Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary) novel Chapter 10

Inside the car, Julian had just unbuckled his seatbelt. When he saw someone step in to break up the situation, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"You were right about this, Mr. Foster. But it seems like Ms. Bradley is never short of people to protect her."

He couldn't help but click his tongue, completely missing the dark look on Zachary's face.

Natasha wasn't the type to back down easily. After entering the complex, she turned back and shot Matthew a rude hand gesture before striding off with flair.

"Let go of me, Owen! This is between me and Natasha. What's it got to do with you?"

Matthew shoved Owen aside. Two grown men clutching each other like that was gross.

"Mr. Mathew, you're about to get married. Do you really want to make headlines for clinging to your ex? Take my advice. Leave now."

Owen glanced around at the nearby hidden corners. Even someone as dense as Matthew could tell he was hinting at something.

Just as the two were about to leave, Nicole pulled an exquisite invitation from her bag.

"This is the invitation for our wedding. Please pass it on to Nat for me."

With a pivot of her hips, she turned and climbed back into the car.

Owen stared at the invitation, shaking his head.

He couldn't help feeling bad for Natasha. Her life had been tough. How could the heiress of the Bradley family be bullied like this?

"What brings you here out of the blue?" Natasha asked as she handed him a glass of water. If it weren't for Owen today, she'd probably still be stuck dealing with those two much longer.

"Classes are starting soon. I came to Cendale early to get settled."

Owen was a year behind her in school. Family troubles had forced him to take a leave of absence, delaying his graduation.

By the time Natasha graduated, he still had two years left. On top of that, his research project hit a snag, so he had to extend the graduation again.

"I admire your persistence for sticking with grad school. With your academic track record, I'd say school and you just don't get along."

It was the first time Natasha had seen someone go through such a rocky road to graduation but still keep studying.

"It's not so bad. If I hadn't come to Cendale, I wouldn't have met Liana."

At the mention of Liana, Owen's eyes practically sparkled.

"But I came here for something else too. I found a new lead about what happened when you fell into the lake seven years ago."

Back then, Natasha had just received her university acceptance letter. She'd been excited but also focused on finding a way to get out of the Bradley family. While walking near the lake, someone shoved her in.

There were fences all around. She'd flipped over one and gone straight into the water. Her acceptance letter had fallen in with her.

It was summer, but the lake was still far colder than the air.

She didn't even have time to think about who pushed her. All she wanted was to grab that letter.

Natasha couldn't swim. She thrashed wildly as the water dragged her deeper.

The sky darkened, and heavy raindrops slammed down like a final blow. Her limbs grew heavier, her vision blurred, and she could barely move her arms.

"A-Acceptance letter…"

The rain hit the lake hard, and the water splashing up stung her eyes. She couldn't see the red of the envelope anymore. All she remembered was a blurry profile and a pair of hands lifting her out with all their might.

"Nat?" Owen waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of it.

"What did you find?" she asked.

He spread a dozen photos out on the table.