Chapter 469


    “If you knew that, why did you bother thanking me? Are you just rubbing it in my face?” Jacqueline


    broke in. “Are you trying to show off to me that you''re together with Shane?”


    “I''m not!” Natalie retorted.


    Jacqueline refused to believe her. Quivering, Jacqueline said, “Natalie, I''ve really been mistaken about


    you. Do you think you''re being fair to me?”


    “What?” Natalie''s mouth twitched. Jacqueline''s harsh usations left Natalie rather confounded.


    Jacqueline turned to Natalie with a look of absolute loathing. “Don''t tell me you don''t remember what I


    told you before about staying away from Shane?”


    Natalie nodded uncertainly. “I remember.”


    That had urred when Stanley was first admitted to the hospital following his ident. Jacqueline


    hade to visit Stanley and bumped into Natalie instead. Jacqueline had issued that warning to


    Natalie then.


    Jacqueline''s voice rose. “If you remember, then why aren''t you doing it? You''re not being fair to me. I


    love Shane. I''d loved him ever since we were little. You knew this for a fact, yet you still went ahead


    and got together with him! You''re really adamant about being a third party, aren''t you?”


    Upon hearing the charges that Jacqueline had flung to her, Natalie felt a twinge of guilt. Lowering her


    eyes, she said, “I''m sorry, Ms. Graham. I never had the intention to do this, but things happened along


    the way. Besides, I don''t think I''ve ruined any rtionship between Mr. Shane and you.”


    “Really?” Jacqueline almost choked with anger. “Are you trying to say that you don''t think you''ve


    snatched Shane away from me?”


    “That''s right,” Natalie raised her head and met Jacqueline''s re defiantly. “Mr. Shane told me that he''d


    never loved you. He''s always treated you like a sister, and you''ve never been in a romantic rtionship


    with him. Mr. Shane was single when I met him. Therefore, I didn''t snatch him away from anyone.”


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Even if Jacqueline has any ce in Shane''s heart at all, it''s definitely only a small corner! Shane would


    never date her. Natalie thought triumphantly.


    “You... you...” Jacqueline pointed a shaky finger at Natalie. She was evidently ovee with rage.


    After a moment''s pause, Jacqueline''s hand fell. “Get out. I don''t want to see you anymore. Get out!”


    she shrieked.


    Natalie''s mouth curled. She turned and left.


    She walked out of the room under the watchful eye of both Shane and Jackson. When Natalie saw


    them, she shook her head and marched towards the lift.


    Shane chased after Natalie and got into the lift with her.


    As the lift descended, Shane pressed, “What did Jacqueline say to you?”


    Taking a deep breath, Natalie honestly recounted the conversation between Jacqueline and herself.


    Upon hearing what had transpired, Shane took Natalie into his arms and said softly, “Don''t take


    Jacqueline''s words to heart.”


    Natalie''s arms encircled his waist. She leaned her head against his shoulder and replied, “Of course, I


    won''t. I don''t think I did anything wrong. I never came between the two of you, nor did I snatch you


    away from anyone.”


    Her heart, however, contained a tinge of remorse nheless.


    It was true that Natalie had not kept her distance from Shane as she had agreed.


    “I know you didn''t,” Shane said teasingly. He leaned over and nted a kiss on Natalie''s forehead.


    Natalie prodded his shoulder and squeezed him a little tighter. “What about you? How did your


    conversation with Ms. Graham go? What did you talk about?”


    Shane ruffled Natalie''s hair and said slowly, “I told Jacqueline that the one I loved was you, not her.


    That you were the one I wanted to be with and not her.”


    Natalie was bbergasted. “Wasn''t that too straightforward of you? No wonder Ms. Graham was crying


    when I entered the room.”


    She vividly recalled the scene that had greeted her when she first entered the room. Her heart ached a


    little at the memory of Jacqueline wiping away her tears.


    “I had to be straightforward to achieve a clean break. It''s the best thing for her and for us,” Shane said


    resolutely, pulling Natalie with him out of the lift.


    Natalie clung to Shane''s arm. “But what if she can''t let go of you?”


    Shane had evidently not considered this. He held the door to the passenger seat open for Natalie,


    saying thoughtfully, “I believe Jacqueline wille to her senses.”


    “Is that so...” Natalie lowered her eyes, masking the expression that flitted through them. She said


    nothing.


    How was Jacqueline going to let go of Shane that easily? She has loved him for ten years! If she


    wanted to give him up, she would have done so long ago.