Ch. 531..540

A Cue for Love Chapter 531

Let Her Get More Sleep

“Hurray!” Sophia clapped her hands in excitement.

“Can we meet him tonight? We really miss Great-grandpa so much!” Franklin suggested.

Watching the scene from one side, Xavian and Clayton saw an opportunity and quickly lent a helping hand.

“Franklin and Sophia really miss their great-grandpa a lot, Mommy! They’ve mentioned it a couple of times when they’re with Xavian and me!”

“Mommy, please let them meet their great-grandpa tonight!”

Seeing how the kids were eager about meeting Kenneth, and since there was nothing to disagree about, Natalie nodded. “Sure, we’ll visit him tonight.”

With that, she instructed Gavin to make arrangements for their transport.

It was as though Gavin was overwhelmed with guilt that his gaze was floating around as he stuttered, “T-The chauffeurs have all taken a day off. T-They won’t be able to send Mr. Franklin and Ms. Sophia over to the manor…”

“They’ve all gone on a break?” Natalie narrowed her eyes as she questioned.

“Y-Yeah… A-All on a break.” Gavin nodded firmly.

“Are there any cars available?”

“Yes.” Gavin paused for a split second. “You want to-”

Without hesitation, Natalie interjected, “Gavin, can you give me the address to the Bowers manor? Franklin and Sophia miss their great-grandpa. I’ll drive them there to visit him and bring them back afterward.”

“That…”

Afraid that Kenneth would give Natalie a hard time while at the manor, Gavin seemed hesitant with his words.

But noticing the pleading gazes of Franklin and Sophia, Gavin let out a few dry coughs as he swallowed back those words he had wanted to say.

“The GPS has the address. I’ll get you a car right away.”

Not long after, a car pulled up in front of the Bowers residence.

Natalie got into the driver’s seat, Franklin took the passenger seat, and Sophia, Clayton, and Xavian entered the vehicle’s back seats.

“Sophia and Franklin are going to meet their great-grandpa. Why are the two of you in the car, Xavian, Clayton?” Natalie asked with her brows furrowed.

“Mommy, let Xavian and I follow along since we have nothing else to do either. I promise we won’t create trouble for you.” Clayton raised his arm as he said that.

“Yeah! Let us go together! I promise you that we won’t get into trouble.” Xavian also stuck his hand up high.

Being very clear that the pair of boys always knew their limits and would not go overboard, Natalie gave the green light to the boys’ request.

“All right!”

Natalie stepped on the accelerator, and at once, the car sped off toward the Bowers manor.

After around forty minutes, the car stopped steadily in front of the location.

“We’re here.”

Franklin unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at Natalie. “Mommy, aren’t you getting off the car and following us inside?”

“No.” Natalie shook her head and patiently explained, “You should know that Great-grandpa doesn’t like me. You all can head in by yourselves. I’ll stay out here so that I won’t ruin the atmosphere.”

Franklin sighed. It did not come off as a surprise to him that Natalie would refuse to accompany them back to the Bowers manor.

Thankfully, the four kids had thought of a plan beforehand.

“Mommy, it seems like Sophia has fallen asleep.” Xavian leaned close to Natalie and whispered. “She has been very hardworking while learning medicine from you. I bet she must be tired out after the class earlier since she was revising through the whole of last night.”

The sight of Sophia deep asleep with her arms wrapped tightly around her bunny plushie came into Natalie’s eyes as soon as she turned around.

Her breathing was slow and steady. It almost felt like she was in a deep and cozy sleep.

In that instant, Natalie had a sudden revelation—she had completely overlooked that Sophia was only but a young child. Despite her high attention span, how will she be able to withstand long hours of learning when even most adults can’t?

Franklin deliberately remarked, “Sophia keeps saying she wants to meet Great-grandpa just now. How can she fall asleep now? Clayton, hurry and wake her up!”

“No problem.” Clayton agreed readily.

Just as he was about to give Sophia a nudge, Natalie hurriedly tried to stop him. “She’s so exhausted that she fell asleep. Why are you all forcing her awake? Let her get more sleep!”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 532

I Thought You Would Not Talk To Me

Franklin clenched his grip tightly on his seatbelt.

We’ve spent so much time discussing the plan to make Great-grandpa have a better impression of Mommy. If they never get to meet each other, how will he change his perception of her?

He then stealthily pinched himself on his buttock again, and tears welled up on the rims of his eyes again. “Mommy, Sophia has fallen asleep, but she has been looking forward to visiting Great-grandpa. C-Can you carry her inside? That way, she’ll surely be over the moon when she wakes up to see Great-grandpa later…”

Franklin and Sophia had always been sensible children and had barely ever requested Natalie to do anything for them.

Hence, it would never cross Natalie’s mind that the four children would devise a plan against her to improve her relationship with Kenneth.

Natalie turned to look at Franklin. Seeing tears swirling around his eyes, she could not bear to reject his earnest plea.

“All right, I’ll leave after leaving you guys to your great-grandpa.”

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Natalie opened the car door and got out of the driver’s seat. She then walked to the back seats to carry Sophia, who was still in a deep slumber.

In truth, the little girl was not asleep.

Worried that Natalie would see through the trick, she clenched her fingers so tightly they were nearly sweating. Her eyes remained shut, not daring to steal any peeks at all.

“Clayton, Xavian, I should be back shortly. Wait for me in the car in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

“All right.”

Xavian and Clayton’s replies were coherent.

Natalie then sauntered toward the manor while carrying Sophia in one of her arms and holding Franklin’s hand with another.

When the security at the manor saw the arrival of the two children, whom they had not seen for a long time, they were elated. Besides clearing the way immediately to allow their entry, they also specially reported their arrival to Kenneth.

Throughout their way in, Franklin had to guide Natalie since she had never visited the manor before.

“Mommy, this way.”

And under Franklin’s guidance, Natalie finally arrived before the luxurious and impressive-looking manor, with Sophia in her arms.

As Kenneth had received word of his precious grandchildren’s arrival, he could not contain the excitement of meeting them and thus was pacing around the room with his walking stick.

“Oh my… Franklin and Sophia, my precious babies…”

As he muttered to himself, he walked out to see the two children and, at the same time, Natalie.

“Y-You…” Kenneth’s pupils constricted at the sight of the woman before his eyes.

It did not cross Natalie’s mind that she would run into Kenneth since she had only wanted to pass Franklin and Sophia to the butler before heading back to the car.

Startled, it took her a moment to recover to her senses. But just as she was about to explain, Franklin let go of her hand and hopped over to Kenneth happily.

“Great-grandpa…”

Perhaps because Kenneth had not heard Franklin’s crisp and clear voice for a long while, it struck the former at the soft spot in his chest.

“Oh, my dear child!” He bent over and pulled Franklin into his warm embrace, unwilling to let him go.

“I miss you so much, Great-grandpa!”

“Me too.” A pang of melancholy surged within Kenneth at once.

“Great-grandpa, not only do I miss you. Sophia misses you a lot too!” Franklin pointed his tiny finger toward Sophia, whom Natalie was carrying in her arms.

As though the siblings were communicating through telepathy, Sophia rubbed her eyes at that very moment. She cast her sleepy gaze to Kenneth and sweetly said, “Great-grandpa!”

As soon as Natalie put Sophia down on the ground, the latter outstretched her two tiny arms and ran toward Kenneth.

“Great-grandpa, I miss you so much…”

The little girl’s sweet voice instantly left streams of hot tears flowing down Kenneth’s wrinkled face.

How could anyone, especially Kenneth, not love the two adorable kids?

“I-I… I thought you two said you won’t talk to me anymore?” Kenneth’s heart ached terribly. “Why did you change your mind to visit me?”

That sentence was what Franklin and Sophia had been anticipating.

Without hesitation, the two kids pointed their fingers in the direction of Natalie.

“It’s Mommy!”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 533

Our Hard Work Is Wasted

Natalie was confused when Franklin and Sophia pointed at her in unison.

Since their drivers happened to be on leave, Natalie had to drive them to Kenneth’s house.

“I-”

When Natalie wanted to explain, Franklin quickly interjected, “Great-grandpa, I initially didn’t want to talk to you. However, Mommy said that blood is thicker than water. She explained that since you’re Daddy’s grandpa and our great-grandpa, we can’t be mad at you but should love you instead.”

Sophia chimed in with her cute voice, “Indeed! We used to think that you’re overly petty, but Mommy asked us not to give you the cold shoulder because of her. She also said you’ll be heartbroken if we don’t talk to you on purpose.”

Natalie was rendered speechless.

Although Natalie did say something similar before, they described it in a way that she was seemingly a noble and righteous woman.

As Kenneth gazed at Natalie, the sternness on his face slowly faded away. “Is it true? Did she say so to you?”

Franklin raised his eyebrows. “Of course! Didn’t you see that she carried Sophia with one arm and held my hand with the other when entering your house? Why would she do so if she was reluctant to let us see you?”

Immediately, Sophia nodded her head in response. “Yes! Great-grandpa, my brother and I are only five years old. Since we don’t know much, how can we lie to you?”

After a short moment of confusion, Natalie finally realized what the children intended to do.

They want to help me make a good impression before Kenneth!

Before Natalie could say anything, Kenneth invited her in. “Why don’t you come in and have a seat?”

“Well-”

When Natalie hesitated, Kenneth heaved a sigh and said, “As an elder, I’ve invited you. I believe you won’t turn me down, right?”

“No…”

“In that case, come in and sit down.” With that, Kenneth entered the house with his walking stick.

Natalie had no choice but to follow Kenneth into the living room.

After everyone was seated, the butler asked the maids to prepare tea for Natalie and yogurt for Franklin and Sophia.

Then, Franklin grabbed the chance to hand over a jade pendant to Kenneth. “Great-grandpa, Mommy wants to give you this beautiful jade pendant with a horse engraving. She always wanted to gift it to you but didn’t have a chance to do so. Hence, I’m handing it over to you now…”

While most elders preferred dragons, Kenneth was fond of horses.

Kenneth immediately took a closer look at the jade pendant. Within seconds, he could tell that it was of high quality. Besides, the horse engraving on the jade pendant, looked as if it was alive. It was certainly done by a reputable artist.

At that moment, Kenneth felt that Natalie was thoughtful by giving him the nice-looking jade pendant.

While Kenneth was deep in thought, Sophia handed over a handkerchief to him and explained, “Great-grandpa, Mommy also wants to give this to you. The beautiful flower embroidered on it is our late great-grandma’s favorite.”

Kenneth’s late wife loved lotus, for it symbolized purity and elegance even though it grew in the mud.

Deep down, Kenneth was impressed by Natalie’s thoughtfulness. All the more so, the gifts were just to his liking.

Nonetheless, Natalie actually didn’t prepare the gifts.

She didn’t expect the two kids to make up stories to help her by giving Kenneth some gifts in her name.

At that moment, Natalie felt amused and speechless by their thoughtfulness.

Although Natalie understood their kind intention, she didn’t wish to claim the credit.

After a while, Natalie looked up and said, “Old Mr. Bowers, The children said so because they were kind-hearted. Nonetheless, I should explain it to you. I didn’t prepare the gifts for you.”

 

The Kids Are Anxious

The atmosphere was reduced to a state of awkwardness after Natalie finished.

Besides, Franklin and Sophia looked crestfallen upon hearing her words.

The next moment, Franklin pulled Kenneth’s sleeve and argued determinedly, “Great-grandpa, it was nothing like what she said. She said so because she thought you didn’t like her. Also, how can Sophia and I be so clever?”

Sophia blinked at Natalie repeatedly and chimed in, “Exactly! Franklin is right. Mommy, please tell Great-grandpa that you have prepared the gifts for him, while Franklin and I only brought the gifts along with us!”

Since Kenneth was observant, he roughly knew what was going on.

“Why do you say so?”

Franklin and Sophia quickly cast a pitiful glance at Natalie as though they were begging her.

Franklin and Sophia did so much, hoping to improve the relationship between Kenneth and Natalie. Therefore, their effort would pay off only if Natalie played along.

Deep down, Natalie also knew that the kids did it for her.

However, she wouldn’t claim the credit because she didn’t prepare the gifts in the first place. All the more so, it wasn’t as simple as the kids thought to deceive Kenneth.

As Natalie looked into Kenneth’s stern eyes, she explained, “Franklin and Sophia thoughtfully prepared the gifts for you, for they know that these will be just to your liking. I don’t really understand you nor know your preferences. Besides, I can’t possibly know what the horse and lotus mean to you.”

Franklin and Sophia were nervous upon hearing her statement.

“Mommy, Great-grandpa believed that you are the one who has prepared the gifts for him. Why did you want to clarify it?” As Sophia felt that her effort was in vain, tears began to well up in her eyes. “No one knows the truth if you don’t say it.”

Meanwhile, Franklin clenched his fists in frustration and asked Natalie, “Why do you have to be bothered by it? It makes no difference as to who has prepared the gift, as long as your relationship with Great-grandpa can improve. Besides, we don’t mind if you claim the credit!”

While Sophia began weeping, Franklin was all irritated.

At that moment, Natalie felt that the children sincerely loved her even though she wasn’t their biological mother.

After a while, Natalie squatted down and pulled Sophia and Franklin closer to her.

Natalie wiped away the tears on Sophia’s face and gently pried open Franklin’s clenched fists. Then, she said slowly, “You don’t mind, but I do. I understand you wanted to show your great-grandpa that I’m a kind person. However, I didn’t wish to do so.”

Natalie paused for a while and continued, “I can’t claim credit for something I didn’t do. At the very least, I must make things clear beforehand. Although it’s good to be liked and understood by others, we have to be righteous first and foremost!”

As Sophia and Franklin stared at Natalie, their frustration and impatience slowly faded away.

Franklin lowered his head and said, “We only wanted Great-grandpa to treat you better. Since he was biased against you, Sophia and I wished to make him understand you more.”

Sophia nodded in agreement after Franklin finished.

At that moment, Natalie couldn’t continue lecturing them but hugged them tightly.

Kenneth stood with the help of his walking stick and witnessed how Natalie got along with Franklin and Sophia. Hence, his stereotype toward Natalie slowly changed. He felt that Natalie understood the children’s thinking better than Yara and could teach them how to become better people.

As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

Kenneth began to understand why Franklin and Sophia were fond of Natalie.

Then, the coldness on Kenneth’s face wasn’t as intense when he glanced at Natalie.

A Cue for Love Chapter 534

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 535

Change Impression Of Her

Deep down, Sophia and Franklin still felt a little dissatisfied.

However, they remembered what Natalie taught them just now and came up to Kenneth to apologize.

Franklin pointed at the jade pendant and the handkerchief in Kenneth’s hands and apologized, “Great-grandpa, we’re so sorry for lying to you. We got these presents from Uncle Steven.”

At the same time, Sophia gazed at Kenneth with embarrassment and said, “Uncle Steven said you would surely like the presents. Anyway, Franklin and I will never lie to you ever again. Please accept the presents if they are to your liking.”

Given that Kenneth used to overindulge the kids, it was his first time seeing them apologize to him.

Therefore, Kenneth was impressed because Natalie had taught the kids well and, more importantly, they were willing to listen to her.

At that moment, an outsider would even think that Natalie was the kids’ biological mother, instead of Yara.

“Great-grandpa… why don’t you say something?” Sophia asked.

After coming to his sense, Kenneth felt that the passing thought was absurd.

Regardless of how well Natalie educated Sophia and Franklin, she could never replace Yara as their biological mother.

Kenneth nodded and said, “Well, I’ll accept the presents. However, bear in mind that we shouldn’t lie to others. All the more so, it’s surely not a good thing that you start lying at such a young age.”

“We know now.”

The two children agreed in unison.

Since Natalie had fulfilled her responsibility as a temporary driver, she thought she could leave now.

She gazed at Kenneth and said, her tone remaining dignified, “Old Mr. Bowers, allow me to excuse myself if there’s nothing else. I won’t disturb your quality time with Franklin and Sophia and will come again to pick them up later.”

Just before Natalie wanted to leave, Kenneth said, “Since you’re already here, why don’t you have some tea and play chess with me?”

“Chess?” Natalie asked curiously.

Kenneth sneered gently and asked, “Do you know how to play Go? If not, do you know international chess? Please don’t tell me that you don’t know either of them.”

“I know how to play Go.”

“In that case, let’s play for one round.”

Natalie wasn’t against Kenneth’s invitation to play chess, but her sons were still waiting in the car.

“Since you know how to play Go, why are you still standing there?” Kenneth frowned as he asked Natalie.

“My two boys are waiting for me in the car.”

Feeling surprised, Kenneth put on a faint smile and said, “Are Xavian and Clayton here today?”

Initially, Kenneth was already delighted to see Franklin and Sophia. Once Kenneth knew that Xavian and Clayton were here, he couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

Natalie was a little shocked because Kenneth knew her sons’ name. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to hide it from him and merely nodded in response.

Immediately, Kenneth instructed his butler, “Wouldn’t it be too boring if they have to wait while we play Go? Go to the car and bring them here!”

“Yes!” The butler took action once Kenneth finished.

In the meantime, Natalie stared at Kenneth in perplexity.

Am I imagining things?

Why do I feel like Old Mr. Bowers treats Xavian and Clayton very well?

After a while, the butler led Xavian and Clayton into the house.

When Kenneth saw the four cute kids, he couldn’t help but heave a sigh.

Given Kenneth’s old age, fame and wealth were meaningless to him compared to the four sweethearts who could make him happy.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 536

Will She Lose Badly

Kenneth was delighted because all four of his great-grandchildren were cute and outstanding.

“Get some candies, ice-creams, and cakes for the kids…” The butler quickly ran into the kitchen upon listening to Kenneth’s order.

Apparently, Kenneth was very fond of them.

However, Natalie couldn’t agree with Kenneth’s overindulgence toward the children and argued determinedly, “Old Mr. Bowers, since Franklin and Sophia are still young, they might become obese from eating too much sweets. Besides, the food isn’t good for their health, and they might get tooth decay.”

Kenneth refused to heed her advice and said overbearingly, “It’s okay. I’ll be happy as long as they’re happy. I don’t care how you usually teach them. However, since they’re here, I must pamper them and let them eat anything they want.”

Oh dear…

Natalie wanted to continue arguing with Kenneth; nonetheless, she held her tongue when she saw his flushed face.

Once Kenneth turned around to get the chessboard ready, Natalie pointed at the children, signaling them not to eat so much.

The smart children instantly understood what Natalie meant.

After a while, the sweets and cakes were served, and the chessboard had been put in place.

Among all the kids, only Xavian knew how to play Go.

While eating walnut cookies, Sophia murmured, “Isn’t Great-grandpa very good at playing Go? Will Mommy face humiliating defeat?”

Franklin disagreed with it while eating fried cakes. “Don’t worry! I can make a mess out of the chessboard before Mommy loses. In that case, Great-grandpa can’t win and say unpleasant words to her!”

Clayton roughly knew that Natalie was a good Go player; nevertheless, Xavian was even more confident about her capability.

“Xavian, can you tell them which rank Mommy is at now?”

Xavian lowered his voice and replied, “You don’t have to worry about Mommy. We can eat the cakes and watch them play. Besides, it will be too soon to tell the winner and the loser!”

Hence, the kids enjoyed eating the cakes and sweets while watching the game quietly.

By rule, a player had to guess whether the pieces on the other player’s hand were in odd or even numbers. If the player made the right guess, he could start the game.

When Natalie wanted to grab a few pieces to let Kenneth guess the number, he waved his hand and said, “No need for that. I’ll let you play with black pieces. You may start the game.”

Deep down, Natalie knew that Kenneth said so because he belittled her.

Remaining reticent, Natalie merely flashed him a faint smile and replied, “Since Old Mr. Bowers has said so, allow me to pick the black pieces.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

After giving it some thought, Natalie put down a black piece on the chessboard, thus making the first move.

Kenneth followed up with a white piece once Natalie completed her move.

As time went by, there were more black and white pieces on the board.

While Natalie’s interval to put down black pieces was roughly the same, Kenneth needed a longer time to think about every next move.

Besides, Kenneth frowned deeper as time dragged on. He initially thought it would be a simple game but eventually realized many hidden traps. The seemingly casual moves that Natalie made earlier became increasingly crucial as the game went on.

Refusing to admit defeat, Kenneth tried his best to resist and break Natalie’s tactics.

As Kenneth was deep in thought, Natalie didn’t disturb him but merely had her tea and ate some cakes.

Kenneth wanted to turn the tide when the game would come to an end soon. However, due to his impatience, he lost even more pieces.

Kenneth didn’t like to drink and smoke but was particularly obsessed with playing chess.

Although Kenneth underestimated Natalie and didn’t start the game well, he didn’t expect that he would lose so badly.

Since Kenneth always proclaimed himself as the master of Go, he felt that he would soon lose his dignity.

In the meantime, the butler could tell that Kenneth was frustrated. Hence, when he poured some tea for Kenneth, he deliberately swept the pieces away from the chessboard.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 537

Shameless Kenneth

“Oh no!” Jefford exclaimed. “I’ve accidentally upset the board! There’s no way to know who’s in the lead now!”

Kenneth folded his palms on the handle of his cane and said nothing.

Natalie’s gaze darted between Kenneth and his butler and saw through their charade at once.

The wordless exchange between the adults went unnoticed by the children.

“You did that on purpose, Jefford!” Franklin yelled. “I saw you flip the board!”

“I saw it too! I saw it too!” Sophia cried, losing interest in the sweet cakes before her. “How could you do something this despicable, Jefford?”

The old butler blushed at being reprimanded by young children.

Clayton looked all serious. “Great-grandpa, did you have Jefford flip the board to avoid having to admit that you lost?”

Kenneth scowled. “He was the one who did it! What are you implicating?”

Xavian pursed his lips in disapproval. “If the board had not been flipped, Mommy would have been in the lead by six points.”

As Xavian’s proclamation rang out in the stunned silence, Kenneth found his mouth wide open with shock.

The boy is just an observer of the game he’s not a part of! How did he manage to keep track of the game so closely?

“It doesn’t really matter if the board had been upset,” Xavian continued with a shrug. “I remembered every move both of you made from the beginning. If you don’t believe me, I can recreate the board right before it fell.”

Kennth tugged at his mustache in awe. “Do you really remember the whole game, Xavian?”

“I wouldn’t be claiming that otherwise.” The boy solemnly dusted the crumbs off his fingers as he spoke. “I can even do it right now if you like. Mommy used to beat her master too and he would flip the board over just like that. It was always me picking up after them and resetting the board.”

Kenneth gazed at Natalie in utter disbelief.

I can’t believe Malcolm used to lose to her! Even if I came to the match fully prepared instead of underestimating her, I might not even be able to win. What a spectacular display of skill. Every step seemed disconnected and casual until the intricacy and patience of her plan become fully revealed when I find all my pieces trapped!

Kenneth was a firm believer in ascertaining one’s true character from the board.

His fondness of the game was well known, the vast number of acquaintances who had sat across from him over the years offered him the opportunity to hone his judge of character on his opponents. To his pleasant surprise, he realized that there was much more to the girl than he had initially assumed. Ever patient, she did not attempt to fawn all over him like he was accustomed to. Every move she made was calm and calculated.

Before he realized it, Kenneth discovered a newfound respect for Natalie.

“There’s no need for that.” Kenneth rubbed his temples. “You are right. Your mother was six points ahead of me. I concede that I have been bested by her.”

Natalie smiled graciously. “You were lenient with me, Grandpa.”

Meanwhile, Samuel had just returned from work to an empty home.

“Gavin!” He summoned the butler. “Where are Natalie and the kids?”

The butler hesitated. He had been under the impression that Natalie and the children would have returned from paying Kenneth a visit long before Samuel did. To his chagrin, there was still no sign of them at eight in the evening when Samuel returned and started asking him about their whereabouts.

“It was the children, sir. They insisted on seeing your grandfather.”

“What happened next?” Samuel asked sharply.

“Ms. Natalie personally drove them to his house.” Gavin’s voice softened fearfully.

“Why did she have to drive?” Samuel’s cast a cold gaze at the butler. “Where was our chauffeur?”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 538

How Dare You Make Her Kneel

“Yes, it should have been the chauffeur’s job to send them there,” Gavin agreed, shifting guiltily on the spot. “The children begged me to go along with their charade of convincing Ms. Natalie that our chauffeur is on leave. They were insistent that Ms. Natalie be the one to drive them there.”

“That’s preposterous!” Samuel’s glare grew colder by the minute.

“I’ve turned a blind eye to you spoiling them, Gavin. After all, they’re only five years old. I expected you to know better than them. How could you lend a hand in sending Natalie straight to the jaws of my grandfather?” Samuel tugged his tie in a rare instance of rage toward Gavin

Samuel’s quiet fury seemed to have imparted upon Gavin the seriousness of his action.

“Forgive me, Mr. Bowers. I-”

“I’m going over there right now,” Samuel cut across curtly.

Without another word, he turned and marched back to his car and headed for his family home.

Kenneth’s prejudice toward Natalie has been long in the making. Though the revelation of certain truths might serve to bury the hatchet between them, it would more importantly stand in the way of Natalie’s plot and prevent her from avenging her grandfather and her mother. The best course of action would be to allow the truth to be unveiled when the timing was right. With the number of things remaining uncertain as they are, Natalie’s trip to Kenneth would only lead to her being bullied in my absence. There will only be two losers if both sides refuse to back down.

When Samuel pulled up to the gates of his family home, the guard rubbed his eyes in disbelief when he recognized the registration plate.

Did I miss any memo? What are all of Mr. Bowers’ descendants doing here today?

In a fluster, the guard opened the gates and threw himself aside just in time as Samuel accelerated and screeched to a halt directly outside the house.

The first thing Samuel saw when he strode through the entrance was greeted by a dejected-looking Jefford.

He intended to spare Kenneth some dignity, that was why he decided to flip over the board for Kenneth to save him from the humiliation of losing. He did not expect to have been so clumsy in his attempt that he ended up embarrassing both himself and his master.

Kenneth ignored his butler’s pleas as the latter was surrounded by the four children.

Jefford stood begging for mercy for a long time before they let him go.

Jefford’s advanced age made his schoolboy guilt look comical when he emerged from the dining area, followed by four young and smug faces.

Jefford’s morose expression stretched Samuel’s nerves to the limits as he imagined the worst.

“Mr. Samuel!” Jefford was stunned to see his master’s grandson. “What brings you here?”

“Why can’t I be here?” Samuel demanded, under the impression that the butler had been dispatched to intercept him. “Is my name not Bowers, Jefford?”

“That’s not what I meant, sir!” cried the butler, horrified.

“It’d better not be. Where are Natalie and the children?” he asked abruptly, not intending to waste another second with Jefford.

Jefford flinched at Samuel’s impatience as if the latter had just brandished a whip at him.

“They’re in the living room, sir…”

“That will be all.” Without another word, Samuel strode in with his jaw clenched with determination.

His eyes were met with the scene of Natalie being on her knees before his grandfather as the latter sat rigidly upright.

Even if he’s my grandfather, he doesn’t have the right to force my woman to kneel. I don’t care who he thinks he is, I don’t give a d*mn about hierarchy!

Samuel’s temper flared up. He walked up to Natalie and pulled her to her feet.

“Samuel?” she cried, startled.

Though Kenneth was pleased to see his grandson, he was disheartened to see the scowl on his grandson’s face. “You may not like her, Grandpa,” said Samuel coldly. “But I do. She does not need to beg for your approval. Even if you were the one to raise me, you still have no right to have her kneel for no reason!”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 539

It Is True

“Samuel, you are-”

Natalie could feel Samuel’s anger through the tight grip with which her wrist was being held.

“You don’t have to cast your dignity aside just to please him.” Samuel gazed at Natalie with tenderness. “I’m sorry for my late arrival. You must have suffered a lot.”

Samuel took the blame upon himself for not being there sooner to have prevented his grandfather from abusing her.

Natalie tried to pull her wrist out of his grip to no avail.

“It isn’t like that, Samuel!” Natalie looked up to meet his eyes.

“Don’t defend him, Natalie.”

Samuel’s gaze remained cold as he vividly recalled Kenneth whipping Natalie with a cane. It was from that moment that he had lost hope in his grandfather.

Natalie was amused and exasperated at Samuel’s stubbornness.

“I’m not defending your grandfather!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true!”

Samuel gazed sullenly at Natalie, who did not know how else to convince him.

The children leaped to their feet at once.

“Daddy, you’ve misunderstood Great-grandpa!”

“He’s much nicer to Mommy today!”

“He did not force Mommy to kneel before him!”

“There was no quarreling today. All of us had a good time!”

Samuel was well aware that the children would much rather suffer in silence themselves than see their mother in pain. It was also improbable that they would lie for their great-grandfather. It was only from that revelation did Samuel became aware of the possibility of being mistaken.

“Natalie, what were you…” Samuel let her wrist fall limply from his grip as his voice trailed off questioningly.

Natalie opened her palm to show Samuel a fistful of pieces. “I was on my knees to pick up the pieces,” she explained. “The board fell over earlier and sent the pieces scattering to the floor. As Grandpa and Jeffords are elderly, I didn’t want them to exert themselves.”

Samuel took a closer look and saw the pieces in their hands just like what she described.

Kenneth stood up from his wicker armchair and sighed heavily. “Am I really such an unreasonable monster, Samuel?”

“Aren’t you?” Samuel replied tartly. “Wasn’t it you who have had her whipped?”

Samuel held grudges, especially when it came to Natalie.

If Kenneth was not his grandfather, Samuel might have done everything in his power to sabotage the old man.

It was only familial ties that had held Samuel’s hand in retaliating against his grandfather.

Natalie was taken aback at Samuel’s retort. She did not remember being subjected to abuse to that extent.

Even the pain of the incident had been forgotten as the memory became lost in the haze of time had it not been for Samuel’s reminder.

Samuel had held on to the grudge long enough to remember every single detail, which was why he was nervous about what his grandfather had in store for Natalie and the children.

She knew better than anybody else how busy I am! Why does she still make me worry about her? She knows that I’ll always be there for her despite my busy schedule.

Kenneth choked at his grandson’s question. Though it had been undeniably him who had laid a hand on the girl, he still felt guilty all the same even if Samuel had not brought it up.

Though it was well within Jefford’s duty to pick up the pieces, Natalie lent a hand by rallying her children to pick up the pieces from the ground together. Even Yara is incapable of such kindness.

Unlike Yara, Kenneth did not detect even a trace of malice or ambition in Natalie’s words and gestures.

“It was me.” After conceding defeat and admitting that he had misjudged Natalie, Kenneth found it difficult to put aside his ego any further. “Are you going to take it out on your grandfather, Samuel?”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 540

Did He Bully You

Samuel took Natalie’s hand in his and glared at Kenneth. “Now that you’ve seen Natalie and the kids, I believe there’s nothing else to say or do,” he said bluntly, “so we should get going.”

“How dare you!” Kenneth looked outraged.

Samuel knew he could not deal with his grandfather the same way he was accustomed to dealing with people who displeased him. Therefore, the only way he could assert his dominance was by being firm with his grandfather that Natalie was his woman and that was an irrefutable fact. He would defend her from everything to the best of his ability, whether he had Kenneth’s support or not.

Samuel turned to leave while holding her hand but Natalie did not budge.

“Nat?” Samuel asked with a frown.

“I appreciate your concern for me, Samuel.” Natalie glanced at Kenneth before continuing. “Your grandfather treated me with respect tonight. Even the kids hardly get to see their great-grandfather. Let’s stay a little longer. I need to catch my breath after getting up.”

“Are you really…”

“Yes.” Natalie was amused yet touched by Samuel’s anxiousness. “Ask the kids if you don’t believe me.”

The four kids nodded in unison.

Franklin raised his hand as if taking an oath. “Great-grandpa did not misbehave today. I can vouch for him.”

“Me too!” Sophia piped up.

“I believe you.” The knot in Samuel’s brow loosened with the overwhelming reassurances.

Kenneth watched in admiration at how loyal the children and Samuel were to leap to Natalie’s defense.

Before, he was under the impression that Natalie was a manipulative woman.

Their most recent encounter had changed his mind. Kenneth began to realize that she deserved everything she had because she was loyal to them in return.

As the excitement simmered down, the three adults and four children sat huddled around the fireplace that wintry night.

Having been left unsatisfied with the outcome of the earlier game of Go, Kenneth coerced Natalie into another with Samuel and the children spectated the game attentively from the side.

Amidst the sound of wood crackling merrily in the fireplace and the delicate waft of tea intermingled with the rich buttery scent of scones, the children were lost in the thrill of the game.

Samuel, on the other hand, had his mind far removed from the game as he watched Natalie who was moving the white pieces with his eyes reflecting the dancing flames to startling effect.

With the graceful direction of her lanky arm, every piece moved and fell into place calmly. With the aggression of Kenneth’s black pieces at her heels, Natalie nimbly sidestepped every attempt to force her against the corners of the board.

Just when Samuel thought that he had understood Natalie’s steps, she surprised him yet again.

As he admired her, he could not resist wondering how many more tricks she had up her sleeve that he had yet to know about.

When would I finally be able to know her as well as she knows me?

The second game took longer than the first as Kenneth tread with extreme caution, not daring to underestimate his young adversary again.

Despite his precautions, Natalie once again led the scoreboard with a majority of her pieces intact by the end of the second game.

Undeterred, Kenneth demanded the third match before Jefford was forced to intervene.

“It’s half-past ten, Mr. Bowers,” he reported. “Bedtime for you, sir. Doctor’s orders.”

Kenneth shot him a fierce glare. “Stay out of it.”

Jefford grimaced. “Yes, sir.”

Natalie carefully sorted the pieces by color before placing them back into the box and making sure that the lid was secure before taking her leave.

Samuel glanced at the four children who were beginning to nod off. “The kids are tired. I’ll have Billy come over and take them home.”

Kenneth did not wish to force Samuel to stay when he clearly was not keen on doing that. This brat needs time to get over this grudge. I’ll only make things worse if I speak up.

A little later, Billy arrived outside the mansion and assisted Samuel and Natalie in carrying the sleeping children to the car.

Kenneth lapsed into a thoughtful silence with his eyes fixed on the neatly packed chess set.