Everyone standing around dispersed. Rayne also left while cradling her red and swollen face.
Nathaniel turned his gaze to Christina, whose eyes were slightly red. “The fashion show is over, so let’s go. home first.”
Suspicion lingered within Christina, but she did not want to ask too many questions in public. Hence, she merely grunted in acquiescence.
When the two of them had gotten in the car, a strained atmosphere hung in the air.
“Why did that woman earlier claim that the two of you are family?” The look in Christina’s eyes was grim, marred with obvious displeasure.
Nathaniel could distinctly sense that she was agitated. It was rare for him to see her in such a state, so he reached out and seized her chin, lifting her head up.
Her crystalline eyes shimmered like diamonds, beyond mesmerizing.
Perturbed by his stare, Christina urged huffily, “Well?”
A snort of laughter escaped Nathaniel, and he chuckled aloud. Well… she looks pretty adorable when she’s jealous.
“That was my paternal uncle’s daughter. They reside abroad and rarely return to the country, so you know about them.”
If she’s his paternal uncle’s daughter, that means she’s his paternal cousin,
Following that, Christina was skeptical about his claim. “Then, why isn’t her last name Hadley but Lacroix?”
This doesn’t make sense at all.
didn’t
Cradling her face with a single hand, Nathaniel answered, “Because she took her mother’s family name.”
Even then, Christina was dubious. “You’ve got a lot of family members.”
“You can call and ask Mom if you don’t believe me.” Taking out his phone, Nathaniel made to ring Julia up.
However, Christina snatched the phone from him. “It’s late, so don’t disrupt their rest.”
I’m not going to make a call because of a trivial matter and alert her to it. That would make me look awfully petty.
Nathaniel’s expression remained calm and unruffled. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters as long as you believe me.
It’s not a big deal to disrupt them for a while since they’re the only ones who can clarify this familial relationship. Rendered speechless, Christina locked the phone and stuffed it back into his hand. “Never mind, I believe
you.”
She was dead on her feet and did not want to waste her energy on such a matter.
Just as she was about to lean against the window to rest for a bit, a forceful collision hit the car without
warning. Thrown out of her seat, she slammed forward against the back of the passenger seat.
A loud crash pierced the air. On the heels of that, a wave of dizziness assailed her, the pain so excruciating that she almost passed out.
“Are you hurt. Christina?”
Gathering her into his arms, Nathaniel roamed his eyes over her face worriedly. He glimpsed a red mark on her unblemished forehead.
At once, his heart clenched. His imperious aura instantly pervaded the entire car, and he roared at the front, “What happened?”
The driver was still reeling, his voice quivering as he spoke. “A car came barreling over out of nowhere earlier, and I couldn’t avoid it at all…
The scene a moment ago was simply horrific. The other driver hurtled into their path like a manic wild wolf. If he had not turned the steering wheel quickly enough just now, the situation at present would likely have been worse.
Sebastian had also hit the corner of his forehead, resulting in a gash. He could clearly sense blood trickling down his face.
Enduring the stinging pain, he turned around to check on the situation in the back. “Are you okay, Mr. Hadley?”
Nathaniel’s expression was as black as thunder. He ordered through gritted teeth, “Go and see what’s going
- on.
“Understood.”
Murmuring an acknowledgment, Sebastian swung open the car door and climbed out of the vehicle.
The front of both cars was severely dented. At a single glance, one could tell that the other party’s car was, driving along a secondary road before rushing out right away.
If they had not gotten out of the way in the nick of time earlier, their injuries would have been even more grievous.
After inquiring about the situation, Sebastian returned to the car and reported, “The other party is responsible for the accident. Also, I reckon that the driver was driving under the influence. Let me make a police report first.”
In the backseat, Nathaniel wound the car window down an inch. With the illumination of the moonlight, one could see the raging anger blazing in the man’s hawk–like eyes.
Grunting in agreement, he wound the car window back up.
The accident transpired in an area that was relatively busy. Therefore, a crowd gathered around the scene
in no time.
Shortly after, the ambulance arrived. Nathaniel led Christina over for treatment.
Christina was still feeling a touch dizzy. When she alighted from the car, she abruptly sensed a sharp and sinister gaze watching her.
It was the exact same feeling as when she was pushed into the road the other day.
Her face promptly went deathly pale. Scanning her eyes over the crowd, she tried to figure out who was staring at her. Alas, every single pair of eyes was unfamiliar and suspicious.
It felt as though someone was watching her in secret.
Didn’t the police say the perpetrator has been arrested? Was this incident really an accident, or was it orchestrated by
someone?
Noticing her distracted state, Nathaniel lowered his head and asked in concern. “What’s wrong, Christina?”
“Nathaniel, I… I’m fine.” Christina swallowed the doubt on the tip of her tongue.
She followed the man to the ambulance. A medical staff inquired about her injuries before doctoring the bruise on her forehead.
She could not shake off the feeling that someone was watching her, yet she had no idea who it was. Such a feeling was exceedingly oppressive.
It felt like she had been targeted by some monster, and someone might shoot out a hand from within the vast sea of blackness anytime and grab her leg, dragging her into the darkness.
The coppery stench of blood saturated the air, making her nauseous.
When the medical staff was done doctoring her wounds, he walked away.
By then, the police had arrived at the scene.
As the driver responsible for the accident was unconscious, they could not take his statement and wanted. to take Nathaniel and Christina’s statement instead. As for the subsequent investigation, they would contact the couple further.
After everything had been settled, it was already nearing midnight. Many of the onlookers gathered around had left.
Christina spaced out as she stared at the spacious street. Was I too paranoid just now, or was it real?
Upon returning to Scenic Garden Manor, she slept in the next day.
When she woke up, the red mark on her forehead had faded significantly, only leaving a faint trace.
Feeling a tad hungry, she headed downstairs after washing up briefly.
Before she reached the landing, she heard a mocking voice reverberate in the living room. “This daughter–in–law of yours is dreadful, Aunt Julia. She isn’t even up yet when it’s already past ten o’clock. She’ll never take care of you when she’s so lazy.”
Recognizing the voice, she knew that it was Jewel.
She failed to have the last word last night, so she came over early in the morning to create trouble?
Christina bit her lower lip. Keeping her expression unchanged, she descended the stairs.
“The corners of Julia’s mouth remained upturned. There was not even a glimmer of displeasure on her face. “Christina is a designer, and she often works until the wee hours of the morning before going to bed.
It’s okay for her to sleep in.”
While going down the stairs, Christina stilled for a moment. A wealth of warmth suffused her, filling her with a sense of security.
She walked over to the two women. Fortunately, she had changed before heading downstairs. Thus, she 1 would not embarrass herself in terms of her appearance.
“Good morning, Mom. I didn’t know you’d come over so early. Have you had breakfast? I’ll have the help cook something.”
Her smile was sweet, and her crystalline eyes were captivating. Her dainty and docile look rendered her just like an obedient daughter–in–law.
