The idea of Sean taking her home immediately displeased Joanna. Sebastian always drove her himself.


    She ran to catch up with him, her voice a sweet, pleading whine. "Sebastian, you always take me home. Why not today? Are you worried about Natalie? If you are, let me remind you that she''s the reason we were torn apart. It was because of her that you betrayed me and got together with..."


    "Enough," he interrupted sharply. "You were the one who left. And we never had a formal rtionship, so there was no betrayal. My grandfather forced my hand; I had to marry Natalie. Go home. I don''t want to hear this again." The irritation in his eyes was more pronounced than ever.


    Joanna froze. No formal rtionship? No betrayal? It was true, Sebastian had never explicitly said he wanted to marry her. But he had never spoken to her with such a harsh tone before.


    Seeing her tears, Sebastian''s resolve softened. "Joanna, just go home. I''lle see you tomorrow."


    His voice was gentler now, which gave Joanna hope that he still had feelings for her. Thinking back on what happened all those years ago brought a fresh wave of pain, and tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. She had loved that other man, so how could she have married Sebastian? Sebastian had grown up in darkness, and her arrival was meant to be his guiding light. But the better he treated her, the more she resented it. She felt she deserved more than this grim, cold man who seemed to have crawled out of hell itself. She hadn''t even been able to look him in the eye. But after being hurt, she finally understood just how good Sebastian had been to her.


    She nodded meekly and obediently followed Sean out.


    The g was a resounding sess. Leaving his butler and assistant to handle the remaining guests, Matthew took Natalie to a quiet ce for dinner.


    True to his word, he had a fragrant roast chicken waiting for her. As soon as they sat down, Natalie downed two sses of hot water, finally soothing her parched throat. Matthew watched her, a soft smile ying on his lips at her genuine, unpretentious actions. He was known for being a reserved, calcting man, but Natalie''s authenticity always brought a smile to his face. Nearby, his assistant saw the rare, gentle expression on his boss''s face and his jaw dropped, staying open for a long time.


    Natalie looked up at Matthew with


    an apologetic.grin. "Sorry, Mr. Monroe I''m absolutely starving righ now so I''m skipping the whate ''eating like ady'' performance."


    With that, she slipped on a pair of disposable gloves, tore off a chicken leg, and began to eat with gusto.


    Matthew''s eyes flickered, a hint of


    disappointment he couldn''t quite


    hide. When a woman didn''t care about her image in front of a man, it


    meant she didn''t see him.


    nas


    potential partner, but as someone insignificant.


    His face momentarily hardened, but watching her eat with such relish, the disappointment melted away. He smiled. "Slow down. It''s all yours."


    Natalie just grinned back, her mouth full. His voice was so gentle, warm, andforting. "Mmm-hmm," she mumbled, nodding.


    After devouring one chicken leg, the


    l.n&t


    frantic gnawing in her stomach subsided. She slowed down, and she looked up, her eyes met Matthews intense gazeter hear skipped a beat. She pointed to the food in front of him. "Mr. Monroe, what are you looking at me for? I''m not as fluffy as rice or as crispy as this chicken. You should eat."


    Matthew chuckled, his gaze soft as it rested on her, making Natalie feel a warmth


    spread through her, like a gentle spring breeze caressing her soul.


    "Natalie," he asked softly, "are you and Sebastian still not divorced?"