“So… did you come here today just to obliterate my final chance?” Allen’s face darkened.
“There is one more thing. I would still like to ask for your favor to help Eli. If you have any conditions, just tell me, and I will try my best to fulfill it,” Natalie Wheeler raised her chin and said with determination.
“What if I asked you to stay with me for a year?” Allen asked.
Natalie was silent for a moment.
Allen chuckled, “I’m joking. That’s not something I would want to do, to force my dream girl to do something which she clearly doesn’t want to do. Don’t worry, I’ll still help you without any conditions. I just hope that we could still be friends. I still remember you said that you were going to cook for me.”
Natalie looked at him gratefully.
Allen rubbed her hair and said, “Actually, I’ve thought a lot over the past few days. I know the reason that you wanted to date me was not that you liked me. You have too many thoughts and misgivings and that may include some exploitation. But, you really did attract me.”
“I wanted to get rid of some people, so I thought it would be better to get myself a boyfriend. Thus, I chose you,” Natalie explained.
“You’re so wonderful, strong, brave, kind, righteous, smart and pretty, but I only have a gorgeous appearance and a flashy background, plus I’m not in good health,” Allen said sadly.
“I’ve cut my wrist, poisoned myself, and jumped into the sea so that I could kill myself. I went through plastic surgery and changed my face. I even got married twice. I changed my name and tried to start my life again. So, I am not as wonderful as you think I am. I have never been generous, not even towards my own father. Allen, thank you for agreeing to help Eli. If you are in trouble one day, I will do my best to help you,” Natalie promised.
“Since you could tell me all this, I guessed you have already accepted me as your friend. Thus, I won’t let you down. All your secrets are safe with me. I will do my best to help you too if you are in trouble,” Allen promised with a smile.
Natalie leaned over and hugged Allen, “Thank you, and, sorry.”
“As I said, you don’t need to say sorry to me forever. Everything I’ve done is out of my own will,” Allen said in a low voice.
Natalie let go of Allen, the words that she wanted to say all remained in silence.
She thanked him for his help, his efforts, and for not asking for anything in return.
“I’ll get off the car then,” Natalie said.
“Let me know a day in advance before your friend comes to France,” Allen said with some sadness in his eyes.
“Okay.”
Allen smiled slightly and said, “I’ve already booked a room for you, and the room number is 1809. Although we couldn’t be a couple, we could still be friends, right? Please let me do my best as a host, is that okay?”
“Okay. I’ll go upstairs and put my luggage in the room,” Natalie pushed the door open and got out.
Allen also got off the car and helped her to take her luggage, “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Are you really only staying for a day?” Allen was a little disappointed, “There are a lot of famous attractions in Paris that one could never finish visiting within a day. Where do you want to go the most?”
“Do you have any recommendations?”
“If you are not too tired, then I’ll take you to a place after you put your luggage in the room,” Allen said with a smile.
Natalie nodded, “Okay.”
…
Allen drove for two and a half hours and finally arrived in front of a chapel.
“This chapel was built with the inspiration of the Royal Chapel. Behind the church is a mini version of the Palace of Versailles. People can eat, ride horses, and play golf here,” Allen explained.
Natalie got out of the car and looked around, “It’s a very distinctive French chapel, but there are only a few people here.”
“This place belongs to my grandmother, so it’s not open to the public.”
“Huh? Your grandmother?” Natalie had a strange feeling in her heart.
It seemed inappropriate if she were to meet Allen’s family with their current relationship.
Allen could tell that Natalie was worried, so he said, “Don’t worry, my grandmother really wants to see you, but she respects me and the decisions I make. I will explain our relationship to my grandmother. In addition, my grandmother has a good friend from A Country. She must be very happy to see you coming from A country.”
“But, I didn’t bring any presents for her,” Natalie was not used to visiting another’s family without bringing anything.
“You’re the best present she could have. You just have to chat with my grandmother,” Since Allen had said so, it would be rude for her to just leave.
Allen took her to the Mini Palace of Versailles through the chapel. When they walked into the magnificent hall, she saw an old woman making tea alone.
“Grandma, this is Natalie, my friend from A country,” Allen introduced with a smile.
“Are you from A country?” Allen’s grandmother looked at Natalie with a smile and said lovingly, “That’s good. Tatiana is from A country as well.”
“Nice to meet you, Grandma,” Natalie greeted respectfully.
“Come here.” Allen waved to Natalie and said to the servant, “Bring me the photos.”
Natalie looked at Allen awkwardly and walked over to his grandmother.
Allen’s grandmother looked at Natalie with a smile, “Allen has talked about you before. He said that he wanted to break off the engagement and marry you. I think that you’re a good person. I’ve decided to break off the engagement.”
“Er…” Natalie turned to look at Allen again.
“Grandma, Natalie and I are just friends, but the engagement still needs to be canceled,” Allen explained.
“What? Didn’t you say that you liked her and wanted to marry her last time? I’m not that old yet, I still remember it,” His grandmother said calmly.
“I have overthought the last time. I have promised to be friends with Natalie. Anyway, Grandma, Natalie is a guest,” Allen quickly changed the subject.
Allen’s grandmother understood. She sighed and smiled at Natalie with regret.
The servant then brought the album over to them.
Allen’s grandmother opened the album yearningly and pointed to a photo of a woman in a traditional Victorian dress and said, “This is Tatiana.”
Natalie was shocked.
This woman looked exactly like her mother…
“Tatiana is also a poor woman. At that time, she followed her husband to France and left her children under the care of her parents. Her parents took the child to find her but unfortunately, they perished in an earthquake on their way here.” Allen’s grandmother explained.
“Are they all dead?” Natalie was in a trance, “Does she still have any relatives alive?”
Allen’s grandmother shook her head, “She couldn’t give birth to a baby. Later, her husband married another wife and gave birth to a son and a daughter. However, it had nothing to do with Tatiana. Tatiana was depressed and she passed away in her forties. She was my best friend.”
Natalie lowered her head.
Her mother was an orphan and she looked extremely similar to the woman in the photo. She might be the child who survived the earthquake. However, since Tatiana was dead and her mother had gone crazy, it seemed that there was no need to reconnect them again.
At that time, Wilson Chuck had abandoned Celine Grace because she was an orphan and had no prominent family background.
If Celine had not been separated from her parents, she would have become a noblewoman at that time. She would not have been abandoned, nor would she have gone crazy in the end.
Unfortunately, there were no ‘if’s in the world, and time could never be reversed.
Hence, she ought to be cautious in every step she takes in the future. Very, very cautious…