Chapter 11

"I'm sure you already know what's going on between Natasha and me, Uncle Zachary." Watching Zachary intently, Matthew pressed on, "With your keen eye, you can surely tell—she's no different from those women who are solely after status and fortune." When he saw no signs of anger, he continued, "I was with Natasha for seven years. I know all her tricks. She's only trying to get close to you for personal gain. Don't let her fool you!" Zachary stayed silent for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled. "So what you're saying is… Natasha's trying to seduce me?" Oddly enough, if that were true, Zachary found he didn't mind at all. Matthew nodded eagerly. "Back then, she clung to me relentlessly. Otherwise, I would've never wasted seven years on a woman like that." His face twisted with disdain, like Natasha had robbed him of time he couldn't get back. Zachary didn't respond. He calmly picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. Suddenly, Julian delivered a swift kick that knocked Matthew off his feet. He landed heavily, his hands flying to his chest in utter bewilderment. "You're a grown man, Matthew. Time to started taking responsibility for your own damn words." Zachary walked over, one hand in his pocket, towering above him. "I swear, I'm not lying, Uncle Zachary!" Matthew stammered, panicked by how unpredictably he was acting. But Zachary didn't hold back. He stepped on Matthew's chest, grinding his heel down. Matthew gasped, feeling as though his ribs were about to snap. "I'm a Foster, too. Uncle Zachary, how dare you put your hands on me!" His face turned red from the pain, but Zachary didn't even flinch. Then came footsteps from the hallway. Steven appeared with his hands behind his back, stepping into Matthew's line of sight. "Dad… help me!" Matthew felt like he was on the verge of passing out. But Steven only scoffed coldly, then turned and walked away. He had liked Natasha. She was the daughter-in-law he had chosen. And now, after the way Matthew had acted, he couldn't even face her without a flicker of shame. The butler, Baxter Doyle, couldn't bear to watch any longer. "Mr. Foster Senior, if this keeps up, Mr. Matthew might get hurt!" "You don't need to worry, Baxter. Zachary knows exactly what he's doing." Just as Matthew thought he was about to die, Zachary finally pulled back, lifting his foot. He crouched in front of him, voice low and calm, laced with warning. "If I hear you spreading rumors like that again, Matthew, today will feel like mercy." It took a long moment for Matthew to recover from the fear clawing at him. And even then, he still couldn't understand what Zachary really meant by all this. "Mr. Foster, you're going to let him off this easy? He made that whole thing up. People like that are the worst," Julian muttered. Julian regretted not putting more force into his kick. "Give him something to remember." Zachary's eyes drifted to the scenery flying past the window. Julian got the message right away. … As the sunset faded, the night swiftly followed. Natasha was curled up on the balcony lounge chair, the aroma of her scented candles barely perceptible as the flames flickered. If things had gone as planned, tomorrow would have been her wedding to Matthew. Everyone would have celebrated and cherished their seven years of love. But only those who had truly been in a relationship knew that for two people to stay together, one had to compromise or make concessions. Matthew had always taken advantage of her feelings for him, dominating their relationship. Realizing that she had been wrong about her savior for seven years left Natasha with an unexpected and profound sense of being a fool. But at least she had found out before the wedding, so it wasn't too late. The cool night breeze made her nose tingle, causing her to sneeze several times. Natasha muttered quietly, "Who's thinking of me…" The morning arrived with a gentle breeze. "Nat, listen to me. Nicole is challenging you. If you don't go, it'll look like you're backing down!" Natasha stayed lying in bed, not wanting to get up and not in the mood to hear Liana's moral lectures. She truly didn't want to go, and she didn't want to be the subject of other people's gossip. It wasn't because she was afraid—it was just that after accepting the 500 thousand dollars, she felt strangely guilty. Besides, she had truly moved on and didn't want to waste any more time on insignificant people. "Nat, if you don't get up now, I'll…" Before Natasha could even gather her thoughts, she felt a sudden tickle on the soles of her feet. The two of them started to play around on the bed like children. Natasha laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll go." In the end, Natasha gave in, lying back with a sigh. Under Liana's urging, Natasha eventually changed into the new dress. "It's beautiful. I'm almost jealous!" Liana's mother, Rita Robertson, was a designer. She liked Natasha a lot, so she designed many of her dresses. "Sorry for bothering your mom again." Natasha looked at herself in the mirror, smiling slightly. She still looked as beautiful as ever. "This is the other dress Mom made—she envisioned you wearing it for the wedding toast. She said, besides making clothes, there's nothing else she could give you." Because Matthew had organized a traditional wedding, the second dress was a completely different style—a white puffball gown. With her fair skin, Natasha looked even more delicate in the dress. Downstairs, Owen was already waiting for them in the car. "Are you two coming with me?" Natasha asked, curious. Owen smiled. "Of course! Liana's worried you might be bullied alone, so we're here to watch your back!" Owen didn't mind at all. As long as he got to spend time with Liana, he would happily run errands or carry bags if it meant being around her. Natasha didn't want to trouble her friends over something this trivial, but she couldn't talk them out of it. … "I'm really sorry, but the policy's strict—no invitation, no entry." The staff at the entrance sounded apologetic, but there was no room for exceptions. "I'm not here to cause trouble. Look, I'll even throw in ten thousand dollars as a gift. Just let me in, alright?" Liana pulled out a wad of cash without hesitation. She didn't come here for free food anyway. "I'm really sorry." It was clear they weren't getting in. Natasha tugged them back toward the car. "I'm guessing this is Nicole's doing. You two should wait outside. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you immediately." There wasn't much of a choice at this point. "Just promise us one thing—don't try to handle everything on your own. You've got us behind you." Liana knew exactly what kind of person Natasha was. Saying she wasn't worried would be a lie. As they watched her step into the banquet hall, Liana finally exhaled. "She's not the same Nat she used to be. Let's just wait here for her." Owen nodded. He could feel the shift in her—this whole ordeal had made her grow up fast. "Let's hope it lasts…" Inside the banquet hall, the clinking of glasses and low hum of conversation filled the air. It felt less like a wedding and more like one of those massive corporate galas. Every time Natasha came to places like this, she just wanted to find a quiet corner and sit. But tonight, that wasn't likely to happen.