes from international brands. Most importantly, Christina looks gorgeous in anythin
He was indirectly mocking that Emilia could never rival Christina in terms of beauty, regardless of how expensive her attire might have been.
To their consternation, Nathaniel sounded affectionate whenever he mentioned Christina’s name.
Miranda was observant enough to realize that Nathaniel was very protective of Christina. Any negative comments about her would likely be met with his displeasure.
With that, she gave Emilia a pinch covertly. When their eyes met, through her gaze, she hinted at the latter to cease antagonizing Nathaniel.
Afterward, she shot Nathaniel an apologetic smile. “You’re right, Nathaniel. Christina is indeed a sensible child.”
A faint smile slowly spread across the man’s face when he heard her words of praise for his wife. It was only then that his spirits were finally lifted.
Meanwhile, Christina felt warmth enveloping her heart, and she could not help but smile softly.
It came as a surprise to her that Nathaniel was willing to defend her to that extent. He even deliberately. satirized Miranda and Emilia, Well, to be honest, it’s quite exhilarating to see them be humiliated by him.
Just as she was about to head into the house, Gideon grabbed her arm from behind.
Christina looked over her shoulder and retracted her arm from his grip. “What is it, Dad?”
Gideon’s expression was solemn as he handed her a document. This is a project our company preparing to develop. I’d like to collaborate with Nathaniel, so have him sign this document.”
Oh, so this was why he summoned me back home. He wants me to get Nathaniel to sign this document. No wonder Nathaniel is here, too. They must’ve invited him here without informing me in advance.
Instead of accepting the document, Christina said, “I usually don’t interfere with his work affairs. If you have anything to discuss with him, do it yourself.”
Her tone was flat but was still surprisingly melodic and pleasant to the car.
Nevertheless, her face was expressionless, giving her a distant and detached air
Gideon had not expected Christina to reject his request Instinctively, he wanted to fly into a rage bur was forced to curb his temper and put on a fake smile upon glimpsing Nathaniel’s gaze on them
“I’m ashamed to ask for his help. You’re my daughter and Nathaniel’s wife, so I’m sure you’ll get him to. sign this easily, he explained, thrusting the document into her hands without waiting for her reply.
In that instant, Christina felt like a donkey being forced to dance. Her relationship with Nathaniel was far from intimate, in which the two of them could give of themselves selflessly to one another without a second thought.
Just as she intended to reject Gideon again, he had already stridden into the living room “Nathaniel, why don’t you join us for dinner?” he asked politely, standing next to the couch.
In the face of the Hadleys, who had a much greater social standing than them, the Steeles had to constantly maintain an ingratiating attitude, regardless of the time and place.
Christina felt disgusted by their behavior.
When she joined them in the living room, Nathaniel raised his head to look at her and asked, “Are you hungry?”
It was quite evident to everyone working in the Steele household that Nathaniel’s tone became considerably gentler when he spoke with Christina. They reckoned that he would not even consider setting foot in the Steele residence if it were not for her presence.
In fact, his behavior toward Christina made them surmise that he would forbid others from having dinner if she did not feel like eating.
Christina could not help but feel a slight sense of elation when she perceived Emilia glaring at her enviously from the corner of her eye.
Turning to Nathaniel, she flashed him a grin and replied, “Yes, I’m hungry
Her eyes were shining with a languid and adorable look. If not for the fact that they were in public, Nathaniel would not have been able to suppress the urge to take her in his arms and pinch her checks.
After getting to his feet, he took Christina’s hand and announced, “Let’s eat”
Gideon led them to the dining room, where they took their seats. During dinner, it was mostly he and his wife who did the talking.
Nathaniel rarely spoke as he was busy serving Christina food.
In the past Miranda would always go out of her way to serve Emilia first, but on that day, all the scrumptious dishes were placed on Christina’s plate. At that sight, Emilia could not help but feel that someone had taken over her rightful place.
A deep-seated sense of envy and jealousy raged in her heart. The anger she felt prompted her to grit her teeth so hard that her gums even began to bleed.
Thanks to Nathaniel, Christina had her first-ever filling meal at the Steele residence.
Just as she was about to munch on a piece of meat, something warm pressed against the outer side of
3/4
her thigh.
