Natalie’s heart skipped a beat, but she still looked at Frederick Addington calmly.
She did not want to lose her composure. It was impossible for Frederick to know that she was Stella Grace. All her operations were carried out at Sean’s secret base, and Frederick would not have been to trace it at all.
“Mr. Addington, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I have never done plastic surgery,” Natalie Wheeler replied. The corners of her mouth were curled up slightly, but she was unusually distant and indifferent.
Frederick sat down next to Natalie and looked at her. He gnashed his teeth and said, “Sean has told me everything. Do you still feel the need to continue pretending?”
“I’m curious, what did Mr. Yaleman tell you?” Natalie looked straight back at him.
She mustn’t feel guilty. Once she felt guilty, she would be exposed and all her previous efforts would be wasted.
“It was he who saved you back then. He poached my elite technician and developed the antidote to save you. You even requested to go through plastic surgeries because you wanted to come out and take care of your son, Dante,” Frederick said with certainty.
Natalie narrowed her eyes, “What do you mean by ‘developed the antidote’ to save me?”
Frederick paused for a second and he looked at Natalie’s expression. He frowned and said, “Did you lose your memory, or did you hypnotize yourself?”
Natalie rolled her eyes at him. It seemed that Sean Yaleman didn’t tell him anything. It was all his own speculation.
“I didn’t lose my memory, nor am I hypnotized. I clearly remember everything that I have done in my life.” Natalie said confidently, “Mr. Addington, you have really mistaken me for someone else.”
“Then why did you go to Jasper?” Frederick asked all of a sudden.
“That’s my business. I don’t need to report it to you, do I?” Natalie said coldly. She stood up and looked at Allen, her eyes softened, “Let’s go.”
“Are you really not Stella?” Frederick asked in disbelief.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you,” Natalie took the initiative to hold Allen’s arm.
“Swear on it then. If you are lying right now, you will never be with Jasper for the rest of your life,” Frederick caught up with Natalie and said in front of her.
Natalie raised her hand irritatedly and put it to the side of her face, “I swear that I am not Stella. If I lie, I will never be with Jasper.”
Natalie then put her hand down, “Are we done here? I hope that you can stop pestering me. This will affect the relationship between me and my boyfriend.”
Frederick looked at Allen’s face and his eyes dimmed.
Stella was a stubborn woman. When she loved Jasper, there was no other man in her eyes, and she would never have sworn against her will. She was not good at lying.
Perhaps, she really was not Stella, and his probing was useless.
Frederick sat alone by the sea with a heavy heart.
“Stella, where are you exactly?”
If he really did find her in the future, the only thing he wanted to do was to repay her and to never hurt her again…
…
Natalie and Allen returned to the car, where Eli Wayne was waiting for them.
Natalie realized that Allen’s EQ was really high. Even if he was concerned about something, he would refrain from asking if it would burden other people or make them uncomfortable.
It would be easy to get along with people like him, but he was not stupid.
Just because he refrained from asking, didn’t mean that he didn’t know. He was wise and had a sharp insight. Everything would be processed in his brain until he decides that it should come to an end.
When that time comes, he would end the relationship resolutely, ignoring the other side’s attempt to persuade him to stay.
A person like him could make a woman fall in love with him easily because of his excellent mannerisms and his usual tolerance and tenderness, which made it difficult for the girl to find an ideal boyfriend after they broke up.
As the benchmark was already so high in the beginning, it would be very difficult for a man to achieve his standard.
Eli sat in the back seat and looked at Allen. He had been smiling the entire time. She then looked at Natalie, who also looked calm.
“The more I look at you two, the more I feel that you are both a perfect match,” Eli sighed.
Natalie did not speak. She merely looked out of the window. The sun was shining, and it formed a mottled light spot through the gap between the leaves, swaying with the wind.
After a while, they arrived at the entrance of Stephen’s villa. Natalie saw that there were some people building wooden boats there.
“What are they doing?” Eli asked in confusion.
“I think they’re preparing for the sea-burial,” Allen explained.
They entered the room together.
Lisa and Olivia were lying quietly on the platform, as if they had fallen asleep peacefully.
There were flowers surrounding them and a piece of sad music was playing in the background. Stephen looked at his children calmly. Natalie walked up to him and stood beside him, “For Christians, there’s no death but only eternal happiness. For Catholics, death is the end of the human probation or the testing of one’s loyalty to God. It ends all possibility of merit or demerit.”
Stephen looked at Natalie, “They were still alive and active yesterday. Yet, they are laying there so still right now. After tomorrow, I won’t be able to see them again.”
“The people we hurt are always the closest to us. Because only those who really care about us could potentially be hurt by us. Why do we have to self-ruin and hurt the people who love us?” Natalie said in a low voice, looking at Stephen.
Stephen looked at Natalie with reddened eyes.
Natalie smiled lightly, “You should try your best to be happy and not let your children worry about you. Perhaps, you should find a wife and give birth to a child. Let your life be busy and meaningful, so that when you die, you could recall the past and remember what had happened each passing day of your life.”
“My daughters were ready to abandon me, how could they worry about me?” Stephen said gloomily.
“In that case, why should you be sad for someone who didn’t want you? Taking care of your health is the most important thing right now. You need to stay up later tonight, so I think that you should get some rest now,” Natalie suggested.
Stephen nodded, “I’m really tired. By the way, I have put the painting that you fancied yesterday on the boat. My butler will give it to you when you leave tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stephen.”
“I should thank you for avenging my son’s grievances, and also exposing the murderer who killed my daughters.” Stephen yawned, “I am sleepy and I’m going to take a nap. Why should I stay up? They didn’t want to see me when they were alive, now that they are dead, it’s all the more reason that they wouldn’t want to see me,” Stephen turned his head, put his hand behind his back, and strode away.
Eli tilted his head and looked Stephen retreating back, “He’s really a strange and moody old man.”
“He’s the only one who knows his own sadness. I’m also feeling a little sleepy. I’ll take a bath later and then go to the study room to take a nap,” Natalie said tiredly.
“Well, I’ll keep you company then,” Eli said.
Natalie nodded and said, “I want to borrow someone else’s room. Please watch the door for me.”
Eli made an OK gesture.
Natalie held her clothes and knocked on Stephen’s door, “Hello, could you please lend me a room with a bathroom to take a bath?”
Stephen pointed to the one near the stairs.
“Thank you,” Natalie and Eli then went in.
Stephen called Jasper immediately, “Hey, don’t you dare say that I was not looking out for you. Go back to your room in three minutes. No earlier and no later, right on the dot, three minutes, understand?”