Chapter 186

“Mom?” Nathaniel asked Eloise in confusion. He was stunned as he had not expected her to say that “Why would Lily tamper with the formula? How many years have you been dating each other? You know very well that most of your company‘s products were created by Lily. She had always been obedient to you. Why‘d you force her to leave?” While Eloise spoke, she capped hier knuckles on the tabletop, her expression severe. She looked like a ster teacher reprimanding lire student who had just made a mistake.

Eloise‘s questions puzzled Nathaniel. He was embarrassed and was about to break out in a cold sweat. “Mom...”

“I asked Frank to help you because you‘re my son. I don‘t want to see you fail after you‘ve worked hard for such a long time. However, that didn‘t mean that you did nothing wrong. Nate, you made a big mistake!”

She was merciless in her criticisms, and the person who felt most awkward now was Melanie.

‘What‘s going on? I came here with Nathaniel to meet my future mother–in–law, but she didn‘t care about me. Ever since she arrived, she did not look at me properly or said anything to me! Not only that, she‘s praising his son‘s ex–girlfriend when I‘m here. What in the world is this?

Melanie felt awkward just sitting at the table. It was giving her anxiety.

Nathaniel defended himself against his mother‘s rebuke, unwilling to back down. “Mom, I can‘t control my heart. Mel is the woman I love. I can‘t possibly spend the rest of my life with Lily when I don‘t love her!

“Yes, you‘re right. Lily is a talented perfumer, but you can‘t expect me to marry her just because of that, can you? I admit I took advantage of her, but I also gave her a lot in return! Like you said, we‘ve been dating for so many years, and yet she could just turn her back on me overnight. This just proves how heartless she is.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “A person like her might betray me any time in the future, even if she did not do it now! I just got rid of things that might harm the company.

His voice grew softer toward the end. Maybe he was not confident about his justification as well.

Eloise glared at him. “Do you want me to praise you for that?”

“That‘s not what I mean. Mom, I brought Mel here to meet you today. Let‘s not bring up the past anymore. No matter what Lily did, everything is history, and she‘s gone. I love Mel, and she‘s going to be your daughter–in–law. I‘m going to marry her.”

After Eloise said her piece, she stopped rebuking Nathaniel and looked closely at Melanie. However, Melanie sensed from Eloise‘s stare that she did not like her.

“You‘re an adult now, and I can‘t stop you from doing whatever you want. You have your own plans in life too. Still, about the marriage, I’d like to advise you... the both of you, to think about it carefully,”

Eloise said and took her bag from the chair next to her. “Marriage isn‘t a game. If you insist on getting married, just go ahead.” Then, she handed a debit card to Nathaniel. “This is a gift from me. You know very well that I can’t attend your wedding. The passcode is your birthdate. No matter what, I want you to live a good life.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Nathaniel accepted the card and said happily. “I understand. Your approval and blessings are already enough for us.” “Well then, today‘s meal had taken up a lot of time. I‘ll be leaving now.” Eloise stood up, preparing to leave. “Yeah, I‘ll leave after an hour. Mom, take care.” Nathaniel stood up but realized that Melanie was still slouching in her seat. He immediately pulled her up, and finally, she got up to her feet, too, albeit slowly. That did not bother Eloise. She just patted Nathaniel on his shoulder. “You too.”