Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 31: Isaac Vaughn Said He’s Not Coming Back
At the birthday banquet, Sylvia Vaughn had seen the girl Isaac brought back.
She really couldn’t connect the cool, clean-looking Natalie in white shirt and jeans in front of her with the girl from that day.
Although their heights and figures were somewhat similar, their styles and vibes were totally different.
Just then, with a "ding," another elevator door opened.
Vanessa Grant walked out and, spotting Natalie, blurted out in surprised delight, "Nat?"
Natalie was startled yet again when she saw Vanessa.
Vanessa grabbed her hand, asking in amazement, "What are you doing here?"
Natalie licked her lips, trying to appear calm: "I’m... buying a few things."
Vanessa glanced at the bag of pastries in Natalie’s hand. "Jason said he couldn’t find you. So you’ve come back to Janton."
As she spoke, she introduced Natalie to Sylvia Vaughn: "This is Nat, my brother Jason’s fiancée."
"Nat, this is Isaac’s aunt." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Natalie, restless inside, nodded politely to Sylvia Vaughn: "Hello."
Sylvia Vaughn smiled. "So you’re Jason’s fiancée."
Kiki broke free from her mom’s hand, ran to Natalie, hugged her waist, and looked up at her with a sweet smile.
Vanessa looked on in disbelief.
"Kiki likes Nat so much from the very first meeting? Looks like they’re destined to get along."
Natalie’s face paled a bit. Guiltily, she stroked Kiki’s hair.
Sylvia Vaughn’s gaze swept between her daughter and Natalie, suspicion surfacing again.
With her daughter’s personality, this kind of closeness didn’t seem like a first meeting.
But even she herself was meeting Jason’s fiancée for the first time—how could her daughter have met her before?
Unless—
Sylvia Vaughn suddenly remembered her daughter using sign language earlier to say Natalie wasn’t her sister but her sister-in-law, and her expression subtly changed.
Kiki blinked her big eyes, signing to Natalie: Sister-in-law, where’s brother?
Natalie’s heart nearly leapt out of her throat, unconsciously glancing at Vanessa and Sylvia Vaughn.
Thank goodness Vanessa didn’t understand sign language.
Seeing Kiki talking to Natalie, she asked Sylvia Vaughn, "What’s Kiki saying?"
Sylvia Vaughn’s gaze was deep, replying without a hint of emotion, "Kiki’s mixed people up, she’s mistaken Nat for the older sister she really likes."
Vanessa understood at once: "No wonder Kiki’s so close to Nat."
Natalie and Sylvia Vaughn locked eyes.
Sylvia Vaughn looked away first, signed to Kiki to call her daughter back to her side.
Vanessa invited Natalie to join them for a meal, but Natalie said she had to catch the afternoon bullet train back to Seaharbor, politely declining.
"Jason’s been talking about you nonstop these past days, looking for you—he must be missing you," Vanessa said with a smile.
Natalie didn’t comment on that.
There’s no way he misses her—it’s only trouble and torment he really wants.
Bulletrain station.
Natalie never did see Isaac before she left.
Looks like her plan to go back to Jason Grant had really pissed him off.
But officially, she was Jason Grant’s fiancée, and he’d been "injured for her" and was in hospital. If she stayed out of sight for too long, both the Grant and Beckett families would be unhappy.
——
Two hours on the bullet train, Natalie was back in Seaharbor.
She pushed open the hospital room door.
The woman inside shrieked in shock, quickly pulling away from the man in the bed.
Jason Grant lounged in his hospital gown, pants clearly showing a reaction.
Having been interrupted, he glared at her, annoyed. "Don’t know how to knock?"
Natalie looked at the embarrassed nurse hurriedly tidying her clothes beside the bed.
Just as Isaac had said: small waist, long legs, a perky ass.
This was also the first time she’d learned that a nurse’s uniform could be a crop top and a miniskirt.
"Mr. Grant, I’ll leave you now."
The nurse crept toward the door, guilty as hell, not daring to look at Natalie as she passed.
Natalie stepped in and sat down on the sofa.
Looks like the nurse’s "close care" these past two days was top-notch—"responsible" indeed.
Jason Grant was looking fresh, full of energy.
"Go pour me a glass of water," he ordered Natalie.
Natalie stood up, stone-faced, took a cup and went to the water dispenser.
When she turned back with the water, Jason was on a video call, phone up: "Isaac."
Natalie squeezed the cup tightly, listening to Isaac’s lazy voice: "Uncle, how are things these days?"
"Alright I guess." Jason angled his head toward Natalie, frowning. "Why are you standing there? Bring the water here."
Natalie walked over, face expressionless.
Isaac saw on screen a pale, slender hand holding a cup.
Jason said, "Can’t you see I’m not convenient? Feed me."
One of his hands was fractured, and the good one was still holding the phone for the video chat.
Natalie brought the cup closer and gave Jason half a cup of water.
Isaac watched the whole scene, eyes narrowed, a cold look flashing underneath.
After the drink, Jason continued the video: "Isaac, your grandpa’s birthday is over. When are you coming back?"
Natalie set the cup down, ears pricked for the conversation.
Isaac’s voice was indifferent: "I reckon—not coming back to Seaharbor."
Hearing that, Natalie almost dropped the cup.
Jason went, "Huh?" then asked, "You patched things up with your dad?"
Isaac had been "exiled" to Seaharbor by his father, Ansel Vaughn.
He added, "Yeah, family never really holds a grudge overnight."
After hanging up on Jason, Isaac heard a couple knocks on the door.
He turned to see Sylvia Vaughn closing the half-open door and coming in.
"Really not planning to go back to Seaharbor? Isn’t she in Seaharbor?"
That "she" was loaded with meaning.
Isaac looked at his aunt, lip curling: "What do you want to say?"
Though both Isaac and Sylvia Vaughn were Vaughns, neither liked the Vaughn Residence.
They were rebellious, refusing to play by the rules.
At the Vaughn Residence, they were two "outcasts."
Two outcasts, naturally sticking together.
So they were aunt and nephew—but also allies.
"Today your mom and I took Kiki to the mall. Bumped into your uncle’s fiancée."
"Oh." Isaac’s face didn’t change.
"Kiki called her sister-in-law."
Isaac glanced at his aunt, smirking: "Oh?"
Sylvia Vaughn confirmed her suspicion, her face darkening, gritted teeth: "Are you insane?"
Isaac shrugged, looking nonchalant.
Sylvia Vaughn stared at him.
With what she knew of her nephew, this was no simple mess.
Natalie was indeed beautiful and alluring, but Isaac wouldn’t mess about with his uncle’s fiancée just for a moment’s lust.
"Isaac, what exactly are you planning?"
Isaac smiled quietly, voice low: "She owns ten percent of Beckett Group shares."
"That’s the only reason?"
"Of course not." Isaac’s smile deepened. "My grandfather and uncle are too shortsighted—grab some shares and they’re happy as clams."
"They have no idea of her real value."
Sylvia Vaughn watched her nephew as he spoke—though he was smiling, none of it reached his eyes.
Thinking of Natalie, she suddenly found her a bit pitiful.
Getting played, all the while believing she was loved.
All of a sudden, Kiki burst out from behind the curtains, clutching a stuffed toy.
