Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
CH 57
Natalie walked away without looking back, wanting to get as far away from that obnoxious man as possible.
Howard watched her disappear into the distance. He knew that he had offended her, so he went to the front desk to inquire about Natalie’s identity. When he was told that Natalie was the new manager, he was surprised. He didn’t know that such a smart and beautiful woman had come to work for the company. He stood looking out of the front windows, thinking about Natalie.
Meanwhile, Natalie, who really didn’t know who Howard was, hailed a taxi and went home. She had been so tense about Tony lately that she had not been able to relax properly. But now she finally had some time to unwind. She decided to take a shower and relax. Liam was still at school, Bryce was still at work, and she knew that the house staff wouldn’t come to the guest room. Natalie took off her clothes, wrapped a towel around her, and headed to the bathroom. All she wanted was to clean up and then sleep in the shower. The warm water hit her skin, making her feel comfortable. Ah, it was very relaxing.
When she came out of the shower, though, she regretted not having brought any clothing with her. It was pretty chilly in here. She wrapped the bath towel around herself and left the room. Natalie walked to her bedroom to get her clothes. When she passed the living room, she didn’t notice that Bryce was sitting on the sofa. Bryce was resting there, his eyes closed. When he heard Natalie’s soft footsteps, he opened his eyes and saw her walking along, wrapped in the towel. He was about to say something but realized that she hadn’t noticed him. He looked at her. She went by, attracted to her.
Natalie didn’t feel his gaze on her. In her room, she opened the door of the wardrobe to find her clothes. She had lots to choose from. As she was flipping through her clothes, the towel slipped off her and fell to the ground. She immediately felt her body turn cold. As she bent down to pick up the towel, she saw Bryce sitting on the sofa, looking at her. Natalie let out a shrill scream of surprise, pulling the towel up to cover herself. Then she shouted indignantly at Bryce.
“What the hell are you doing here? Shame on you, looking at me like that!”
Natalie’s face had flushed red with embarrassment.
Bryce said,
“Well, this is my house, why shouldn’t I be here? And you, on the other hand, what are you doing running around half naked?”
He calmly withdrew his gaze. Natalie was ashamed and angry at the same time. She glared at Bryce with rage.
“Ugh, this was so embarrassing.”
She hadn’t expected Bryce to be here at this time of day. Bryce looked at her. He felt like teasing her, so he got up and walked over. He looked at her condescendingly and said with shining eyes,
“Natalie, are you sure that you’re not trying to seduce me? Are you testing my husbandly resolve?”
He looked at her inquiringly, one eyebrow cocked.
Natalie jumped, as if she’d been scolded. She looked angrily at Bryce.
“Bryce! You! You’re going too far.”
Natalie wasn’t really sure what was happening here. She was upset and jumpy. She wondered what Bryce really meant. But then he laughed heartily and said,
“Haha, your face, what a sight,”
and Natalie realized that he had just been fooling with her. She threw some clothes at Bryce angrily. She was livid at having been made a fool of. Bryce said,
“Okay, fun time is over. Better get yourself dressed before anyone else sees you.”
Natalie wasn’t willing to listen to him; she couldn’t wait for him to disappear. She felt like she’d really lost face badly. Seeing that, she pumped out a long sigh and turned away. She picked out some clothes before running to the bathroom, watching her go. A gentle, affectionate smile appeared on Bryce’s face. Sometimes, he felt that he really could love her.
Natalie appeared a short while later. It looked as if she’d been crying a little, but with her damp hair hanging down, she looked fresh and charming. Bryce pretended to be indifferent, saying,
“Anyway, why are you back so early today?”
Natalie replied,
“I came back early because I had nothing else to do at work. I had no idea that you’d be here, and I could ask you the same question. Why did you come home so early today?”
Actually, she wanted to ask him how much he had seen just now, but such words were too embarrassing. Instead, she changed the subject to this less sensitive topic. Bryce understood this. Natalie was way too polite and tactful sometimes, he thought.
He said,
“I’m leaving on a business trip to Los Angeles today. I’ll be back in two days. Mrs. Perkins told me I should say goodbye to you before I left. I’d best be getting along now.”
Bryce stood up and gathered together his luggage. The words Natalie wanted to say caught in her throat, and she just watched him go. When Bryce’s car disappeared down the driveway, she let out a long sigh of relief. Natalie still had some lingering feelings about what just happened. He’d made her look a fool, embarrassed her, and then laughed.
But there seemed to be something else too, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. In the car, Bryce was also thinking about what had just happened. Natalie’s face, flushed with emotion, appeared in his mind. He smiled at the memory; she seemed even more alive when she was shy and flustered. The driver looked in the rearview mirror and saw the soft, wistful expression on his boss’s face, and he was shocked. He’d been with Bryce for many years and had never seen a look like that on Bryce’s face before.
Later that afternoon, Natalie went to pick Liam up from school. By the time she got there, a number of parents had already gathered in groups waiting for their children. When the school bell rang, Natalie looked towards the door. She saw Liam running towards her.
“Mommy! You came to pick me up?”
he yelled. Natalie immediately felt very happy too. Just as she was about to leave with Liam in her arms, she saw that he was staring at something over her shoulder.
“What are you looking at, Liam?”
Natalie asked him.
“Mommy, where is daddy? Did daddy come too?”
Liam raised his face to hers, his eyes filled with hope. His eyes full of hope, Natalie suddenly felt a sharp stab of love for Liam. She hugged him hard, stroking his back. She hesitated for a moment before she explained,
“Liam, daddy is gone on a business trip. He’ll be back in a few days.”
“Okay, oh, okay,”
said Liam.
“Will he come to pick me up when he gets back?”