Chapter 11: Nathaniel Had an Urgent Matter

Through some digging, Zack pieced together the connection between Chelsea and Aurelia. They were actually half-sisters. Aurelia took Helen's last name, while Chelsea went with Norman's. And their family ties were a mess. Especially between Aurelia and the Thompson clan.

Nathaniel had agreed to loan the Thompson Group some cash, mostly out of respect for Chelsea. But then Norman had the nerve to show up at the Bloom Villa and even hit Aurelia. Nathaniel wasn't having any of that; he had to put Norman in his place.

"What did you just say? We had a deal on that loan!" Norman was in shock. His luck had been in the gutter lately. First, he got a serious beatdown and was still nursing his wounds, and now he found out the Heilbronn Group was pulling their investment. He was losing it.

Just then, his secretary, dressed in a black skirt, rushed into the office, looking worried. "Mr. Thompson, there are a bunch of people outside demanding payment. They're threatening to tear the place apart. Please handle this."

Norman felt like the universe was out to get him. 'Why is everything going wrong at once? When did my bad luck start? Oh yeah, the day I hit Aurelia. Is she getting back at me? But that can't be! Even though she's Nathaniel's wife, she's got no real power, just a trophy wife in the Heilbronn family. Plus, Chelsea said Nathaniel loves her and doesn't care about Aurelia. He only married Aurelia to keep Reed happy. So even if I did hit her, Nathaniel wouldn't come after me for it. So why is the Heilbronn Group mad at me? I need to figure this out.'

Even though Norman was Chelsea's dad, he didn't have Nathaniel's direct number, so he had to call Zack.

Seeing Zack's name flash on his phone, Norman's heart pounded. After a few rings, Zack picked up, his voice calm. "Hello, Mr. Thompson. What can I do for you?"

Norman, who had just been barking orders at his secretary, suddenly turned meek. "Mr. Clark, Mr. Heilbronn had agreed to invest in us. Why did he back out?"

Zack was silent for a moment. It was clear Nathaniel was standing up for Aurelia. Instead of answering directly, Zack said, "Mr. Thompson, maybe you should think about what you've done recently."

"I just hit Aurelia a few days ago. Mr. Heilbronn wouldn't retaliate for her, would he? I'm Chelsea's father. Would he really go against me for Aurelia?" Norman asked.

Zack's tone turned icy. "Mr. Thompson, watch your mouth. That's Mrs. Heilbronn you're talking about, not someone you can insult."

With that, Zack hung up, clearly pissed. 'What kind of person does that?! Poor Mrs. Heilbronn, stuck with a father like that. But who gave them the idea they could push her around? Oh, right, it's Mr. Heilbronn. If he had always valued Mrs. Heilbronn, people would naturally respect her. But he never paid her any attention, so no one else does either. In the end, it's all on Mr. Heilbronn.' Zack sighed heavily, thinking, 'Mr. Heilbronn really doesn't know how to handle relationships.'

Norman, still reeling from being hung up on, was in shock. 'Nathaniel is too ruthless. How dare he treat me like this? Isn't he worried I won't let Chelsea marry him? No, Nathaniel has to marry Chelsea. If I can't handle this, I'll get Chelsea to do it.' With that thought, Norman quickly called Chelsea.

He said, "Chelsea, can you ask Nathaniel for a favor? If the Heilbronn Group doesn't invest in the Thompson Group soon, we're going to run out of cash and lose the company. You don't want to see me go bankrupt, do you?"

"Dad, don't worry. I'll call him right away," Chelsea replied.

When Chelsea called, Aurelia had just gotten her wounds re-bandaged. Nathaniel glanced at Aurelia and then stepped into the hallway to take the call. "Chelsea, what's up?"

"Nathaniel, where are you? I miss you," Chelsea said.

Nathaniel chuckled softly. "I'm outside, a bit busy."

"I heard from my dad that you pulled the investment from the Thompson Group. Is that true? Why, Nathaniel?" Chelsea asked.

Nathaniel's face darkened. "Chelsea, you know I mean what I say. Your dad crossed the line. I didn't destroy him completely out of respect for you. Don't bother pleading for him; it won't work."

Nathaniel actually used the word "line"; Aurelia was his line! Chelsea's eyes burned with jealousy, but she kept her voice sweet and understanding. "I understand. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll let my dad figure it out himself."

"Good girl."

Chelsea knew Nathaniel rarely changed his mind. If she kept pushing, it would only strain their relationship, which she couldn't afford. So she switched tactics. She coughed twice, clutching her chest and pretending to be very weak.

"Nathaniel, my chest hurts. Can you come see me? I'm so uncomfortable and scared. Am I going to die?" Her pitiful voice tugged at Nathaniel's heartstrings.

"Don't worry. I'll be right there."

Chelsea wanted to say more, but Nathaniel had already hung up, leaving her with a series of busy tones. But it didn't matter. Nathaniel had promised to come, so he would definitely come.

Chelsea hummed a little tune as she stood in front of her wardrobe, carefully picking out clothes, excited about seeing Nathaniel soon.

She tried on outfit after outfit, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling. Each piece showed off a different side of her, from elegant dresses to casual T-shirts, but none of them felt quite right.