I patted Gregory’s shoulder and smiled to show that I understood what he was trying to say. “Good boy.”
Frankly speaking, the gold-plated invitation cards were more than enough to show the significance of the Hall family’s art gallery.
A fox wouldn’t give without wanting something in return. When Anthony resigned from the company, Nathaniel didn’t show up. Now that he took the initiative to visit us, he must be up to no good.
Knowing one’s enemy would only benefit in one taking control of the whole situation. While I wanted to understand Nathaniel more, I pondered over the matter for a few seconds before agreeing to it. “Thank you, Nathaniel. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
The man only curled his lips slightly and said nothing in return.
Gregory headed toward the coffee table and took the computer to Nathaniel’s front and asked, “Uncle Nathaniel, there were some errors in the information of computer coding you sent me before. I studied it, but I couldn’t correct them. Can you help me take a look?”
“Of course.” Nathaniel took over the computer and sat down on the couch with Gregory.
Once they focused on the things they liked, they would neglect others as they were absorbed into the world of coding. I was the centre of attention just now, but now, it was as if I was transparent.
Knowing Gregory’s personality, he would be fixated on a matter until the problem was solved. So, I took the bowls and plates to the kitchen and instructed the maid to clean them.
When I exited the kitchen, Audrey was done showering and wanted to ask her brother to play with her. As she walked down the stairs, she kept on calling Gregory’s name, but her enthusiasm was met with indifferent answers from the latter. “Wait, Audrey. I’ll be done in a minute.”
While Nathaniel smiled at the girl and greeted her warmly, “You must be Audrey. I’m Uncle Nathaniel. Do you remember me?”
“Uncle Nathaniel?” Audrey scratched her head and furrowed her brows slightly before shaking her head. “I don’t. Do you know me?”
“Haha…” Nathaniel chuckled and explained with an amiable tone. “Your father is my brother. So, do you understand now?”
“Daddy, brother… oh!” Audrey was so shocked that her lips were curved into a big “O,” and she seemed to want to express her thoughts, but she didn’t make it clear. “I like my brother the most, and you like Daddy!”
Audrey probably thought that Nathaniel was close to Anthony like how it was between her and Gregory.
Suddenly, Gregory stood up and dragged Audrey to the couch at the side. With a serious expression on his childlike face, the child sounded like an adult as he negotiated with the latter. “Wait for me for about 15 minutes. Can you do that?”
Audrey nodded almost immediately and blinked her beautiful eyes. “Sure.”
They were undoubtedly brought out the best in each other.
Seeing how the girl was obedient, Gregory acted like an adult and let out a long breath in relief before running to the other living room. He took Audrey’s favorite doll and shove it into her arms.
Then, he turned to Nathaniel and said, “Uncle Nathaniel, let us continue.”
Nathaniel burst into laughter after seeing his actions and continued discussing the coding with him.
I sat with Audrey and played with her, while glancing at Nathaniel to guess what he was up to, from the look in his eyes to his body gestures.
After observing for a while, I noticed that the man was trying his best to be Gregory’s teacher, completely different from the scheming image I initially thought of him.
He was very attentive when teaching Gregory. However, I didn’t think that the Hall family would believe in the concept of blood was thicker than water.
The Hall family treated Gregory so nicely, and I figured they must have some ulterior motives. There was nothing such as a free lunch in the world.
About ten minutes later, a low deep voice of a man sounded in the living room. “Nathaniel, you’re here.”
I glanced back and saw Anthony at the staircase on the second floor. Then, he started walking down the stairs.
When the two heard his voice, they put down the things they had in their hands and got up together.
“Anthony, I heard that you’ve been unwell recently, so I’m here on behalf of dad and mom for a visit. While I’m here, I might as well spend some time with Gregory,” Nathaniel said.
Anthony didn’t reply and sat down on the couch with his legs folded, giving off an impression of the owner of this house. Then, he spoke slowly, “Are you here for a visit or a confrontation?”
Glimpses of shock flashed across Nathaniel’s eyes. Soon after, a smile returned to his face as he lowered his gaze. “Anthony, you’re overthinking. We’re just worried about you. Father said that you can go on a vacation whenever you want, and you’ll always be the president of the company.”
“How about you?” Anthony didn’t give him the time to breathe and leaned in closer. Looking at him coldly, the man emanated an oppressing aura and said, “You’re the heir of the Hall family, and your ability is on par with me. Don’t tell me you’re not going to use this chance to take action?”
Anthony’s words were exactly what I was thinking. I glanced at him and got ready to watch the show.
Suddenly, a thought flashed across my mind. Could it be he’s venting his anger on the Hall family because of me?
I raised a brow and changed my posture of hugging Audrey to conceal my uneasiness.
Well… Nathaniel can only blame himself for having bad luck.
“Haha…” Nathaniel laughed humbly, as his eyes curled into crescents. “Anthony, stop making jokes about me. I know my capabilities, and Dad said you’re the best candidate to inherit his company. I’m well aware of my shortcoming, so I won’t think of getting what’s not mine.”
“But why did I hear that you’re the one in charge of the Hall family’s assets before me?” Anthony narrowed his eyes and a meaningful smile plastered on his face.
Their gaze met one another’s, and neither of them intended to back down.
Most people showed fear when they faced Anthony, and there were only a few for those who withstood the pressure. Plus, none of them were simple.
However, Anthony emerged victorious in scheming as he could make his opponent give themselves away after exchanging a few words.
The silent confrontation went on for half an hour before Nathaniel was defeated. He averted his gaze from Anthony casually and changed the topic. “Anthony, you should understand that we have little say in a lot of things.”
Before Anthony could give a response, Nathaniel decided to leave. He turned to Gregory and patted on his shoulder before saying, “Granatano experts in programming. I’ve sent some men there to collect information for your references and they would be delivered to me soon. When the time comes, I’ll ask someone to send it here.”
“Thank you, Uncle Nathaniel.” Gregory actually smiled at him while in the past, the child never smiled in front of the others, except to me and Audrey.
Seeing how he was amiable to Nathaniel, I figured they must’ve gotten along well in the past six years.
“It’s getting late. I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb you guys anymore. Goodbye.” With that, Nathaniel headed toward the exit slowly.
His pace was calm and collected.
On the other hand, Anthony fixed his fiery gaze on Nathaniel’s figure until the latter disappeared from his sight. Then, he seemed to be lost in thought.
The expression in the eyes could easily expose what one was thinking.
Perhaps Anthony had no choice but to pretend to lose his memories. However, his acting was way too poor, so he gave himself away many times.
I wanted to tear away the mask he was wearing, to see the secrets it held.
So, I called out to him. “Anthony.”
He turned to me subconsciously as he furrowed his brows in confusion.
“Not only did they decline your resignation, they even send Nathaniel here to visit you. Do you not suspect what John and I said? Maybe the Halls value you greatly, so they were reluctant to let you go.” I looked at him in the eyes and asked seriously, “Maybe I was the one ruining your relationship with them. Are you really not doubting me?”
Upon hearing my words, Anthony lowered his gaze and pondered for a while. Soon, he spoke, “Every relationship we have is related to the benefits that followed, be it close or distant. They are just for beneficial gains. I don’t have the time to determine who is to blame, as all I wanted is to do whatever I want and see the truth I want to know.”
His words were practical, as his tone was indifferent. After saying his words, he went upstairs.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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