Chapter 685
In the restaurant, Clyde looked back to the soaked drafts once Natalie and her colleague had departed in their car. The design of the clothes for the elderly was highly creative, and it was unfortunate that the papers got wet by water. Clyde’s face lit up with interest when he thought of Natalie and her design, a glint of joy in his eyes. Despite feeling a sense of familiarity, he couldn’t recall where he had heard her name before.
Clyde organized the documents that Natalie left behind when a well-made-up woman took a seat across from him.
“You are Mr. Lambert, right? You were introduced to me by Hayes, and I’m here for the blind date.” It was clear that Stacey Gray had rushed to get there, her breathing was erratic and unstable, and her forehead was dotted with sweat.
“I’m sorry, but I already have someone 1 like. Thank you for stopping by, but 1 cannot proceed with the blind date. Please order a drink. I’ll cover the bill.” With that, Clyde quickly departed, clutching the documents in his hand.
As soon as Natalie got off work, she rushed to Malus Bay. As usual, her villa was empty. Brandon s villa which stood next to hers, however, was brightly lit, and the aroma of the dishes filled the air.
With a frown, Natalie walked over and knocked on the door, only to find that it was unlocked. She pushed it open and saw Hannah placing knives and forks on the dinner table. “You came back just in time. I’ll prepare two more dishes and then we can have dinner” Hannah wiped her hands on her apron and walked to the kitchen with a big smile on her face.
Natalie quickly held Hannah s arm and assisted her to sit down. “Didn’t you say that you would wait for me to return to cook? Please, just sit here and wait for the food to be served.”
She untied Hannah’s apron and then wrapped her hair into a bun. Then, she glanced at the dishes on the table and eagerly rubbed her hands together. “I’ll cook a few more of your favorite dishes. Just give me a little time.” Hannah couldn’t stop Natalie in time. She’d forgotten to tell her that Brandon was also in the kitchen.
Shortly after Natalie entered the kitchen, Brandon sent out the servants who had been helping in there to go do other chores.
Only the two of them were left in the kitchen now, and the atmosphere was tense with awkwardness.
For some reason, Natalie became uneasy. Her eyebrows twitched, and the blade of the knife she was holding almost touched her finger.
“Did you bring Hannah here on purpose?” What was he up to? Did he bring Hannah here as a mediator? It was obvious, however, that Hannah had no idea that Natalie was not on good terms with Brandon.
“I picked her up for a reason. She took care of you when you were a child, so I need to take care of her now on your behalf. She deserves to live a happy retired life.” Brandon had already planned to take Hannah to Barnes, however it escaped him because he first had to figure out how to get rid of Vivian. As a result, he hadn’t quite had the time to make proper arrangements.
“There’s no one taking care of her now. I’ll make sure to find a help in Barnes to take very good care of her while she enjoyed her retirement here.” Brandon strode towards Natalie and suddenly lowered his head. The pair gazed at each other. The burning desire in Brandon’s eyes made her blush. The corners of her eyes were a little red because she had been cutting onions.
“Why’re you standing so close to me? Move back!” Natalie’s voice trembled as she leaned back subconsciously.
“Relax, I’m just throwing away some garbage,” Brandon chuckled and dropped the crumpled kitchen towels into the trash can behind Natalie. Then, he stood up straight and said.
“If you don’t have a lot of free time, you can leave Hannah here with me. I’ll be free enough to take care of her.”
After all, without Hannah, Brandon wouldn’t have been able to meet Natalie.
“Yes, I’m quite busy these days. Thank you.” Natalie lowered her eyes and went back to chopping the onions. Deep down, she was grateful to Brandon for taking care of things for her. Draco hoped that she would become an independent designer soon, so she had to work very hard in the ensuing arrangement.
Moreover, it would be much safer for Hannah to stay with Brandon, because back when Natalie was in Seacisco, she had put Hannah in danger several times simply because she wasn’t powerful enough,
After Natalie moved to Barnes, she had several new dangers lurking around her, including Charis and Vivian. She didn’t dare bring Hannah over at such a time,
“By the way, it looks like Hannah doesn’t know about our argument yet, so try not to make it obvious at the dinner table. If she finds out about it, she’ll be worried sick.”
Initially, Natalie was disgusted with the fact that Brandon had brought Hannah there without consulting her. She thought that he had negative intentions, but it didn’t take her long to put it behind. Natalie hadn’t seen Hannah in a long time, so although Brandon hadn’t asked her before making the decision, it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Brandon raised his eyebrows, and a cunning smile appeared on his face.
“Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
At the dinner table, there were all kinds of delicacies. Natalie wore a fake smile and pretended to be getting along just fine with Brandon.
“Let me get you some food.” Brandon dished out some food onto Natalie’s plate and then began to peel the shrimps.
Upon seeing this, the comers of Natalie’s eyes twitched. She forced an affectionate smile and said, “Thank you, honey.” Since Hannah used to be a servant for the Quinn family, she was good at reading people. When she got to the house, she could tell that there was something wrong between the couple.
When Natalie was a child, she had been bullied by members of the Quinn family. As a result, Hannah was worried that Natalie would still just swallow her anger and sadness and pretend to be fine whenever she was wronged, even now she was with Brandon. However, since she observed the two of them treat each other very affectionately, she let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to see that you two are still so happy with each other.”
“Don’t worry about me, Hannah. Brandon and I have just been married for about a year, and we’ll be fine,” Natalie said as she peeled a shrimp and put it into Hannah’s plate. Then, she moved her chair closer to Hannah and advised, “Since you’re already here, it’ll be troublesome if you go back to Seacisco again. Why don’t you settle down here in Barnes? I can take care of you now.”
Natalie had saved up a lot of money when she worked as a designer in the W Marks Studio. And now, she could pay back Hannah’s kindness and support her. She planned to become an independent designer in the future, so she could take better care of Hannah then.
When she finished speaking, she pulled Brandon’s fingers under the table, urging him to speak. Sure enough, he put down his knife and fork and said, “We’ve arranged a servant to take care of you while you’re here. Natalie has been missing you so much and we both want you to stay.”
Hannah was taken aback by this. She put her food down and quickly waved her hand in refusal. “I appreciate your offer, but I’m gonna have to decline it. This is your home. I don’t think 1 should live here for good.”
Barnes was a thriving metropolis with numerous vehicles and towering skyscrapers. As a matter of fact, there were places where people could not see the azure sky when they looked up.
“I prefer living in the countryside. Anyway, I’ve brought you a lot of pickles and sweet com. I collected them last year. You should try them.”
Natalie put down her utensils and let out a sigh. “You took care of me when 1 was a child. It’s about time I take care of you.”
Hannah looked at Natalie with a loving gaze and held her hand. “You have your own parents to take care of. Besides, you will have to raise your children in the future. Thanks for your offer, but I feel better living in the countryside.”
Disappointment washed over Natalie. Just as she was about to say something, Brandon put his arm on her shoulder and said, “It’s okay. We shouldn’t force her to live here if that’s not what she wants. What if I just send someone to check in on her in the countryside? What do you think?”
“Well, as long as you don’t ask me to leave my house in the countryside. I don’t mind living with a few more people,” Hannah replied while grinning from ear to ear. She then glanced at Natalie’s flat stomach and added, “You’ve been married for quite a while now. Haven’t you thought of having a child? Remember your friend Eannie, the girl who lived in the village with us? She is about the same age as you, and has already had her second child.”
As the people aged, they looked forward to having grandchildren. However, since Hannah’s son was not blessed with a child, she could only hold out hope that Natalie would soon conceive
“I’m busy with my career, and I’m still young. Why should I be in such a hurry to have a child?” Natalie explained. She did not expect Hannah to urge her to have a baby.
