Filed to story: The Return Novel by Josh Williams PDF Free>>
After the heated exchange, Natalie did not have any contact with her family for almost a week. Then, in the blink of an eye, the day of the engagement party arrived.
Not only were they celebrating the couple, but also the joining of the Davidson and Barnard families. They were two powerful families in Seattle, and so a lot of well-known political and business figures were coming.
Tom stood at the door of the party hall to greet the guests. Seeing that it was nearly time, he called Nick over to talk to him.
“Sheryl and her mother have suffered a lot in the past,” he sighed and said earnestly, “Now that you two are engaged, you mustn’t disappoint me. If you treat her badly, I won’t let you off easily.”
Nick nodded his head seriously. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her and never upset her, not in the slightest.” Satisfied, Tom patted his shoulder. But then, as if he had just thought of something, he turned around and looked toward the door.
“That woman will be coming today, right?”
“Of course.”
“I hope she doesn’t cause any trouble.” A trace of annoyance immediately surfaced on his face. “It was difficult for us to get Mr. Walker to attend, so we can’t let anything go wrong. We have to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch.”
Mr. Walker was a very powerful man, and most of the people from the business community attending today were keen to meet him. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to get even a tiny bit closer to him, the Davidsons and the Barnards would be in a much better position in the future.
While the two of them were talking, Sheryl finished dressing and walked leisurely down the stairs. She was wearing a long, plain, champagne-colored dress that made her skin appear as white as freshly fallen snow, and her curly brown hair was pulled into a bun at the side, revealing her long, white neck. Her appearance caused quite a stir.
All the guests nodded their heads in praise of her beauty. Sheryl was overjoyed, and she walked up to Nick and hooked her arm through his. Tom watched the two of them and sighed with emotion.
“I’m handing my precious daughter over to you. You must look after her for me.” Nick stretched out his hand and took hold of Sheryl’s. He smiled at her and then turned back to Tom and solemnly promised, “I will live up to your expectations.”
When the nearby guests saw this, they were filled with praise. “Oh, they are such a wonderful couple: a talented man and a talented woman. It makes me so happy!”
Just then someone raised their voice. “Don’t you have another daughter, Tom? How come I haven’t seen her for a while? If I remember correctly, this man was her fiancé once, right?”
The words were like a bomb; the entire hall erupted into commotion. Those who knew the story lowered their voices and said, “How could she ever have the nerve to show her face? I heard she did something so shameful that they secretly sent her abroad. I don’t even know whether she’s back or not.”
“Who knows?” someone immediately retorted. “Wasn’t Tom’s wife also a mistress? Maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Sheryl actually stole her sister’s fiancé.”
There were many different opinions among the crowd. Tom’s face became gloomy listening to the words that were circulating. This was Sheryl’s engagement party, not an opportunity to dig into her past and gossip. How could he tolerate that other woman becoming the focus of attention?
He was looking around the hall in annoyance when he saw Natalie walk in with Liam. Although she hadn’t shown her face in this circle for five years, her brilliance was still the same. Whether it was her appearance or her aura, she still had the grace and beauty that people remembered from back then, but she seemed to have matured a lot. Her arrogance had become more restrained, creating an even more striking impression.
“Look! I told you she was extraordinary. Her personality alone is enough to make people jealous.” The guest who had said that he thought Sheryl wasn’t inferior to Natalie immediately lowered his head in shame.
Tom’s expression turned cold. He walked up to Natalie and lowered his voice, trying his best to control his voice. “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t I say that you couldn’t bring the child?” He felt that she was purposely going against his wishes and trying to make a scene at Sheryl’s engagement party. He pointed towards the door, his expression furious, and he didn’t hold back his emotions. “Get someone to take him away or I’ll kick him out!”
Tom’s dismissive attitude to Liam was like a needle that pierced Natalie’s heart. “If that’s the case,” she stood tall and looked at the child in her arms, “why did you make me travel all the way here? You knew it would make you unhappy. Don’t worry, I’ll leave with him right now.”
Seeing that she was about to leave, Sheryl became anxious. She quickly forced a smile and said, “Natalie, don’t leave. Daddy was just being impulsive. He hasn’t forgotten about you once in the past five years.” With one hand holding onto Tom and the other holding her fiancé, she tilted her head and smiled. “Don’t be angry. Today is my engagement party, I really want your blessing.”
Looking at her, Natalie couldn’t help but sneer. Sheryl’s silent boasting was much more powerful than her dignified words. She wanted to show off how good her life was, to prove that she had stolen her place in the Davidson family. Natalie saw all this and ignored her.
She turned to look at her father, who was still upset. “What? Do you want me to stay?” Tom looked at her and saw that her eyes were full of hurt. He waved his hand impatiently and said in a harsh tone, “Go and stand to the side. Don’t wander around in front of us.”
She wasn’t in the mood to argue with him, so she took Liam’s hand and found a corner to sit down in. Although the hall was bustling with noise and excitement, Natalie felt tired. Five years ago she had been cruelly exiled, and now she was back, with no choice but to attend Nick and Sheryl’s engagement party. She didn’t know what Tom was thinking. The more she thought about it, the more her head started to ache. Her old illness had returned, and she had not been able to shake it off for the past two days. She held onto her forehead in pain.
“Mommy.” Liam noticed her discomfort. He held on to the armrest of the chair and asked, “Are you OK?” Without waiting for her to speak, he ran to a waiter and asked for a cup of water in a childish voice. The waiter looked at this obedient and sensible little boy and was struck by how cute he was. He agreed and returned with a cup of water.
After drinking half of it, Natalie felt slightly better. She rubbed her temples, finally managing to calm down, and when she looked up she saw Tom and an older man walking towards her.