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Chapter 5

Author: Cantaloupe
Natasha briefly greeted the board of directors before hanging up.

"How are my parents doing? It's been three years since I last saw them. I don't know whether …" She looked at Zack.

"They're fine, so you don't need to worry about them. Why didn't you think about how they'd fare when you insisted on marrying into a nondescript family like the Graysons?" Zack smirked and teased.

"Alright, that's enough," Natasha retorted. "Let's go. I'm sleepy."

She'd been in a good mood after leaving the Graysons, but it was gone now. Zack's tongue was as sharp as ever.

They didn't take long to arrive at a lavishly decorated villa.

Natasha's mood had recovered. She washed up, deciding to head to the mall to buy some daily necessities tomorrow. She'd left everything she owned at the Grayson Villa. As people always said, out with the old and in with the new. After that, she'd go check out the real estate.

Joshua received a call from Natalie.

"Josh, I'm back," she said daintily.

Joshua's heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice. It had been a long time. "Send me your location. I'll pick you up."

After hanging up, he gave Ella a look. She immediately understood what he meant and said respectfully, "Go ahead and pick Ms. Lovelace up, Mr. Grayson. I'll watch over Mr. Grayson Senior."

Despite her words, Ella wondered why Natalie had suddenly returned. What would happen to Natasha now that Natalie was back?

20 minutes later, Joshua's Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the airport. The headlights shone brightly as the bodyguards stood in two neat rows by the car. Joshua got out.

Natalie saw him immediately. He stood with the lights behind him, and they framed him. He was as handsome as ever, and the air around him was as cold as always.

She beamed when she saw him approaching her, but upon close scrutiny, there was no hiding the vague uneasiness and diffidence in her eyes. "Josh, you're here. I've missed you so much!"

Her sudden departure three years ago must've upset Joshua. Natalie didn't know how Joshua would treat her now that she was back.

Joshua looked at her familiar face. His expression softened a little, and he was about to say something when her actions made him falter.

Natalie seemed to have some trouble maintaining her balance. She wavered, looking weak. "My head hurts, Josh."

Joshua was about to question her, but he forgot about that when he saw how weak she was. "Let's get you into the car."

A bodyguard hurried forward to open the car door for Natalie. Then, he helped her inside.

She'd yet to settle into her seat before throwing her arms around Joshua. Her voice was shaky as she said, "I thought I wouldn't ever see you again, Josh. I missed you every day that I was abroad."

She tightened her hold on him as if afraid he would push her way. She continued, "Don't worry, Josh. I'm not going anywhere now that I'm back. Back then, I left without a word because my mother was gravely ill and without anyone to care for her.

"She's gone now …" Natalie lowered her head as tears filled her eyes.

Joshua's heart ached at her teary explanation. He couldn't bring himself to say anything else. He wrapped a strong arm around her slender back and patted her consolingly.

When he saw that she was still weeping, he tenderly wiped her tears away. "It's fine, Natty. You still have me. From now on, the Grayson family will be your family."

After that, Joshua gave Natalie a gift box. It was exquisite, and Natalie realized it was rather heavy when she accepted it.

She opened the box carefully to see a necklace inside. There was a blue diamond pendant the size of a fingernail inside, and several smaller diamonds were framing it. It gleamed even in the dim lighting.

Natalie's breathing hitched. This necklace would've cost several million dollars at the very least. Her palms grew clammy.

It seemed the rumors were true. Not only had Joshua become the heir to the Grayson family, but he'd also brought the company back to life when it had earlier been on the brink of bankruptcy. It seemed the company was doing even better than before.

Natalie's innocent smile became even brighter.

"This is a gift to celebrate your return, Natty. Welcome home." Joshua took in Natalie's joyful expression and gazed at her tenderly.

"Thank you, Josh!" Natalie relaxed when she saw the tenderness in his gaze. She linked arms with him and said, "Let's head home."

They arrived at one of the apartments owned by the Grayson family.

"Grandpa's not in the best of health now, and Ella can't care for him alone. You can stay here for the time being; I'll take you over to the villa when Grandpa's doing better." Joshua held Natalie's hand. His tone was somewhat cajoling.

He helped Natalie out of the car. She seemed to still be unsteady on her feet. It was as if a strong gust of win would be able to bowl her over.

"Okay. Don't worry about me, Josh. I can take care of myself." She held Joshua's hand tightly. Her gaze was gentle and frail; it made one's heart ache.

"You must've neglected yourself while caring for your mother abroad. You seem to be doing worse than before," Joshua said.

He draped a shawl from the car's backseat over Natalie's shoulders. "I want you to recuperate here. I've been quite busy with work lately, so I won't have time to care for you. That's why I chose a few capable maids from the Grayson Villa for you."

Natalie looked thoughtfully at the shawl around her shoulders. There was an unfamiliar scent on it. She didn't let her thoughts show, though. Instead, she smiled gently. "Do what you need to do, Josh. I'm not a child anymore."

Joshua held her, his heart going out to her.

After he left, Natalie sat down by the bedside and quickly whipped the shawl off. Then, she flung it onto the floor, looking disgusted.

It had to belong to Natasha. That despicable scent got on her nerves!

After a while, she beckoned to the housekeeper, Gina Lambert, and held her hand with a sweet smile. "Gina, can I see a photo of Ms. Sullivan?"
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  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 696

    He didn't know where this sense of loss came from, but it hung over Joshua like a low-pressure system and seemed impossible to dispel. His expression visibly darkened. Yet, he seemed to want to maintain his dignity and didn't want Natasha to discern his sense of loss. So Joshua pursed his lips, forcefully suppressing the feeling and putting on a blank expression. He seemed indifferent to Natasha's proposed condition."How about it? Does Mr. Grayson need more time to consider?" Natasha sat calmly in her chair, tilting her head slightly. She was confident this time that Joshua would definitely agree. Although she felt a bit uneasy about using Philip's life as leverage against Joshua, she believed it was the best option at the moment. Given Joshua's personality, using trivial things as leverage wouldn't pose any threat to him. Besides family members' lives, everything else was insignificant to him. She had no other choice.As Natasha spoke, her eyebrows furrowed lightly, and her

  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 695

    As soon as Joshua heard Natasha mention there were conditions, he instantly had a bad feeling. Although Natasha didn't explicitly state the conditions, Joshua understood that they definitely wouldn't be easy."What conditions are you talking about?" He propped his chin up with his hand, looking at Natasha seriously.Natasha smiled and raised her lips. "What are the conditions? You should know."Joshua was slightly stunned. He knew what the conditions were?He furrowed his brows earnestly, trying hard to figure out what conditions Natasha was talking about.Could it be…"Are you trying to make it a condition to drive Natalie away from the Grayson Villa?" Joshua raised an eyebrow. Considering recent events, Joshua couldn't think of any other conditions.As soon as this was said, Natasha was momentarily dumbfounded.What was he talking about?Natasha tried to find a word to describe Joshua's thoughts, but after a long time, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Joshua's train of

  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 694

    Natasha blinked her eyes. It seemed that Joshua was anticipating her rejection in advance."Since you can enter the Sullivan residence, your relationship with them must be extraordinary."It's not like people with Joshua's and Natalie's status could enter. But Natasha could, which undoubtedly indicated that she still had something to hide from him."Since you have this relationship with the Sullivans, helping Grandfather should be a simple matter."As soon as these words came out, Natasha sneered, "Simple matter?""Although I do have some connection with the Sullivans, it's not to the extent where I can freely arrange the Sullivans miracle worker's schedule."The position of the Sullivan's miracle worker is well-known. Since you are aware of it, you shouldn't say such things. You're overestimating me."Natasha was blatantly lying and trying to deceive Joshua."Someone with the status of the Sullivan's miracle worker would only save someone if he wanted to. If he doesn't have th

  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 693

    As soon as Joshua said the name "Jacob", Natasha felt like her throat was being choked, and was unable to breathe properly.Her breathing became somewhat erratic."What's wrong? Do you know him or not?" Joshua spoke, narrowing his eyes. His pupils contracted, and he looked sharp and almost menacing.It seemed like any slight movement from Natasha couldn't escape his gaze."I…" Natasha began.She seemed a bit hesitant but also seemed not at all. Finally, she calmly spoke, "I don't know him.""Don't know him?" Joshua raised an eyebrow.He seemed somewhat incredulous, repeatedly confirming, "You really don't know him?"Natasha nodded, her expression very firm. "I don't know him."She looked somewhat puzzled, her tone confused as she asked, "Who is Jacob? Is he also from the Graysons?"Joshua stared at Natasha motionlessly, as if trying to find a flaw on her face.But Natasha remained calm. Her expression was very normal and without any flaws.Joshua stared for a long time. Eve

  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 692

    "Please help us remove all these dishes and replace them with some new ones." Natasha pointed to the dishes on the table.The waitress was startled, instinctively asking, "Is there any problem with these dishes? Please point them out, and we will correct them immediately."Natasha smiled gracefully. "No, there's nothing wrong."It was just that these dishes accidentally touched Joshua's nerve."Is it because the dishes don't suit your taste?" the waitress continued to inquire."Not really." Natasha shook her head.Although, she hadn't even taken a bite. She didn't even know if these dishes were good or not.If Joshua's gaze hadn't been so intimidating, she would have tried them so as not to waste them.Next time, she had to bring Austin to try the dishes at this restaurant."So what's wrong with these dishes? We can convey your feedback to the kitchen, or we can replace them with new dishes for you free of charge. Would that be acceptable to you?" the waitress asked.The wait

  • Who's the Substitute Now?   Chapter 691

    Joshua had been the president for a long time, and his whole demeanor was daunting, seemingly suffocating others with his pressure.Natasha sat in her seat. Even if she deliberately avoided looking up at Joshua, she could still feel the scalp-tingling sensation.His gaze was just too sharp. She couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to."Uh… Didn't you just say you don't like these dishes? Do you want them all removed?" Natasha awkwardly changed the subject."I'll listen and remove it now. I'll call the waiter in to take them away." After saying that, Natasha lowered her gaze and pressed the button on the table to call the waiter outside on standby.Joshua remained silent. His gaze fixed on Natasha without wavering.It made Natasha feel even more trapped.Her mind was already in a mess at the moment. She regretted that she had spoken too hastily earlier without thinking.She had never let slip of anything during her time in the Grayson Villa.What was happening now? Just a few

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