Nevertheless, I was unable to imagine what Nathaniel was going to do to Nick. Despite feeling pessimistic about his fate, I was powerless to do anything.
As for Anthony, Nathaniel had realized that he was none other than a Trojan horse. Therefore, I wondered how many more life-threatening plots Anthony was going to face within the perilous environment he was in.
Consequently, I spent the rest of the day feeling unsettled. When it was close to dinnertime, the sound of a car stopping could be heard.
Now that security at the Featherstone residence was airtight, it could be no one else other than Nathaniel.
Just when he entered and prepared to head upstairs, he saw me pacing back and forth in the living hall. He then put a bag in front of me before taking a seat.
When I glanced at it and couldn’t tell what it was, I asked, “What’s that for?”
“A phone, a bank card, and car keys,” Nathaniel plainly replied.
“And then?” Why is he giving me these?
“The guards outside have been ordered to back down. From today onward, you can go wherever you please,” Nathaniel declared.
My first response was to narrow my eyes and doubt his intentions.
“There’s no need to be surprised. I just felt the need to change my approach. Since you don’t appreciate my way of treating you well, I’ll do it your way instead. I will continue to love you, but you will still have your freedom.” Nathaniel’s gaze was so calm that I couldn’t read his emotions.
Picking up the keys warily, I gave it a closer look. “Are you saying your men won’t follow me like a swarm of flies anymore?”
“No, they will keep their distance and are only responsible for your safety. Also, they won’t interfere with your decisions,” Nathaniel explained.
I nodded in acknowledgment, as I found the arrangement to be reasonable. Pushing my luck, I asked, “Do I only have freedom of movement, or can I also do whatever I want?”
Spreading his hands, Nathaniel leaned back into the sofa. “It’s entirely up to you.”
His answer caught me by surprise, as he was unusually approachable.
Nevertheless, Nathaniel’s mood had always been volatile and could change at a moment’s notice. Therefore, before he changed his mind, I knew I had to take milk it for all it’s worth.
“Fine.” I took the keys boldly, along with the phone and bank card. At the same time, I made a brazen request. “In that case, please bring Gregory over here as I miss him. Only he will do, as he knows you well.”
Just when I headed upstairs with my things, I turned around at the staircase and added, “Go now because I would like to have a meal with him.”
“Sure,” Nathaniel agreed. Before I reached the second floor, he was already gone.
Half an hour later, the phone Nathaniel gave me rang. John had called to check if he was to allow Nathaniel to take Gregory with him. Once he received my confirmation, he ended the call.
Finally, I managed to see Gregory an hour later.
After dinner, I brought Gregory back to the room and stopped Nathaniel by the door with the excuse that we needed some family time.
The moment I closed the door, I wiped away the genial expression I had when facing Nathaniel.
Lowering my gaze at Gregory, who was holding onto a small computer, I brought him to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then, I knelt down and asked seriously, “Sweetheart, how are your computer science studies coming along? Can you check if the room is bugged?”
“Mommy, are you saying that someone is eavesdropping on us?” Gregory was stunned.
As there was no time to explain, I summarized, “That’s right. This will be our secret, and you’re not allowed to tell anyone else. Now, can you do it?”
Gregory nodded. Turning his computer on, he began to type on his keyboard while reassuring me. “Mommy, just wait for a while.”
Given how fast he worked, the furious taps on the keyboard kept pace with my pounding heart.
After a long while, I was finally jolted by Gregory’s elated voice. “It’s done, Mom. There’s no one listening in on us right now.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, I brought him back into the room and handed him my phone. “Can you check if there’s anything suspicious on this phone?”
“Mmm-hmm!” When he noticed that I was in a good mood, Gregory was equally motivated.
After half an hour, he stared at the phone dejectedly.
“What is it, sweetheart? Is it too difficult? “ I walked over and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
“No, Mommy, there’s actually nothing wrong with the phone,” Gregory commented in surprise.
Stunned, I was taken aback at how liberal Nathaniel was this time. “Good to hear that there are no problems. I’m just worried that I had missed something. After doing so much, are you tired?”
“No, I’m not.” Gregory shook his head and looked at me earnestly as if he knew how urgent the situation was. With a serious tone, he asked, “Mommy, is there anything else you need me to do?”
“Good boy.” I tousled his hair with pride. Also, I noticed that he had grown taller after being apart for so long. Now that we had been reunited, I felt guilty for getting him to do work instead of spending quality time with him.
However, the moment I thought about Anthony’s predicament, I steeled my heart. Smiling, I requested, “In that case, Gregory, please help me install a GPS app, and make sure it is undetectable.”
“Sure.” Gregory didn’t say much. He simply nodded and got to work. Once the app was installed, Nathaniel knocked on the room door.
Knock! Knock!
“What is it?” I snapped at the door.
“It’s time to send Gregory back. John isn’t uncomfortable with him spending such a long time with us,” Nathaniel explained plainly. Much to my surprise, he wasn’t angry at all.
On the surface, John and I were still at odds with each other. Hence, it made sense for him to show such concerns.
The second reason was that he knew I had summoned Gregory to act as a messenger.
After giving it some thought, I replied, “I understand. I’ll get him changed right away. You can wait downstairs.”
Soon, I heard the footsteps outside the door gradually soften until silence returned.
While helping Gregory change, I spoke to him in a voice only audible to both of us. “Sweetheart, if you have the opportunity to contact Daddy, tell him to stir up the situation further. Do you understand?”
When Gregory stared at me with his eyes widened, I wasn’t sure if he got it entirely. Nevertheless, he reassured me, “Mommy, trust me, I won’t let you down.”
When I saw how sensible Gregory was, it filled my heart with a sense of security, probably due to my maternal instinct. Suddenly, everything that I had suffered didn’t seem to matter much anymore.
Suppressing the reluctance in me, I hugged Gregory again before leading him downstairs.
Despite having waited for a long time, Nathaniel remained calm as he gestured for Gregory to go over. “I’ll send you home.”
Gregory glanced at me and then at Nathaniel before walking out the door.
With his hand awkwardly stuck in mid-air, Nathaniel was caught off-guard. In spite of that, he retracted it in silence.
In truth, children usually had good intuition. Despite not being unaware of the situation, they could differentiate who to approach and to avoid.
Obviously, I didn’t say anything about it to Gregory. After all, he still had to spend half an hour alone in the car with Nathaniel.
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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