Chapter 3 A Heartless Woman

Nathaniel froze Aurelia's card to force her back to the villa. He never expected such a strong reaction from Aurelia, who was usually so gentle and never spoke to him in a loud voice.

Nathaniel was truly impressed this time.

Twenty million dollars was not a small amount!

Nathaniel stood up, buttoning the bottom button of his suit jacket as he headed out. Zack hurried to the front to press the elevator button.

When Nathaniel's car arrived at the bank, Aurelia and Ulysses happened to be walking out while cursing Nathaniel. They didn't get the money.

Seeing that Aurelia and Ulysses were about to get into the car, Nathaniel quickly opened the car door and walked over.

"Are you going to cut ties with me after getting the money?"

Aurelia was forced to step back by his powerful presence, her back against the car door.

Nathaniel was furious. He thought, 'What a heartless woman! She plans to take the money and leave. Doesn't she have any attachment to this home? She's so ruthless. She must have wanted to leave a long time ago.'

Aurelia paused and asked, "Isn't it because you froze my card?"

"Would I have frozen your card if you hadn't run away from home? It looks like you are not satisfied with your current carefree life and want to experience some hardship."

"You have no right to freeze my card. I earned the money in my bank account with my effort. You don't have the right to freeze it, do you?"

Nathaniel was momentarily stunned. They had been married for three years, but it was the first time he had seen Aurelia speak to him so arrogantly. Normally, she was very gentle.

"You earned it? You spent about three hundred days a year to attend jewelry exhibitions." Nathaniel implied that if it weren't for him, she would have starved to death.

Ulysses couldn't stand it anymore. "What are you saying? Aurelia is..." "Yes, I'm useless and can only rely on you for a living," Aurelia interrupted Ulysses. Anger surged in her heart.

She was an internationally renowned jewelry designer known only by her pseudonym. Nathaniel didn't know that.

Aurelia had never deliberately concealed it. Sometimes, she also designed some pieces at home, but he never cared about her affairs, let alone look at what she drew. In Nathaniel's eyes, she was just someone who had a temporary interest in painting, and those were just random things she drew.

After three years of marriage, she had put her focus on the family, only to receive his contempt. In his eyes, she was nothing but a spender of his money.

It was only now that Aurelia realized how ridiculous she had been before.

A sudden phone call broke the tense atmosphere.

It was a call from Reed.

"Aurelia, why don't you and Nathaniel come back for dinner today? The lobsters that were air-freighted from abroad just arrived, and I remember that you love them, so I don't let anyone else touch them. I left them all for you."

"Grandpa, I..." Aurelia found it surprisingly difficult to distance herself from Nathaniel and be alone for a while. She couldn't refuse Reed, who doted on her as if she was his biological granddaughter.

Nathaniel took the phone and said, "Grandpa, we'll be back in the evening."

After hanging up the phone, Nathaniel asked impatiently, "Let's go. What are you waiting for?"

Aurelia stood still for a few seconds, and Nathaniel pulled her by the arm and pushed her into the car.

As soon as she sat down, Nathaniel threw a delicate box at her.

Aurelia held it and looked at him in confusion.

"This is the company's flagship product for the next quarter. It will be available in limited quantities after the launch event. Take it."

Aurelia opened the box, and the thing inside surprised her. It was a gemstone pendant that she had designed last month. When she was eighty percent done with the manuscript, it mysteriously disappeared. She searched for it in the study but couldn't find it. How did it become the Heilbronn Group's flagship product next quarter?

"May I ask who the designer of this gemstone pendant is?"

Nathaniel was extremely satisfied with her reaction. "Chelsea designs it. She signed with the Heilbronn Group yesterday and became its chief designer. This necklace is her best work since returning to the country, and it is sure to be popular."

After praising Chelsea, he mocked Aurelia, "You see, there is quite a difference between your design and hers." When Nathaniel talked about Chelsea, his face carried an unintentional look of satisfaction. Perhaps even he didn't know that he was showing off, as if he was introducing some rare treasure to someone else.

Aurelia felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. Right now, all she could think of was that her work had been stolen. And she needed to find out how Chelsea got her unfinished manuscript.

Nathaniel was a proud man. He disdained stealing and looked down on what Aurelia drew. Her manuscript disappeared from the study for no reason. It couldn't have grown wings and flown into Chelsea's hands. Aurelia's mind wandered. It was probably because she was carsick and she felt nauseous. She covered her mouth and nose and retched a few times.

Nathaniel handed her a pack of tissues and asked in confusion, "Has it come this month?"

Aurelia was taken aback. She had no idea whether she had her period this month.

She couldn't remember when her last period was, but it was a long time ago.

She felt very uncomfortable. "I'm carsick."

After saying that, she retched again. She used carsickness as an excuse, and Nathaniel dispelled his doubts, saying to Zack, "Pull over for a moment."

Zack found a temporary place to park. Just as the car was turning off, Nathaniel's phone rang. "Nathaniel, I'm feeling really bad right now. Can you come over?"

The gentle voice echoed in the quiet car, wringing Aurelia's heart.

Nathaniel glanced at Aurelia, who had just been retching, then turned to Zack and said, "Go to Jade Community."

The car, which had just stopped, turned onto the main road and headed towards Jade Community.

As the car started moving, Aurelia was struck by a wave of intense nausea.

Aurelia remembered that Nathaniel had a luxurious apartment in the Jade Community, which was a gift from Reed to Nathaniel and her when they got married. The apartment was registered under both their names. It had been unoccupied for three years. She was shocked when she learned that Nathaniel had asked his lover to move in.

Aurelia found the situation laughable.

As the car started moving, Aurelia retched more violently. Her eyes were moist, her brows furrowed, and sweat beaded on her nose. She looked very pitiful.

Nathaniel rarely felt guilty towards her. He reached out to stroke her back to help her feel better. "Hold on. Chelsea has a heart condition, and we can't afford any delays. How about you lean on me instead?"

Aurelia shifted away from him, moving to the side to avoid him, looking distant.

"Please let me go. I'm carsick and feeling unwell now." Nathaniel frowned and leaned in, forcefully pulling her into his arms. "Don't be stubborn. Show some mercy for someone with a heart condition. It's a dangerous illness when it flares up."

Aurelia struggled a few times to push him away, but he was too strong, and her efforts were in vain.

Nathaniel watched Aurelia struggling in his arms and asked in her ear, "Is it uncomfortable leaning on me? Or do you want to sit on my lap?"