Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 30

The living room emanated an atmosphere of harmonious conversation, filled with laughter and jokes

that seemed to revolve around something delightful.

Natalie had just stepped into the doorway and paused when she caught a familiar voice and wondered

if she had mistaken it.

Trevon noticed her abrupt halt, turned his head, and inquired, “What’s the matter?”

Natalie smiled, shook her head to indicate it was nothing, and proceeded inside.

Half an hour before dinnertime, Trevon guided Natalie to sit beside him on the sofa.

Being friendly, Theo’s brother, Carlos Wilson, asked, “Aren’t you going to introduce this beautiful girl to

us?”

Of course, he meant Natalie.

Trevon responded casually, “This is Natalie, my wife.”

Well, there was nothing wrong with that.

Theo, fearing that Trevon might say something to discomfort Natalie, felt. a sense of relief after hearing

what he said, resulting in a smile on his face.

It seemed that what he had just said to Trevon had worked! Theo couldn’t help but feel happy with that.

Natalie’s beauty captivated Max’s gaze, his eyes fixed upon her. He exclaimed directly without thinking,

“Trevon, your wife is truly beautiful.”

Max saw nothing amiss with his comment, and all eyes turned simultaneously toward Natalie. Even

Emily, who had been conversing with Peggy, turned to look at Natalie.

When she caught a glimpse of Natalie, Emily’s face turned pale, her smile fading instantly.

One second, she had been engrossed in laughter and chatter with Peggy, but now her countenance

was repulsive, as if she had consumed something distasteful.

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In a panic, she instinctively grasped Max’s arm tightly. “What are you doing? You’re hurting me!”

Max, whose attention was fixed on Natalie, snapped impatiently.

To him, Emily was just a girl who desperately played hard to get, which successfully caused his desire

to conquer. After all. Max thought there was no girl he couldn’t handle. She was just another girl he had

brought home, and she wasn’t the first, either.

Max was actually not that into her. At this moment, Max couldn’t help but notice that Emily and Natalie

seemed to share the same surname.

However, their appearances were worlds apart. “They don’t look like sisters,” Max thought.

Emily bore the weight of Max’s blame, her heart heavy with

dissatisfaction. She was so mad at Max for embarrassing her in front of so many people, but she dared

not look up at him.

She could only silently swallow her anger.

She remained silent to avoid provoking Natalie, fearing that Natalie would be mad and tell them

everything about her.

Theo proceeded to introduce each family member one by one to Natalie. “Natalie, this is Carlos.

Trevon’s great-uncle. Here is Ted, Trevon’s uncle. And this is Ted’s wife, Peggy. Trevon’s cousin, Max.

is over there, just two years younger than Trevon. Trevon’s mother is now busy in the kitchen, and

Trevon’s father is away on a business trip. When he returns, I will arrange a meeting between the two

of you.”

“Two years younger than Trevon? Just the same age difference between me and this illegitimate

daughter,” Natalie thought.

Theo had always been nice to Natalie. Even though Theo said so, Natalie knew it was improper to let

Trevon’s father take the initiative to meet her.

“No need, Mr. Theo. I will come over to meet Trevon’s father when he comes back. After all, he is my

elder. Nice to meet you, Mr. Carlos, Mr. Ted, and Mrs. Peggy.” After exchanging greetings, Natalie

pretended not to see Max’s direct gaze, completely disregarding his existence.

Not only did Theo disregard Emily’s presence, but even Natalie paid her no attention as if she were

invisible.

And the worst part was that Max didn’t even show any intention of

Chapter 30

introducing her, though he was the one who had promised to bring her home today. Rage bubbled just

below the surface of Emily’s mind.

While the living room was filled with laughter and compliments, Emily remained an outsider, unable to

engage in conversation, and no one spoke to her.

Natalie acted as a perfect friend, laughing and joking, answering all questions from the elders with

grace and generosity. Her manners were graceful, and her demeanor matched that of a wealthy young

lady.

Emily instantly felt inferior, convinced that Natalie was so scheming that she purposely sought to

exclude her from the Wilson family.

However, Natalie really didn’t care about Emily and her family at all. As long as they didn’t come to

offend her, she could live the rest of her life without crossing paths with them. She didn’t even want to

exchange at single word with them.

Natalie noticed Emily’s gaze and raised her eyes slightly to look at Emily with a cold, disdainful stare.

Seeing the contempt in Natalie’s eyes, Emily clenched her hands tightly and felt her nails sink into her

palms.

Trevon’s eyes wandered between several people, and saw all their expressions. Max stared at Natalie

with an obsessed look, and Trevon was not surprised that Max, who tended to obey his sexual impulse,

would be attracted to Natalie.

Natalie wielded complete control over the situation at this time, and Trevon knew that he had

underestimated her social skills. She could even hold conversations about everything. As for that

woman beside Max, her expression caused Trevon’s interest.

Half an hour later, a commanding female voice reverberated, announcing, “Dinner is ready.”

Natalie turned her head towards the man beside her, intending to inquire who else could issue such an

authoritative voice within the Wilson family except for Theo.

Trevon seemed to understand her unspoken question. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “It’s

my mother.”

The heating had been turned on in the living room, and the room grew warm. Natalie removed her coat,

draping it on the entrance door. The warm breath of Trevon brushed against her bare shoulders,

sending

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shivers down her spine. Her cheeks flushed with a delicate pink hue while. her heart raced erratically.

While waiting for the elders to rise and depart, Natalie stood up and hooked her arm through Trevon’s.

Trevon turned his head, his eyes filled with confusion, fixed upon her small, delicate face. “What’s the

matter?”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she replied, “Next time, please don’t get so close to me when you

speak. I… I’m not accustomed to it.”

This was the third time he had whispered to her ear, each instance causing her nerves to tense and her

heart rate to become irregular. This sensation was far from pleasant.

In response, Trevon gazed back at her slightly flushed countenance with. a mischievous smile. “Okay.”

Theo occupied the main seat as everyone took their places.

“Natalie, this is your mother-in-law, Rachel.”

“Hi, Mrs. Rachel,” Natalie addressed with reverence.

However, Rachel didn’t even spare her a glance and just nodded indifferently. Natalie didn’t mind. It did

not matter to Natalie whether Rachel acknowledged Natalie as her daughter-in-law. After all, Natalie

would divorce Trevon in two months, and Rachel wouldn’t be her perpetual mother-in-law.

Emily’s despondency dissipated upon witnessing Rachel’s evident indifference to Natalie.

After the dinner, the elders adhered to the customary procedure of presenting gifts, and Natalie’s

mother-in-law, Rachel, bestowed upon her an emerald necklace.

After expressing her gratitude, she accompanied Trevon back to Adare Manor.

Theo wanted to keep them stay at first, but upon reflection, he realized they should have slept in

separate rooms, so he refrained from insisting.

On the way back, they sat in the car without saying anything.

An unusual silence pervaded the car, and even Jim, sitting in the front seat, sensed the awkwardness.

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Suddenly, Natalie’s phone buzzed, and she received a WhatsApp

message.

She reached into her pocket and discovered it was a message from Sherri. Unlike their previous voice

messages, Sherri had resorted to sending brief texts since the last embarrassing situation.

[Natalie, how is dinner with the Wilson family? Are you staying at the Wilson’s old residence tonight, or

have you returned home with your husband, Mr. Wilson?]

Natalie inwardly sighed and massaged her forehead, thinking, “Why must she assume Trevon is my

husband now? If he were to see this message, I’d have to explain that again.”

She really didn’t want to always be on the verge of having to clarify her situation.

Within seconds, she replied to Sherri’s message. [He isn’t my husband. We’re on the way back now. I’ll

tell you more tomorrow.]

Trevon’s cold and stern voice suddenly sounded above Natalie’s head. “I’m not your husband? Is our

marriage license a fake?”

Jim couldn’t help but praise Trevon’s bravery in his heart.

“Huh?” Natalie genuinely couldn’t fathom the meaning behind his words.

Trevon’s words were always vague.

Natalie had never been in love nor had much interaction with boys. The two men she had been closest

to in her life were her grandfather and Edward.

Observing the bewildered expression of Natalie, who seemed to be completely unaware of what she

had done wrong, Trevon paused, unwilling to speak further.

“Mr. Wilson, I’ll return these items to you. It’s inappropriate for me to keep them,” Natalie finally said.

Considering their impending divorce, Natalie thought she couldn’t take advantage of others so blatantly.

Natalie forgot to inquire about crucial matters from Theo tonight, so she resolved to ask him next time.

Trevon paid no heed to her words, his gaze fixed intently on the documents, emitting an invisible

coldness from the depths of his eyes.

Jim couldn’t help but think, “So Mrs. Wilson doesn’t want to take advantage of Mr. Wilson? It seems

that she’s trying to draw the line between them. Mrs. Wilson is really a person of character.”