Chapter 4
Upon hearing Ryan’s words, Audrey pulled up a chair and sat across from him at the coffee table.
Unlike his distant demeanor with Nathan and the others, Ryan’s attitude toward Audrey was relatively gentle.
“How did you get the wounds on your body?” Ryan asked.
Audrey responded, “Nathan pushed me, and I collided with a rockery…”
“I’m not asking about the wound on your head,” Ryan interrupted.
Nathan, who was about to return to his room after seeing Amelia off, overheard Ryan. He stepped back to peer through the slightly ajar door.
Audrey’s expression was indifferent. In an even tone, as if discussing someone else’s affairs, she explained, “The Yeomans family wanted me to buy a house, a car, and pay for Adam’s wedding, so we had a fight outside the school.”
Audrey wasn’t lying but wasn’t telling the whole story either.
The Yeomans family’s visit to Sheysea City wasn’t just to find Audrey; they were also looking for her and Adam’s biological mother, Wanda Lambert.
The Yeomans family was furious when they couldn’t find Wanda and found out that Audrey was still attending university instead of working.
Wayne Lambert, Audrey’s biological father, made a scene in the principal’s office, demanding the school refund her tuition fees.
As Audrey wasn’t earning any money, Wayne thought of taking her back to their small town and selling her for a good price to pay for Adam’s marriage.
That was when Audrey stood up against them.
Examining Audrey’s jaw and neck bruises, Ryan’s hand moved thoughtfully on his knee. Without pressing for more details, he leaned forward. His gaze was serious.
“I made an offer eight years ago, and it still stands. If you’re willing to leave Nathan, I can arrange for you to go abroad.”
Audrey looked up and met his penetrating gaze. Her hand was on her knee, tensing and slowly relaxing.
“I know when the Franklin family brought me to Sheysea City, it was to secure investment and long- term support from the Lambert family.
ye
“When you came to see me eight years ago, it was probably because the Franklin family didn’t want their only son with me but couldn’t interfere. So, they turned to the Lambert family, hoping to send me abroad to break my connection with Nathan.”
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Her eyes, clear and puzzled, were framed by furrowed brows. “But now, Nathan has forgotten me and loves another. Sending me abroad doesn’t seem to benefit you.”
“You’re very smart,” Ryan said persuasively, trying to sway Audrey. “Besides the potential benefits, you also share a blood relation with the Lambert family.
The mention of the “Lambert family” made Audrey tense up. “I have no relation with the Lamberts. My existence is proof of living hell on Earth to them. I should never contact them again.
“Even in your current situation, alone and beset with troubles, you still refuse the Lambert family’s help?” Ryan asked. His smooth, persuasive volce calmed Audrey.
She replied, “I’m grateful to the Lambert and Franklin families for allowing me to leave the Yeomans‘ small town and pursue an education. Even if it was due to blood relations, the Lambert family has done enough for me. I don’t want to owe the Lambert family anymore.”
Ryan
remembered when he first met Audrey, her biological grandparents said she was naturally aloof. But he understood her.
Her coldness stemmed from her high morals, kindness, and deep love for her birth mother. Suppressing her longing for familial affection, she made herself an orphan to ease the Lambert family’s conscience.
She chose to stay with the Franklin family.
Audrey was more in line with the Lambert family’s expectations. She truly embodied self–discipline and etiquette.
Ryan adjusted his glasses, then spoke composedly, “The business world is small. Your involvement with Nathan, the young heir of the Sheysea City Franklin family, will inevitably reach the ears of the Lambert family in Mythravia.”
“I won’t have any connections to Nathan. Once the police clear my name and I get the divorce certificate, I’ll leave Sheysea City,” Audrey replied, clutching her clothes tightly.
She didn’t intend to tell Ryan where she was going.
“Are you completely cutting ties with Nathan?”
Ryan’s deep–set eyes, marked by a rugged brow, conveyed skepticism as he leaned back on the sofa. Years ago, you sat across from me just like this. You were adamant that Nathan was more important to you than your own life.”
“That’s not the case anymore,” Audrey replied hesitantly.
The corners of Ryan’s eyes moved subtly as he discreetly observed the composed woman sitting across from him. His lips curled slightly.
Standing at the doorway with his hands in his pockets, Nathan overheard this and tensed up. As he turned to leave, his brows furrowed.
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Audrey had to be persistent about having no more ties with him. She couldn’t hesitate when the time came to sign the divorce papers.
Back in his room, Nathan lay down, overwhelmed.
As he drifted in and out of his dreams, his mind filled with images of walls stained tea–colored by the setting sun, the pleasant fragrance of gardenlas, and a radiant face smiling amidst blooming roses.
He woke up suddenly, unable to control his racing heart. He clutched at his chest as his forehead
broke out in a sweat.
He didn’t want to listen to his past with Audrey as she and their friends had chattered about when she first woke up.
For him, the past was unimportant; his future with Amelia mattered.
He unscrewed a bottle of water and gulped it down, forcing himself to calm down.
“Wait for the police to clear my name. Then, after you publicly apologize, we can finalize the divorce, “Nathan recalled Audrey’s words as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
He couldn’t wait a moment longer. He wanted no further entanglement with her.
The next morning, Nathan prepared to go to the adjacent room to discuss the divorce certificate and public apology with Audrey.
However, as he approached the door, the voice of Lucas Gray came from inside the room. “Jen has been your friend since childhood. Can you bear to see her with a criminal record?
“Besides, she only drugged Nathan’s drink because she supported the both of you being together. She did it to create an opportunity for you and Nathan! She meant well! Why else would she do something did it to create an opportunity fo that brings her no benefit?”
Audrey listened to Lucas’s words, feeling skeptical. Her mind was buzzing.
“Just because it’s ‘for my own good‘ that allows someone to do such despicable acts? To meddle in my life without telling me, turning it upside down? I want to ask her why she would do such a harmful and self–damaging thing!”
Feeling guilty, Lucas replied softly, “She said she was afraid you wouldn’t agree, so she acted on her his birthday, and she was anxious to
own. At the time, Nathan had planned to propose to Amelia o
help you!
“She never expected Nathan would go to such extremes, posting your photos all over the university. Jen was going to explain this to Nathan last night, but nobody expected both of you to end up in the hospital.”
Lucas’s voice was weary as he continued, “Audrey, what about this? You withdraw from the case, and Jen and I will explain it to Nathan.”
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