Chapter 38

Chapter 38

When Natalie got home, she was feeling tired again. The last couple of days had been rough with her relatives visiting. It was a recurring nightmare every time they showed up over the

past three years.

If it hadn’t been for Nate, she would have gladly stayed indoors the entire time.

She made herself a cup of hot chocolate to soothe her pains and crashed on the couch. As the warmth offered a faint comfort, she slipped into a restless sleep.

“…your guardian has to come, it’s mandatory,” the voice echoed in her hazy dreamn, transporting her back to when she was fifteen.

The teacher had been insistent. One of her parents had to show up.

“There’s no way I’m going to that parent–teacher conference. You’re not even a Wright anymore. Let your mom handle it.” came Samuel’s irritable voice over the phone.

Natalie gripped the receiver, her silence lasting a few seconds before she spoke, “My mom… she left the country a couple of days ago. It wouldn’t be right to ask Kenneth to go.”

“So what? She’s shacked up with Kenneth Howard now, isn’t she? He’s your dad now. Stop bugging me with this nonsense!” Samuel was curt and the line went dead soon after.

Hearing the dial tone, Natalie sighed quietly to herself. She stepped out of the phone booth, a relic in an age where almost everyone carried cell phones.

“What era is she living in, using a public phone booth?” a group of snickering girls from her class passed by, stinging their mockery.

Natalie glanced at them but kept silent. Her silence seemed to irk the girls, who took it as a slight. They couldn’t understand why Natalie, whose mother was rumored to be quite influential, didn’t have a cell phone of her own.

“Yeah, her mom has been with that guy for ten years without marrying him. What’s she so proud of?”

“It’s like neither her mom nor her dad wants her. She doesn’t even have anyone to show up for a parent–teacher conference.”

It was the mid–term parent–teacher conference day. The school had let out early at four, and students had brought their parents back to the classrooms. Natalie, however, was alone.

With her head slightly bowed, she made her way towards the school gates.

The girls followed, their whispers and taunts continuing to chase after her.

It was Friday. As a boarding student, Natalie would head home once a week. Her bag was so heavy it left red marks on her hands, her fingers swollen and shiny.

As she approached the road to cross to the bus stop on the other side, she hesitated. A

Chapter 38

Rolls–Royce pulled up in front of her.

The man in the back seat glanced at the girls behind Natalie before turning his attention to her and asked sternly. “Why didn’t you tell me about the parent–teacher conference?”

Clutching her bag, Natalie took a few seconds before softly calling out to the man, “Brian.”

“Get in.” replied Brain.

Natalie was acutely aware of her and Audrey’s status in the Howard family. To put it bluntly. they were less than the hired servants. The staff earned their keep with chores, while it was crudely said that Audrey earned hers in bed.

So Natalie always tread carefully, maintaining a cautious distance from everyone except for Brian, who was intimidatingly cold.

“From now on, don’t ask Samuel for anything. If you need something, talk to your mother or me,” Brian said, taking Natalie’s bag from her and examining her swollen hand with a gentle

touch.

“I didn’t know Mom had left the country until I called her this morning,” Natalie replied in a soft voice. “I thought you and Kenneth were both away on business trips.”

“Use this phone from now on.” Brian pulled out a brand–new touchscreen smartphone from his suit pocket and slipped it into Natalie’s backpack.