Chapter 6 Natalie Never Intended to Let Her Go

The Langleys seemed to complete each other's sentences, refusing to give Natalie an opportunity to speak. They immediately painted her as the villain. That said, Natalie couldn't be bothered to explain herself. Throughout her years with the Langley family, Natalie only ever cared about Grace. Natalie knew Victor's and Diana's characters all too well. As for Selena, who had just returned home, Natalie had no intention of dealing with her—unless she crossed the line. However, Selena couldn't help it and went looking for trouble herself. Since that was the case, Natalie would never let Selena walk all over her. But before Natalie could say anything, Grace stood before her and stretched her arms out protectively. "Get lost! I don't want to see you. You've ganged up to bully my Nattie. Get the hell away from me! Don't worry, Nattie. I'll protect you!" Grace had lived in the nursing home for two to three years now, and Natalie always visited her. Natalie even handpicked the helpers who cared for Grace, ensuring she remained healthy and in good spirits. Grace's voice was loud and crisp now that she was putting up a fight. However, looking at how Grace blatantly protected Natalie, Selena lost it altogether. After her return to the Langley family, Diana and Victor satisfied her every need and showered her with love. Selena was now treated like a precious treasure—too delicate to speak harshly with and too fragile to hold tightly. Only Grace, her biological grandmother on paper, was unamused by Selena when she had visited for the first time with Victor and Diana. Selena was infuriated. She was Grace's rightful granddaughter, not some two-bit substitute. "Grandma, I'm your real granddaughter, the one with the same blood flowing through your veins. Why are you protecting an imposter? If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have needed to suffer so much pain and endure so many hardships. I wouldn't have been separated from you, Dad, and Mom for so many years!" Selena shouted at Grace as she cried helplessly. "We're here to visit you, yet you show such an attitude toward us. Natalie is the apple of your eye. Then, am I not? "Of course not," Grace answered firmly. "I don't know you. How could you be the apple of my eye?" Diana couldn't bear the thought of anyone mistreating Selena, not even Grace, who had stayed in the nursing home for the past few years. "Natalie, you're the embodiment of bad luck. You've torn our family apart," she spat. Not only did Diana convince Victor not to pay the nursing home fees, but she also forbade him from visiting her. Diana and Victor were aware that Natalie had been paying for Grace's nursing home fees since they wouldn't. Diana had repeatedly complained to Victor, expressing her uncertainty about how much money Grace had given Natalie. She couldn't understand how Natalie had the money to pay Grace's nursing home fees otherwise. Victor remained silent. After all, someone had to take care of his mother. If Natalie refused to pay, he would have had to. The Langleys were the wealthiest family in Amberton, and this sum of money was nothing to Victor. However, Diana forbade him from paying the fees since she was under the assumption that the money Natalie used was Grace's to begin with. Diana pushed Selena forward. She then pointed at Grace's nose, yelling, "Mom, take a good look. Selena is your real granddaughter. "You've damaged your brain from the accident. Did you lose your sight too? Did you become so dumb that you can't understand us anymore? I'm asking you to give Selena the shares you gave to Natalie. Did you hear me?" Diana reached forward as she tried to grab Grace. Natalie's eyes instantly became colder. Before Diana could lay a hand on Grace, Natalie interfered and grabbed Diana's wrist. She pushed her, and Diana staggered backward. Natalie then turned around, grabbed Grace's hand, and took a step back. "Ms. Foster, please bring my grandmother back to her room." Sarah, the nurse, immediately came over, held Grace's hand, and attempted to bring her back to her room. "I don't want to go back." Grace refused to leave. If she left, the Langleys would outnumber Natalie and surely mistreat her. She added, "Don't worry, Nattie. I'll protect you." "I'm not scared, Grandma. I won't let them run all over me. Listen to me and go back to your room with Ms. Foster. I'll come and see you later." Natalie immediately softened the look on her face as she spoke to Grace. Her tone sounded immensely gentler. Grave responded better to a softer approach than a harsh one. She was like a child who needed cajoling. "Thanks for your help, Ms. Foster." Natalie gave Sarah a knowing look. Understanding what that look meant, Sarah coaxed Grace, gently prompting and nudging her. Eventually, she left with Grace in tow. Once Grace left, Natalie's eyes instantly turned cold. Her face was expressionless, and her doll-like eyes scrutinized the Langleys one by one. Eventually, her gaze fell on Diana. Earlier, Diana had humiliated Grace and even tried to lay a hand on her. Natalie's gaze was extremely chilly, akin to an iceberg. Her gaze seemed so piercing that it was sharp enough to rip someone to shreds. Diana had never seen this intimidating and heartless side of Natalie before. She staggered backward in terror. However, Natalie never intended to let her go. She stepped forward, closing in on Diana. Her cold and crisp voice enunciated each word like dripping venom. "Diana Ashcroft, repeat what you just said." Diana widened her eyes in disbelief. Natalie had called her "Mom" for 20 years. Even when they found Selena and were about to kick her out, Natalie addressed her as "Mrs. Langley" out of respect. That said, Natalie now addressed her by her full name. "I am your mother!" Diana shrieked in anger. "I've raised you for 20 years. How could you call me by my name?" Natalie spat, "The moment you found your daughter and kicked me out of the family, you were no longer my mother." Natalie stared at Diana coldly, then turned to look at Victor. "Victor Langley, you allowed your wife to mistreat your own mother. I hope you know you're a good-for-nothing. "Unfortunately, you raised me, and I followed in your footsteps. Since you don't respect your mother, why should I respect you, who aren't even my birth parents? Diana, kneel before Grandma and apologize. And Victor, if you can't support Grandma, leave her to me. If you don't want to care for her, I will." "Natalie, it's bad enough you've torn this family apart. I can't believe you would say something so despicable and ungrateful!" Victor felt he couldn't hold onto his pride anymore. He raised his hand and was about to slap Natalie's face, but Natalie grabbed his wrist first. With a snap of her wrist, Victor fell to the ground. "I'm warning you—don't bother Grandma again. And forget about getting the Langley family's shares. Since Grandma gave them to me, you won't get them unless it's over my dead body." Natalie's voice was crisp and cold, indifference written all over her delicate face. She stared at the Langley family with her doll-like eyes, devoid of warmth. She never intended to fight for the Langley family's shares. However, Grace had threatened to end her life, forcing Natalie to agree. While her measures were extreme, Grace was merely worried Natalie would suffer without any support. Conversely, Natalie didn't care about the Langley family's shares in the slightest. She was only concerned about Grace's love and care toward her. As for the tension it would create amongst the Langleys, it had nothing to do with her. Natalie would never go easy on anyone who mistreated Grace.