Jasper’s conditions were really tempting.
Not only would she able to take care of her own child, but she would be able to get Eli Wayne out of Sean’s control too.
Eli had helped her too much, so she should not drag her down anymore, “Okay, I’ll take good care of your child, Sir.”
Sir?
“Ha,” Jasper Milton chuckled and he looked at her as if he was deep in thought.
He still remembered that she had acted that way too when they were just mere acquaintances back then. She would either refer to him as Chief or Mr. Milton. She would address him respectfully, either intentionally or unintentionally, in order to keep a distance between them. That left him with a strong sense of alienation.
Natalie Wheeler did not know why he was smiling.
What was so funny about her words?
Furthermore, his chuckle was filled with mockery and she felt a little uncomfortable.
“Well, Mr. Milton, I shall head back first then. I’ll leave the matter with Stephen in your hands,” Natalie nodded respectfully and left quickly.
Jasper’s strong aura almost suffocated her.
Jasper watched as she fled. His eyes were calm as if he was looking at the deepest depths of the beautiful universe, his gaze penetrating through the whole scenery.
As soon as Natalie returned to the living room, Eli walked up to her and asked, “Natalie, are you okay?”
Natalie nodded her head, “I knew Hale from before, so we chatted for a while. She said that she is going to make some soup for us.”
“Miss Wheeler,” Stephen called out.
Natalie nodded at Stephen and listened quietly.
“Thank you very much for your efforts today. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid that my children would have died in vain,” Stephen thanked her.
Natalie did not think that there was anything to be thanked for. She was responsible for those three lives, nor will she be. She said, “It might be God’s arrangement, or perhaps, it’s destiny. Stephen, please don’t be sad. Perhaps, the three of them are living a good life in the other world.”
Stephen wiped his tears away and his voice was choked with sobs. He picked up one of the candles and said, “Please follow me.”
Natalie looked at Allen, who nodded back at her, indicating that she should go ahead.
She followed Stephen and entered one of the painting rooms in the villa.
There were plenty of Stephen’s paintings hung on the wall. Under the faint candlelight, they all looked hazy and beautiful.
“I don’t know how to thank you. For me, the most precious things I have are these paintings. You may choose two paintings and bring them home with you,” Stephen said to Natalie.
“Everyone has something that they care about and cherish the most. It’s not very kind of me to take your precious things away at this time. Also, you don’t need to thank me. Had it been anyone else in that situation instead of you, I would still have done what I could,” Natalie refused euphemistically.
“If you think that my paintings are not to your liking, I still have a painting of “The Dreamy Girl” auctioned for 15 million dollars. I’ll give you the rest of the money after deducting the platform fee and tax.”
“Mr. Stephen, your paintings are ingenious and profound, which are incomparable to normal artists. Why would it not be to my liking then?”
“Really? Do you like it then? I can give you whichever you like,” Stephen said sincerely.
“If you insist, then… I want this “Darkness”. The light bulb in the closed room was broken, and the room fell into complete darkness. The menacing bursts of lightning illuminated the shaking branches outside the window, casting the shadow of the branches onto the window. A glare penetrated through the window, leaving a short moment of brightness.
The little girl in the white dress sat on the ground and lay on a worn bed. She raised her head and looked up at the window with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
There were rats on the ground, bats in the air, and spiders in the corner. When I look at the painting carefully, I could see that the bolt on the door was not inserted.
There was a book on the bed and the words on it were very strange. I’m guessing it was Braille. The little girl was blind, and she was imprisoned. She was very lonely and she had suffered a lot. She lived a miserable life, but she longed for light. Even a tiny glimmer of light was worth looking up to and pursuing.
Mr. Stephen, if I must guess, I suppose this is a picture of your state of mind at that time,” Natalie said lightly. The corners of her mouth were also slightly raised as she looked at the painting, and there was a thin layer of mist in her eyes.
“You are absolutely right. This painting is my favorite. I had painted this when my parents suppressed my hobbies when I was young. They forced me to give up drawing to run the family business.
I met a lot of obstacles and encountered many setbacks. My lover broke my trust and my friends betrayed me. No one could understand me. When Jasper saw this painting, he said the same thing as you did. He was standing at this very spot and looking at this painting without saying a word. He watched it for the whole afternoon. When I went to see him secretly, I saw that he was crying,” Stephen sighed.
A drop of warm tear rolled down from the corner of Natalie’s eye. Then, her tears slowly turned into a string of beads. She was a little emotional and she immediately turned her face away.
This painting had invoked the sorrow that was long embedded in her heart. Natalie felt like crying because the painting used to be a portrayal of her heart.
At that time, she had experienced a betrayal of marriage, the oppression from her father, as well as her mother’s illness. She was lonely and desperate.
Jasper was the bolt of lightning that had penetrated through her window, short and bright.
When she felt the brief heat of light, she opened the door and rushed out desperately, ignoring the branches that were swaying crazily like demons on the window.
Only when she had rushed out did she realize that there were not only flashes of lightning in the sky. A storm was waiting for her as well.
The lightning was touched by her infatuation. In order to illuminate her way home, the lightning struck off from its original course.
She thought that Jasper had probably felt the same way as she did.
“Are you crying too?” Stephen asked.
Natalie wiped her tears away and said with a smile, “That’s because your painting is too excellent and impressive. It invokes a lot of emotions among its viewers. This must be the legendary painting that involves a sense of surrealism.”
“You really have the gift of gab, Miss Wheeler. I will have someone to take it down from the wall and give it to you. I finally know why you were qualified to become Allen’s girlfriend. Allen has very high standards. You are indeed worthy of him and qualified to be the Countess.” Stephen said with appreciation.
Natalie smiled.
Allen was just her umbrella, who would protect and shield her. She had never wanted to be a Countess. She was fine with maintaining her current status.
“By the way, Mr. Stephen, could you please keep my crying a secret, I’m shy,” Natalie explained with embarrassment.
Stephen nodded, “I still have a lot of family matters to deal with, so I may not be able to send you off tomorrow. Do give me a call when you’re free in the future. I’ll pick you up and you could stay here for a few more days. I could show the view on the island to you then.”
Natalie nodded, “Thank you, Mr. Stephen.”
Natalie walked out of the painting room. When Stephen returned, he saw Jasper. He stepped forward and said in a low voice, “That girl, the one named Natalie, took a fancy to the ‘Darkness’, which you’ve also taken a fancy to. She was crying too. She cried even more miserably than you did and tears were pouring down her cheeks.”
Jasper glanced at him and frowned, “How do you know I cried?”
“Err… Did I say that? I’m probably spouting nonsense because of the immense grief. Please forgive me,” Stephen did not wait for Jasper to speak and he left quickly.