Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 157 Natalia didn't want to provoke the man before her. Thus, She remained silent.

Hamilton let out a snort of disdain and then asked, "Enjoying your breakfast?" Natalia pursed her lips before responding, "It's quite good. Have you eaten, Mr. Fowler?" Hamilton's face darkened considerably.

He hadn't eaten, and he had no appetite.

His heart wasn't as big as hers seemed to be.

She had just ended a relationship of over three years, and here she was, able to have a cheerful breakfast with another man.

"You're so easily pleased, huh? A simple breakfast, and you're all smiles?" The sourness in Hamilton's voice was unmistakable.

Natalia found it hard to ignore.

She couldn't be bothered to indulge in this pointless exchange with him anymore and instead greeted the secretary from the collaborating firm with a nod.

Hamilton, feeling thoroughly ignored, looked even more displeased.

The secretary approached Natalia with a friendly smile.

"Ms. Jenkins, was that your boyfriend who brought you breakfast?" Natalia chuckled and shook her head.

"No, not my boyfriend, just a friend." The secretary gave her a knowing grin, "Not yet, maybe, but I bet it won't be long. I saw that little hair ruffle - quite the flirtatious move! And he's so handsome, you two would make a picture-perfect couple." Hamilton couldn't help but huff at that.

Perfect couple? As if.

Ryan was nothing like Natalia's type.

At least, that was what he liked to think. But as he stewed over it, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

What was Natalia's type anyway? Clearly not someone like him, or why would she have left so decisively? Perhaps Ryan was exactly her type.

The more Hamilton thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Natalia heard his scoff loud and clear.

She shot Hamilton a look that wasn't entirely friendly and turned back to the secretary to reiterate, "We're really just friends." The secretary waved it off, "Oh, I get it. Future boyfriend, then." She winked at Natalia, who didn't bother correcting her again, sensing that it might just make things worse. As the elevator doors opened, Natalia stepped inside with the secretary.

Hamilton remained outside, his gaze fixed on Natalia, feeling the weight of the word 'boyfriend.' Not so long ago, he had claimed to be her boyfriend in front of Ryan. And now, the term had seemingly shifted to Ryan. Hamilton never imagined a day when Natalia would openly introduce someone else as her boyfriend. The thought had never even crossed his mind. But suddenly, it seemed like a very real possibility.

He felt as if a boulder was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

The secretary, noticing his hesitation, called out, "Mr. Fowler, aren't you coming?" Hamilton finally tore his gaze away from Natalia and stepped into the elevator.

His mood was visibly sour, and it cast a pall over the negotiation meeting that day.

The meeting ended around noon, and thankfully, they had made sprogress, reaching a tentative agreement.

The collaborating firm was headed by a Mr. Bran.

Exiting the meeting room, Mr. Bran turned to Hamilton with a smile, "Mr. Fowler, care to join us for lunch?" Hamilton wasn't in the mood, but he glanced at Natalia. If she was going, he might be persuaded to join.

Natalia was packing up when the secretary called out.

"Ms. Jenkins, your boyfriend is here to pick you up." Natalia paused and looked outside, seeing Ryan standing at the door, his tailored suit and poised stance drawing admiring glances.

With a resigned smile, Natalia didn't bother to correct her. She simply apologized to Mr. Bran, "Sorry, Mr. Bran, I have other plans. I can't join you for lunch." Mr. Bran's eyes flickered with curiosity as he glanced at Hamilton. Though others might not know the dynamics between the two, he was well aware.

Hamilton had orchestrated quite a recently, including making concessions and asking him to play along all for Ms. Jenkins, it seemed. And now, what was this? Was Hamilton about to be upstaged? Impossible. In this city, who could outmaneuver Hamilton Fowler? Hamilton maintained a stoic exterior, but inwardly, he scoffed. Ryan was becoming quite the fixture.

He struggled to keep his composure.

"Ms. Jenkins, lunch is a matter of courtesy." Natalia bit her lip, looking at Hamilton. His expression seemed genuinely nonchalant, not as if he was trying to make things difficult for her.

Mr. Bran was clearly interested in the unfolding , showing no intention of intervening.

After a moment's hesitation, Natalia finally said, "I apologize, Mr. Bran, but I have a prior engagement." At her words, Mr. Bran narrowed his eyes slightly. Before he could respond, Ryan looked back.

Mr. Bran was taken aback.

He had not expected the man coming for Natalia to be the scion of the Holzer family.

The Holzers were known for their discretion in Boria City, but that didn't mean they lacked influence.

With a lineage gilded in prestige and a rising star in the Foreign Office, Ryan Holzer was hard to ignore.

Mr. Bran had his fair share of clout in the city's business circles, but even he knew there were levels of elite he could not touch.

And the Holzer family was one such echelon, well beyond his usual reach.

Perhaps Hamilton didn't particularly care about the intricacies of the Holzer family dynamics.

After all, the Fowlers' reputation preceded them.

In any circles, Hamilton would be considered high profile.

But he was different.

If he could establish even a tenuous connection with the Holzers, hem might find navigating Boria City's social labyrinth much easier. Mr. Bran was nothing if not shrewd.

Hamilton saw through him almost instantly.

He wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of seeing Ryan.

But in that moment, he would rather share a meal with the man than let Natalia leave with him.

"Since Mr. Holzer is here, why don't we all have dinner together?"om Hamilton suggested, one eyebrow arched as he looked at Ryan. Natalia's brow furrowed sharply.

She couldn't fathom what he was up to.

She was about to decline when Ryan cover with a smile, handing her a cup.

"Here, warm up your hands," he said.

Natalia pressed her lips together, on the verge of speaking.

But Ryan simply took her hand and placed the cup in her grasp.

Only after this gesture did he look up at Hamilton and Mr. Bran.

"As long as Nat is okay with it, I'm game," he said.

The moment he uttered the name, Hamilton's brow furrowed even more deeply.

Nat was her nickname, a term of endearment typically used by chem closest friend and occasionally by him. But now, Ryan was using it, too.

In an instant, a sharp pang of restrained pain flashed through Hamilton's heart.

It was then he realized, perhaps in Natalia's eyes, he had never been special. Suddenly, he lost all appetite for dinner.