Chapter 675
Laney was about to get up when Natalie stopped her. “No. Brandon is a picky eater; he will waste them,” Natalie said coldly. “And they’re too delicious. He doesn’t deserve any of the desserts they make here.”
Stunned, Laney asked carefully, “Did he make you mad?” Natalie avoided eye contact and clenched her fists. She tried to disguise her anger, but Laney knew something was wrong. “Whatever it is. you can tell me.”
“I guess it’s okay to tell you,” Natalie said, pursing her lips. “Brandon and I quarreled. And I left home a few days ago.”
“You ran away from home?! What happened? Did he cheat on you?”
Laney knew that Natalie wasn’t the kind of person to throw a tantrum over nothing. Since she had run away from their home, Brandon surely must have done something that crossed the line.
Laney banged on the table and stood up, biting on her lower lip angrily. Her sharp eyes were teeming with anger. “Call him over right now! Does he think he can mistreat you just because I’m pregnant? 1 can still fight for my friend!”
“Easy, Laney. You’re pregnant now, so don’t get angry. You need to be more careful at least for the baby’s sake.” Natalie immediately helped her sit back in her chair. “If Brandon cheated on me, my mom would kill him before you even got the chance to. The reason we fought this lime was that he hid something very important from me.”
“What happened? You definitely need to spend the night with me and tell me exactly what is going on.” Laney craned her neck and called out to Lola. “Lola, pack up all the desserts and put them in the car. We’re taking them home.”
Lola did as instructed and quickly sent the desserts back to the villa.
“The servants recently went on leave, so the house is a bit messy. I hope you don’t mind.” Laney opened a shoe cabinet and took out a pair of slippers.
“1 don’t think it’s advisable for you to not have any servants helping you now. You should at least hire some part-time workers.” This was the first time that Natalie had been to Laney’s new place. Unlike the
Harding family’s house, it didn’t cover a large area and wasn’t luxuriously decorated. It felt like home, nonetheless.
“I’ll take you upstairs to the baby’s room.” Upon noticing that Natalie’s eyes were fixed on the paintings on the wall, Laney subconsciously wished that she wouldn’t look at them. “Vera signed me up for art lessons, so those are just some rough sketches I made. Garrett insisted on hanging them up on the wall. Don’t pay them any mind.”
“Wow, 1 didn’t expect him to be so thoughtful.” Natalie winked at her. She hadn’t seen Garrett since she came in, which was odd. Looking around, she asked, “Where is Garrett, by the way?”
“He has a business dinner tonight and won’t be back today. Rest assured that you can spend the night here.” Since they returned to the house in a rush, Laney didn’t have time to tell Garrett that Natalie was coming over.
The pair walked into the baby’s room, only to find that it was messier than the outside. Several large brown paper boxes were piled together, and pieces of bubble wrap were everywhere.
“Is this your storeroom?” Embarrassed, Natalie took a step back.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Geez! Well yesterday, Garrett said he wanted to decorate the room, but instead he fell asleep in it. I didn’t know he made such a mess here. When he comes back, I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson!” Laney said with a wry smile. She wanted to squat and pick up the rubbish, but she couldn’t because of her bulging pregnant belly.
“Stay still. I’ll take care of it later.” Natalie helped her have a seat next to her. She looked around at the design of the entire room, and then smiled. “I can tell that Garrett put a lot of effort into touching up the room. Although this house isn’t as big as the Harding family’s, it’s the home for both of you.”
With her head bowed down, Laney said gently, “I know he’s changing. He will definitely make a great husband and father.”
She was very confident about this. She could feel this sense of responsibility from the fact that Garrett was now catering for the entire Harding family.
A smile appeared on Natalie’s face. She couldn’t help but think about Brandon. Maybe he would also show his sweet side one day when he would become a father. However, they should first resolve the trust issues confronting them now.
That evening, the lights were on, and the club was teeming with music and dance.
In a private room, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol was pungent. The men present were all the elite from Bames. Some of them were playing cards, and some were shooting darts.
“Brandon, did you see that? Oh, yeah! I hit the bullseye three times!” With a graceful look, Garrett looked back. A moment ago, he was drinking with the beautiful ladies around him excitedly to celebrate his three bullseyes.
These women were all workers in the establishment. They were here to serve them drinks.
“Why are you drinking since you are winning the bet here? I haven’t tasted a drop of beer and you are drinking it all up.” Garrett sat next to Brandon and took the glass from him. He was confused.
“What’s wrong with you?” In that moment, the door of the room was pushed open, and a waiter came in with a glass of wine. “Sir, this is for you, from a lady outside.”
Being tipsy, Brandon glared at the door. A woman in a tight dress was standing there. She played with her curly hair on her shoulder and looked into his eyes. The woman blushed.
“Hey, handsome, would it be possible for us to be friends?” The lady walked in. her eyes brimming with enchantment and charm. She sat on the vacant seat beside Brandon, and the potent scent of her perfume wafted over to him.
Brandon’s expression contorted into a scowl as his eyes turned cold. He seized the woman’s hand resting on his thigh and forcefully pressed it onto the table. With a fork clutched, he poised to drive it into the woman’s palm.
“Ahhhh! Help me! Let me go!” The alluring woman let out a piercing scream for help and instinctively shut her eyes in terror.
The tines of the fork stood poised between the woman’s fingers, causing a false alarm.
“Go to hell!” Brandon snorted, his eyes devoid of emotion but his demeanor indicating rage.
A sense of cruelty emanated from him. After relinquishing his grip on the woman, he reached for a napkin and carefully wiped his hands.
The woman bolted away in panic, leaving the waiter who had just arrived with the wine in shock Then he bowed frantically, hastily shut the door, and departed in a fluster.
A cold sweat broke out on Garrett’s back as he witnessed Brandon’s behavior. It had been quite some trine since he had seen Brandon in such a state.
Garrett realized that Brandons temperament had changed significantly since he began his relationship with Natalie, to the point that Garrett had almost forgotten his friend’s original hostile and cruel nature.
Brandon’s ruthless display frightened many of the nearby girls. Conversely, Garrett’s engaging and gregarious personality had drawn the attention of several young women in the room.
