Chapter 27

Chapter 27 Deliberately Embarrassing Them

Rebecca sat on the large couch while Natalie occupied the smaller one next to her.

This comparison seemed to make Rebecca still exude an air of authority. With it, she believed she

could boss Natalie around as she used to. But to her surprise, Natalie sat on the couch calmly. She

hugged a small pig to her chest, utterly ignoring Rebecca. This infuriated the older woman!

“Zoe, make some tea,” Natalie instructed.

“Yes, madam,” Zoe responded, momentarily taken aback because Natalie had always done it.

Back then, Rebecca would have thrown a fit if anyone had helped Natalie with these tasks. Over time,

everyone had come to expect that these chores were Natalie’s responsibility, and that nobody should

voluntarily take over.

But things were different now. Natalie sat on the couch like a pampered princess, holding her stuffed

animal, and Rebecca’s aura of authority was slipping away.

Seeing that Natalie didn’t care at all, Rebecca called Cedric.

“You need to come back immediately.”

“Are you at Scarlet Villa?”

“Yes!”

If Cedric didn’t return, Rebecca was about to blow a fuse!

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before he said, “I’ll have the driver take you

back to Johnson Manor.”

“Cedric!”

Before Rebecca could say more, Cedric hung up.

Rebecca’s face turned an angry shade of purple. She had only one thought in mind: Cedric must

divorce

Natalie immediately, because she couldn’t tolerate this daughter–in–law for a single moment longer!

On the other hand, Natalie’s demeanor was completely opposite to Rebecca’s. She appeared as

though

she was an outsider with no connection to this family.

en, her phone started buzzing. Ignoring Rebecca, Natalie answered the call.

“Hello

“Nat.”

Stephen was on the other end. Natalie had the call on loudspeaker, and his concerned voice was

audible to everyone in the room.

Upon hearing a man addressing Natalie so intimately, the already angry Rebecca’s face turned even

darker. She was so consumed by her rage that she couldn’t make out what Stephen was saying to

Natalie

on the other end of the line.

However, Rebecca could clearly hear the tenderness in Natalie’s voice as she responded, “Yes, I’m

fine.. Don’t worry. I’ll see if I can return after finishing up here.”

Return? Did she want to return to that man?

Memories of the recent news and public opinion flashed in Rebecca’s mind, and her anger climbed

even higher. As Rebecca was about to unleash a tirade, Natalie ended the call.

Not wanting to wait even a moment longer, Rebecca screeched, ‘Natalie, how can you be so

shameless?”

Natalie stayed silent.

“Even if you were having an affair, you should have found someone better than our family! That man

could practically be your father! Have you no shame?”

Faced with Rebecca’s harsh words, Natalie replied flippantly, “I did it on purpose!”

“What did you say?”

“It’s the best way to embarrass the Johnson family.”

Rebecca’s chest heaved heavily at her words. The older woman felt like she couldn’t catch her breath

as she processed the words. She realized that Natalie had done it intentionally, deliberately causing

embarrassment to the Johnson family.

This woman… this woman…!

“Y–you…!”

In the end, the villa was left in disarray. An ambulance rushed in and soon sped away, amid wailing and

shouting, tearing through the night.

The Johnson family was thrown into complete chaos that night.

Cedric rushed to the hospital. By the time he returned to Scarlet Villa, it was already three in the

morning.

Despite the turmoil within the Johnson family, Natalie was sleeping soundly as if nothing had

happened. Seeing her, Cedric’s gaze turned icy. He harshly yanked the sleeping woman from her bed.

Natalie had been in the middle of a dream and was rudely awakened by Cedric’s forceful pull. She

looked

at the furious man with sleep still in her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

Was he angry? Of course he was, and rightfully so!

“Natalie, why did you become like this?” Cedric asked.

The ambulance had just taken someone away from the villa, yet she was sleeping so peacefully?

Cedric’s handsome face was filled with anger. He looked at the woman before him as if she were at

stranger. It was as if he had never known Natalie.

No, he had known her. It was Natalie who had changed.

Natalie’s right arm was still hurting, but she quickly composed herself to face his anger.

“The people who have the least right to ask me that question are you and your family,” she said.

Why had she become like this?

Did anyone know what she had been through? Would she have become like this if she hadn’t tasted

that

pain, that suffering, that despair? She remembered her previous life, where she ended up in a fiery

blaze,

and Isabella’s provocation before that.

Why should she be gentle and kind after all that? What was the point?

“What are you doing? Let go of me!”

While she was lost in thought, Cedric had grabbed her and was in the process of dragging her out.

Natalie

struggled and tried to get away. However, her injured right arm made her too weak to break free.

Cedric acted as if he hadn’t heard her words

He was thoroughly disappointed with this woman. Her

transformation was simply unbearable.

Arrogant, indifferent, and unfaithfull Each of these qualities was intolerable.

Slap!

As he was forcing her Into the car, Natalie slapped Cedric hard across the face, causing him to turn

around. The pair of eyes that had once held nothing but tenderness for him was now devoid of any

warmth or emotion.

Just as Cedric was about to push her into the car again, his phone rang. With one hand holding her

down, he answered the call.

“What is it?!”

“Ced, when are you coming to the hospital? Isabella is in Mom’s ward.”

Hearing that, Cedric’s eyes grew even colder as he looked down at Natalie. A mocking smile played on

Natalie’s lips, and her laughter grated on Cedric’s nerves.

“Take her back to her own ward,” Cedric ordered.

“She’s stubborn and refuses to leave. She got caught in the elevator on the way here. She fell off her

wheelchair and scraped her knee.”

Cedric instinctively released his grip on Natalie. “I’m coming over.”

The moment she was free, Natalie turned and walked back. “I’m moving out of here tomorrow.”

“You would dare?!” Cedric exclaimed.

Natalie looked back at him with a smile, her determination unwavering.

As she turned around once more, Cedric said, “Don’t forget that you’re still my wife.”

“Not for long,” Natalie shot back as she walked away.

Cedric stood rooted to the spot.

Natalie had such a petite figure. How could such a small person have the strength to confront

everyone? He knew she was acting this way for the sake of that foreign man he had seen in the

articles. Thinking of

the photos in those articles, his eyes darkened..

After Cedric left, Natalie leaned weakly against the door frame and slumped down on the ground.

The icy facade she had put on was momentarily gone. The three months abroad were the most

relaxing

for her, bringing back the long–lost warmth of home. Before this, she had thought that home was

wherever Cedric was. But that feeling of warmth was something even Cedric couldn’t provide.

That night, Cedric didn’t return.

Early the next morning. Zoe had already set breakfast on the table. It was prepared to Natalie’s taste,

just as it had always been.

Then, Natalie’s phone rang; it was Cedric. When had he gotten this number?

Without much thought, she answered, “What is it?”

‘Come to the hospital right away.”

“I’m busy.”

After uttering those two words, Natalie hung up. She knew Cedric would be furious at this response.

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