Chapter 7 Not Someone to Be Trifled With

Natalie stood facing the Langleys. They stared each other down, and the atmosphere was so tense that no one in the nursing home dared get close to them. "How dare you, Natalie! Those shares belong to our family. We're Mrs. Langley Senior's real family, and Selena is her real granddaughter. You're just an outsider. What right do you have to keep them from us?" Natalie snapped, "Grandma gave them to me, so they're mine. If you have what it takes, sue me for them!" Natalie looked at Diana coldly. "What's the matter? Now, I'm an outsider once more, and you're no longer my mother, huh? Mrs. Langley, you switch sides so quickly that it's hard to keep up. I'm appalled by this talent of yours." "You little—" "Stop this nonsense now." Victor straightened and stared Natalie down. This was the first time he truly felt how aggressive and foreign this daughter he had raised for 20 years had become. "Natalie, how much money do you want? Name your price! We've taken care of you for many years. Now that Selena is back, we had no choice but to ask you to leave our family." Victor softened his tone as he continued, "Selena suffered a lot on the streets. All these years, you've taken her place in our home, indulging in a life of wealth and comfort. What you enjoyed should have been Selena's. "You've now left the Langley family and have nothing to do with us. Don't you think you should return the shares that are rightfully Selena's?" "Mr. Langley, like I said, Grandma gave me these shares some time ago. Since Grandma forbade me from giving them to anyone else, I can't fulfill your request." Victor's eyebrow twitched. "So, are you dead set on keeping the shares?" "Yes," Natalie answered without hesitation. Victor's chest rose and fell sharply, his anger palpable. "Then, go. From now on, our family forbids you from visiting my mother. We'll immediately have her discharged." When Natalie heard him, she smirked coldly. "Mr. Langley, if you have Grandma discharged from here, don't blame me for taking action." "What do you mean?" Natalie scoffed and looked at Diana. "Mrs. Langley is in good health now, but should I just treat everything as water under the bridge? From the start, you knew I was not your daughter, so you were willing to make me a living blood bank. "You allowed me to transfuse blood to you throughout my childhood despite knowing that I wasn't your daughter." Victor and Diana were shocked by Natalie's words. They looked at each other and saw the terror in each other's eyes. Natalie knew all along. She was aware of the truth from the start, yet still treated them as her parents for 20 years. At this moment, Victor and Diana knew their pretense would never match up to Natalie's. "Grandma has to stay at the nursing home," Natalie said, emphasizing each word. "If I find out you've secretly taken her away, don't blame me for exposing your despicable act of using your adoptive daughter as a living blood bank." For many years, Victor and Diana painted themselves as philanthropists. They would occasionally bring Natalie to banquets, portraying themselves as kind parents who loved their daughter greatly. After all, The Langleys were the wealthiest family in Amberton. They needed to project an image of a happy and healthy family with charitable hearts to guard the company's reputation. If Natalie exposed their cruel use of a little girl as Diana's living blood bank while knowing she wasn't their daughter, it would cause significant damage to their and the company's reputation. To them, Grace was not worth the trouble. "And as for you, Mrs. Langley, apologize to Grandma." Natalie raised her chin slightly, her piercing gaze was cold and indifferent. She was worried she would frighten Grace, so she asked Sarah to escort the old lady back to her room. Diana had been disrespectful toward Grace. Natalie simply couldn't let the matter slide. Diana was so furious that she started cussing at Natalie. Without expression, Natalie listened to her profanity with mild boredom. After Diana was done, Natalie pulled her phone out and played the recording she had just saved. Diana's foul language could be heard coming from the device. "Fuck you. You recorded everything," Selena cursed and lunged forward, attempting to snatch Natalie's phone. However, Natalie was quicker. She grabbed Selena's hand with practiced ease. With a forceful snap, the sickening crack of bones resounded in the empty hall. "Ah! It hurts. My arm is broken." The next second, Natalie started tugging again. Selena was in so much pain that her face turned pale. Natalie mercilessly shoved her away, and her finger nearly jabbed into Selena's face. "I'm warning you. Don't mess with me." "You fucking…" A crisp slap sounded. Natalie had slapped Selena before she could even get the words out. "Since you don't seem to be teaching your daughter manners, Mr. and Mrs. Langley, let me, her adoptive sister, teach her a good lesson. "You should be mindful of your manners. Don't scream over petty things. Also, don't cuss all the time. If people in the social circles find out, they won't want anything to do with you, Ms. Langley. Remember, it doesn't matter that you're the real daughter of the Langley family. If you have no manners, no one would want to be around you." Natalie patted Selena's cheek. Then, she turned to look at Diana. "Mrs. Langley, if you don't kneel before Grandma and ask for forgiveness, I'll upload the video and voice recording of your precious daughter's mad behavior online." "You—" "Time is ticking," Natalie interrupted Diana. "Like I told you, if things got ugly between us, it'll look bad for everyone. Yet, you still used Grandma to force my hand." "Go and apologize." Victor pushed Diana forward and shot her a look. Based on what happened today, it seemed like they could no longer appease Natalie. Unfazed, Natalie turned around and left. The Langleys had no choice but to follow after her. Unbeknownst to the group, Ethan stood not too far away and had witnessed the entire thing. Though he'd witnessed the action firsthand, he didn't hear their conversation. Nevertheless, he could tell that Grace Langley's granddaughter was not someone to be trifled with. Ethan thought about how his boss had arrived at the ward but left after throwing the gifts away. It probably had something to do with this lady. Ethan contemplated this and walked toward Grace's room with the gifts in his hands. … When Ethan arrived, he saw Diana kneeling before Grace, prostrating herself while apologizing. Victor had a dark look on his face while Selena gritted her teeth, secretly uttering curses under her breath. Only Natalie looked calm as she comforted Grace. "Grandma, Mrs. Langley has apologized to you. From now on, no one will ever mistreat you again. You don't have to worry about staying here alone. I'll visit you whenever I can." Natalie sounded extremely gentle. She then removed a bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Grace's. "I went to Sacred Peak Cathedral and asked the priest to bless this. It will keep you safe, almost like having me by your side every time you wear it, Grandma." Grace looked at the bracelet on her wrist. She held Natalie's hand and said, "Nattie, I've spoken to your god-grandfather. You can temporarily stay at his place." Natalie was rendered speechless. Had Grace made her living arrangements when she was left alone after returning to her room?