NovelEnglish
Natalie was very conscious of the change in Shane. “Why are you...”
“What now?” Shane gazed down at her with amusement.
Natalie avoided his eyes, still red in the face. “Nothing. We should get a move on.”
Shane chuckled softly and made haste toward the bathroom. Placing her in the tub, he then proceeded to turn on
the faucets.
When the water level was satisfactory, he disrobed and climbed right in with Natalie.
It was a spacious tub. The couple could stretch out comfortably and still had ample space left. Natalie did not kick
him out, but allowed him to hold her in his arms as they soaked placidly in the warm bath.
After almost half an hour, the water began to turn cold. It was then that the couple climbed out to tidy up and got
dressed.
Shane led Natalie to the hotel's restaurant. As soon as they entered, Joyce was waving them over. “Nat! Mr.
Thompson! Over here!”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNatalie waved in response. “Darling, let's sit with Joyce.”
Shane stood where he was, casting a cold glare at Joyce's direction.
Joyce's cheery smile froze on her face. Why is he staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?
Natalie had sensed Shane's displeasure with Joyce too. In a split second, she had deduced the cause of it. “Are you
still jealous of Joyce from yesterday?” she laughed, shaking her head.
“No, I'm not.” Shane looked away.
Natalie did not believe a word of that reply. “Fine, we can have our own table. We don't have to sit with Joyce.”
Shane grunted noncommittedly, as he strode off in search for one.
Natalie was in no hurry. In a couple of gestures, she had conveyed their intentions to Joyce from afar before
running off after Shane.
Joyce scratched her head, unable to comprehend why the couple opted to sit by themselves instead of with her.
At that moment, Lina emerged with a glass of milk in her hand. “What's up?” she asked with a pat on Joyce's
shoulder.
“I just saw Nat and Mr. Thompson,” Joyce answered.
“Well, where are they?” Lina turned to the direction of Joyce's eyes.
“They are sitting someplace else. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't sit with me. Mr. Thompson is behaving
very strangely too. He looked as if he wasn't happy to see me.” Natalie was so deep in thought that her head was
tilted to one side.
“You really don't understand why?” Lina pursed her lips in exasperation.
“No, I don't.”
Lina stared at Joyce, speechless. “It's so obvious, and you still can't see it.”
“Tell me, then,” Joyce urged.
Lina sighed. “Mr. Thompson is jealous obviously. Didn't you tell me earlier today that Nat spent the night in your
room? Have you forgotten the fact that Nat and Mr. Thompson are husband and wife? Mr. Thompson had to spend
the night alone when Nat was with you. You have deprived him of his wife's company, and that is why he isn't happy
to see you!”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmJoyce listened to Lina with rapt attention and sighed heavily when she was done. “I did not do it on purpose,” she
protested, near tears. “I did not even know that Nat would keep me company last night. If I did, I wouldn't have
been as drunk as I was. And now look what happened! I'd gotten on Mr. Thompson's bad side! What am I supposed
to do, Lina?”
“How would I know?” Lina retorted. “Mr. Thompson is so petty that he even gets jealous of women.” Lina stroked
her chin as she tutted.
Joyce gave a sardonic laugh. “Hopefully Mr. Thompson does not kill me for it.”
“How would that be possible? We live in a society governed by the law. Finish up your lunch, Joyce. Mr. Thompson
wouldn't do anything to you. You're a woman, anyway. The most he could do is to give you the stink eye. If you were
a man, that could go down very differently for you.”
Joyce cringed visibly. “That would be a cause for celebration, I suppose.”
Natalie did not know that Shane had frightened Joyce. At the moment, they were enjoying their lunch and each
other's company in silence.
“When are we going back?” Natalie asked as she wiped her lips upon completion of her meal. “I miss Connor and
Sharon.”
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