Natalie’s eyes twinkled with a bright, beautiful smile. “Maurice, why don’t you do me a favor and let us drive you home?”

Maurice was momentarily stunned by her offer to drive him home. He looked at Natalie in amusement and said with a smile, “Silly girl, I’m a grown man. Why would I need you to drive me?”

His smile, sincere and effortless, was pleasing to the eye, even more brilliant than the moonlight outside.

“I just want to drive you home,” Natalie declared with determination.

Maurice thought for a moment and said with a feigned reluctance, “Alright, since you’re so set on it, you can drive me home.”

He was curious to see what Natalie was up to. In just a few days, she had captured his interest. But he could tell from the way she looked at him that she admired him, with no hint of romance. He had no idea what he’d done to earn that admiring gaze from her.

Natalie, thrilled, turned to Luna. “Luna, hurry and bring the car over!”

Luna was speechless. She couldn’t help but think, ‘Has Ms. Shawn fallen back into her love-struck phase? She just managed to get over her obsession with Easton, and now she’s become infatuated with Maurice?’

Luna had no idea that Natalie actually wanted to work with Maurice or that she would never be infatuated with any man again. Natalie wanted to establish Fashion Fusion’s presence on Maurice’s live selling platforms. Autumn had just started, and the winter line could bring in a fortune. She wouldn’t allow anyone or anything to stand in her way of making money.

Natalie said, “Maurice, can we discuss a collaboration on our way back? I know your LiveSale Hub is the hottest live selling platform right now. I’d love to share some ideas with you. Tomorrow, I can send you a detailed proposal.”

Maurice smiled at her, his eyes deep and unwavering, impossible to ignore. “Natalie, do we need to be so formal with each other? I believe in your abilities and your products. Trust between people can begin to form from their very first meeting.”

Hearing this, Natalie thought in anger, ‘Exactly. Trust can be established at first sight, but that jerk Easton always lets his emotions cloud his judgment, ultimately becoming a fool.’

She laughed and said, “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Unlike someone, you don’t make dumb decisions in certain circumstances.”

“Are you talking about your ex-husband, Easton?” Maurice asked.

Natalie gave a dazzling and charming smile. “I didn’t say it was him.”

“Then let’s not talk about him. Come on, let’s go,” Maurice said.

Natalie happily followed him. She didn’t notice Easton fuming behind her, his face dark with anger as he watched her walk away.

Natalie’s smile lingered as she watched Maurice walk ahead with steady, confident strides. She thought a man should be like him–mature, dependable, and, above all, intelligent.

Meanwhile, Easton stood with Wesley and Xavier, all watching the two leave. A chill seemed to settle around Easton, as if winter had arrived early. Wesley and Xavier wisely stayed silent, knowing when not to interfere. In some ways, Easton was just plain dumb. Natalie was simply stating the truth.

Easton continued to glare at the cheerful Natalie as she left with Maurice, wondering whether she was serious about taking Maurice home. Then he snorted, “There she goes, seducing another man.” He picked up the glass of red wine from the table and downed it in one gulp.

Wesley and Xavier were certain they detected a hint of jealousy.

Natalie and Luna drove Maurice to his neighborhood, and only then did Natalie realize that he lived in the same residential area as she did–right across from her place, in fact. Natalie couldn’t help but marvel at the coincidence.

After Maurice got out of the car, he glanced at Natalie, who had also stepped out. “Natalie, thank you for driving me home. Would you like to come in for a bit?” His voice was deep and magnetic, soothing to the ear.

Natalie looked around. She had always liked this area–it was quiet at night, and the environment was especially nice. She said, “The night view here is beautiful. I’ll pass on going in for now, but how about we go for a walk together another day? I live just behind you, two houses down.” She pointed to the white villa not far away. “That’s my place.”

Maurice was quite surprised. He thought, ‘No wonder she chose to walk away with nothing in the divorce. Turns out she doesn’t lack anything. She is wealthy and capable and doesn’t need to cling to anything.’

“Goodnight, Natalie,” Maurice said as he gracefully walked over and opened the car door for Natalie.

“Goodnight!” Natalie got into the car and waved to him.

As Luna drove away, she realized she had misjudged Natalie earlier, thinking her warm gesture and praise toward Maurice were personal when, in reality, they were for business. Carl had been trying to set up a meeting with Maurice for a while but hadn’t succeeded. Yet Natalie had sealed the deal in one shot. This would certainly ease Carl’s burden significantly.

Luna said, “Ms. Shawn, I’ll tell Carl about this later. He’s going to be thrilled.”

Natalie leaned back quietly, her lips curling into a confident smile that was striking. In this life, many things were changing. She had managed to stay away from the scumbag Easton, and without the weight of that toxic relationship, her life felt much lighter and freer. From now on, she would embrace a prosperous and fulfilling life, savoring the beauty of the world around her.

Apart from Easton, everything in the world was worth pursuing. Even if she had to face the bitter trials of life, she would courageously fight to leave her mark.

Natalie’s smile deepened. “Luna, don’t tell Carl until I sign the contract with Maurice tomorrow. Or better yet, I’ll bring him along to sign it.”

Luna nodded excitedly. “Alright. And I think you should bring him with you. Carl’s been trying to meet with Mr. Chambers for a long time but hasn’t managed to.”

“Alright, let’s see how it goes tomorrow,” replied Natalie.

“Okay,” said Luna.

As they spoke, they reached the villa. It was late, and everyone at home was already asleep. Natalie quietly went upstairs to rest.

Wendy followed Nick to a gated villa community. In Section A, Nick drove the car into a house’s driveway. A slightly plump woman came out and bugged him after he stepped out of the car. Wendy watched the two of them embrace. Under the moonlight, the pain on her face was even clearer. She was heartbroken, lonely, and consumed by despair.

She thought, ‘I have never doubted Nick. When Natalie warned me, I even scolded her. What has clouded my judgment? It’s the lies of Nick and Jennifer! They’re truly despicable. I used to believe I was a lucky woman.

‘I have a husband who loves me, loving parents, four sons, and a daughter I adore more than anything. All those things that others could only dream of were within my reach. But everything that once felt beautiful is now shattered in an instant.’

Wendy’s nails dug deeply into her palms, the pain spreading through her body. She felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, causing pain and making it hard to breathe.

She complained in her heart, ‘Nick Simpson, I’ve been so good to you. But you have deceived me for over 20 years! You lying scumbag and unfaithful jerk.

‘You not only want to ruin my life, but you also want to destroy my children’s lives so that you can live a happy life with that woman. Dream on!

‘So the detective hired last time had been bought by Nick. He probably already knew I had gone to the hospital for a paternity test.’

Wendy shot a venomous glance at the villa before driving away, determined to devise a careful plan to leave Nick with nothing.