Adrian was embroiled in a silent debate with himself. "Could the woman at the engagement party truly have been Natalie?" he wondered. "But how could it be?"
She had a motive, a plan. She had been absent from her elective classes for a fortnight, yet she had made her appearance on the very day he was scheduled to lecture. At the Cullen Villa, too, she had repeatedly drawn his attention with her frivolous and vain behavior.
Despite the effects of the drugged drink, fragments of the night still lingered in his memory. It wasn't that he had been unable to control himself; rather, it was the sensation of Natalie's body against his that had caused him to lose control.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, his eyes snapped open, their depths cold and unfathomable. He reached out, sweeping the documents off the desk before him. His fist clenched, he slammed it onto the desk, the dull sound echoing throughout the room.
He had misjudged Natalie!
Meanwhile, Natalie had spent the morning resting at home until she began to feel better. After lunch, she received a call from Renee.
Upon entering the villa, she was immediately cornered by Renee. Seeing her, Renee stepped forward and demanded, "Natalie, where were you last night?"
In the midst of their conversation, she noticed a love bite on Natalie's pale neck and seized upon it as a weapon. "Well, well, what do we have here? Been hooking up with guys, have you? I always knew someone like you couldn't stay innocent. Just remember, you're masquerading as Ms. Cullen. If you cause any trouble and Mr. Howard finds out, Mrs. Cullen is surely going to punish you good!"
"Is that so? Renee, then it seems I'll have to count on you to keep your mouth shut," Natalie retorted, her voice gentle but her gaze icy.
Renee was taken aback, not expecting Natalie to talk back to her. She hesitated, caught off guard.
Natalie smiled, "You know I'm posing as Ms. Cullen. If this gets out, her reputation could be tarnished too."
"You…" Renee was livid, her face turning beet red with anger, but Natalie's point was irrefutable.
Finally, Renee could only impatiently order, "Mr. Ruben Howard has invited Ms. Cullen to dinner at the Howard Villa. Get ready at once."
Natalie was somewhat panicked.
She thought, "Am I going to face that man so soon again? But I... I'm not ready yet..."
"What are you waiting for? Go get ready this minute!" Renee, irritated, threw a dress at her.
Natalie snapped to her senses and took the clothes to change.
After Natalie had left, Renee hurried to the garden to tattle to Emmett, who was sipping coffee, "Mrs. Cullen, Natalie went out with a man last night and didn't come back. I was just giving her a piece of my mind, and she dared to use Ms. Cullen's reputation to threaten me."
"Oh?" Emmett furrowed her brows.
Although she didn't like Natalie, she could tell that Natalie seemed too timid and not the type to cause trouble.
Renee eagerly continued, "It's true. I saw with my own eyes, she's covered in love bites. I don't even know which guy she's been fooling around with until now."
Emmett scoffed, "The daughter of a servant is undoubtedly trashy!"
She thought, 'Just like her despicable mother! How else could she have even tricked Curtis?
Twenty-three years ago, Rosalie shamelessly tried to seduce Curtis, but thank goodness I found out in time…'
Looking at Renee, Emmett instructed, "By the way, go tell the hospital staff not to waste good medicine on Rosalie. As long as that woman doesn't die, anything should do. Every day they use imported medicine on her, what a waste of money."
Renee understood. "Got it, but what about Mr. Cullen..."
"You just have to be careful not to let Curtis find out," Emmett said, unfazed. She believed that even if she were discovered, she wouldn't be in any trouble.
Rosalie was just a mere maid after all...
The Howard family had extended a very cautious invitation. Even though Emmett wasn't pleased about having Natalie replace Alice, she didn't dare be negligent. She made sure the dress she prepared for Natalie was a good fit, even if the style was completely Alice's.
Natalie applied her makeup heavily again, using thick concealer to cover the hickeys on her neck. Then she put on the diamond pendant that Bella had given her for her birthday.
The pendant was exquisite. Wearing it, she felt a cool and gentle sensation against her skin. The only issue was that the chain was a bit too long. After putting it on, the pendant dropped out of sight beneath her clothing.
Before leaving the house, Natalie took a deep breath.
She had to face whatever was coming, even if Adrian loathed her...