Chapter 42
Amiddle–aged man stood by the counter, holding a young woman in his arms.
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Natalie recognized him immediately. It was Hugh. And the woman clinging to him? There was no doubt who she was.
In Natalie’s mind, Hugh had always been the perfect husband and devoted family man, or at least, that was the image he’d sold everyone. But this scene shattered everything she’d believed.
He’d played the role of the doting husband and father so convincingly, but it was all just a cover. The truth was that he was nothing but a cheating bastard.
How ironic.
Natalie stopped abruptly and said casually, “Excuse me. I’ll just pop into the restroom first.”
The sales associate cheerfully pointed the way. “No problem, ma’am. Just turn right, go all the way down, and then take a left.”
Natalie turned right, but instead of heading to the restroom, she slipped into a quiet corner, pulled out her phone, and aimed it straight at Hugh and the young woman, Rita Cheney.
“Darling, I’d really love those luxury wellness kits. Would you get them for me?” Rita asked sweetly, fluttering her lashes at Hugh.
Hugh didn’t know much about those kits. To him, they just seemed like a waste of money.
“A single kit costs as much as a designer purse. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a new purse?” he asked.
Rita immediately dropped his arm, her face twisting into a pout. “You think I’m getting them for myself? They’re for your son! Fine, forget it. It’s your child who’ll suffer, not me.”
The second she threw her little tantrum, Hugh caved. “Oh, come on, I was just joking. Sweetheart, I’ll get you whatever you want, okay? Don’t be mad.”
Then, he turned to the sales associate and said in a commanding tone, “Pack up every luxury wellness kit you have. We’re taking
all of them.”
Hearing this, Rita finally brightened. “Now that’s what I like to hear! You promised me everything except the title of Mrs. Spencer.”
These days, Hugh was no longer just some nobody who’d lucked into money from urban redevelopment. He was a man of status now–part of high society–and a stable family was the perfect asset.
That meant he wouldn’t divorce Daphne so easily. But Hugh also wanted another son to carry on his legacy, which was why he needed to keep a younger woman like Rita around.
He didn’t see anything wrong with it. Wasn’t that every man’s dream? He just happened to be one of the few who could actually pull it off.
Once Rita was properly appeased, Hugh led her out of the wellness store.
Natalie stepped out from the corner and waited, watching as Hugh and Rita drove away before finally tucking her phone back into her bag.
The sales associate’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Ma’am, would you still like to see those products?”
Natalie nodded. “Yes, please.”
The whole thing took over ten minutes, but luckily, she wasn’t late
Shane stood outside the hotel, anxiously craning his neck. The moment Natalie stepped out of the car, he rushed over. “Oh, thank goodness, you’re finally here! I was starting to think aliens abducted you.”
Chapter 42
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Natalie popped the trunk and handed him a gift box. “Yeah, I had to battle a whole spaceship just for you. I barely made it back to Earth in one piece.”
Shane grinned as he turned the gift box over in his hands. “Nat, you didn’t have to get my mom anything. This must’ve cost a fortune,”
Natalie tucked the receipt into his pocket with a smirk. “Don’t worry about it. Just be sure to pay me back.”
Shane froze, blinking at her like a wide–eyed college freshman.
Natalie burst out laughing at his expression. “What’s the matter, shane? Where did that grin go? Or are you just not the smiling type?”
With that, she strode ahead, still grinning.
Frustrated beyond belief, Shane rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. “Nat, is it too much to ask for you to act decent just once?”
Of Natalie’s five senior apprentices, Shane was the one she spent the most time with and, naturally, the closest to her. They never missed an opportunity to mess with each other, constantly trading jabs or setting up the next one.
Chapter 43
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Chapter 43
