[If he''s that tender in public, I can only imagine what he''s like in private. My dream guy finally has a beautiful girl by his side. I''m so jealous...]


    [But who is she?]


    Someone replied to thement, and the thread exploded.


    [I know who she is. She''s the adopted daughter of the Scott family. A total drama queen. After they took her in, she spent all her time framing the real daughter, Ms. Scott. They finally kicked her out. Now she''s just a gold digger trying to seduce Mr. Monroe.]


    [What?! And here I was admiring how beautiful she is. Turns out she''s just shameless. Someone dig up all the dirt on her!]


    Thements below quickly devolved into a flood of insults aimed at Natalie.


    It was Natalie''s first time at Matthew''s house. Theyout of their vis was identical, though the decor was different. She had designed her own home, and it was a reflection of her style. Her grandfather always joked that such a modern, luxurious ce was a bit much for an old man, but he''d grown used to it. She even picked out all his clothes-stylish, modern outfits that, along with his dyed- ck hair, made him look no older than a man in his fifties.


    They were chatting happily when her phone rang. It was Luna.


    "Luna?"


    "Natalie, check the trending topics! You and Mr. Monroe are all over the inte!"


    Natalie nced at Matthew across from her, ended the call, and opened her phone. As she scrolled past the hatefulments, she found a reply from @familiar ount: Jared Scott, the second son of the Scott family, confirming she was their adopted daughter.


    A sharp pain pierced her heart. All four of her Scott brothers despised her, even


    though she had never done anything to wrong them.


    Matthew had seen the posts too. Noticing the anguish in her eyes, his heart ached for her. "Natalie, if you don''t like this, I can have it taken down immediately." His voice was a soothing balm.


    Her anxiety eased instantly. "I''m so sorry, Mr. Monroe," she said. "This is my fault. I''ve dragged you into my problems. My history with the Scott family is...plicated. There''s a lot of bad blood, and it might affect out future coboration." She felt she had to be upfront.


    Matthew just shook his head, his tone warm and reassuring. "Natalie, do you think I''m like Sebastian? Before we agreed to partner, I did my research. know what you life was like with the Scotts, and know how Sebastian treated you after you married him. But you put your faith in me without hesitation, and that made me believe you were someone I could trust."


    Tears welled in Natalie''s eyes. She blinked them back and offered a bright smile. "Mr. Monroe, don''t worry. We can meet tomorrow night to go over the designs. I promise I won''t let you down."


    Matthew already knew what she was capable of. Keith had entrusted her with thepany for a reason.


    "Okay, Natalie. I believe in you," he said, his dark eyes filled with a sincerity that touched her deeply. Wow, she thought, this man is just ridiculously charming.


    Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Club, Sebastian was sitting in a private room with Julian Cooper. Julian was casually sipping wine and chatting with someone next to him, a characteristicziness in his tone. Sebastian, bored, was scrolling through his phone.


    When he saw the news about Natalie and Matthew, he shot to his feet and stormed out, dialing her number as he went.