Natalie Wheeler looked into his starry eyes, as if she was being sucked in.
Rationally, she should refuse, but her heart was being tugged in the opposite direction.
She had always wanted to go on a trip with him, but she never had the chance. Could she go this time?
The sentence, “There’s no one there who knows you and me,” hit the spot where she was most moved.
“How long will we be there?” Natalie asked.
Jasper smiled. “It’s up to you. If you want to go longer, I’ll accompany you for a few more days. If you want to come back, then I’ll come back with you.”
These words put all her worries at ease.
“Okay, then, let’s not meet each other tonight to avoid other’s suspicion. See you in Amsterdam,” Natalie replied.
Jasper lowered his head and kissed her on her lips deeply. The joy in his eyes was not hidden, he said softly, “See you there.”
After Jasper left, she checked out from the room and went back to pack up her luggage.
Now that the cooperation was successful, Eli’s travel plans were approaching. It was time for her to talk to Allen.
On the way back, Natalie booked a flight to Paris for that night without telling Jasper.
At 9 p. m., she arrived at the lounge of the airport. She calculated the time and realized that X Country was seven hours ahead of Paris. It was 9 p. m. here, so it should be 2 p. m in Paris.
Natalie called Allen.
Allen answered and said with a smile, “Have you had dinner?”
“Yeah, I have booked a flight to Paris. I will arrive tomorrow morning,” Natalie said directly.
“Really?” Allen was excited.
“I have something to talk to you about,” Natalie said apologetically.
Allen’s eyes darkened, but he still responded with self-restraint, “Well, are you taking the plane at 9:50 p. m. in X Country?”
“Yes,” Natalie replied.
“Call me when you arrive. I’ll pick you up at the airport,” Allen said gently.
“Okay.”
Natalie hung up the phone and went to the pantry to get some water. She took a disposable cup, poured half a glass of cold water, and mixed in some hot water.
“I saw you from afar. I thought I had mistaken you as someone else. Are you going to Paris?” Frederick’s voice rang out all of a sudden.
Natalie turned to look at him, and her eyes were calm. She nodded and said, “Mr. Addington, are you going back to the country?”
Frederick’s face looked a little strange, “Do you want to hear my story?”
Natalie chuckled and she glanced at the time, “My plane will take off at 9:50 p. m. and I should board about 20 minutes before that. You have half an hour.”
Frederick also smiled bitterly, “You really are not her. She is harsher than you, and she would never have given me a chance to talk for half an hour.”
“Are you talking about… Stella Grace?” Natalie asked.
Frederick Addington nodded, “She is my wife.”
Natalie raised the corner of her mouth, “Jasper said that she is his wife.”
“She married me first, and then we divorced. Then, she married Jasper. However, they also divorced, so she is free now,” Frederick explained.
“Sounds like an interesting and complicated story, but…” Natalie paused, “Forgive me for speaking frankly, you seemed like you’re not as infatuated as Jasper is. At least he has stayed single until now, but for you… Your private life is quite unacceptable.”
“If she comes back, I won’t behave like this for sure.” Frederick smiled bitterly, “I also think that I’m not a good person.”
“A man’s loyalty is not shown during moments of intimacy, but when he has to stay alone in an empty room. Mr. Addington, it is obvious that you can’t do it. Many men also go out to look for other women while their wives are pregnant. For them, the fault is on the woman as they couldn’t satisfy them. Do you really think that it’s the woman’s fault?” Natalie said with a smile.
Frederick’s eyes darkened, “So, I’m destined to not get the woman I love, right?”
“Mr. Addington, I don’t think you understand what love is. I think that you don’t love Stella. If you love her, it must be from the bottom of your heart. Even if other women were naked and standing in front of you, you would think that once you have sex with them, you would be betraying Stella’s trust, and you would restrain yourself. But obviously, Mr. Addington, you can’t do that,” Natalie said calmly.
“It’s just my way of escaping reality. I want to forget her and find other substitutes, but I can’t seem to forget her.”
“It’s not because of love that you can’t forget her, but for other reasons.
For example, you couldn’t get her. Or maybe you are hurt or you are just unwilling to give up.
What people remember for their whole life is not love. Love is forgettable. It is something that would deplete as time passed.
Usually the more time we spend with our loved ones, the more we forget how to love them.
On the contrary, resentment and hurt will be remembered for one’s whole life. If you wake up every day filled with resentment, and you will repeat the process of feeling that resentment every day. Therefore, your resentment is the thing that you will remember most deeply,” Natalie explained.
“Then how can I forget my resentment? I live a painful life every day. Perhaps, it’s more suitable to say that it’s better to die than to live,” Frederick said sadly.
Natalie smiled, “You can change your life by filling it with more meaning. For example, your childhood dreams or your career. You could also start by acknowledging the kindness around you with your heart, or perhaps you should find a suitable woman to have a good relationship with. It’s hard to let go, but when you could let go one day, you will finally find happiness. Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?”
“In that case, is it alright if I pursue you? I promise that those absurd things in the past will not happen again, and I will start over fresh,” Frederick seemed to be sincere.
“No.” Natalie refused directly, “Because I have a boyfriend. Sorry, you should find a girl without a boyfriend. The wrong beginning will be just another root of the pain.”
“Do you mean Allen? He won’t marry you, I guarantee it,” Frederick said with certainty.
“It has nothing to do with you whether he will marry me or not,” Natalie took a sip of water.
Frederick looked at her and he did not leave, “Did Aneira cooperate with you in the end? Or did she choose to cooperate with Jasper instead? I think he also went to Aneira’s manor this morning.”
“I think you should know who my boss is. Although Jasper’s family is prominent, the sale of luxury goods is not his forte. Aneira is not stupid, so she should know who she should be working with,” Natalie said meaningfully.
Even if she didn’t say who Aneira was cooperating with, Frederick would also know about it soon. She didn’t have to hide it.
“You are such an excellent employee, I don’t know what conditions should I make in order to poach you,” Frederick said with a smile.
He put on the most sincere and charming smile he could.
Natalie admitted that Frederick was rather handsome.
“I helped Sean because Eli is my friend. I am not his employee. I actually majored in education.”
“Do you need me to introduce you to some jobs then? The director of national education is my friend. I can reach out to him,” Frederick said enthusiastically.