“If you have something to say, don’t hesitate to say it, Sean.”
Her intuition told her that Brandon was keeping something from her, and Sean knew what it was.
Sean stuttered for a moment, unsure of how to answer. He glanced at Brandon in a silent plea for help, but Natalie immediately blocked his line of sight. “I asked you a question, Sean,” she prodded with a bright smile. “What happened?”
Seeing Sean get more agitated by the second, Brandon took pity on him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said in a low voice, “I didn’t tell you, but Jorge committed suicide in prison.”
Natalie whipped around in shock and gaped at Brandon. “Didn’t you say that he was caught by the police?”
“The authorities called and told me. At the time, you were busy with the Iridescent Show, and you were happily moving forward, so I thought it best not to tell you. I also instructed Sean to never speak of it. I don’t want to upset you and ruin everything.” This time, it was Brandon who glanced at Sean through the rearview mirror.
“Yes, that’s right. I was under Mr. Larson’s orders, so I had no choice but to keep it from you.” Sean wiped the beads of cold sweat on his forehead and started the car. “Jorge was just fine before I left. Why did he suddenly take his own life?” It didn’t quite make sense to Natalie.
“He committed suicide by ingesting poison. Shortly before that, he confessed to his crimes and took all the blame. For now, the police haven’t found his accomplice.” Brandon had wanted to pursue the matter, but unfortunately, their trail ended with Jorge.
Natalie’s b*ody stiffened as she listened to his explanation. She looked at Brandon straight in the eye and asked, “Do you think someone f0rced Jorge to do all this and then commit suicide?”
Charis was dead. Who else would want to hurt Natalie so badly? Fear slowly crept in Natalie’s heart as she pondered this.
“Who do you think hates you the most right now?” Brandon asked slowly.
“The Turner family,” she blurted out without a second thought.
Brandon shook his head. “I already looked into them before I came to Northcliffe. Luke and Catherine have been doing better lately. They were even making plans to travel abroad.”
Natalie’s brows furrowed. “Didn’t they hate me for what happened to Charis? Why the sudden change in outlook?” “They took in an adopted daughter to help them cope with their grief better. After all, at the end of the day, it’s not as if we pushed Charis off the building. The Turner family has no grounds to blame us or seek revenge. Maybe they finally saw reason and decided to move on with their lives.” Brandon’s eyes darkened as he added, “But I heard that this adopted daughter was no child. She seems to be around our age, and an orphan. I couldn’t get any other information on her for now.” “It’s annoying. I have to live a life full of fear again now, not knowing who wants to hurt me.” Natalie sighed helplessly, “Is there anything else I need to know? It looks like I’ve missed out on a lot these days.”
Brandon thought of what Frank had said the last time they met, and his scowl deepened. His amnesia might cause some long-lasting aftereffects. But he didn’t intend to tell her yet.
He f0rced a tight smile and said, “No, there isn’t. You’re all caught up.”
Sean stared at Brandon through the rearview mirror but didn’t dare to say anything.
Natalie was still trying to wrap her mind around Jorge’s death and missed the eye contact between the men.
In her opinion, the biggest victim in the entire fiasco was Draco.
Jorge might have died, but the pain Draco had suffered wouldn’t go away just as easily.
Natalie wanted to visit Draco and see how he was doing. The next day.
Natalie walked through the hospital gates with a bag of tonics and the female b*odyguard by her side.
She hadn’t asked the woman for her name before, but today, she learned that the b*odyguard was called Mesue. Natalie asked Mesue to wait by the door before knocking twice and entering the ward. As soon as she stepped in, she found Draco packing his stuff.
“Are you being discharged, Mr. Wesley?” She set the bag on a nearby table and asked in surprise.
“The doctor said I’m cleared to leave.” Draco looked exhausted due to his illness, but he still had his usual gentle disposition. He folded his clothes neatly and arranged them in his suitcase in a meticulous manner.
“But are you sure you’re fully recovered? Why are you leaving in such a hurry? I need to double check with the doctor.”
Natalie was surprised that Draco was able to leave the hospital so soon.
She wanted to talk to the doctor about it, but Draco stopped her.
“Don’t bother the doctor,” said Draco. “A few days ago, Brandon sent the best medical team in the area here to take care of me. Naturally, I recovered quickly.”
Draco looked a little tired, but he seemed to be moving comfortably and everything else appeared normal.
“Well, I’ll help you pack your things then,” said Natalie. When she noticed him looking out the window periodically, she asked, “What are you looking at, Mr. Wesley?”
“I thought Brandon might have come with you,” Draco replied. “I’d like to thank him in person for all his help.” Seeing that the only person standing outside was a female b*odyguard, Draco shifted his gaze back inside the room.
“He’s busy with company business, so he has no time to come over. Mr. Wesley, please don’t mention it anymore. It was my fault originally anyway, and it’s only right that Brandon should help. We’re a couple, so…” Before Natalie could finish speaking, a flash of loneliness suddenly crossed Draco’s face.
Perhaps she’d imagined it. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Draco had regained a calm and indifferent expression.
“I understand,” Draco murmured. “Brandon was willing to do anything to help W Marks for your sake. Please p@ss on my sincere thanks,” he said, looking at Natalie gently.
“I will,” Natalie replied. “Mr. Wesley, is there anything else you need packed up?” Natalie closed Draco’s suitcase and handed it to Mesue.
All of a sudden, Dalores appeared outside the door.
She walked over with a smile, receipt in hand. When Dalores saw Natalie, however, the smile on her face froze momentarily. “Natalie?” she said. “You’re back from Northcliffe so soon.”
Dalores seemed unusually surprised to see Natalie.
Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…
Natalie frowned instinctively. “Why are you here?” she asked Dalores. It looked like a lot of things had happened during Natalie’s absence.
“Mr. Wesley is being discharged from the hospital today,” Dalores replied. “I’m here to help.” Her temper seemed to have changed significantly. “By the way,” she said to Natalie, gently, “congratulations on helping W Marks get a good reputation at Iridescent Show. I saw the live broadcast. W Marks made the right choice by sending you.”
Natalie smiled slightly. She was hesitant to believe that Dalores had changed so much.
“Have you finished the discharge formalities?” asked Draco, interrupting them. He’d heard Dalores’ voice and come out to explain. “Dalores has been taking care of me these past couple of days. I should be thanking her.”
When Dalores heard his praise, she smiled brightly. “Mr. Wesley, do you have anything else to pack up?” she asked. “I’ll go check again and make sure you’re not leaving anything behind.”
Natalie watched Dalores enter the ward, then turned to Draco. “Mr. Wesley, are you aware of what Dalores did earlier?” she asked.
Draco leaned against the door, his face impassive. “After you left, Dalores came to the hospital, crying and begging for my forgiveness. She brought me food every day and took excellent care of me. I didn’t talk to her at first but, after a while, I saw how tired she was. After coming here to take care of me every day, she then had to go to work. She finished the studio’s tasks while simultaneously caring for me. She showed more consideration than the nursing worker.”
Natalie was mildly surprised. “I didn’t know you were so soft-hearted,” she said. Natalie had no right to tell Draco what to do. But she herself certainly wouldn’t have forgiven Dalores for what she had done.
“Last night, Dalores stood in the corridor and cried for quite a while,” Draco continued. I came out to ask her what was going on. She said she was afraid I was going to kick her out of W Marks. She’d offended Mrs. Fuller before, and she had no place in the design world, so she begged me to take her in for the past’s sake.” Draco sighed.
He believed that Dalores had a kind nature and that she would change, so his attitude towards her had softened somewhat.
“Well, I respect your decisions, Mr. Wesley,” said Natalie. She knew that Draco acted out of kindness, but she seriously doubted that Dalores would change. She didn’t say this out loud however.
Either way, Natalie wouldn’t believe anything Dalores said. She remembered something Zuri had said; when Zuri had called W Marks Studio to confirm Draco’s attendance at Iridescent Show, one of the designers had told her that Draco wouldn’t be available.
Now, Natalie was beginning to suspect that that designer was none other than Dalores.