Chapter 12
With a cold look on her face, Natalie thought. Apologize? Not a chance! She would happily throw everything away right now just to ruin this wedding before it even began. Once things got messy, no one would remember the drama. It was these kinds of situations that drove her crazy
Just as Natalie was about to take something out of her bag. Tobias calmly said beside her, “She said no, and that means no.”
Everyone who was ready to pressure Natalie into apologizing was shocked. Tobias just standed up for her!
Yulisa, feeling uneasy around Tobias but unwilling to back down, shot back, “Mr. Reese, don’t let her looks fool you. Natalie has always played the pity card to get sympathy.”
Natalie was at a loss for words. Then, Tobias turned to her, studying her closely. “Looks like she enjoys playing the victim, and she plays it well.”
In that moment, Natalie realized he was talking about how she acted like a gentle wife before. So now he was here to settle the score! But that was six years ago! If he was still holding a grudge, it felt petty, especially since she once saved someone he cared about. Clutching the documents in her bag. Natalie thought that if Tobias chose to go against her today, her plans would be in serious trouble.
Yulisa, thinking Tobias had finally decided to let it go, sighed in relief, ‘Natalie, you-
“Get them out of here.” Tobias said coldly, shifting his gaze from Natalie to Yulisa and Quinn.
Everyone nearby went silent, stunned by his sudden change. But the hotel security staff understood T**s order perfectly. “So you want us to remove Ms. Guzman and Mr. Shaw?” one of the guards asked.
“Yes” He nodded, his face unreadable, making him seem even more mysterious
The Royal Hotel was owned by Tobias; he could kick anyone out without a second thought. One of the staff approached Yulisa and Quinn directly. “Excuse me, but we need you to leave.
Everyone in the room was dumbfounded-how did things change so quickly?
“Mr. Reese, didn’t you just say that Natalie loves to play the victim? Why are you helping her?” someone asked, clearly confused
“Mr. Reese, there’s really no need to do this for Natalie; she’s just an illegitimate child,” another added.
Natalie furrowed her brow, more confused about what Tobias was trying to do. He had always been good at figuring things out and weighing pros and cons. How could he suddenly be acting so irrationally after six years?
Quinn’s face darkened. Even though he was wary of Tobias, that didn’t mean he would let Tobias push him around. “Tobias, don’t push your luck!
Yulisa couldn’t hold back anymore. “Mr. Reese, this isn’t right,” she warned.
Tobias scoffed, “Not right? What’s wrong with what I’m doing?”
Quinn jumped in, “We’re not in the wrong! She pushed Yulisa fira! What’s wrong with asking her to apologize?”
Tobias raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any proof that she pushed her?”
Quinn huffed, “I saw it with my own eyes! Do you really think I’d lie?”
Tobias looked at-Yulisa. “Are you sure she pushed you?”
*
Yulisa hesitated for a second but then nodded firmly. “Of course. It was too late for her to back down now. There was no way she could prove she had fallen on purpose to blame Natalie.
Tobias then calmly ordered someone nearby, “Get all the surveillance footage from the hallway. Include anything hidden,
Yulisa’s heart sank. She had been careful to avoid the cameras. But she didn’t know that there were hidden ones. “Mr. Reese. how can you install hidden cameras where nobody can see them
Tobias replied c**y, “Not long ago, someone tried to cause trouble at the Royal Hotel and broke a few cameras. I had hidden surveillance set up in the hallway. Is that a problem?”
Natalie raised an eyebrow. If that really happened, there would be some buzz about it, especially in a place like the Royal Hotel. But since Tobias had said it, everyone had to go along with it. Yulisa’s face turned pale.
Soon, the staff brought up the footage. It offered almost a full 360-degree view of where Natalie and Yulisa were, showing everything perfectly. It clearly showed Yulisa falling on her own. Throughout the whole thing, Natalie hadn’t even touched her. Then Quinn stormed in, demanding an apology from Natalie with Yulisa.
When the truth came out, everyone was stunned.
Quinn’s face darkened, and Yulisa trembled, her lips quivering early in tears. “I… I just wanted…” She had accused Natalie on impulse, and now it was too late to take it backPlease check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
“Apologize, or leave, Tobias said flatly. His words carried weight. The Shaw and Guzman families didn’t have the right to challenge him; they were clearly in the wrong. Plus, Tobias would earn respect for standing up for the truth.
“Mr. Reese, how about we just…” Yulisa stuttered, clearly unwilling to back down and apologize to Natalie. That was totally out of the question.
Quinn was fuming, barely able to hold back his anger. “I can’t believe this! It’s Yulisa’s wrong. Yulisa, you should apologize.”
Yulisa knew she had to apologize, but her pride made it hard. “I’m sorry!” she said to Natalie, her voice lacking any real feeling. Right after she said that, she wrapped her arms around Quinn, acting like she was the one who had been wronged. The crowd exchanged glances, and the tension in the air was thick.
Quinn spoke gently to her, like a caring boyfriend should, trying to lift her spirits. After all, the connection between the Shaw and Guzman families was really important for both of them.
Tobias didn’t say anything else; he just turned to leave as if he hadn’t just made a big scene.
Natalie bit her lip, watching him walk away.
“He’s just trying to show off to both the Shaw and Guzman familles, making sure everyone knows where the Reese family stands on this marriage,” whispered one guest nearby.
“Didn’t Mr. sending a c/ Reese show up too? He was talking to Mr. Shaw and Mr. Guzman at the banquet The Reese family is sending a clear message since this is a marriage between two big families, another guest chimed in
“Still, that woman really lucked out getting the spotlight at a time like this,” someone else remarked, shaking their head.
“You just wait, Yulisa hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at Natalie,
“Okay, Natalie replied calmly. For a moment, she had thought maybe Tobias would stand up for her. But that was a silly thought-she wasn’t Elle. Whatever, she decided. Ignoring him was the way to go. Clutching her bag, she knew it was time to put her plan into action.
News about the wedding drama quickly spread through the hall, but most of the gossip focused on T**s bold move in handling the two powerful families.
*
Both the Guzman and Shaw families wore serious looks, but deep down, they knew they didn’t have much ground to stand on. This time, they could only grit their teeth and take it. Meanwhile, Bobby Reese, T**s grandfather seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling and even drinking a bit more than usual. “Standing up for Natalie is the least he could do,” he said cheerfully.
No one really thought about what “Natalie” meant. They just wondered if the Reese family had any more surprises in store.
Meanwhile, Natalie sat quietly in a corner, feeling invisible as she tried to blend into the wall.