Chapter 539 A Meeting
Nathaniel’s notoriety for his ruthlessness was not baseless, after all.
Sparing Madison had been his greatest act of tolerance.
“I know what needs to be done,” said Sebastian.
Sacrificing Madison to safeguard the Taggart family was the best outcome. Sebastian hoped that the Taggart family would be self-aware enough to stop provoking Nathaniel any further.
Without sparing Madison an additional glance, Nathaniel walked away.
+5 Bonus
When Madison saw him leaving, she spiraled into further insanity. “Nat, don’t abandon me! I’ll die without you!”
Sebastian sighed wearily before pushing the door open and gesturing at everyone.
The tranquilizer gradually took effect in Madison’s body, rendering her incapable of doing anything even without anyone restraining her.
Looking down at Madison, Sebastian said coldly. “Mr. Hadley has left, so there’s no need for you to feign madness any longer. Your pitiful act may work on the foolish members of the Taggart family, but it’s useless against Mr. Hadley and me.”
Madison stared blankly at the doorway, not saying a single word.
Sebastian didn’t expect her to immediately return to normal. When people pretended to be someone else for far too long, they would begin to believe they had successfully deceived everyone else while gradually transforming into the persona of their imagination.
“You’re left with only two options. First, carry your so-called secrets to the depths of hell. Second, sacrifice. yourself to protect the entire Taggart family,” Sebastian declared, his face devoid of emotion. “Regardless of your choice, it won’t influence Mr. Hadley’s decision. You sacrificed so much for someone else, yet you gained nothing in return. Don’t you find that pathetic?”
Madison buried her face in the blanket lifelessly.
Observing this, Sebastian furrowed his brow. It would be hard to extract a confession from her.
“Tie her up and lock her in the isolation chamber. Employ all the methods used for mentally-ill patients. Her condition seems severe, so we can’t allow her to escape and harm others,”
The moment he said that, Madison’s shoulders quivered imperceptibly.
Sebastian scoffed mockingly and left.
Meanwhile, Madison was transported to the isolation chamber. Her agonized screams reverberated in the chamber endlessly.
Christina spent several days in the hospital before returning to Scenic Garden Manor to spend her days of pregnancy.
After she chased Anya out of the ward, the latter never made another visit. The Gibson family quietened. down, too.
Nathaniel insisted on sending the two kids to the Hadley residence, permitting them to return for only two days a week.
Thankfully, Lucas and Camila were understanding and well-behaved. Knowing that Christina was pregnant, they did not dare to kick up a fuss at home or constantly pester her.
On the other hand, Rayne visited Christina a few times because of work. As the clients’ requirements were too strict, it was impossible to reach their standards even after changing the designers and drafts multiple times. Left with no choice, Rayne could only seek help from Christina.
While Christina provided suggestions regarding the designs, she left the execution to the other designers.
Nathaniel was slightly dissatisfied about this. However, Christina knew him well. It took some effort, but she managed to appease him.
With Nathaniel’s approval, Christina frequently visited the studio. While it appeared to be for supervising. it was actually to alleviate her boredom at home. Nowhere else could make her more engaged than the
studio.
Toward the end of the work day, Christina received a message from Nathaniel while she was discussing
later. the design drawing with the designers. I have a client meeting nearby. I’ll come to pick you up
She couldn’t ignore Nathaniel’s message. If she took more than a minute to respond, he would show up at the studio.
Great! I’m almost done here. I’ll be waiting for you. After sending the text, Christina followed up with several
cute stickers.
Nathaniel liked all of them, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
Sebastian caught onto his good mood, but he continued focusing on his duties professionally. Soon, he noticed Timothy exiting a car outside the shop.
He cleared his throat and reminded, “Mr. Hadley, Mr. Gibson is here.”
“Okay,” replied Nathaniel calmly. He placed his phone aside and stared at Timothy’s approaching figure frostily.
Timothy rolled his wheelchair toward Nathaniel enthusiastically.
Having been rejected by Nathaniel a few times, Timothy thought that he would have to keep his plans on hold. Just as he was starting to worry, Nathaniel took the initiative to contact him.
Knowing that Christina couldn’t be relied upon, Timothy wasn’t foolish enough to sit and wait for his downfall.
“I’ve heard you haven’t been in the best health recently. Actually, you could’ve asked someone else to deal with a minor matter like this.” Even though Nathaniel acted politely, his words were filled with detachment.
“This is the first time our families have collaborated. How can I trust anyone else with it?” Timothy smiled
and got straight to the point. “You’re a busy man, so I won’t take up much of your time. Since you’ve had a change of heart, let’s sign the contract promptly. The longer the project drags on, the more challenging it becomes to complete later on.”
In response, Nathaniel glanced at Timothy and gracefully sipped his coffee.
Unable to understand Nathaniel’s thoughts, Timothy felt restless and uneasy. Nonetheless, he didn’t dare show his feelings or hurry Nathaniel.
Just then, Nathaniel spoke up indifferently. “I’m sorry. Perhaps my a*sistant failed to convey my intentions clearly.”
Timothy’s smile froze.
“I prefer not to discuss business outside of work hours.” Nathaniel looked at Timothy. “I invited you to meet because I wanted to address some personal matters. It’s nothing important, but it’s hard to talk about it over the phone. So, I thought a face-to-face conversation would be better.”
Timothy’s heart sank. He and Nathaniel belonged to different worlds. As they barely interacted, they were not on the same page.
Although Nathaniel was his son-in-law, they both knew their friendliness was just a façade.
Aside from the complicated history between the Hadley and Gibson families, Christina was the only topic they could discuss.
“Is this about Christina?” Timothy asked, his expression neutral.
“Yes.” A tender look appeared in Nathaniel’s gaze at the mention of Christina. “She’s pregnant now, so I want to ensure that no one will disturb her, especially for insignificant matters.”
Upon hearing that, Timothy finally realized that Nathaniel had never regarded the Gibson family with importance.
Still, he decided to play dumb. “I don’t quite understand what you mean. Christina has only returned to the Gibson family recently. Since we’re all busy with work, we don’t have many opportunities to spend time together. Our relationship with her may not be very close, but we would never mistreat her. Although you aren’t bad yourself, you don’t meet her grandmother’s standards. While Christina has been having conflicts with the family recently, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s a member of the Gibson family. As she contributes to the family, she will only stand to benefit in the future. I’m doing what’s best for her.”
Timothy skillfully disguised his plans with kind intentions, while shifting the responsibility onto Christina.
Nathaniel’s gaze grew colder. With a cold sneer, he asked, “Does the Gibson family’s kindness toward Christina include condoning its members to a*sa*sinate her?”
