Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 48: Don’t Blame Me for Going All Out on You
"Smells great."
The man curled his lips, "Just got off the plane, I’m starving. Isaac, did you save any for me?"
"No." Isaac Vaughn said coldly, then turned to Natalie: "Go to the dining room."
The two brushed past the man and left.
Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie caught a glimpse of the man’s deepening smile, unsettling and sinister.
She hadn’t expected the man to actually follow them.
Limping along behind her and Isaac Vaughn, the sound of his cane tapping the floor in the silent late night sent chills down her spine.
When they reached the dining room, Natalie and Isaac Vaughn set down their plates. The man sat down opposite them, his cane propped beside him.
"Ethan, are you crazy?"
Isaac Vaughn slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a sharp crack.
That’s when Natalie realized the man was Isaac Vaughn’s older brother, Ethan Vaughn.
The commotion in the dining room woke Vanessa Grant and Ansel Vaughn upstairs.
They came down in their robes. Seeing Ethan Vaughn, both looked surprised. Vanessa instinctively hid behind Ansel.
"When did you get back? Why didn’t you let me know in advance? I could’ve sent the driver for you."
Ansel Vaughn glanced at his eldest son as he spoke.
"No need for all that trouble." Ethan Vaughn smiled, looking at Vanessa hiding behind Ansel. "I might be lame but I’m not paralyzed. I can get back on my own."
Vanessa met his gaze, shrinking her shoulders in fear.
"What the fuck are you staring at!" Isaac Vaughn caught Ethan’s eyes on Vanessa and exploded, flipping his plate toward Ethan.
"Isaac!" Ansel scolded angrily, "What the hell are you doing!"
Ethan Vaughn kept smiling, picking the noodles off his clothes. "What a waste. Isaac, you sure have a dramatic way of welcoming your big brother."
Isaac Vaughn’s eyes were dark, his fists clenched tight at his sides.
Ansel saw it and said in a low voice, "Enough! All of you—go to bed!"
Vanessa quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, it’s late. Baby, go to sleep now. You too, Nat."
Ethan Vaughn looked at Natalie.
Natalie met his gaze, calm as ever.
Ethan smiled, "I’ve only been on a business trip for a month, and Isaac’s already got something going on? Is this your sister-in-law? Pretty."
Vanessa frowned, murmuring, "Nat is his uncle’s fiancée."
"Oh?" At her words, a shadow flickered in Ethan’s eyes.
Remembering the scene he’d just witnessed in the kitchen.
They hadn’t acted intimately, but something off was definitely in the air between them.
Interesting.
"So she’s Isaac’s—uncle’s fiancée, huh. Isaac sharing a late-night meal with his auntie. The two of you sure get along well."
The implication was unpleasant.
Vanessa pouted, face darkening, about to say something when Ansel interrupted coldly, "Are you finished?"
Only then did Ethan tone it down, hobbling out of the dining room with his cane.
As he passed Ansel and Vanessa, Vanessa edged around to Ansel’s other side.
Ethan smirked at her reaction, the smile cold and not reaching his eyes.
After he left, Vanessa let out a breath and walked over. "Baby, Nat, you guys hungry? I’ll have someone cook you something fresh."
"No..." Natalie started, but before she finished, Isaac Vaughn was already striding out.
"Baby? You’re not eating?"
Vanessa chased after, asking. Isaac ignored her and went straight upstairs.
She turned to Natalie.
Natalie said she wasn’t hungry either.
——
Hospital.
Matthew Beckett showed up at Old Mr. Grant’s ward early in the morning, sat for an hour, and then left.
After he left, Old Mr. Grant immediately called Jason Grant over.
"What? Cancel the engagement?"
"Shit! Fuck!"
Jason, agitated, worsened his healing arm and leg injuries, face greenish white with pain.
"Goddamnit! The Beckett family just says break it off and that’s it? Says who!"
Old Mr. Grant’s brows were furrowed tight, voice hard: "It’s Sebastian Beckett’s idea."
He eyed his son, expression murky: "You tell me, says who?"
"Sebastian Beckett, that old bastard! Why didn’t his heart attack send him to see the King of Hell back then?"
"He’s got a tough life." Old Mr. Grant closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his gaze was shrouded in gloom. "If we don’t do something, the cooked duck’s about to fly away."
Without Natalie Kendall’s shares in the Beckett family, how could The Grant family survive?
Jason Grant knew it too. He gritted his teeth: "Don’t worry, Dad, I know what to do. I’ll handle Natalie Kendall myself!"
"Once she gets pregnant with my kid, I don’t believe Sebastian Beckett can still call off the engagement! Who’d want a woman carrying someone else’s child? Won’t the Beckett family be a laughing stock?"
Old Mr. Grant exhaled deeply, voice heavy: "You must get it done. No complications. Do it quiet. Tell no one."
"I know."
*
Jason figured Natalie wouldn’t come for him if he called.
But she probably didn’t suspect his sister.
So he decided to use Vanessa Grant.
He told Vanessa he’d prepared a surprise for Natalie Kendall.
"What about the surprise you planned at the hotel last time? Didn’t Nat like it?"
Last time—
That surprise was for a new model he’d hooked up with.
Jason cleared his throat, "Last time wasn’t thoughtful enough. Sis, just hurry and bring her here for me."
"Alright, got it."
Vanessa didn’t suspect a thing.
Trying to make it more unexpected for Natalie, she kept it all secret.
Natalie got in the car. Not long after, the car stopped and Jason Grant got in.
Seeing him, Natalie frowned.
Jason told the driver to go, then pulled out his phone and scrolled, ignoring her.
Natalie stared out the window, feeling something off, and quietly took out her own phone.
Just as she unlocked the screen, a hand snatched her phone away.
"What the hell are you doing! Give it back!" Natalie’s face went cold and angry as she spoke.
Jason sneered at her. Under her shocked gaze, he rolled down the car window and tossed her phone out.
The car stopped in front of a secluded, stand-alone villa in the suburbs.
Jason Grant got out and headed inside.
Behind him, two men in black pulled Natalie out and forced her into the villa.
On the sofa, Jason sprawled out, holding a whole bottle of liquor in his good hand.
Tipping it up, he took a swig and looked at Natalie a few steps away. "Once you get pregnant with my kid, I’ll let you go."
Natalie was expressionless, icy as she spat out, "Keep dreaming."
"Ha!" Jason scoffed, "You’d better behave, or it’s gonna hurt for you."
As he spoke, he got up and walked over.
He reached out to touch her face but she slapped his hand away hard. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
His face instantly twisted in anger, jaw clenched:
"If you’d cooperate a little, I could be gentle with you in bed later and make you feel good too. But if you don’t, don’t blame me for fucking you up!"
——
Bar.
Isaac Vaughn was drinking hard, face looking grim.
Franklin Finch leaned in, trying to talk him down. "Isaac, this isn’t how you drink."
He pushed down Isaac’s arm.
Isaac Vaughn glanced at him.
Franklin Finch cursed, "Your big brother hooked up with the Huxley family. He’ll be even more smug now, huh? Shit! That Huxley heiress must be blind—how’d she end up liking your brother?"
Isaac’s eyes were cold and hard.
The private room door suddenly opened.
Seeing who entered, Franklin Finch immediately blurted, "I swear I didn’t call her!"
Ever since he’d realized Isaac wasn’t interested in reconciliation, he’d stopped responding to Vivienne Jordan’s constant signals for him to set up meetings.
"Isaac Vaughn."
Vivienne Jordan walked up to him, looking at his empty glass. "Can I have a drink with you?"
Isaac lifted his eyes and glanced at her.
Franklin Finch took the hint and stepped away.
Vivienne sat down, poured herself a drink, but before she could taste it, a cold male voice cut in: "Was I not clear last time? I’m not interested in you. We’ve known each other, that’s enough. No need to drag yourself down."
Vivienne’s hand tightened on her glass, face drained of color.
The courage she’d mustered just looked pitiful to him.
She stared at Isaac, tears finally spilling over uncontrollably.
"Hey? Why’s the pretty lady crying?"
"Second Master Vaughn, did you bully her?"
"Beautiful, if Second Master Vaughn can’t be gentle, I sure can."
A drunk rich boy laughed and tried to put his arm around Vivienne.
Isaac Vaughn frowned and blocked the man’s hand. "Get the fuck out."
Vivienne was stunned, hope flickering in her eyes again.
She bit her lip, poured two drinks, and secretly dropped a pill into one—the pill dissolved instantly.
She picked up the drinks and looked at Isaac. "Isaac Vaughn, we used to date, after all. Can’t you give me just one toast?"
Isaac Vaughn stared at her coldly for a long moment, then reached out and took the drink.
