“I understand.” Joyce flashed Natalie a smile and explained, “To be frank, I didn’t know the exact reason because Mr. Shane didn’t tell me. On the contrary, Mr. Campbell revealed some information to me. Well, we initially thought you did something wrong and provoked Mr. Shane, but it turned out that it was related to Yulia instead.”
“My mom?”
“Yes, Mr. Campbell said it’s related to Yulia. Since Yulia passed away and you’re Yulia’s daughter, Mr. Shane has no other option but to vent his anger at you,” Joyce added.
Natalie replied bewilderedly, “But my mom never offended Shane. I mean, the first time she met Shane was four years ago, and she went overseas two days later. When she came back… That is why I’m sure that my mom wasn’t involved in it.”
Besides, if my mom did something wrong, why wasn’t Shane angry back then but now?
Joyce grabbed her hair as she said, “I feel curious about it too. Could it be that Yulia did something in the past but not recently? Also, did she offend someone else from the Thompson family instead of Mr. Shane himself? Perhaps Mr. Shane only knew what happened recently.”
Natalie fell silent upon hearing it. After a while, she calmed herself down and shook her head. “It is impossible. My mom is kind-hearted. Apart from offending Susan, her daughter, and my dad, she didn’t make enemies with anyone else. As for the Thompson family, Shane doesn’t get along well with Sean. Besides, Shane’s parents passed away a long time ago, while David passed away seven years ago.”
“Wait a minute, Nat. I remember you had said previously that Yulia was David’s goddaughter. Am I right? Besides, David brought Mr. Shane up since he was young. So, for Mr. Shane, David is always his closest family member. In that case…”
“Are you suggesting that my mom did something to David before? Is Shane cold to me because he knew it recently?” Natalie looked at Joyce with her widened eyes.
Joyce nodded and responded, “I can’t think of another reason apart from this.”
Natalie buried her head in her arms and said in a deep voice, “But I’ve no idea about what happened between my mom and David in the past. Moreover, I knew that my mom was David’s goddaughter only because she told me four months ago.”
A moment later, Joyce rested her arm on Natalie’s shoulder and said, “Should we ask Jared? Since Jared wasn’t healthy when he was young, Yulia took care of him at home. So, I think he knows a lot about Yulia.”
Natalie’s eyes beamed instantly. “You’re right. I’ll call Jared right away.”
With that, she hastily took out her phone. Since it was nighttime in the country where Jared stayed, Natalie thought Jared had probably went to bed and wouldn’t pick up the phone.
A moment later, Natalie was surprised to hear Jared’s voice. “Nat?”
“Jared, am I disturbing you?” Natalie asked gently.
After Yulia passed away, Jared was Natalie’s closest family member besides her two kids.
“Not at all. I just came back from an exhibition in the art gallery. Is there anything you want to tell me?” Jared coughed slightly as soon as he asked Natalie.
Natalie was nervous upon hearing it. “Jared, are you not feeling well?”
“It’s just a slight cold. I’m fine, and don’t worry about me,” Jared laughed lightly.
Despite her worries, Natalie couldn’t be there to take care of Jared, for they were in different countries.
“Have you seen the doctor?” Natalie asked in concern.
Jared nodded and replied, “Yes, and I’ve to take medicine given by the doctor. Anyway, I feel a lot better today and should recover tomorrow.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.” Natalie’s lips curled into a smile.
Jared continued, “So, Nat, do you have something to tell me?”
“It’s not a big deal, but I have a question to ask you. When Mom took care of you at home, did she always meet David?” Natalie asked.
Jared tilted his head in bewilderment as he answered, “Are you referring to Shane’s grandfather?”
“Yes,” Natalie murmured a response.
Jared nodded and said, “Yes, she always looked for David. Mom told me that she was David’s goddaughter.”
“When Mom went to see David, did you feel something was off?” Natalie continued to ask.
