With that, Susan stood up and pulled Natalie with her. "Let''s go, Natalie. This meal is ruined. I''ll take you somewhere else."


    Jared watched Susan''s furious face, his own expression dark, his jaw tight.


    After a few steps, Natalie suddenly stopped and turned back to Jared. "Jared, you''ve been deliberately ndering me online. I have no intention of letting that go. Your usations of me being promiscuous have stained my reputation and unleashed a torrent of cyberbullying. You all know exactly what kind of person I am, but your hearts are with Joanna, so you throw all the me and filth onto me. You don''t care about the truth; you just want to let those people revel in the thrill of attacking me while you bask in the glow of your own supposed righteousness. Jared, you''ve never had the knife plunged into you, so you don''t know how much it hurts. You gave them an imaginary target to trample into the mud. You stirred up the stagnant waters of their bitter lives by dragging my name through the dirt. Jared, this isn''t over between us."


    Jared was taken aback. He had only wanted to ruin her reputation and make here crawling back to him. He hadn''t expected such an intense reaction. "Natalie, if you go back and get on your knees and apologize to Joanna, I can let this go. I''ll stop the media storm," Jared said with a cold, wicked smile.


    Natalie looked at him, then at Monica beside him, and smiled. "Oh, I''ll kneel. But it will be at your funeral, and I doubt you''ll be able to see it."


    "Natalie, you dare curse me to die?" Jared was livid. How could she be so vicious as to wish him dead? He lunged towards her, but Monica held him back, cooing softly, "It''s alright, Jared. Natalie''s always been this vicious. Just let her say her piece. Life isn''t easy for her now that she''s left the Scott family. Even if she is a design director, she probably got the position by seducing Mr. Jones. She''s leaving, let''s not stoop to her level."


    At those words, Natalie stopped


    dead in her tracks. She turned and gave Monica an eerie smile. "Monica, since you love stirring u troubleso much, thats great will most definitely be giving you a big gift on your wedding day."


    Monica''s pupils contracted in fear as she watched Natalie''s retreating back. She didn''t dare say another word. Natalie''s eyes made it clear she knew something.


    "Let''s go, Monica. Don''t mind her. She''s just a lunatic," Jared said, pulling Monica to a nearby table.


    Outside, Susan burst into tears. She looked at the calm andposed Natalie and cried even harder. "Natalie, how could you have a family like that? And I was so blind! How could I have ever liked that idiot?"


    Seeing her sob, Natalie patted her shoulderfortingly. "Susan, don''t cry. The path for women in the professional world is never smooth. But from now on, we won''t put up with it. The more we tolerate the less respect we get. Petty people are everywhere. We can''t control their mouths, but we can fight for our own justice."


    Susan nodded sadly, tears streaming down her face. "You''re


    right, Natalie. What he did to you is the worst part. It''s so easy women


    destroy a


    s reputation?"


    Rumors about women are the most damaging, and he deliberately chose to do that to you. It''s just so heart-wrenching."