+25 BONUS
Chapter 153
Compared to Theo’s agitation, Gregory remained calin. “So? What’s the issue? Isn’t this exactly what all of you have been pushing for?”
Theo was caught off guard.
That was true. Both he and Eleanor had repeatedly urged Gregory to divorce Anathea and marry Natalie. But now that Gregory had agreed to take Natalie to the party, Theo had turned around and asked if he even knew the real purpose,
It was a little contradictory.
“…” Theo opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. Still, uncertainty lingered in his voice as he asked, “Have you… really moved on?”
“Yeah.” A flicker of something unreadable passed through Gregory’s eyes.
Noticing no hesitation in Gregory’s response, Theo assumed he was finally getting things back on track. After a reassuring pat on his shoulder, Theo took a seat when Eleanor called them to eat.
Natalie was thrilled that Gregory had agreed to attend the party with her. It was as good as acknowledging her as his wife.
Delighted, she took the initiative to place food on his plate. “Greg, try this. It’s your favorite.”
“Look at you, remembering Greg’s tastes. You’re making me jealous, Nat.” Eleanor chuckled. “If you two get married, I might just be forgotten about.”
“Eleanor,” Natalie said shyly as she placed some food on Eleanor’s plate too. “These are all your favorites. I haven’t forgotten.”
“Well, I’m flattered,” Eleanor said teasingly.
Gregory remained expressionless as he watched their interaction. He didn’t touch the food Natalie had put on his plate. The image of her stepping on Anathea’s hand in the video kept creeping into his mind. It made him vaguely irritated.
For a long time, under Eleanor’s constant influence, he’d accepted that Natalie was meant to be his future wife. If all went according to plan, the year he took over Sinclair Group from Holden would also be the year he married Natalie.
To the outside world, they were childhood friends. But that was all Eleanor’s doing. She created every opportunity to bring them together.
Back then, Gregory was focused entirely on his studies. Whether someone was beside him or not didn’t really matter. Later, once he started working, his mind was consumed by his career. In his subconscious, it didn’t matter who he married.
As for his feelings toward Natalie, the only thing he felt was gratitude for the time she saved him from drowning years ago. There was nothing beyond that.
To him, Natalie was simply a responsibility–one Eleanor had placed on him years ago. All he had to do was follow the plan and marry her, just as Eleanor expected.
He’d never been sure what kind of emotions he should express. He could sense everything happening around him, but he couldn’t offer any kind of feedback, even to those considered “family“.
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t express it. Deep down, he didn’t really want to.
He thought he would keep living this way—a calm and uneventful life, just following the path that had already been laid out for
him.
That was until Anathea showed up. Her presence shattered everything and became the greatest variable in his meticulously planned life.
It seemed that was the moment when all the emotions he couldn’t express before slowly began to find an outlet, though they were mostly negative emotions.
Chapter 153
+25 BONUS
Was that why Anathea feared him, resisted him, and even distance herself from him?
Gregory tightened his grip on his fork. It was the first time in his life that he truly understood what it meant to feel frustrated.
After the meal, Gregory drove Natalie to the hospital for her follow up appointment at Eleanor’s request.
Throughout the drive, Gregory didn’t say much, but Natalie kept trying to engage him in conversation.
She knew he wasn’t interested in anything outside of work, so she steered the conversation toward that. Not only did she want to find common ground, but she also wanted to show him that despite her injuries, she hadn’t let anything affect her work.
Chapter 154
