Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 51: It’s Natalie Kendall Kissing a Man
"Isaac?"
Jason Grant looked at Isaac Vaughn in surprise as he walked over. "What are you doing here?"
Isaac glanced at Natalie, whose face was expressionless, and smirked. "I’m here to pick someone up."
Natalie met his gaze at those words, frowning slightly.
"Pick someone up? Who?"
Isaac was perfectly open about it, tilting his chin toward Natalie right in front of Jason.
Natalie was momentarily stunned.
Jason turned to look at Natalie, then back at Isaac, frowning. "You two..."
"Babe, what’s taking so long? Did you get Nat already?"
At that moment, Vanessa Grant got out of the car and walked over.
Seeing Vanessa, Jason finally understood.
Vanessa shot him a fierce glare before smiling and reaching for Natalie’s hand, asking with concern, "Nat just finished class—are you tired?"
Natalie shook her head gently.
Vanessa continued, "I’ve booked us a spot at a private kitchen. Let’s go get something to eat and chat, okay?"
She took Natalie’s hand and started walking her to the car. After a few steps, she looked back and said to Jason, "You come too."
*
The four of them went to the private kitchen and took a private room.
Vanessa urged Natalie to order, telling her to pick whatever she liked, anything was fine.
"Nat, Isaac told me everything about the crap Jason pulled."
As she spoke, Vanessa once again shot Jason a venomous glare.
Jason gave a mortified cough and turned his head away.
"If I’d known that idiot was up to that, there’s no way I would’ve called you out!"
It was obvious that Vanessa really felt sorry for her.
Jason’s apology earlier was half-hearted, but Vanessa’s regret was genuine.
"From the time it happened ’til now, you never told me a thing. Nat, you’re so kind it hurts my heart, you know that?"
Vanessa stroked Natalie’s face. "You didn’t tell me because you were afraid I’d blame myself, right?"
Natalie gently squeezed Vanessa’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
That just made Vanessa feel even more protective.
She immediately got up and marched over to Jason, grabbing his ear and twisting it hard.
"Ow, ow, ow! Sis, ow!!"
Jason howled in pain.
Vanessa didn’t soften up, her grip just as firm. "I want you to hurt! Apologize to Nat! Hurry up!"
"I already did! I apologized the moment I saw her!" Jason shouted. "Sis, let go! You’re going to tear my ear off!"
Vanessa snorted and sat back down. "Nat, you’re the big-hearted one here."
She watched Natalie’s reaction, and when Natalie didn’t say anything, she tried, "Or, do you want Jason to kneel and apologize? How about it, Nat?"
"What? No way!" Jason protested instantly. "Are you crazy, sis?"
Just as Vanessa was about to get up and twist his ear again, there was a knock on the door.
Jessica Vance entered, led by the waiter.
"Sorry I’m late."
"You’re not late, Jessica, come sit." Vanessa beckoned Jessica inside.
She was Natalie’s bridesmaid, so it was normal for Vanessa to have invited her to dinner.
And with Jessica arriving, the matter of Jason having to apologize just got quietly dropped.
When the food was being served, Vanessa chatted with Natalie about the wedding, and Jessica chimed in now and then.
Every time the word "wedding" came up, Isaac’s face froze. He looked sullen the whole meal.
Midway through, Jason went to the restroom.
At the sink, after he washed his hands, he looked up to see Jessica Vance coming out of the ladies’ room.
"Jason." Jessica smiled as she greeted him.
Jason melted at the sound of her greeting.
"Haven’t seen you in years—you’ve gotten beautiful. If I ran into you on the street, I probably wouldn’t even recognize you."
Jessica looked awkward. "Come on, Jason, stop teasing me."
"I’m serious." Jason looked at her with something like greed in his eyes. "So pretty, I almost didn’t dare believe it was you."
Jessica giggled sweetly and took his arm to walk him back.
As they talked, Jason heard Jessica was studying at Seaharbor University, and suddenly remembered something.
"Jessica, have you noticed Natalie hanging around with any guys lately?"
He was worried she’d agreed to the breakup because of some guy outside, so he wanted to go after that guy first.
Jessica froze at his question, stammering, "N-no, I haven’t."
No, huh? That reaction was a total giveaway.
Jason immediately knew Jessica was hiding something.
"Jessica, if you know something, you can’t hide it from your Jason, okay?"
Jessica looked torn, as if battling herself, until finally she took out her phone and showed him a photo.
"I just snapped it casually—it’s not very clear."
Jason took her phone and looked at the photo.
It was Natalie kissing a man.
The man’s face was hard to see, and his figure was blurred too.
Looking closer, Jason suddenly realized the place in the photo looked awfully familiar.
"Isn’t this at Franklin Finch’s villa?"
He’d attended that private party too. Natalie had come, and later fell into the pool by accident; he’d taken her away afterward.
Jessica nodded.
Jason’s expression darkened. He asked, "Jessica, can you send me this photo?"
"I can, but you have to promise not to tell anyone it was from me."
"Don’t worry." Jason reached up and stroked Jessica’s hair. "I’d never sell you out."
Jessica sent him the photo.
As Jason studied the picture, Jessica, out of his sight, was smirking coldly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
They returned to the room and found that Natalie and Isaac were gone.
Vanessa explained that Natalie had a part-time job and was in a rush.
"So I had Isaac give her a ride."
Jason didn’t say much, just lowered his head and started tapping away on his phone.
——
In the car.
Isaac told Natalie to open the glovebox in front.
Natalie found a box inside.
"I bought it with Franklin Finch sometime when we were out strolling around." Isaac glanced at her. "It wasn’t expensive, just wear it for fun."
Natalie opened the lid. Inside was a beautiful bracelet.
She took it out and studied it closely, smiling. "Thank you. I really like it."
Isaac suddenly felt this bracelet wasn’t good enough—he should have bought her something more expensive.
At a red light, he reached over and held her hand. "I’ll get you something even better next time. Don’t look down on this one, okay?"
"This one’s great." Natalie raised her wrist.
She’d already put it on.
"I really do like it."
Isaac looked at her pure, deer-like eyes. His urge to kiss her surged to the max then.
Just as he was about to lean close, the light turned green and the car behind began honking impatiently.
Damn it!
Isaac cursed under his breath and stepped on the gas.
When they finally got to somewhere he could park, he hurried to unbuckle and pulled Natalie into his arms.
"Ring."
"Your phone... your phone’s ringing."
Natalie, eyes red from his kisses, braced her hands against his chest.
Isaac took out his phone and answered. Franklin Finch’s anxious voice came through, "Isaac! Your uncle just came to ask me who all was at my villa party. Listen, he’s got a photo in his hand..."
Before Franklin could finish, a call from Jason came through for Isaac.
Isaac picked up, and heard Jason’s cold voice: "Isaac, I’m sending you a photo, take a look for me."
As Jason spoke, the photo came in.
Isaac tapped his phone twice, squinting, a shadow in his eyes.
It was a photo of him kissing Natalie.
Then he heard his uncle ask, "Isaac, do you know the man in this photo?"
