Chapter 3

"It's absurd!" Natasha found it utterly ridiculous. "Isn't it more embarrassing to change the bride halfway?" Henry, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. He said in a deep voice, "Natasha, I think Olivia's right. If you hadn't made such a scene today, neither family would've suffered this disgrace. "Mr. Foster has already dealt with the reporters, and Matthew is here to apologize to you. What more do you want? Do you really want to make this public and affect both families' stock prices?" Natasha stared at Henry in disbelief, a chill spreading from the soles of her feet to her heart. She had always known he was biased, but she never imagined it would go this far. Given everything that went down, Henry had still held her accountable. "Dad, am I just supposed to get cheated on and take it in silence?" she asked, taking a deep breath to hold back her fury. "If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't have let Nicole seduce Matthew in the first place!" "You…" Henry trembled angrily, raising his hand as if to slap her. But the anticipated pain never came. A hand tightly grabbed his wrist. Standing protectively behind Natasha, Zachary looked at Henry with his cold, abyss-like eyes. His voice carried an undeniable authority. "Mr. Bradley, is this how you educate your family? No wonder Nicole turned out the way she did!" Henry winced in pain, wondering what Zachary meant by this. Was Natasha really more important than the reputations and stock prices of both families? Natasha stood behind Zachary, momentarily stunned. That silhouette looked just like the one Jack had posted on his Instagram. Was Jack and Zachary the same person? Before she could dwell on it, Henry's obsequious voice echoed through the room. "Mr. Foster, please don't be angry. This is all our fault. We will definitely give you a proper explanation." Zachary sneered, his tone laced with mockery. "Explanation? Your so-called explanation is to sacrifice one daughter for the sake of the other? If this is how the Bradley family handles things, then maybe there's no need for this engagement at all. "Who's to say you won't betray us in the future for some other benefit? After all, it's just a dispute between your two daughters. If we stick to the story that Nicole drugged Matthew to climb her way up, it won't harm our reputation even if we call off the wedding." Everyone in the Bradley family turned pale. Nicole collapsed into Matthew's arms, trembling in fear. Seeing Zachary genuinely angry, Olivia was afraid the deal might be canceled. She quickly forced a smile and stepped in to smooth things over. "Mr. Foster, you've misunderstood. This is just a small conflict between the girls. There's no need to talk about betrayal. Natasha is also our daughter. How could Henry not care about her? "It's just that things have gone this far. Since Matthew and Nicole are in love, we'd be hurting their feelings if we broke them up. We might also strain the relationship between both families." Henry quickly followed up with a sycophantic smile. "Exactly. Mr. Foster, Natasha's mother passed away early. I raised her myself. I love both my daughters equally. There's no way I'd mistreat her. Please don't be angry." The sight of Henry pretending to be a loving father made Natasha's stomach turn. At that moment, Matthew and Nicole also stepped forward. Hugging Nicole, he said firmly, "Uncle Zachary, this has nothing to do with Natasha or Nicole. It was my mistake. I failed Natasha. I love Nicole, and I want to marry her. I'm a man. I take responsibility for my actions and won't shift the blame onto a woman just to save myself." Zachary shot him a glance. "Now you realize you're a man?" The implication was clear. When Matthew cheated on Natasha, he wasn't exactly acting like one. Matthew froze, his face turning pale. He lowered his head in diffident, not daring to speak again. Zachary turned to Natasha. "How do you want to handle this?" Natasha looked at the drama before her, her heart cold. Today, she'd seen the Bradleys for who they truly were. Her beloved father only cared about Olivia and Nicole. Since they were so eager to continue the marriage alliance, she would just let them have it their way. From this moment on, she and the Bradley family would go their separate ways. "I don't mind," she said with a mocking smile. "Since Mr. Matthew and Nicole are so in love, why should I force them apart? But the name on the wedding invitation is mine. As long as neither Nicole nor the Bradley family feel embarrassed, I see no reason to call it off." Nicole's face turned pale, but she quickly regained her composure. She pretended to be magnanimous. "Don't worry, Nat. As long as I get to marry Matt, a little sacrifice isn't a big deal." As she spoke, she leaned further into Matthew's arms, acting all affectionate and happy. Natasha sneered and wished them sincerely. "Then I wish you both a long and happy marriage. May you stay bound to each other so tightly you never have the chance to mess with anyone else again. I'll be sure to prepare a big gift for you." Hearing this, Nicole felt a strange unease in her heart. However, Zachary had already handled the evidence the reporters had. It was too late, even if Natasha wanted to retaliate. With that thought in mind, she relaxed and snuggled back into Matthew's embrace. "Nat, thank you for your blessing!" Seeing Nicole so confident and smug, Natasha couldn't help but sneer inwardly. How naive was Nicole! Did they really think she only sent in the reporters? The surveillance footage on her phone was far juicier than anything those reporters had caught. Once the explicit video went public, she couldn't wait to see if these lovebirds still looked so happy. Seeing Natasha wish them well so nonchalantly, Matthew felt a deep sense of confusion and discomfort. They had been together for seven years. How could she let go so easily? Zachary observed Matthew's expression and sneered. It was too late for Matthew to regret now. "Since Ms. Natasha, the victim, has no objections, the Foster family naturally has no reason to oppose Matthew and Nicole's marriage," Zachary said indifferently. Upon hearing this, Henry immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled flatteringly and said, "Mr. Foster, how about we discuss the wedding details in the study?" It was rare enough to get a meeting with Zachary. Now that he'd come all the way to the Bradley residence, Henry wasn't about to let this chance slip by. He wanted to talk business too. But Zachary remained cold. He stood and said, "Keep the wedding plans as they are. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first." "I'll walk you out!" Henry offered eagerly. "No need." Zachary paused before turning to Natasha. "Let Ms. Natasha send me off." Natasha was caught off guard. She then nodded and agreed, "Sure." Everyone present was taken aback. Zachary's attitude toward Natasha seemed unusually attentive. Had they crossed paths in the past? However, they all thought it was impossible. Zachary was a man at the top of the pyramid. How could he possibly have anything to do with Natasha?