Chapter 215

Chapter 215

His gaze flickered subtly as his right hand swept beneath the hem of her blouse, reaching toward her lower back.

Natall his touch, stirred slightly, and was about to push him away when she felt the

warmth of his palm, akin to a heated pad.

As his hand gently stroked her back several times, the comfort eased her resistance, and she couldn’t be bothered to protest anymore.

She was exhausted. Waking up before dawn at four in the morning and not hitting the sack until midnight had taken its toll. Natalie rested her head for a while, her eyelids soon starting to battle against each other.

The warmth from Nate’s palm, feeling like a hot water bottle, did wonders as it rested on his car

seat.

Brian glanced over at Natalie. Too exhausted to maintain her usual anger, she had obediently dozed off.

A soft look briefly crossed his face. He had just returned that afternoon, hearing from Bagot that Natalie had been busy with no chance to get her signature. Noticing that Natalie’s and Lundy’s names buzzing on social media, he decided to drop by personally.

While waiting for her, he had managed to swing by the school auditorium to give a speech, attend a meeting, and observe Lundy and Natalie for a while.

He confirmed it was all media fabrication.

Those at the meeting end, hearing Brian’s few words to Natalie, hastened their reporting, not daring to encroach a minute more on Brian’s time.

When the car reached the estate, Natalie had fallen into deep sleep.

Brian closed his laptop, turned his head, and silently watched her sleeping form.

“Mr. Howard, everyone’s waiting upstairs…” Standing outside by the car, Bagof couldn’t help but softly prompt Brian after waiting a bit.

After a brief pause, Brian gently scooped Natalie into his arms and carried her out of the car.

Bagot watched the scene unfold and couldn’t help but think they looked like father and daughter. Perhaps, even he wasn’t fully aware of Brian’s affection for Natalie.

Inside the estate, a crowd watched in silent curiosity as Brian carried Natalie through the room and into an adjacent hot spring chamber.

After Brian closed the door behind them, someone couldn’t hold back a whisper, “Doesn’t that woman look familiar?”

A murmur of agreement spread among the crowd.

112

Chapter 215

Holding a glass of wine, Madelyn walked in from the other end of the room just in time to witness Brian carrying Natalie into the VIP room, and she froze in place. Her companions instinctively looked at Madelyn, noticing her face had gone pale.

Madelyn had been waiting for Brian for ages, being told he was tied up with work.

Turns out, he was tied up with another woman.

“Who’s he carrying?” someone asked in a hushed tone. “Isn’t Brian only close to Madelyn?”

“Shush,” another person lightly nudged the speaker.

They had thought that Brian and Madelyn stood a chance.

After all, they mingled in similar circles and understood that Brian would never lower his standards for someone like Gracia or any of those young models and actresses. Brian’s aloof dignity was well–known. He wouldn’t associate with those beneath his class.

Whenever Madelyn claimed she wasn’t close to Brian, they would laugh it off, suspecting she was just being coy. But now…

Madelyn’s face grew even more mortified as her companions whispered among themselves.

She didn’t understand what Brian intended by bringing Natalie there. Was he trying to undermine her, embarrass her, or show everyone that she, Madelyn, was unwanted?

Brian had never brought any woman to these gatherings!

After Robert passed, she had taken his place, and since Brian was also single, they both used to attend together. Everyone had more or less assumed that she and Brian were an item!

His appearance tonight at the gathering with Natalie felt like a slap in the face, more brutal than a physical blow.

When Brian laid Natalie down, her hand brushed against the wooden chair, and she suddenly

awoke with a start.