Natalie held onto Selena as she and her family finished expressing their gratitude and fell silent.


    Grace, however, continued coughing violently after being choked by Selena.


    Natalie exchanged a nce with Hector, who shook his head in refusal. Though he was a doctor and had taken an oath to save lives, after hearing everything Selena had suffered, he had no intention of helping Grace.


    At only 12 years old, Selena had been assaulted. The trauma inflicted on a young girl''s body and mind was unimaginable.


    On top of that, she had been sold repeatedly, passed from one hand to another. Some victims never escaped the shadows of such experiences for the rest of their lives.


    Selena hadn''t spelled out every detail, but Hector and Natalie understood. That was why Natalie had stopped her when she tried to strangle Grace.


    If she had killed Grace, she would have gone from being a victim to a criminal. Thew would handle the case fairly, and the oue would be entirely different.


    Selena had survived up to this point purely through her own resilience. No matter how terrible she had once been, Hector found it hard to hate herpletely. Because if he had been in Selena''s ce, perhaps he would have killed everyone involved.


    Grace was coughing simply because she had choked and couldn''t catch her breath. She wasn''t dying and didn''t need medical attention.


    Seeing that Hector refused, Natalie said nothing. She simply turned and moved to a different table.


    "Mr. Langley, Mrs. Langley, Ms. Langley, the three of you should find another table to eat at. I want to have a private meal with Hector."


    Victor and his family dared not argue. They immediately nodded and moved to another table. Hector waved over a waiter to reset the table for them.


    "Nat, you''re not upset with me. Are you?"


    Natalie replied with a smile, "Why would I be? I didn''t want to help her either. I just wanted to see whether she was faking or not.


    "After all, Mrs. Langley Senior is an exceptional actress. She deceived everyone for years, making fools out of us all. She will not die. It doesn''t really matter whether we look or not."


    Hector finally felt at ease. "Nat, don''t go soft on that old woman," he reminded.


    His face darkened slightly, unable to suppress his emotions. He couldn''t bear to think about what might have happened if his sister had been the daughter of the Walker family but just another ordinary girl.


    Would she have been sold somewhere far away as well?


    Just hearing about Selena''s suffering was unbearable.


    "Selena is... quite pitiful," Hector admitted, ncing toward her with sympathy.


    "She is," Natalie admitted without hesitation. She couldn''t ept the thought of a 12-year-old girl being assaulted.


    When Selena first returned to the Langley family, she had acted out in extreme ways against Natalie, but Natalie had never let her walk over her. She had retaliated when necessary.


    "What she said was true. If Grace hadn''t ordered Kenton to take her away and sell her, Diana would have raised her with love and care."


    Natalie''s voice softened slightly. "Just like how Mom loves me. Most mothers love their children. It is rare to see someone like Grace, who discarded her own daughter while raising a child she picked up from the streets."


    Hector agreed. "That is true. Just like how Emma was never truly our parents'' daughter, yet because they never knew the truth, they cherished her and raised her with all their love.


    "If she hadn''t ruined herself by hurting you so many times, our parents would have continued treating her as their own. It was Emma who failed to appreciate what she had and didn''t know how to be grateful."


    "Yes, Mom and Dad love me very much," Natalie said softly.


    They continued their conversation until Grace finally stopped coughing and managed to catch her breath. Slowly, she stood up and walked toward Natalie, taking a seat across from her.


    "Nattie, I still want to talk to you."


    Her aged face was filled with sorrow. "I am old. My time is running out. I don''t know how much longer I have left. You reported me to the police. That is no different from sending your grandma to her death."


    Natalie cut her off, her voice cold and emotionless. "Mrs. Langley Senior, I''m not your granddaughter. Any bond between us has long since ceased to exist, so don''t call yourself my grandma.


    "I will give you only one chance. If


    you don''t take it seriously and


    continue trying to y on my emotions, you will havepletely miscalcted. You will also be


    wasting your time. So you had better think carefully before you speak."


    With that, Natalie lowered her head and continued eating. Since waking up, she


    hadn''t eaten anything, and she was already hungry.


    Seeing this, Hector immediately called over a waiter. "Please assist with peeling shrimp. Thank you."


    "Of course, sir."


    The waiter put on gloves and began assisting at the table. Natalie didn''t spare another nce at Grace and focused on her meal.


    Grace''s face was filled with misery.


    The relentless blows she had


    suffered had aged her by at least decade. Once, she had lived a well-fed andfortable life, her strength and spirit had since faded.


    She knew that Natalie had long since cut ties with her. No matter what she said, Natalie would never believe her again.


    Natalie had even reported her to the police without hesitation, using her of human trafficking. She knew then that her past crimes could no longer remain hidden.


    There was only one chance. Speaking would seal her fate, but staying silent wouldn''t change it. No matter what she chose, it would be the end of her.


    Perhaps, only her death could protect her daughter. That thought crossed Grace''s mind as she looked at Natalie, her gaze growing more deste.


    "Nattie, if I die, will you forgive me?"


    "No," Natalie answered without hesitation.


    She added, "Mrs. Langley Senior, are you nning to die? Do you think your death will bury everything? I told you that you have only one chance. If you remain stubborn and refuse to speak, no one can save you.


    "Do you really believe that if you die, your daughter, Megan, will be safe? She was involved in the scheme against Marcus'' mother. Do you think Marcus will let her


    go?"


    Hearing the mention of Megan, Grace''s expression finally changed. Her lips trembled, and her aged, cloudy eyes filled with red veins.


    "I was forced. I really was!"


    "Mrs. Langley Senior, what I want to know is who ordered me to be brought into the Langley family back then." Natalie set down her fork, her gaze piercing. "You were even willing to sell Selena. What else could you possibly be afraid of revealing?" Cóntent