“But what?” Kenneth asked.
“But Denise has never been apart from her brothers. If you only take her away, I don't think she'd be easy to handle. Even if the kid reluctantly goes with you, you can forget about hooking up with other women in the future. Otherwise, she will make your life a living hell. So, I strongly recommend that you drop that idea if you don't want your philandering lifestyle to be affected,” Natasha earnestly advised.
“Philandering lifestyle? Natasha, have I been involved in any scandals since we divorced?” Kenneth retorted, eyes narrowing at her choice of words. My goodness. Do I have to spell everything out for her? Can't she see for herself?
“Sorry, I haven't been paying attention since then.”
“Well, I can tell you it's a big fat resounding no!”
Natasha raised her eyebrows as she suddenly thought of someone. “Does Thea
not count?”
A frown instantly crept across Kenneth's face. “She and I merely had a platonic friendship.”
“In that case, you sure have loose boundaries with your friends, Mr. Hamilton,” Natasha answered with a halfsmile.
“I admit I've taken advantage of the rumors she and I had to avoid unnecessary trouble. But I swear I've never crossed the line with her,” Kenneth stressed as his gaze grew dark and stern.
Natasha instinctively closed her eyes, not wanting to meet his.
Although Kenneth hadn't made himself explicitly clear, he had dropped enough hints that even she could pick up on.
However, after having been bitten once, how could she still bring herself to trust the man who had failed her?
It wouldn't make a difference even if he were telling the truth.
“Truth be told, you don't have to go out of your way to explain your relationship with her. I was only making a passing comment,” Natasha said calmly.
Kenneth stared intently at her as he spoke. “Be that as it may, I still feel the need to make things clear to you. Also, I have no intention of finding another woman for the rest of my life...”
With that, there was no doubt he had made his intentions clear.
Natasha, however, merely continued to eat, pretending not to have heard or understood his words. On top of that, she didn't give any reaction away either.
After all, she wasn't the kind of person who'd easily change her mind with some words of persuasion. Besides, Kenneth hadn't said anything else relevant, so why should she probe any further?
It was true that Natasha had both hatred and gratitude toward Kenneth, but that didn't mean she'd plunge headlong into anything that concerned him.
For so many years, she had suffered and endured plenty to get to where she was today. She was happy with how her life was going and saw no point in gilding the lily.
All Natasha wanted was to find out the truth behind her parents' murder and live peacefully with her grandfather and kids.
Other than that, everything else could wait.
Seeing as how Natasha said nothing more, Kenneth followed suit.
He knew what she was like and wasn't expecting to coax her with just a few words anyway.
Instead, a long, arduous battle lay ahead of him, and he had already prepared himself for it.
Just like that, the two of them ate their breakfast in an awkward atmosphere.
By the time they finished their food, the sun had risen fully.
Knowing that Terence was arriving soon, Natasha turned to Kenneth. “Thanks for your breakfast, Kenneth, but I think I'd like to sleep for a while more.”
Her message was anything but subtle—she wanted him to leave.
Kenneth's gaze swept over Natasha as a faint smile tugged at his lips. After checking his watch, he replied, “All right. I suppose Old Mr. Watson's on his way too. Have a good nap, then. I should also be heading back to get some rest.”
Natasha nodded, grateful that the man was smart enough to catch her drift.
Kenneth took another glance at her and finally got up to leave.
Natasha promptly lay down in bed, but unfortunately, she couldn't feel any hint of drowsiness.
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