Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 10: Making the Rice Cooked

"I just wanted to find a guest room to rest for a bit, Uncle—"

In the end, Isaac couldn’t call her "Auntie."

"My uncle’s fiancée gave me quite a first impression, just look at my face."

Saying that, he stuck out his neck and leaned toward Old Mr. Grant.

Old Mr. Grant noticed the handprint on his face hadn’t fully faded.

Vanessa, standing to the side, frowned.

Weren’t they saying it was just some little maid who hit him?

How did it suddenly become his uncle’s fiancée?

Skip a generation and Old Mr. Grant’s favorite was always Isaac.

If it had been someone else, he definitely would pursue the matter.

But this time he said, "You little rascal must have provoked Kendall. You should apologize to her."

"She hit me and you want me to apologize?" Isaac pretended to be disgruntled. "Grandpa, you’re so biased. You really must like this daughter-in-law."

He deliberately emphasized "daughter-in-law," and saw Natalie’s brows knit slightly. At last, she wasn’t playing the cold, blank-faced card anymore.

"Kendall’s a sweet, sensible girl. Of course I dote on her," Old Mr. Grant patted Natalie’s hand affectionately, full of loving grandfatherly smiles.

Isaac’s smile was tinged with sarcasm, thinking his grandpa, the old fox, really knew how to play up this wholesome mother-in-law/daughter-in-law show.

Afterward, the Grant and Beckett families’ friends and relatives came over to toast the soon-to-be newlyweds, Natalie and Jason.

Vanessa walked up to Isaac, who’d suddenly retreated to the side and kept quiet. "Sweetie, you should go toast your uncle and his fiancée too."

Isaac swirled the wine in his glass and looked up at his mother. "You really want me to go?"

Vanessa met his eyes and was startled.

A faint feeling of unease crept through her.

Before she could say anything, Isaac was already striding away.

"Let me toast Uncle and—" a pause, "the two of you. Congratulations on your engagement."

Jason smiled and clinked glasses with him.

Isaac’s gaze fell on Natalie’s cold, beautiful face, his smile growing.

Natalie didn’t meet his eyes and just took a sip of wine.

The sharp alcohol burned her throat; she didn’t know why but suddenly choked on it, coughing hard until her eyes teared up.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Old Mr. Grant and Vanessa came over to check on her, and other relatives showed concern too.

Natalie’s face flushed red as she waved them off to indicate she was fine, catching in the corner of her eye Isaac’s tall, lean figure slowly backing away and quietly leaving.

The scratchy pain in her throat worsened, her chest heavy too.

——

The engagement banquet ended, and the guests from the Grant and Beckett families all left one after another.

Isaac saw that Natalie didn’t leave with the Beckett’s car but got into his uncle’s.

As she bent to get in, the curve of her body stretched the cheongsam tight, her hips rounded and plump, like two grapefruits.

Isaac’s throat tightened, his eyes darkening a shade.

His car and his uncle’s were driving one after another, but then suddenly Uncle’s car turned off at an intersection.

"Isn’t the Beckett family’s home in the south of the city?"

Vanessa was editing her own photos from the engagement banquet on her phone, not even looking up. "Yeah."

Isaac’s expression sank.

Today was his uncle’s big engagement day. There were too many people earlier, maybe now his uncle wasn’t heading back to the Beckett house—maybe he planned to celebrate alone with her.

The thought of Natalie being alone with his uncle irritated him for no reason.

Agitated, he tugged at his collar and fished out his phone.

Vanessa happily posted to her Moments, waiting for likes in real time, when she heard her son next to her mutter "fuck" under his breath.

Startled, she turned to ask, "Sweetie, what’s wrong?"

Isaac stared at the red exclamation mark in the chat window on his phone, so mad he laughed.

Shit, he forgot—Natalie, that little deaf girl, still had him blocked!

——

Jason gripped the steering wheel, glancing sideways at Natalie in the passenger seat.

She gazed quietly out the window, looking like a beautiful, soulless ice sculpture.

Jason frowned slightly, wondering if she’d still act dead once they got to bed.

He liked women who were uninhibited in bed—it was more fun, more satisfying that way.

He wasn’t interested in fucking a corpse.

But then his mind flashed back to what Old Mr. Grant said, telling him to take Natalie as soon as possible, seal the deal and solidify the relationship.

Thinking of that, Jason pressed harder on the gas.

Whatever, dead fish or not, he’d just do it once and at least get the task Old Mr. Grant set for him done.

At the hotel, he checked them in.

Jason walked in, immediately took off his jacket and loosened his tie. Looking back at Natalie standing stiffly at the door, he asked, "You want to shower first or should I?"

Natalie’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her face pale with a greenish tint.

When she left the Grant house, her mother Cynthia Kendall told her to go with Jason, get into his car.

So did Mom know Jason was bringing her to a hotel?

"We’re already engaged so of course we should sleep together. What’s there to be shy about?"

After saying this, Jason came over and gripped Natalie’s shoulders. "Can I ask one thing? When we’re in bed, could you maybe show a little emotion?"

Natalie’s eyes went cold, and she shoved him hard, bolting into the bathroom.

Jason was caught off guard, staggered by her push. Hearing the door slam, he cursed and sneered, shouting toward the bathroom, "Wash up! And make sure you’re clean!"

Inside the bathroom.

Natalie locked the door and backed up to the toilet.

She lifted her legs up, hugging her knees, curling into herself on the toilet lid.

What to do?

Run?

Jason was right outside—could she get away?

If she didn’t run, did she really have to sleep with Jason?

The thought of Jason’s sleazy face made her shudder instinctively, nauseated and disgusted.

Soon, she heard Jason’s voice outside making a phone call.

"Sweetie, wait for me. I’ve got something to take care of, I’ll come find you soon."

"Little minx, put on your slutty bunny costume, get yourself clean, and wait for me! Tonight I’m going to fuck you good!"

Shortly afterward, Jason came knocking.

"You done yet? Come out. I’ve still got things to do after this."

Natalie looked around; spotting a vase by the sink, she pulled out the flowers and tossed them in the tub, hugging the vase, staring at the bathroom door.

If Jason dared barge in, she’d smash him!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

No idea how long it went on but the door was pounded heavily.

The sound was like a hammer smashing into Natalie’s heart, blow after blow.

Suddenly her heart raced with fright, like it would leap out of her throat.

Her hands shook as she gripped the vase, palms sweating—almost dropping it.

Her face was white as a sheet, bloodless.

Biting her lip, she raised the vase high.

Suddenly the knocking stopped.

Natalie didn’t dare let down her guard, hands still raised in defense.

Sure enough, seconds later she heard a key being shoved into the lock.

Natalie’s eyes went wide, rimmed red.

"Don’t—! Don’t come in!"

She growled, backing up with the vase, but quickly hit the wall—nowhere left to retreat.

The next moment, the bathroom door was flung open.

The man in the doorway made Natalie’s mind go blank; arms limp, the vase slipped and smashed onto the floor with a loud crack.

At that instant, just as she moved her foot, she heard a cold, low male voice:

"Don’t move!"