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Chapter 94
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Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 95
"That's enough." Gregory's even tone brought the discussion to a close.The other guests, who had been pressing Natalie, finally backed off. But those who knew better recognized the truth."Mr. Sinclair's clearly looking out for Ms. Whitman.""No question about it. Keeping things under wraps is for her own good."They could all see that Gregory wasn't about to let anyone think Natalie's exhibit had only succeeded because of him."At this rate, Ms. Whitman might as well have 'future Mrs. Sinclair' written all over her…"Natalie lowered her gaze, a flicker of pride flashing in her eyes.Theo listened to their conversation, his expression stiffening as his gaze moved to Anathea beside him. Her face stayed as unreadable as ever. From time to time, she made small talk with the industry insiders around her, as if none of it concerned her.His expression tightened further, both at the way she carried on and at the sight of the exchange between Gregory and Natalie.Theo grabbed the me
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 96
"You're too kind, Mr. Wade," Natalie said with a smile as she lifted her glass.Gregory raised his own and took a sip."Let me tell you, Ms. Whitman is remarkable. To pull off that many high-profile exhibitions at her age? She's raising the bar for the entire field!""No doubt about it. Word is, she and Mr. Sinclair went to the same university. And not just any university, a top-tier one. That's some next-level talent.""You're all far too kind," Natalie said with a modest smile before turning to Gregory. "Mr. Sinclair and I may be the same age, but he finished his degree a year ahead of me. I've always admired him!"Two brilliant minds meeting at the top—it was the stuff of true romance.All at once, it seemed obvious to everyone that Gregory and Natalie were meant for each other. After all, who else could possibly match Gregory if not someone like Natalie?And so, eager to win Gregory's favor, they all made sure to sing Natalie's praises."You're just as impressive, Ms. Whitm
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 97
Natalie already had plenty of titles and honors, all adding to the flawless reputation that allowed her to handle any situation with ease.Now, she had fixed her sights on the opening in the local floral design exhibition, determined to be the first to fill it. To succeed, she needed a deeper understanding of the industry.And if she could earn the title of protégé to the nation's most renowned floral artist, her future in the field would look all the brighter.She held her breath, waiting for Aspen's reply. With Gregory's influence behind her, there was little chance Aspen would risk offending him by refusing.The rest of the room, too, watched with open interest.Rumor had it, Aspen's standards for taking on a protégé were so impossibly high that hardly anyone ever made the cut. In all these years, she'd only had one. But that protégé never appeared in public, which left people wondering if Aspen had quietly let them go.So, if Natalie managed to pull this off, there was a good
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 98
"Is that guy still as much of a jerk?" Theo asked, his interest piqued.He'd always had a soft spot for drama."I honestly couldn't tell you if he's still a jerk," Aspen said, her gaze moving across the room before settling on Gregory, her smile carrying a hint of something unreadable. "Mr. Sinclair, what do you think? Is he still a jerk?"The room went silent, the question hanging in the air. No one had expected that, least of all aimed at Gregory. Was he involved in this somehow?At those words, Natalie's expression tightened. A sudden realization seemed to hit her, and she quickly turned her head toward Anathea.Natalie remembered how Anathea had walked in with Evangeline from Eden Studio, which meant she was the floral designer behind "Verdant Blush"!Could Anathea really be Aspen's protégé? If that was true, then everything Aspen had just said had been a subtle jab at her!A cold tension settled on Natalie's face at the thought. But she quickly recovered, a smirk of disdain
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 99
All eyes fell on Anathea. The fact that Aspen complimented and critiqued her meant she was no ordinary person!They'd all assumed Anathea was just another pretty face. Only now did they realize she was the brilliant floral designer whose work at the exhibition had received glowing reviews!The change in their gazes was immediate, their earlier contempt giving way to respect and admiration.As all eyes moved to Anathea, Natalie's hands clenched into fists on her lap. She hadn't anticipated Aspen publicly cautioning her while treating Anathea with nothing but warmth!Resentment burned in Natalie's gaze. She darted a look at Gregory, reading his response. He barely glanced at Anathea, his face indifferent, as if she were utterly insignificant.Only then did Natalie exhale in quiet relief, though her glare at Anathea grew sharper with bitterness.Meanwhile, a ripple of emotion passed through Anathea's eyes at Aspen's words. She remained still until she noticed Aspen had left. After a
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 100
"Ms. Langley…" Anathea murmured, her eyes pricked with tears."Call me if you have issues with the floral design. So what if I said I was busy? You should've kept pushing until I made time. You'll never get anywhere being this sensitive," Aspen chided.Embarrassed, Anathea nodded earnestly. "Understood. Thank you, Ms. Langley.""Don't thank me yet. Thank me when you've got something to show for it. Anyway, I've got places to be. I can't stand around talking all day," Aspen said with a faint smile.The elevator chimed as it reached their floor, the doors parting.At that moment, Gregory walked out of the private room and noticed Aspen, Anathea, and Evangeline together.Aspen caught sight of him but barely spared him a glance before shifting her attention back to Anathea. "Look, I know you might not want to hear this, but I've got to say it anyway."Anathea raised her eyes."Why bother holding onto a jerk like that? What's he good for?" Aspen didn't mince words.Anathea was caug
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 101
"What?" Shock colored Evangeline's face as she confronted Natalie. "This was not what we originally agreed on, Ms. Whitman!"They'd agreed that Eden Studio would be in charge of the floral decorations for the exhibition venue. In return, Natalie would save an exhibition booth for the studio's floral designs. It was a win-win situation!But now, Natalie was axing Eden Studio altogether after using Anathea's work to lure in the crowd! She was outright kicking them down the ladder!"Calm down, Ms. Holstrom," Natalie said softly, her composure a stark contrast to Evangeline's flustered state. "The decision was made after we did a thorough assessment of the upcoming exhibition. Feel free to ask Mr. Sinclair if you don't believe me."Upon hearing this, Evangeline swallowed her burning rage, for she wasn't powerful enough to challenge or cross Gregory. But wasn't he Anathea's husband? Surely he wouldn't go to such ruthless lengths!Evangeline subtly tugged on Anathea's dress, prompting
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 102
Anathea couldn't help but laugh when she saw how furious Evangeline looked."How are you laughing at a time like this? Aren't you pissed?" Anyone else would have been fuming and flipping tables if their husband humiliated them just to side with his mistress. And yet, Anathea looked unbothered. Even Evangeline was getting resentful on her behalf."I am pissed." An exasperated smile curved Anathea's lips. "But what can I do about it?"Could she march up to Gregory, grab him by his collar, and demand that he change his mind about removing her floral design? Or could she pull Natalie's hair and warn her to stay in line?There was nothing Anathea could do. Such was the difference that set Gregory and Natalie apart from her.Gregory was in charge of Sinclair Group and was the future head of the Sinclair family. Meanwhile, Natalie had Gregory's unwavering support, and she was unconditionally favored by him and Eleanor. She was also an important business partner of Sinclair Group.As f
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Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 160
"Speed up," Gregory said suddenly.Dexter flinched in surprise and glanced uneasily at the current speed. It was already close to 60 miles per hour."Speed up!" Gregory ordered again."Yes, sir!" Dexter's heart skipped a beat as he pressed down harder on the gas.What was originally a 30-minute drive was cut down to 15.By the time Dexter finally brought the car to a stop, his facial muscles were twitching, and his right foot wouldn't stop shaking.Cyrus looked surprised when he saw Gregory. "Mr. Sinclair?"Gregory rarely came back this early.Gregory stepped out and slammed the car door shut behind him with a loud bang. His heavy footsteps echoed as he strode into the house."When was the last time Anathea came back here?" he asked."About a week ago. She hasn't returned since the day she left." Cyrus was confused. "Is something wrong?"Something was very wrong.That meant ever since that night Anathea had walked out, she hadn't come back. If it hadn't been for that whole
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 159
As Gregory watched Xander's face scrunch up in distress, he was at a loss.Because of his busy work schedule, he rarely had time to spend with Xander. To him, Xander was just someone he was connected to by blood. There wasn't much emotional attachment beyond that.As the CEO of Sinclair Group, Gregory could handle major projects and manage relationships with shareholders and directors with ease, but he had no idea how to handle a crying child. Right now, watching Xander cry so hard, he didn't know what to do.Xander continued sobbing while repeating, "I want Mom! I want Mom! Did I make her angry? Is that why she doesn't want me anymore?"Gregory's head was pounding from the sound of Xander's crying. He glanced at his phone and saw that Anathea still hadn't responded to his message.What was going on with her?A cold anger formed at the edges of Gregory's brow.Could Anathea really be so heartless that she didn't care about Xander at all? If she didn't care about Xander, did that
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 158
Gregory's expression darkened in an instant. He quickly stood up and called the family doctor, Mateo Nielsen, to head over to Xander's location.When they arrived at Natalie's house, they found Xander collapsed on the floor. His face was flushed bright red."Xander!" Gregory rushed forward and lifted him into his arms. When he checked Xander's forehead, he found it burning hot.Xander had a fever."Dad…" Xander weakly opened his eyes. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his whole body ached.Usually, when he felt like this, Anathea would be by his side. She would stay up all night to care for him and check his temperature again and again.He suddenly missed her. "Where's Mom? I want… Mom…"Gregory didn't respond. Instead, he handed Xander over to Mateo, who quickly started checking his temperature and running tests."Mr. Xander has been eating too much unhealthy food lately, which caused an infection and triggered this high fever," Mateo explained. He gave Xander an inject
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 157
Every year on their wedding anniversary, Anathea would cook an entire feast by hand, bake a cake, and wait for him to come home.She'd been a devoted wife, always doing her part to hold the marriage together. That was proof of just how much she cherished it.Gregory's eyes lingered on Anathea's WhatsApp profile picture. It had been taken five years ago on their wedding day by a staff photographer.She was sitting in front of the wedding cake in her wedding dress. With her eyes gently closed, she clasped her hands together as she made a wish.His finger brushed lightly across her serene profile on the screen, as if he could sense the joy she'd been feeling in that moment.He couldn't help but wonder what Anathea had wished for that day. Probably a long, happy marriage with him. Yet they didn't even have a single wedding photo together.Gregory pressed his lips into a thin line.When Anathea prepared all those things on every anniversary, she must've been hoping he'd make even the
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 156
Gregory rubbed his temple.Only now did he realize just how ridiculous and irrational his actions had been. Everything he'd done was completely unlike him. But why?He couldn't make sense of it.As Adrian studied the flicker of emotions on his face, a glint of mischief lit up his eyes. Smiling, he asked, "Greg, wanna guess what I just saw in you?""What?" Gregory frowned. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be anything good.Just as he expected, Adrian said, "A jealous husband. That's what I saw."His words were like a stone tossed into a seemingly calm lake—one that had long been churning beneath the surface. At once, wave after wave stirred in the silence of Gregory's chest.He froze.A jealous husband? Was he jealous over Anathea?The realization hit him like a jolt.As Adrian watched him, he'd already pieced things together in his mind. Gregory's feelings for Anathea weren't just about possessiveness. He likely had had feelings for her for a while now, though he had
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 155
Gregory paused for a moment at Adrian's words. He tightened his grip on his phone and replied coldly, "I'm coming over now."In the garage, the silver-black Maybach gleamed under the lights."Who would've thought this car would end up rear-ending someone like that?" Adrian clicked his tongue. "I remember your driving skills were always top-notch. How could you crash this badly?"Gregory didn't answer, but Adrian didn't need him to. He quickly accessed the Maybach's dashcam footage and saw the scene from the accident."My God, you actually did it on purpose?" Adrian exclaimed. "Greg, you've got quite the temper!"Gregory pressed his lips together. His tone was laced with displeasure as he asked, "You called me here just to show me this?""Of course not." Adrian chuckled. "Let's see what really pushed the usually unflappable Mr. Sinclair to lose control."As he said that, he pushed the laptop toward Gregory and hit the play button.The video showed Anathea and Thomas maintaining
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 154
Gregory liked resilient and tough women, didn't he?As she talked, Natalie casually brought up the "Modern Tranquility" exhibition. "With Ms. Langley's piece anchoring the show, it was a huge success. Looks like it didn't make a difference whether Ms. Jacobson's work was there or not."She said it lightly, but her words were deliberate. The implication was clear—Anathea was replaceable.In reality, once Anathea's work had been taken out, attendance for the exhibition had dropped by nearly half. But Natalie only paid attention to the high-profile guests. Ordinary people didn't count in her eyes.Gregory didn't respond. He remembered agreeing to remove Anathea's piece. He could still recall the look in her eyes back then—stubborn, but faintly pleading. And he'd ignored it.He pressed his lips into a firm line.Natalie tried to continue the conversation, but Gregory leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. He was clearly no longer interested in talking.Seeing this, Natalie fe
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 153
Compared to Theo's agitation, Gregory remained calm. "So? What's the issue? Isn't this exactly what all of you have been pushing for?"Theo was caught off guard.That was true. Both he and Eleanor had repeatedly urged Gregory to divorce Anathea and marry Natalie. But now that Gregory had agreed to take Natalie to the party, Theo had turned around and asked if he even knew the real purpose.It was a little contradictory."I…" Theo opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Still, uncertainty lingered in his voice as he asked, "Have you… really moved on?""Yeah." A flicker of something unreadable passed through Gregory's eyes.Noticing no hesitation in Gregory's response, Theo assumed he was finally getting things back on track. After a reassuring pat on his shoulder, Theo took a seat when Eleanor called them to eat.Natalie was thrilled that Gregory had agreed to attend the party with her. It was as good as acknowledging her as his wife.Delighted, she took the initiative to
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 152
"I asked him to come. It's been a while since we've all had a meal together, and I thought it would be nice to catch up. It's not too much to ask, is it?" Eleanor said, glancing over at Gregory.Gregory's expression stayed neutral. He walked up to her and greeted softly, "Hi, Mom."Eleanor nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips.The harmony they displayed in front of others was in sharp contrast to the tension in the car the other night. It was almost jarring.But neither of them seemed to mind. They wore the masks of a devoted son and a kind mother without missing a beat."Greg, take a look. What do you think of Nat's work?" Eleanor asked.Natalie looked up at him with eyes full of hope. She didn't care what the others said. She only cared about what Gregory thought.Gregory merely glanced over briefly and muttered, "It's fine."The same piece everyone else had raved about got a measly "it's fine" from Gregory. Eleanor's smile froze, and Blake looked just as uncomfortable.
