Ch. 861..870
A Cue for Love Chapter 861
Abandoned Once Again
“You’ve got the wrong person. He’s not Sam. He truly is Xander from the York family.” Steven explained to her patiently. “Moreover, how could Sam be here at this hour? He’s probably whispering sweet nothings to Luna right now…”
Steven trailed off toward the end as he too had been hurt.
Natalie smiled bitterly upon his words.
Could it be… I’ve got it all wrong in my drunken state? Am I so drunk that I’m taking every man who treats me right as Samuel? Steven’s right. How could Samuel be here at this hour?
“I’m sorry… I’ve had too much to drink. I’ve got the wrong person.” Natalie’s eyes dimmed with sorrow. “Thank you so much for tonight, Mr. York.”
Xander gave no response as he turned around and left.
Natalie stared at the man’s silhouette as she could no longer differentiate between illusion and reality.
Steven spoke up when he noticed that Natalie’s eyes were still glued on Xander. “Natalie, it’s my fault that I didn’t look out for you tonight. I’ll send my men to take care of that b*stard and send you home first.”
“Home?”
Natalie asked, confused.
“Is that still my home?”
Steven was rendered speechless. After a while, he replied, “At least Franklin, Sophia, Xavian, and Clayton are all there.”
“Yeah. My children are still there.” Natalie nodded.
Steven asked his assistant to send Natalie back to the Bowers residence since he drank.
Gavin was still awake when Natalie returned.
“Ms. Nichols, why did you drink so much?” Gavin expressed his concern when he saw Natalie. “Take a seat. I’ll go make you some hangover remedy.”
Natalie felt uncomfortable as she was experiencing heartache and hangover at the same time.
Shortly after, Gavin returned with a bowl of hot hangover remedy.
Natalie thanked him and downed the bowl of hangover remedy.
“Ms. Nichols, where is Mr. Samuel?” Gavin couldn’t help but ask when he saw that Natalie was alone.
“I don’t know,” Natalie replied dully. “He might not come back when I’m around.”
“Did you guys… fight?” Gavin caught on as he too, had had his fair share of heartbreak.
“No.” Natalie forced a smile. “Gavin, it’s getting late. You should get some rest. I still need your help to prepare breakfast for the kids tomorrow.”
Gavin knew Natalie didn’t want to talk about it. Hence, he didn’t push her for details.
“Goodnight, Ms. Nichols.”
“Good night.”
It was two in the morning.
Everyone else in the household were fast asleep at this hour except for Natalie.
She sat on the carpeted floor of the study, hugged her knees, and stared out the window at the moon.
She thought Samuel was going to prepare a grand wedding proposal for her.
That was why she accepted Justin’s suggestion to dress to the nines tonight. She wanted to treat Samuel wholeheartedly since he was doing the same, or so she thought.
However, she had never been so wrong.
She didn’t believe Samuel would turn his back on her, but his resoluteness still hurt.
Even though Samuel did not turn his back on her, he had abandoned her.
He would tell her the whole story if he wanted to. If not, then everything she did would be pointless.
Natalie had been abandoned too many times during her lifetime. Just as she thought she had finally found someone who would never leave her, he left.
She would leave Samuel if that was what he wanted.
Natalie hugged her knees tight as the tears flowed down her cheeks.
She didn’t dare make a sound as she cried.
Natalie bit her wrist as she held back her whimpers.
She wanted to cry to her heart’s content tonight. After all, Samuel wasn’t the only one in her life. She still had people who cared for her. She promised herself to stay strong once day breaks.
A Cue for Love Chapter 862
Strong And Beautiful
That night, Natalie licked her wounds in the study in her semi-conscious state and soon fell into a deep sleep after all the crying.
It was past nine in the morning when she woke up. The kids had breakfast and were already in school.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror and was glad that she didn’t run into the kids that morning.
Natalie didn’t know what to say to her kids yet for her red and puffy eyes in case they asked.
She put on some eye makeup to cover her red and puffy eyes to improve her complexion.
Natalie headed toward Dream Corporation’s CEO office after she left the Bowers residence. She had a face-to-face meeting with Ross in the office and a video conference with Lia and Yandel, who were in Loang.
Yandel reported everything he had done in Loang in great detail to Natalie.
“Boss, we’re done renovating the office building. It has passed the formaldehyde test. When are you coming over?” Yandel couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement as he spoke.
Natalie held on to her mug of coffee and stared into the camera. However, she had lost focus.
“Ms. Nichols,” Ross called out as he noticed her mind had wandered off.
“Yes?”
Natalie collected her thoughts at that. However, she didn’t hear Yandel’s question just now.
“Yandel, can you please repeat your question?”
“I’m asking when you are coming over to Loang?” Yandel teased, “I know what’s going through your mind, Boss. You must be thinking that you wouldn’t be able to see Samuel every day if you head over to Loang. That’s why you’re so out of it, right?”
Natalie didn’t want to lie to her friend.
“We broke up. He wants to marry his betrothed instead,” she replied. “I can head over at a moment’s notice if everything has been prepared.”
Ross, Yandel, and Lia were taken aback upon her words.
“What?”
“What!”
“What!”
Natalie took a sip of her coffee. “It’s weird, right? I don’t get it either. But I will respect his decision.”
The three of them found it hard to recover from the shock of her latest update.
Natalie spoke up as she saw the look of sorrow in their eyes. “I consider all of you friends I care about besides being my employees. I decided to tell you about my love life because I don’t want things to be awkward. Of course, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m upset, but I will keep my emotions in check and heal soon. I still have a lot of work and personal things to take care of…”
“Samuel must be blind! You are so strong and beautiful. I’m sure you’ll find someone much better than him,” Yandel cursed.
Lia nodded and echoed, “Mr. Moss is right. I noticed there are plenty of good-looking men over here in Loang. Samuel is nothing compared to them.”
Ross burned with rage. However, he managed to keep his temper in check. “We will do everything in our power to help you out if you ever need anything from us.”
Natalie laughed as she felt the love and support coming from her assistant and employees. “Okay, thank you all. I’ll get ready and will head over to Loang in a week.”
She turned off the camera after the meeting ended.
“Ross, have you heard of Xander York?” Natalie rearranged the documents on the table as she asked.
Ross gave it some thought before he replied, “I’ve heard of the Yorks, but the only family members I’ve heard of are Riley and Carlo. I don’t think I’ve heard of Xander.”
“No?”
Natalie recalled the silver-masked man.
Even though she had too much to drink yesterday night, every aspect of the man reminded her of Samuel, except for his silver mask and hoarse voice.
A Cue for Love Chapter 863
What Were You Thinking
Could it be that… I was just being delusional because I’m drunk?
“Oh, right. I remembered,” said Ross all of a sudden.
“What?”
“I remembered Xander. He is rarely mentioned. When people talk about the York family, it’s mostly about Riley and Carlo whom I mentioned earlier.”
After a slight pause, Ross continued, “Actually, Xander is supposed to be the immediate heir. But after he got seriously injured in a fire three years ago, he lost the right to inherit the company.”
Natalie bit her lips and asked, “Did he become disfigured from the fire?”
“Yes.” Ross nodded. “Rumors have it that not only was his face burned, but also many other parts of her body. Even after a skin transplant, his face is so scarred that it barely resembles a human face. Hence, Xander rarely shows up in public. Even if he does, he’ll wear a special mask.”
Everything Ross described, from the silver mask to the hoarse voice, was similar to “Xander”, whom Natalie had met the previous night.
Everything was a result of the huge fire that Xander experienced three years ago.
Looks like I was really delusional.
“Ms. Nichols, why did you suddenly ask about him?” asked Ross as he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.
Natalie replied, “Xander helped me, so I was curious about his background. I wanted to investigate him, but you saved my time and effort by telling me this.”
“Ms. Nichols, you and Samuel…”
“Shush.” Natalie placed a finger over her lips and shook her head. “Ross, we must move forward. I don’t want to bring up those painful memories.”
Although she did not wallow in despair, it did not mean that those events were not painful for her.
Understanding the look in Natalie’s eyes, Ross stopped interrogating. He gave her some space alone to think.
Meanwhile, at Centurion Corporation, Kenneth barged into the CEO’s office with his walking stick. Luna followed behind him.
Billy said with a troubled look, “Old Mr. Bowers, my boss is having an important meeting. Can you and Ms. Garcia wait at the VIP lounge for a while? I’ll inform him to go over immediately after the meeting.”
However, Kenneth refused to budge. Waving his walking stick in the air, he yelled, “Billy, you b*stard! Don’t just treat Samuel as your boss and not show me any respect!”
“Why would I do that, Old Mr. Bowers?”
“Stop the meeting, no matter how important it is!” Kenneth was so furious that his body trembled. “If he can’t even handle his relationship well, how can he handle work matters? If this continues, he’ll really ruin his own happiness.”
Looking at how furious Kenneth was, Billy was at a loss for what to do. Still, he had no choice but to put up a brave front. “Old. Mr. Bowers, you’re getting old. Calm down and don’t be rash!”
“Of course I need to be rash! Tell him to come out of the meeting room right now! I demand to see him!” yelled Kenneth agitatedly.
Luna wanted to hold onto Kenneth, but he pushed her away disdainfully.
She knew that Kenneth did not genuinely detest her. Unfortunately, she was just interfering with Samuel and Natalie’s relationship.
She had her own grievances, but she had no choice but to bite her lips and not utter a single word.
“Samuel, come out!” shouted Kenneth.
At that moment, the doors of the meeting room opened and out walked Samuel.
Glancing at Kenneth, whose face was flushed red in fury, he called out in a deep voice, “Grandpa…”
“Come here! I need a long talk with you.” Kenneth beckoned him over with a finger. “If the talk fails, don’t call me your grandpa anymore!”
Samuel said to Billy, “Push all my work appointments back by two hours. My grandpa needs to speak to me.”
When Billy saw Samuel coming out, he heaved a sigh of relief secretly. “Okay! Got it!”
The three of them sat on different couches in Samuel’s office. The atmosphere was extraordinarily solemn.
Not beating around the bush, Kenneth demanded directly, “Samuel, I heard that you want to marry Luna. Tell me! What were you thinking?”
A Cue for Love Chapter 864
The Person I Love The Most
Kenneth was stunned by that question. After a while, he said, “Marriage is not something to be trifled with. I asked your brother and he made the decisions after thinking about it seriously. As his grandpa, I have nothing else to say.”
“How can that be, Grandpa?” Frowning, Steven exclaimed, “Samuel’s change of heart will not only ruin Natalie, but also Luna!”
Kenneth was already feeling tormented enough. Now that he was being interrogated by Steven, he was so angry that his chest felt tight and his cheeks started to flush.
Steven wants me to say something, but what can I say? I’ve already promised Samuel that I’ll keep his body condition a secret.
“I…” Clutching his chest, Kenneth revealed a look of agony.
“Mr. Steven, can you stop fooling around? Can’t you see that Mr. Bowers isn’t feeling well?” Luna quickly steadied Kenneth and shot a cold glare at Steven. “I don’t know why you’re so insistent on changing your brother’s decision!”
“Why? You know the reason very well, Luna!” Now that Steven’s intentions had been revealed, he no longer concealed the affectionate look in his eyes.
“So what if I do?” Luna straightened her back, her clear eyes filled with stubbornness. “This is a decision that I made with your brother after deliberating about it for a long time. Mr. Steven, I hope that you can be more mature and stop acting so childishly. Your actions will only put Mr. Bowers in a tough spot. You can’t change anything! Since I’ve already agreed to Mr. Samuel’s proposal, I will not change my decision anymore.”
“Is this what you really think?” Steven scoffed in self-mockery.
“Yes!” insisted Luna stubbornly. “We belong to two different worlds right from the start. Look at what’s happening now! Even though I’m telling you my thoughts so seriously, you think that I’ve been threatened by someone else!”
“Hah!” As if he had just heard a hilarious joke, Steven laughed loudly. “Looks like I’m just being a busybody.”
Suppressing her urge to cry, Luna pursed her lips tightly and remained silent.
Steven left despondently.
After he finally left their field of sight, tears streamed down Luna’s cheeks.
“Luna, you actually have feelings for Steven, right?” asked Kenneth hoarsely.
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Luna nodded.
Looking at how Luna had to pretend to be so merciless in front of Steven, Kenneth suddenly pitied her. Not knowing what to say, he could only pat her head gently.
Luna felt horrible too.
Although she did not regret her decision, it was difficult for her to cut all ties with Steven.
“The Garcia family doesn’t owe the Bowers family anything. It should be the other way around!”
Leaning against Kenneth’s shoulder, Luna treated him like her own grandfather. Tears kept falling down her cheeks.
“My poor child. If you want to cry, just cry to your heart’s content.” Kenneth sighed. His heart ached terribly, but there was nothing he could do.
Meanwhile, in a medical facility by the ocean, Samuel sat opposite a man in a silver mask.
With his hands folded, the man in the silver mask gazed at Samuel and asked, “How long are you planning to borrow my identity?”
“Half a year,” replied Samuel curtly. “Lend me your identity for the next half a year.”
“I’m curious. Why aren’t you using your status as the head of the Bowers family? Why do you want to pretend to be a disabled person?” asked Xander. “Is it because of this mask that I’m using to conceal my face?”
“Yes.” Samuel did not deny it. “You rarely go out, so no one knows you well. Since you always wear this mask, you’re the perfect cover.”
Even after hearing his explanation, Xander still could not understand it.
“I don’t understand, Samuel. Who are you meeting, such that you have to wear a mask?”
A helpless look crept into Samuel’s eyes. “She’s the person I love the most and the person I wish to lose the least.”
A Cue for Love Chapter 865
You Left Me
“Okay.” Xander’s voice was still hoarse. “I can lend you my identity for half a year, but don’t go around having any affairs. Otherwise, I’d have women pestering me afterward.”
Xander got injured in a fire because of a woman.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Samuel had no interest in any woman except for Natalie. He was reluctant to entrust her to him.
“In return for letting me use your identity, I’ve recruited the most renowned plastic surgeon for you. Half a year later, you can take off the silver mask and reclaim everything that you’ve lost from the York family,” suggested Samuel.
Xander clenched his fists. “Thank you.”
After leaving the medical facility by the ocean, Samuel received Natalie’s call on the way back.
When he saw the familiar name, Samuel felt like his heart was being pierced. It was a painful feeling.
Afraid that he would become distracted by the call, he stopped the Bentley by the roadside.
“Hello?”
“Is it convenient for you to speak now?” asked Natalie. “I’d like to talk to you.”
“I can talk to you in person,” said Samuel.
“No, it’s fine. Ten minutes is enough. I can make myself clear through the phone, so there’s no need to meet,” interrupted Natalie coldly. “Although I don’t think that it’s the end of the world, I don’t want to meet you.”
Although Samuel could not see Natalie’s expression, his emotions churned because of what she said.
There were a lot of things he wanted to tell her, but he could not articulate anything.
Eventually, Natalie broke the silence. “I’ll move out of the Bowers residence today. Two days later, I’ll move to Loang to work. I’ll bring the five children, including Yumi, with me. In the future, you’ll be marrying Ms. Garcia. The kids might be a burden to you, but they’re precious to me. If you think that you owe me, don’t fight with me for the kids. Let them leave with me.”
Natalie expressed her innermost thoughts. The kids were her only soft spot. Although she could lose the love of her life, she must never lose her kids.
“Okay, I agree,” replied Samuel after a long while.
“Really?”
Natalie could barely believe her ears. She thought that Samuel would not let her bring the kids away without a fight, but he agreed so easily.
At that moment, her heart ached terribly.
What is it that could make Samuel let me go and give up custody over the kids so easily?
“Are you hiding something from me, Samuel?” blurted Natalie.
“I did in the past, but not anymore,” replied Samuel solemnly. “There’s no need to hide anything from you. I owe you this. Furthermore, after I marry Luna, it’s true that the kids will trouble her if they stay with me.”
Natalie chuckled self-mockingly. “Looks like I’m overthinking.”
Samuel’s heart ached uncontrollably when he heard her self-deprecating tone. However, when he remembered that he was in no position to do that, all he could do was to grip the steering wheel tightly. The veins in his arms popped out.
Natalie stood underneath the sunset, bathing in the glow of the dusk. She bit her lips so forcefully that they bled.
Even if she was faced with all sorts of hardships and obstacles, she would still be willing to stay by his side.
However, he was willing to use ‘betrayal’ as an excuse to chase her away this time. Yet, he was unwilling to reveal anything close to the truth to her.
Even if she wanted to guess, she did not even know where to start.
If Samuel had already decided, there was no way she could win him over.
“Samuel, you’re the one who left me,” spat Natalie, articulating every single word. “I don’t want to say, ‘See you again’. It’s better if we never meet again.”
A Cue for Love Chapter 866
Three Dense Boys
After saying the last word, Natalie hung up the call. If she continued speaking, she was afraid that she would give in, that she would be reluctant to let him go.
“What are you hiding from me, Samuel?” Natalie gazed at the night sky outside the windows, her eyes welling up with tears. “Why are you forcing me to leave like this?”
Meanwhile, Samuel turned his handsome face toward the car window. His brooding gaze landed on the vehicles zooming past the roads as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“Never meet again?” A glint flashed across Samuel’s eyes as he mumbled deeply, “Before I die… I probably can’t do it even if I wanted to.”
Hence, he found a new identity for himself.
After returning to the Bowers residence, Natalie packed her suitcase. Then, she went to the children’s rooms and told them that she would be working and staying in Loang.
The moment she finished speaking, Sophia asked anxiously, “What about Daddy? Will he be following us?”
“Yeah!”
“Will he be on the same flight as us?”
Natalie knew that she would not be able to escape this topic. However, when the kids interrogated her so eagerly, she became flustered. “No, your daddy has important work to deal with. You might not be able to see him for a long time…”
When she said that, the five kids asked simultaneously, “Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
When Natalie heard the kids asking the same question, she felt like there was a dagger piercing her heart. Although it hurt, she forced out a smile.
As she still had not thought of a reason to tell them, she had no choice but to lie.
“Don’t overthink. It’s because of work. Your daddy needs to stay in Chanaea, while my work is in Loang. Mommy can’t bear to part with the five of you, so I’m bringing you with me. If you miss your daddy, you can call him.”
Franklin and the rest felt relieved when they heard that. It had been tough for them to finally have parents. I don’t want to return to the past, when I have to choose between living with Daddy or Mommy.
“Mommy, everything’s fine as long as you and Daddy are happy together.” Sophia patted her chest.
“Yeah! If Daddy bullies you, tell us! We’ll back you up!” exclaimed Xavian as he clenched his fists.
“Impossible!” rebuked Franklin loudly. “Daddy dotes on Mommy so much! He won’t bear to bully her.”
“Yeah!” agreed Clayton.
Even Yumi, who had just joined the family, nodded.
After being rebutted by his siblings, Xavian quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m just giving an example! Of course, I know that Daddy loves Mommy a lot and won’t hurt her.”
“Good that you know!”
The children’s interaction caused Natalie’s gaze to flit around. She still had not told them about her breakup with Samuel.
What about in the future?
After informing the kids, Natalie left the room.
When she left, the five kids crowded together and started discussing enthusiastically.
“Didn’t you notice that Mommy’s expression doesn’t look too good?” asked Sophia worriedly as she propped her head up with a hand.
“I think she’s not doing well too. Her eyes are red, as if she just cried!” agreed Yumi, who was also a girl.
Meanwhile, the other three boys started making dense comments.
“Of course she’s not doing too well! Daddy and Mommy will need to live apart for the time being, so it’s normal that she can’t bear to leave him.”
“If her eyes are red, she definitely cried before this. It’s normal for her to cry before leaving.”
“So, when we’re with Mommy in Loang, let’s avoid mentioning Daddy as much as possible. That way, Mommy won’t feel bad because she misses Daddy too much!”
A Cue for Love Chapter 867
Feeling Tortured
Yumi nodded. “Yeah! After we go to Loang, we must make sure not to mention Daddy in front of Mommy!”
“That’s not enough,” added Sophia with a pout. “When we are together with Mommy, we must help Daddy monitor her love life! If there are some stupid men going after her, we must eliminate all of them for Daddy’s sake.”
Everyone expressed their support for Sophia’s suggestion.
Xavian and Clayton exchanged a look and said, “Before, when Mommy didn’t wear that ugly hyper-realistic mask, there were a lot of weird men who pursued her. Things only got better after she wore that mask.”
Franklin nodded. “Sophia’s right! Daddy’s happiness will be in our hands from now on.”
“Yeah! He’s relying on us.”
The five kids stretched out their fists and put them together.
As the eldest, Franklin cleared his throat and declared, “With the five of us together, nothing can stop us!”
After he spoke, four child-like voices rang out.
“Nothing can stop us!”
“Nothing can stop us!”
“Nothing can stop us!”
“Nothing can stop us!”
Their faces and their eyes revealed an intense look of passion.
For these few days, Samuel did not return to the Bowers Residence. Instead, he stayed at Centurion Corporation.
When Justin tried to contact Samuel, he could not reach Samuel. Before he returned to Livingsfill, he wanted to meet Samuel again.
Hence, he went to Centurion Corporation.
Samuel glanced at Justin and asked, “What? Are you here to interrogate me too?”
“I’m in no position to do that,” said Justin with a frown. “I just don’t understand you… You’ve made all engagement preparations with Natalie in mind! Why did you change your fianceé at the last moment?”
Samuel replied expressionlessly, “Because I feel like it.”
“Yeah, that sounds simple enough.” Justin massaged his temples and said in frustration, “Actually, before your proposal, I called my sister and told her about it. Natalie overheard the conversation by accident.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed in thought.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying that she already knew about the surprise beforehand, but she pretended to be oblivious in front of you.” Justin continued, “She thought that she was being clever, but she ended up receiving this unpleasant surprise from you instead.”
Samuel’s expression turned gloomier.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?” Justin raised his eyebrows.
“Justin!”
“Samuel, if you want to hear the lie, it’s because I’m reporting everything to you—right down to the most irrelevant details.” Justin pouted. “If you want to hear the truth, it’s because I’m trying to seek justice for her! Regardless of what your intention was—be it out of goodwill or grievances—it’s too merciless to crush her hopes like that.”
Since he would be returning to Livingsfill the next day, Justin thought that he should just speak his mind.
Even if the sky fell, his sister could still back him up.
Justin left, leaving Samuel sitting at his desk and mulling over what he just said.
So she already knew… Yet, I pushed her away so ruthlessly that night. If Justin said that to provoke me, he has succeeded. This is what being tortured feels like, huh?
Soon, a week passed.
A plane descended from the blue sky and landed at the international airport of Yeringham, Loang’s capital city.
After landing, the door opened.
Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to a lady in a brown windbreaker and jeans, as well as the five kids following her.
A Cue for Love Chapter 868
Revisiting Places
The lady had wavy shoulder-length hair that was all bunned up. She looked stunning with her taut skin, dainty nose, petal-like lips, and curvaceous figure.
Having five children with exquisite features by her side caused all the passersby to turn their heads and stare.
The adult and five children were none other than Natalie and her five kids, including Yumi.
When Yandel and Lia saw them from afar, they waved their hands at her.
“Boss, over here!”
Natalie walked over to them with a vibrant smile on her face.
“It’s been a while.”
“Boss, I have missed you so much.”
As Yandel was one of the advanced teams, he arrived one month ago. Other than chatting with Natalie on video, he had not seen her in a very long time.
Caught up in his emotions, he wanted to give her a big hug. However, Franklin suddenly blocked his way.
Staring at the child that had inserted himself between him and Natalie, Yandel was stunned.
“Mr. Moss, please mind your manners.” Franklin cocked his brow in a domineering manner. “If you feel like hugging someone, you can hug me.”
Franklin’s face closely resembled Samuel.
Ever since he learned that Samuel betrayed his boss, he felt the urge to plunge a dagger into Samuel’s heart. Consequently, he had no interest in hugging someone that looked like the latter.
“Since you won’t allow me to hug the boss, I’ll hug Sophia instead,” Yandel retorted in a salty tone.
However, before he could get close to her, the four other children blocked his way.
“Boss, do I look like I have bad intentions?” Yandel asked pitifully.
“A little,” Natalie teased. “However, how long do you want me to have my photo taken here at the airport?”
When he realized that the crowd taking pictures of Natalie was growing, he snapped out of his mischievous mood and led Natalie to their car together with Lia.
Inside the car, Natalie looked out the window at Yaleview.
A long time had passed since she set foot in the city.
All the drama that happened in Chanaea is now in the past. My life has just begun!
Soon, Yandel brought Natalie and her children to the mansion he had prepared.
There, he had arranged for a middle-aged housekeeper, Emma Bunton, to take care of Natalie and her kids’ daily needs.
Being someone efficient, Emma unpacked all their luggage swiftly.
As there was a time difference between Loang and Chanaea, the children felt sleepy after dinner and retired to their rooms.
Nevertheless, Natalie was still very alert and didn’t feel lethargic at all.
“Boss, since today is your first day here, I’ll take you to an interesting place where we can have a drink to celebrate your arrival,” Yandel suggested.
“Lia, are you coming along?” Natalie asked.
“I’m going if you are.”
Subsequently, Natalie agreed, “Let’s go then.”
The three of them headed to Yaleview’s most famous club, Fullmoon.
Even though it had a name that sounded cultured, Yaleview was Loang’s biggest sin city. Opulently decorated, it had all sorts of entertainment imaginable, from legal establishments to those that thread on the boundaries of the law. Given how wild it could be, the city was definitely a place that could open one’s eyes to the world.
As it was Lia’s first time, she was awestruck by what she saw.
Even though Natalie had visited the place before, she couldn’t help but remark, “Things have become more vibrant since the last time I was here.”
“Conflict needs money,” Yandel commented in a cryptic tone. “In recent years, it has finally come to a head.”
Lia was baffled by his words. “What conflict?”
Yandel and Natalie simply responded with knowing smiles.
What conflict? Obviously, it’s the struggle within the royal family.
A Cue for Love Chapter 869
The Casino Part One
Since Fullmoon was well known as an establishment to splurge one’s wealth, it naturally had a casino in it.
Inside, the casino was the busiest part of the club. It was packed like sardines and one could hear cries of joy and wails of disappointment ring out incessantly.
With a stroke of luck, some felt as if they were in Heaven. While those lacking it felt as if they were being sent to Hell.
After all, Heaven and Hell were nothing but states of mind.
Subsequently, Yandel led Natalie and Lia into the casino, where Natalie observed everything that was going on with a detached state of mind.
Inside, there were gorgeous female croupiers giving out cards everywhere. The crowd made out of prominent figures were so awestruck that their eyes could pop out anytime, while the tables were piled with mountains of chips that would astound anyone.
Lia couldn’t contain her excitement. “Even though I heard that Yaleview had casinos, I can’t imagine what they look like until I see them with my own eyes!”
Natalie broke into a faint smile. “The exposure will be good for you. Nevertheless, stay away from gambling.”
“Why?” Lia asked curiously.
“Risking a little to win something big is human nature,” Natalie mulled aloud. “As most people are ordinary folk, how many of them can overcome their own natural flaws?”
Nodded in agreement, Lia couldn’t help but lament how Natalie seemed to be wiser to the world despite being younger than her. In truth, if not for Natalie’s reminder, she would have been pulled in by the infectious atmosphere and taken a seat at the gambling table.
Despite their glamorous outfits, their gaze was calm, unaffected by the rush of the casino.
Natalie’s goal was to immerse herself within the ambiance and get a feel of what Yaleview was like. After all, as a businesswoman, one needed to learn the local customs.
At that moment, the sobs of a woman caught her attention.
She looked about twenty-seven and was so thin that her face seemed sunken in. As her frizzy hair lay upon her shoulders, her face was covered in tears.
Underneath the miserable appearance, one could still see how exquisite her features were.
“Caleb, stop gambling. Let’s go home, shall we?” the lady pleaded as she hugged a man’s arm. “I beg of you, stop gambling. You have already lost a lot. If you continue, we’ll lose everything!”
Unexpectedly, Caleb Lance pushed Anna Appleby aside and berated her, “Stop saying that I’m losing! Ever since you came here, you keep repeating those words. Luck was on my side until you arrived. That’s when I started losing every hand. The moment you opened your mouth, all my luck went down the drain, you jinx!”
Teary-eyed, Anna begged pitifully, “Fine, it’s my fault. Since your luck has turned, we should go home, all right? Our baby is only five months old, and she needs her daddy. It would be good if you could spend some time with her.”
Her well-intentioned pleas were met by Caleb’s roar.
“Get lost! I already made it clear that you’re a jinx! Which part of it do you not understand?”
“Caleb…”
Caleb’s attention was entirely focused on the card game in front of him. The pretty croupier asked, “Is this your fifth card? Are you going to call?”
Due to the confidence he had in his cards and the encouragement he felt from the croupier’s resonating voice, Caleb declared with bravado, “I’m going to raise everything.” Just as he spoke, Caleb pushed all his chips toward the croupier.
Anna was dumbstruck by his action.
That’s a lot of chips! If he loses them, how are we going to pay for our upcoming living expenses?
The croupier threw Caleb a coy glance. “You’ve got lots of guts, sir.”
As he felt secretly delighted, the hysteria in his eyes began to grow. “Royal flush, royal flush…”
Somewhere nearby, Natalie and Yandel observed Anna with mixed emotions.
Both of them were old acquaintances of Anna. The latter came from a family of academics and was the mysterious genius designer in the jewelry world called Muse.
Nevertheless, this was the first time Natalie and Yandel saw Anna in such miserable circumstances.
A Cue for Love Chapter 870
The Casino Part Two
Since it was time to show their hands, the fifth card was finally revealed.
As the croupier took away all the chips that Caleb had pushed in front of her, she remarked, “Sir, I’m sorry, but you have lost. Now that you have run out of chips, I have to ask you to vacate your seat.”
As the words rolled off the croupier’s tongue, her eyes glistened with obvious ridicule, as if she was telling Caleb to get lost now that he had run out of money.
Suddenly, Caleb’s mind snapped when he saw the look in her eye, causing him to remain in front of the gambling table.
Even though Anna was mourning the money he lost, she realized that it was more important to get him home. Thus, she persuaded, “Caleb, now that you have lost the money, can you come home already?”
“Stop it!” Caleb vented all his fury on Anna. “Are you jealous of me making money to care for our family? Must you only be happy when I lose everything I have? All this while, you have looked down upon me and think that I’m not as good as you. Therefore, when you see me winning, you resort to such methods to break my lucky streak!”
The moment he finished, Caleb gave Anna a forceful slap without minding where they were.
Struck into a daze, Anna burst out in silent tears.
Looking at the pathetic couple, the croupier showed no pity at all. Instead, she sneered, “However you want to deal with this as a couple, you should do it at home. Please don’t waste our time as we’re an entertainment establishment.”
Anna swallowed her anger and tugged at Caleb’s sleeve.
“Let’s go home, all right?”
The latter didn’t respond.
Faced with his refusal, Anna continued to plead, “I beg of you, come home with me, please.”
Caleb felt that he had lost due to bad luck, and it was entirely because Anna had jinxed him.
“Shut up!”
“Caleb…”
Again?
Feeling as if he hadn’t vented enough from the slap, he prepared to punch the daylights out of Anna so that she would finally shut up.
Just when he grabbed her by her hair and raised his fist, Yandel caught his hand instead.
“Stop it.” With a narrowed gaze, Yandel threw Caleb a grim look. “I dare you to f*cking hit her one more time.”
With his hand restrained by Yandel, Caleb was infuriated when he could barely move at all. “I’m teaching my wife a lesson right now. What has it got anything to do with you? Since when is it your place to stick your nose into my business? She’s my wife, and I have the right to do whatever I please with her!”
Just when Anna felt the pull on her hair loosen, she was greeted by the sight of Yandel and Natalie when she raised her gaze.
Why are they here?
When it occurred to her that they might have witnessed the entire episode, Anna wished for the ground to open up and swallow her.
In fact, she couldn’t bring herself to face Natalie. The reason she ended up in such a predicament was that she refused to take the latter’s advice to not dive into the relationship back then.
Hanging her head, Anna didn’t know what to say as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Yandel admonished Caleb, “You should mind that filthy mouth of yours.”
“Be honest with me, are you an ex-flame of my wife?” Caleb licked his lips in a disgusting manner before greedily suggesting, “Why don’t we make a bet? I’ll bet my wife, while you put in money. If I lose, you can have her. If you lose, you’ll pay me the money.”
The moment he spoke, Anna suddenly looked up and glared at Caleb.
“Caleb! I’m your wife, for goodness sake. How can you say such a thing?”