Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
Just as Samuel finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion on the other side of the hall. Voices rose and feet shuffled as a buzz of excitement spread through the crowd. Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction. Only then did they notice that Bryce had walked in.
Vivian’s heart gave a little leap and then sank again as she saw Natalie walking beside him. Samuel was also surprised to see Bryce and Natalie together like this. He looked sideways at Vivian.
Vivian was greatly alarmed. She stared at Bryce and Natalie walking hand in hand, and her face turned deathly pale. She said in a trembling voice, “Samuel, didn’t that woman say that she was a relative of the Claire family?”
How could Vivian not be anxious? Even a fool could see that the relationship between Bryce and Natalie was something unusual. She was angry at Samuel and grumbled, “Samuel, did you lie to me about that woman?”
He rubbed his nose in embarrassment and said with a tight smile, “Well, I didn’t expect to see them together here tonight.”
Noticing that he hadn’t answered her question directly, Vivian looked at him with irritation. At that moment, Samuel really wanted to call Bryce over to complain to him about forcing him into the embarrassing position of having to deceive people on Bryce’s behalf.
Vivian knew that Samuel hadn’t been candid with her and complained, “Samuel, you lied to me about them, and they misled me too. Oh, this is too much. But since Bryce is here, of course, I must go over and greet him.”
With that, Vivian walked over to Bryce, and Samuel followed. Bryce was surrounded by a tight knot of people. Many came close to fawning over him, wanting to leave a good impression. Who wouldn’t want to ingratiate themselves with the mighty CEO of the Claire Group? He maintained a calm and detached attitude, as if this kind of scene was a common one for him.
On the other hand, Natalie was flustered. After all, she had never seen such a commotion before. The inquiring gazes of those people made her feel even more uncomfortable. At that moment, Vivian and Samuel also came over to greet them.
Natalie hadn’t expected to meet Vivian here. She glanced at Bryce and felt a little embarrassed when she saw that he was still calm and collected.
Vivian, with a gentle smile on her face, walked over and glanced at Bryce, saying, “Bryce, I thought you didn’t like this kind of soiree.”
Bryce did not deny it. He merely replied in an indifferent tone and didn’t reveal any expression on his face. Vivian then turned to look at Natalie and greeted her with a smile, saying, “What a coincidence we meet again, Natalie.”
Her gaze fell on Natalie’s arm, which was linked with Bryce’s. A hint of jealousy flashed through her eyes, but she suppressed it. Natalie caught her look of jealousy clearly but just replied with a smile, “Yes, what a coincidence.”
Noticing the undercurrent, Samuel quickly pulled Bryce aside, whispering urgently, “Bryce, why did you bring Natalie? You knew Vivian was going to be here.”
Bryce looked back at him candidly and said, “Why shouldn’t I bring my wife with me?”
Samuel was speechless. When he recovered himself, he could only sigh and say, “I was just worried that Vivian would be unhappy.”
Bryce said, “Well, what are you waiting for? You can go and comfort her now.” With that, he turned around and left to find Natalie.
Vivian was chatting with Natalie, looking extremely friendly. She said to Natalie, “Bryce rarely takes other female companions out. He only took me, one of his oldest friends, out once in the past. So I’m rather surprised that he has brought you here today.” She surreptitiously observed Natalie’s expression. She had always suspected that Natalie wasn’t a distant relative of Bryce, and she wanted to get the truth out of her.
Natalie replied faintly, “We just happened to meet.”
She had guessed Vivian’s intentions and dared not make any unnecessary expressions that might give something away. She faced the whole process calmly.
Vivian wasn’t satisfied. She was about to ask something else when she saw Bryce walk over. She said, “Bryce, you came back. I was just looking for you. There’s some lovely red wine over there, a vintage that you like. Do you want to come over there with me and taste it?”
Natalie looked away, not caring about this at all. Bryce rejected her, saying, “I still have things to do today. You and Samuel can go get a drink together. I’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
He saw that Natalie was puzzled and looked at her, saying, “Aren’t you coming with me?”
Natalie nodded and followed him as he walked away from Vivian into the depths of the crowd. Vivian had wanted to talk to him more, but he had already left with Natalie. She watched the two of them disappear into the distance. For some reason, the more she looked at them, the more intimate they seemed.
Samuel couldn’t stand it any longer and asked her, “Um, Vivian, why don’t we go and have a drink?”
She said curtly, “No thanks, go by yourself.” Then she left, leaving him alone. A hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes. He lifted his glass of red wine and finished it in one gulp.
The main thing Bryce had wanted to do at the gala was to introduce Natalie to a lot of people, and that’s what he was doing now. There were a lot of investors and producers. After a while, Natalie felt that she had gained quite a lot of contacts. Bryce had done his part by introducing Natalie to influential people. Now the onus was on her to leverage the contacts she had gained to boost Tony’s career and her own. While her career soared, new problems for her personal life seemed to be lurking in the shadows. Vivian was digging for truths. Will she create trouble for Natalie when she learns them?