Chapter 248: I Am Not That Person

"I want to talk to Natalie," Ivan said, certain that Mia would relent only if Natalie agreed. These two were like two peas in a pod.

Mia smirked. "For that, you don’t need my permission."

Ivan knew, Mia was even more difficult that Natalie. He remained calm. "She’s not answering my calls."

"Then you should know what that means, or do you want me to spell it out for you? She’s not interested in talking to you," Mia said in a mocking tone. "I’m sure she just forgot to block your number, or you wouldn’t even be able to leave a missed call."

Ivan kept his composure. Mia’s mocking wasn’t unexpected.

"I want you to help me reach her. I really need to talk to her," Ivan insisted.

"So you can beg her to forgive your mother?" Mia chuckled mockingly and raised her voice a little. "Ivan Brown, weren’t you the one thinking of pinning the blame on Natalie? Accusing her of setting a trap for your mother? Claiming it was because she wanted revenge on you? And now you’re here, asking for her mercy, even though you know full well your mother is the culprit and Natalie is entirely innocent?"

"Mia, that—"

"Do you think Natalie’s pride, her life, is so cheap that you can sacrifice it however you see fit?" Mia interrupted him coldly. "You know it well that she’s moved on and has no intention of seeking revenge on you. She’s happy in her life now, but your people, Fords and Browns—the garbage from her past—just can’t seem to stop dragging her back. If not for her insistence that you were by her side during her tough days, she wouldn’t even look at you now. Just a few consoling messages from you, and she thought of you as her savior. Despite being so smart, she was a complete moron when it came to you."

’Messages?’ Ivan recalled Natalie alway saying this but ignored it. Something clicked in his mind.

He considered Mia’s harsh words before saying, "I have something to tell her about those messages she received, something she doesn’t know."

"What?" Mia asked, her expression shifting.

"That, I’ll only tell her," Ivan said. "There are some things she doesn’t know, and only I can explain them. But I’ll do it only if you connect me with her."

"She doesn’t need to know anything. She—"

"She would want to know why I agreed to marry her," Ivan interrupted. "Wouldn’t she?"

Mia’s expression changed once more. She couldn’t help but consider the situation. Natalie had always felt indebted to Ivan, thinking he was her strength and more. If she found out the entire truth—whatever it was—maybe she wouldn’t feel that way anymore. Perhaps this was the perfect chance to get the truth out of him directly and ensure Natalie wouldn’t be lenient toward him in the future.

"Alright," Mia said and dialed Natalie’s number.

Meanwhile, at Justin’s home, he was still working while seated on the couch.

"I designed a perfect study room for you, and you’re working from here?" Natalie commented, lying in bed, clearly bored. She wasn’t even allowed to watch TV or use her mobile without a reason.

"You also designed this perfectly comfortable bed, so you should enjoy resting in it instead of trying to send me away," Justin replied, not even looking at her. He was fully aware of her boredom. "If you behave and rest quietly for an hour, I’ll let you watch a movie on TV."

she thought angrily, glaring at him.

"Feel free to curse me aloud. It might make you feel better," he commented, his focus still entirely on the laptop screen.

She frowned and looked away, still annoyed.

Just then, her cellphone—currently under Justin’s control to prevent her from using it too much—rang. Justin glanced at the screen, and his expression darkened slightly at the sight of the name.

He ignored the call and resumed focusing on his laptop.

"Who is it?" Natalie asked.

"Ivan Brown," Justin answered.

Hearing that, Natalie stayed silent and resumed staring at the ceiling.

The cell phone rang once more, but neither of them reacted—neither bothering to answer it nor cut the call.

After an hour, the phone rang again. Justin looked at the screen and said, "It’s Mia. Want to talk?"

Natalie nodded, relieved that Justin wasn’t opposing her receiving Mia’s call. She figured he understood the importance of staying connected with Mia during such critical times.

Justin stood up and passed the phone to her. As soon as she answered, Natalie asked, "How’s everything going?"

"Daniel is handling everything well," Mia replied, though her tone turned hesitant. "Umm... but there’s something else."

"What?" Natalie asked.

Mia explained the situation in detail. As it was about getting answers to questions Natalie had often wondered about, she said, "Tell him to call me."

Mia hummed in agreement and hung up. Natalie turned to Justin and said, "I’m going to talk to Ivan Brown."

Justin’s fingers, which had been deftly typing on the keyboard, stopped. He finally looked at her, his gaze serious.

"Time for me to get answers to some important questions," she added.

Justin hummed in response and resumed his work. Seeing his silent approval, she felt relieved. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t have talked to Ivan if Justin hadn’t allowed it, but she felt it was necessary to explain herself.

Deep down, she knew that while overly possessive, Justin was not an unreasonable person.

In a moment, her cellphone rang. It was Ivan. She answered the call and said, "Go on."

"I’ll tell you what you want to know, but first, you have to agree to drop the charges against my mother along with Mia," Ivan said.

Natalie scoffed. "Your mother tried to set me up, and you think I’d let her go just like that in exchange for some pathetic truths?"

"If they were pathetic truths, you wouldn’t have agreed to talk to me," Ivan countered. "But as my mother is at fault this time, we can settle this outside of court. All I want is for you to free my mother. I’m asking you because she’s seriously ill and needs to be in the hospital. She’s been diagnosed with second-stage breast cancer."

"Are you trying to gain sympathy from me?" Natalie asked coldly. "I’m afraid I have none to offer."

"No, I’m telling you this to show my sincere worry for my mother, and I meant it when I said I’d do anything for her," Ivan replied.

"I’m not allowed to talk on the phone for long," Natalie hinted him to hurry up.

"I remember you saying my messages during your time in Xyros comforted you and were your strength," Ivan said. "But I never sent you any messages. In fact I never tried to contact you during those years."