Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 74: Natalie Returns to Seaharbor Alone
All these years of surface-level peace had almost made Natalie forget how much her mother hated her—hated her enough to wish her dead.
The shock Franklin Finch showed when he saw her, those words—how gruesome the accident scene had been.
And then the conversation she’d had with her mother today.
Piecing things together, she roughly put together the truth.
"My mother wanted me dead, and you saved me, brought me here, didn’t you? That’s what I forgot, isn’t it?"
"You were afraid I’d find out my own mother actually wanted to kill me..."
Natalie’s face twisted in self-mockery.
Because shutting her away, isolating her from the world, was really such a stupid method.
"You didn’t have to go this far. I’ve known for a long time she wanted me dead. When I was little, she already tried to kill me once."
Isaac reached out and held Natalie, his expression growing complicated in the darkness where she couldn’t see.
He hadn’t wanted her to find out so soon that her mother wanted her dead, but she’d found out anyway.
He also didn’t want her knowing he’d once schemed against her and used her—but if she ever got her memories back, she’d find out eventually.
Like a sword hanging over his head, waiting to come down at any moment and destroy him.
——
The night was cold as water.
Natalie slept.
Her body curled tightly into itself—a posture of insecurity.
Isaac tucked the blanket in around her and gazed at her for a long, silent moment before getting up and walking outside.
Lighting a cigarette, he smoked slowly.
But the nicotine did almost nothing for him tonight.
After he finished, he made a phone call.
"Hello."
"Old Mr. Beckett, it’s me."
"How’s Natalie doing?"
Thinking of how Natalie had acted tonight—heartbroken but pretending she was fine—Isaac’s heart tightened painfully.
"She’s all right."
"Isaac, you remember our deal, don’t you? What you want, I won’t cheat you out of it."
Isaac squeezed his phone tight, shadows darkening his eyes.
Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled his waist from behind, and soon after, a warm body pressed against his back.
He hung up, wrapping his hands over hers around his stomach.
"Why are you awake?"
He turned, pulling her into his arms, face to face.
Natalie kept her eyes shut, leaning into his chest, as if she’d just fall asleep right there.
Isaac lifted her by the waist and hips; she hooked her legs around his waist, arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder—clinging to him like a koala, completely dependent on him.
So holding her just like that, Isaac carried her back to the bedroom.
——
The next day, without waiting for Isaac to say anything, Natalie sat down in the dining room to accompany him for breakfast of her own accord.
After breakfast, she even walked him to the door on her own initiative.
Isaac glanced at her standing by ten entrance—her pretty little face, eyes pure and clear as she looked at him—she really looked like a young wife seeing her husband off to work.
Natalie asked, "Can you come home early tonight?"
Her tone and her eyes were filled with such attachment to him, like he was her entire world.
But Isaac felt no joy in his heart.
She’d become a caged bird.
This wasn’t what he wanted.
"Would you like to go back to school?" he asked her suddenly.
A glimmer of light flashed in Natalie’s eyes when she heard that. "Can I?"
But she quickly said, "Forget it. I’m fine staying home."
She called this place "home," but it wasn’t home at all—just a cage holding her captive.
"Come home early tonight, okay? I’ve been wanting to learn baking—might try cookies today. If you get back soon, you can taste them for me."
Then she muttered to herself, "But it’s my first time. I don’t know if I’ll mess it up."
"All right." Isaac stroked her face. "I’ll come back early. If they’re bad, I’ll still eat them all."
——
Even so, Isaac still arranged for Natalie to be an auditing student.
Three days later, he sent her to Rhovan University.
Rhovan couldn’t compare to Seaharbor, but the campus atmosphere was simple and honest, and the construction was beautiful.
Isaac even donated five million to the university for scholarships and student aid.
On Natalie’s first day of class, he drove her there himself.
Natalie sat quietly in the passenger seat, her face calm, hard to read any emotion or happiness.
"I looked at your schedule. You have classes both morning and afternoon. If you don’t want to eat in the cafeteria at lunch, I’ll have someone bring you food. I’ll pick you up after your afternoon class."
Natalie turned her head and glanced at him.
"Can I not go? I just learned how to bake cookies, I should practice more at home. And I want to learn how to bake cakes—they’re harder, need more practice."
"Do you really enjoy baking?" Isaac asked her.
Natalie spoke softly, "It’s all right. Otherwise, doing nothing would be boring."
So she had to find something to do.
Otherwise, her mind would wander.
She was entirely in an escapist state now.
Isaac could see that—so he had to step in.
"It won’t be boring at school."
Isaac stopped the car at Rhovan’s gate, pulled her hand to gently squeeze her fingers. "Go on, I’ll pick you up this afternoon."
Natalie looked out the window—so many people coming and going, all her peers, all college students her age.
She looked at Isaac again, but in the end, she pushed open the car door and got out.
Isaac watched her walk through the campus gates and disappear before driving off.
That afternoon, he picked Natalie up and brought her home.
She didn’t say a word about school—just hurried into the kitchen to work on her cookies as soon as she got back.
But the next morning she quietly got into his car again, asking him to drive her to school.
Just like that, half a month went by.
She adapted well to Rhovan University.
——
Branch Office.
When Isaac stepped into his office, he found the documents he’d dealt with the day before were still sitting on the desk. He immediately called Charles Peterson in.
"Uh, Vice President Vaughn, they all need President Whitman’s signature... otherwise we can’t proceed."
Charles got quieter the more he explained.
Actually, it hadn’t been necessary at first.
Yesterday, when he took the files signed by Isaac to implement them, he was told so.
No need to guess—it was President Whitman making a point.
Isaac knew this, of course.
He laughed in anger.
He stood up and walked out, telling Charles to bring the documents along.
"Vice President Vaughn, where are we going?"
"The hospital. To visit the patient."
Frederick Whitman had been dragging out this illness for ages, still not getting better.
Isaac sat on the sofa, saying maybe he should get a specialist from Janton to come take a look.
Frederick had been up all night, partying hard.
With dark circles under his eyes and that overindulgent look about him.
"No need for all that trouble. I’m feeling better lately—should be discharged soon. And I’ve heard, Vice President Vaughn, you’ve been very efficient. Several projects turned out beautifully."
Frederick praised him with his mouth, but there was little sincerity in his eyes.
Isaac’s lips twitched; he handed over the files for Frederick to sign.
"Then, President Whitman, you just focus on getting well. If anything comes up, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you again."
"Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Vice President Vaughn, you can bother me anytime."
Isaac turned to leave, his face instantly icy.
Charles felt the pressure in the room so heavy he didn’t dare say a word, just silently followed.
The moment Isaac left, Frederick Whitman grabbed his phone.
"President Vaughn, it’s me. Yes—Second Young Master Vaughn didn’t say a word. Yes, I understand, don’t worry."
After hanging up, Frederick Whitman leaned back against his pillows, leisurely eating fruit.
Before long the doctor and nurses came in for rounds.
The doctor tried politely to ask when he’d be discharged; when told Frederick would stay a while longer, he left with a face like thunder.
"Rich people are all nuts! Using the hospital as a hotel!"
——
Isaac had a lot of work today, so he told Natalie in advance that he probably couldn’t pick her up.
But he’d send a driver for her, let her go home first—he’d be back as soon as he could.
Natalie agreed, told him to get his work done. After hanging up, she left school and hailed a taxi.
"Airport, please."
