Chapter 403 We Never Had Meals Alone
“I had to hold a meeting because something cropped up before the end of the workday,” Nathaniel explained, his tone devoid of confidence,
Christina narrowed her eyes. “Is that so? How come I was not aware of it?”
As Christina had worked as his secretary for a few days, she could track his schedule on her tablet.
“It was a last-minute meeting, so it wasn’t on the schedule. There’ll be more meetings for me to attend in the next few days,” Nathaniel said.
Christina shrugged, understanding that work matters could be unpredictable. She decided not to make a big deal out of it.
Upon hearing that, Sebastian whispered in Nathaniel’s ear, “Mr. Hadley, should we cancel Mrs. Hadley’s a*sistant account?”
He understood no man would enjoy being constantly monitored by their wife.
“It’s all right,” Nathaniel firmly declined. “You can go home now.”
Sebastian froze for a moment before agreeing and leaving Scenic Garden Manor.
Christina refrained from mentioning Madison in front of Nathaniel.
Even though it was not in their best interest to allow Camila to have frequent interactions with Madison, it would not be fair to remove Camila from the ballet cla*s solely based on her skepticism toward Madison.. After all, Camila had a deep pa*sion for ballet.
When Christina went upstairs, thinking of a way to explain things to Camila, her room door was pushed.
open.
The petite Camila stepped out, gazing up at Christina with her eyes twinkling like a princess in a fairytale “Mommy, I don’t want to attend ballet cla*ses anymore.”
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you enjoy performing today?” Christina squatted down and asked out of curiosity.
Camila bit her lip. “Because I don’t like Ms. Taggart.”
Christina took a deep breath. Bailey must have said something to Camila.
“You should continue if you enjoy dancing. Don’t worry about the teacher, okay?” Christina stroked her head, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
Camila nodded, seemingly understanding her mother’s advice. “Mommy, please sign me up in a different dance studio then. My friend Shannara told me her mommy has also signed her up in a dance studio.”
“All right. I’ll definitely hire a professional teacher for you,” Christina agreed.
Camila inched closer and wrapped her hands around Christina’s neck. “Thank you, Mommy.”
Christina felt a wave of relief knowing that Camila could still participate in ballet cla*ses without having to interact with Madison.
Sebastian walked over with a stack of documents, placing them on the desk. “Mr. Hadley, these are the documents about all the a*sets under Gibson Corporation”
Nathaniel picked up the top document and began scanning through the pages, his eyes gradually growing
darker.
He inquired. “So Gibson Corporation has a tile factory? And it seems they have had a business collaboration with Hadley Corporation in the past.”
Sebastian retrieved the file, took a closer look at the factory name, and searched for more information about it.
“Yes, we did, a few years ago. I’m surprised you still remember it, Mr. Hadley.” Sebastian was taken aback.
It was uncommon for someone to remember something that had happened so long ago.
Nathaniel’s eyes turned cold, and he spoke in a deep voice. “That’s because the tiles Hadley Corporation used from that company in one of our commercial complexes led to multiple complaints from tenants. We had to replace the tiles to resolve the issue.”
The incident made a lasting impact on him as Hadley Corporation had always upheld a strong reputation throughout the years.
He recalled how he had to deal with the procurement manager and issued an order that Hadley. Corporation would not engage in any future collaborations with that manufacturer.
Sebastian found himself caught in a dilemma. “But holding them accountable now would be difficult since so many years have pa*sed.”
“I didn’t say I want to hold them accountable,” Nathaniel replied, crossing his arms and stroking his chin with one hand. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. “If they could make such profits once, they’ll surely
continue.”
Realization dawned on Sebastian right away. “I’ll investigate more about the factory now.”
Nathaniel responded with a deep hum.
Yerek had been trying to cause trouble for him, so he decided to give the former a taste of his own medicine.
At noon, Nathaniel took Christina to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
They chose a less crowded spot by the window that offered a view of the outside scenery.
Christina ordered several dishes she often enjoyed, while Nathaniel opted for only a few and added a bottle of fruit wine to go with their meal.
Soon, the dishes were served.
Christina looked at the foie gras in front of her and asked, “Did we order this?”
“Did they bring us the wrong order?” Nathaniel confirmed that he had not ordered it either.
When Christina was about to call the waiter to clarify the situation, a stunning figure appeared before
them.
“Don’t bother asking the waiter. I ordered the foie gras for Nathaniel.” Madison walked over, dressed in at S**y cocktail dress, with heavy makeup and a hostile gaze.
Christina lowered her gaze. Why does this woman keep showing up everywhere?
Madison’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Nathaniel has always enjoyed pairing his red wine with foie gras. We’ve been to this restaurant together before.”
She wanted to a*sert her dominance right there, but Nathaniel’s indifference made her feel out of place.
Nathaniel’s face became increasingly tense, and his anger became more apparent.
Before he could say anything, Christina flashed a faint grin. “Thank you for your foie gras, and thanks for introducing such a wonderful restaurant to us. We’re going to enjoy our meal now.”
With that, she calmly shifted her gaze away and placed the plate of foie gras in front of her. She delicately cut a piece with her knife and fork and took a bite.
Madison wanted to teach Christina a lesson, but to her surprise, Christina remained unfazed. She even graciously accepted it as Madison’s act of kindness.
Nathaniel and Christina continued giving Madison the cold shoulder. Madison, who was on the verge of crying, had no choice but to leave the restaurant in frustration.
Once she left, Nathaniel said, “Sebastian was around when I had dinner with her. We were never alone.”
Christina paused for a moment. What’s with the explanation? I didn’t even question him.
She lifted her eyes and blinked. “All right. Got it.”
Nathaniel let out a subtle hum. Upon realizing she was genuinely unbothered by Madison’s remark, he resumed his meal.
After leaving the restaurant, Madison drove back to her apartment, her emotions spiraling out of control. She resorted to drowning her sorrows in alcohol.
Nathaniel’s handsome face kept popping into her mind. What is it about me that he doesn’t like? What does Christina have that I don’t? Why won’t Nathaniel even spare a glance at me?
The image of Christina’s sweet, innocent face only intensified Madison’s jealousy. She yearned to expose the falseness of that innocent façade, tearing it off without hesitation.
Suddenly, her doorbell rang. She set down the wine bottle and went to answer it.
“What are you doing here?” The look of disappointment was written all over Madison’s face as she turned. around and walked back in.
Sebastian followed right behind and entered the house.
He did not want to be there either. “Mr. Hadley sent me.”
Madison spun around with anticipation in her eyes, gripping his arm. “He wants me to return to work at Hadley Corporation, right? Or does he want to see me?”
