Chapter 26: Natalie Trending In News

Natalie was on her way to the police station when she received a call from Sean. She answered and put it on speaker, "I’ve gone through the interior project’s details, and I’ll visit the site soon. Now don’t disturb me unless it’s something really urgent."

"Are you really in the mood to talk about the project?" Sean’s amused voice came through the speaker. "Seems like you haven’t checked the news yet."

"What news?" Natalie asked, a sense of unease creeping in.

"Girl, you’re trending once more."

Natalie quickly hung up the call and pulled over to the side of the road, her heart racing. She checked the news on her mobile, and within moments, her grip on the phone tightened in anger, the veins on her arms becoming visible.

Her eyes turned icy cold as she spoke through gritted teeth, "That annoying sister of mine is asking for another beating."

-----

Heading back to the hotel suite in his car, Justin was deep in thought. He recalled the moment when Natalie called him Aiden and how he had responded so naturally that even Natalie seemed suspicious of his reaction.

Though he had skilfully dodged her doubtful question at the time, now he found himself having his own doubts about himself.

He had reacted to being called Aiden out of instinct, the instinct that seemed to have been engraved deeply on his mind, as if it wasn’t the first time someone had called him Aiden—almost like it was his own name.

As they reached the suite, Noah received a message on his phone. He checked it and was immediately shocked by what he saw.

"Mr. Harper, you should see this," Noah said, handing his cellphone to Justin, who had just settled back behind his work desk.

Justin went through the trending news, and his brows furrowed in concern. The news was about Natalie—headlined as the elder daughter of the Ford family abusing her sister Briena and threatening to kill her.

A video accompanied the article, showing Natalie slapping Briena in the hospital corridor and threatening to bury her in the grave next to their grandfather’s. The video was clearly edited to omit whatever Briena had done to provoke Natalie’s anger.

"Mr. Harper, Ms. Briena has a significant fan following as she’s a famous pianist and is soon to be featured in a movie as an actress. Her fans seem enraged and could potentially harm Ms. Natalie," Noah informed him.

Justin hummed in acknowledgment and handed the cellphone back to Noah. "Make sure our people protect her closely."

Noah nodded and then asked, "We have the entire video of that incident from the hospital, which could uncover the truth behind it..."

"Make sure she doesn’t know it’s from us," Justin interrupted, giving his permission for Noah to proceed with his plan.

"She’ll receive it from an anonymous email," Noah assured him.

They knew if they sent the video directly, Natalie would realize she was being followed by their people, and she might not like it.

----

In the hospital, Sephina sat in the chair beside the bed, her expression tense as she asked her husband, "So you met Natalie’s husband today?"

Albert, who was in a better mood, hummed in acknowledgment.

Sephina’s displeasure was evident. "You didn’t tell me, or I would have been here as well to see what kind of man she married."

"It was Natalie’s first time introducing her husband to the family, so I didn’t want to overwhelm him with too many family members around," Albert explained calmly. "You’ll meet him soon enough."

Albert knew his family members all too well when it came to Natalie, which is why he had intentionally kept the meeting quiet.

Sephina frowned. "I heard he’s just an ordinary man. Is that true?"

"What matters is that the man is good, and Natalie is happy with him," Albert replied. "And I found him to be a good match for her."

"Instead of feeling angry at what your cherished granddaughter has caused once again, you’re taking her side and even praising this random man she brought into the family?" Sephina’s voice was edged with frustration.

"What’s the point of crying over spilled milk? It’s better to move on, especially if our child is happy," Albert said, his tone resolute.

Sephina’s hand tightened on the armrest of the chair. She could never understand why her husband cherished that troublemaker so much. "You’re always forgiving towards her, no matter what she does."

As usual, Albert chose to remain silent. Arguing with his wife was pointless, and he needed to stay calm and focus on improving his health so he could visit Natalie’s home and see how she was living with her husband—whether they were truly getting along.

Just then, a surprised gasp interrupted them, drawing everyone’s attention to Clara, who was staring at her cellphone.

"What happened?" Sephina asked, annoyed at being disturbed.

Clara showed the news to Sephina and then turned to Briena, who sat guiltily beside her, looking worried. "Briena, why didn’t you tell us she hurt you and even threatened to kill you?"

Both Sephina and Albert turned their attention to the mother and daughter. Sephina began reading the news while Albert’s concern for Natalie grew.

Briena’s expression was sorrowful as she put on her usual pitiful face. "She had a right to be angry at me, so I didn’t tell."

"Why was she angry at you? Don’t tell me this is about Ivan?" Clara asked, her voice laced with anger.

"No, Mother," Briena’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Albert. "Grandpa, I’m so sorry. Just because you found out the truth about Natalie’s wedding, you went into shock. I should have lied to you instead of telling you the truth."

"So she slapped you because you told the truth?" Clara asked, her voice rising in anger.

Tears rolled down Briena’s cheeks. "I shouldn’t have told the truth."

Sephina, having finished watching the video, spoke angrily. "Instead of admitting her own mistake, she dared to hurt you?" She turned to Albert. "See the true colors of your granddaughter? Stop protecting her and teach her a lesson so she won’t be this brazen."

Albert reviewed the news. Though the video was edited, he could sense from Natalie’s anger that Briena must have done something to provoke her. Natalie was not an unreasonable person, but he chose to remain silent in front of his family.

"Grandpa, I’m sorry," Briena repeated, trying to gain the old man’s attention. No matter what she did, she could never get Albert on her side. Seeing him always siding with Natalie only fueled her anger.

"It’s alright. Sibling quarrels happen," Albert said, then turned to Sephina. "Make this news disappear."

"Are you worried about letting people see the true colors of your granddaughter?" Sephina countered, her tone sharp. "I’m not going to do anything unless she comes to me and asks for forgiveness while kneeling in front of me."

"You’re being unreasonable," Albert said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Yes, in your eyes, we’re all unreasonable, and only that girl is right," Sephina retorted, standing up in anger. "I won’t help her unless she asks me to. And tell her to come with her husband. Let me see what kind of a roadside beggar she had married to." With that, she turned to leave, with Clara and Briena following close behind.

Albert could only sigh helplessly. But this time, he had someone who could stand by Natalie. He picked up his cellphone and dialed Justin’s number.

Earlier, when Natalie had gone to get coffee, the old man had asked Justin to share his contact number. Justin hadn’t refused.