Chapter 53 Engagement
Natalie's body hadn't fully recovered yet, so the task of seeing off guests fell to Grant and Mason.
As the star of tonight's dinner party, Amelia had no choice but to join them in saying goodbye to the guests.
It was at this moment that Samuel found Natalie.
Looking at the handsome and upright Samuel before her, Natalie couldn't help but feel satisfied with him.
They could have become family, but unfortunately he now had a girlfriend.
However, no matter how satisfied she was with Samuel, she would never do anything to break him and his girlfriend up.
"I know what you want to talk to me about. If it's convenient, shall we sit down?" Natalie said.
After this dinner party, Natalie could barely stand anymore.
Samuel had no objections, of course.
The two sat down in the first-floor lounge.
Just as Natalie was about to pour tea for him, Samuel moved first, saying, "Mrs. Richardson, let me do it."
As he spoke, his slender fingers picked up the kettle and poured water for Natalie first, then for himself.
Natalie felt another pang of regret.
A young man with such good manners was rare in their circle nowadays.
No wonder Quinton praised him to the skies after meeting Samuel just once.
Such a good young man, who had been engaged to the Richardson family—why did he have to fall for someone else?
It must be that fate simply didn't create a connection between him and Amelia.
"Please, have some water," Samuel reminded her gently.
"Alright." Natalie snapped back to reality, smiled slightly, and said, "With so many guests today, we may not have taken proper care of everyone. Please forgive us."
"The hospitality was excellent. It's I who was presumptuous, coming without receiving an invitation. You should be the one forgiving me."
Natalie suddenly remembered that she hadn't sent Samuel an invitation.
She had originally wanted to invite him, but after Amelia told her he already had a girlfriend, she decided against it.
"When Amelia mentioned it to me before, I thought it was quite a shame. But don't worry about your father's side—I'll explain everything to him clearly. Since you two don't have a chance to be together, I won't force it. I'll just pretend the old engagement never existed. Our two families can still maintain regular contact in the future."
This meant she didn't mind him breaking off the engagement.
However, Samuel frowned slightly.
"I wonder what Ms. Richardson told you?" Samuel paused, then added, "I have this problem sometimes—I don't express myself clearly, so Ms. Richardson might have misunderstood something."
Misunderstood?
Natalie hesitated for a moment, then said, "Amelia said you already have a girlfriend, so you couldn't agree to this marriage arrangement and asked her to tell me."
"Girlfriend?" Samuel looked stunned, then said, "I've never had any girlfriend. I've been busy with company matters lately and haven't had time to consider that aspect of my life."
Natalie's eyes widened suddenly.
"You don't have a girlfriend? But Amelia clearly said you already have someone you care about, and that your relationship is very good."
"That might be a misunderstanding on Ms. Richardson's part?"
"But—" Joy appeared in Natalie's eyes. "So you don't have anyone special?"
Samuel nodded. "That's right, I don't."
Natalie's eyes instantly brightened even more.
But she quickly realized that just because Samuel didn't have a girlfriend didn't mean he could accept Amelia.
She carefully chose her words and said tentatively, "Your late mother and I used to be good friends. We got pregnant around the same time, which is why the engagement was arranged."
Samuel nodded slightly.
Natalie was from Thornfield and had lived there until she married Quinton. She and Samuel's mother had been friends since childhood.
However, he had been switched at birth, and by the time he truly returned to the Crawford family, his biological mother had been dead for many years.
Therefore, he had no memory of this, but Stanley had mentioned these past few days that Natalie and his biological mother were good friends.
So looking at Natalie, he inexplicably felt a sense of warmth.
Then he heard Natalie suddenly change the subject: "However, I'm not some old-fashioned person. Arranging engagements for children was popular in our generation, but your generation values free love."
She paused and said, "You now know our family's situation. Because of our connection to the notorious Mayor Magnus, it's no exaggeration to say we've become a target for everyone."
"The reason I brought up this marriage arrangement with your father was simply to protect Amelia's safety."
"You know Amelia's background. This child grew up without our company and suffered greatly in the countryside."
"I don't care what happens to me, but I don't want her to suffer with me."
"So I thought that if you could help her, no one would dare bully her."
At this point, Natalie's eyes reddened.
Samuel pulled out a tissue and handed it to Natalie.
Natalie reached out to take it, then smiled apologetically.
"I lost my composure. I've made you laugh at me."
Samuel shook his head gently. "Mrs. Richardson, your feelings for Amelia—I envy them. I've never experienced what mother's love feels like."
Natalie's hand paused as she wiped her tears. She was silent for a moment, then said, "Your mother was a very, very good person. If she had known you were her son, she would never have let you be left outside."
Samuel nodded.
"I know she was a good person. Otherwise, even knowing my father had an illegitimate son outside, she never did anything about it. If she weren't a good person, I might not even be alive today."
Natalie nodded with red eyes.
"It was her kindness that saved her own son. I believe that in heaven, seeing you as you are now, she must be very comforted."
Samuel's thin lips curved slightly upward.
"Yes."
He had seen his biological mother, though at the time it was in the role of an illegitimate son.
But even though his mother thought he was Stanley's illegitimate child, she never used any schemes against him and even took care of him a few times.
His mother was indeed a very, very good person.
It was just a pity that they never recognized each other while she was alive.
The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.
Natalie took the initiative to lighten the mood, smiled, and said, "I know you came to bring up breaking off the engagement. Don't worry, I won't think that way anymore, and I'll explain it clearly to your father. Using your happiness to exchange for Amelia's safety—I was being somewhat selfish."
"No."
Samuel straightened his back and suddenly spoke: "Mrs. Richardson, Amelia and I have met several times now, and I think she's wonderful."
Natalie was stunned, looking at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious? You're not just trying to comfort me?"
"Of course not. It's just that we shouldn't mention the engagement for now. Amelia doesn't have any feelings for me yet. I think we both need more time to get to know each other. Bringing up the engagement now might make her reject me even more."
Natalie nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, of course."
"But don't worry—even without the engagement, I'll do everything in my power to protect her and make sure she doesn't suffer."
Natalie was about to thank him when the lounge door was pushed open.