The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 194

It seemed Augustus was leaving the decision entirely up to her.

Natalie spoke calmly, "If they came straight to the main estate, they already know I won't agree. The Thornton family and I cut ties a long time ago."

Augustus gave a slight nod. "Then I'll have someone see them out."

The family was just about to take their seats for dinner when Tobias's frantic voice echoed from outside the courtyard:

"Natalie, please, just this once. Help your brother! If you just say yes, I'll return everything your mother left behind!"

Natalie's gaze hardened. She stood up, her expression turning glacial. "Excuse me for a moment."

Walking up to Tobias, her eyes were ice cold. "How many more times are you going to use my mother as an excuse to manipulate me?"

Yelena immediately pulled a delicate rosewood box from her bag, intentionally waving it in front of Natalie's face. "This is your mother's heirloom. I'm sure you recognize it."

The moment she saw the box, Natalie's eyes grew red.

Her mother was always so busy. When Natalie lived with her at the Citadel Quarters, she would wake up every day to find a sticky note attached to that very box, detailing the daily schedule her mother had laid out for her.

When she was little, she used to think her mother was too strict and secretly resented her for it. But after her sudden passing, when there was no one left to discipline or look after her, she finally realized how deeply she missed those days of being cared for and meticulously planned around.

Natalie reached out instinctively, but Yelena yanked her hand back, giving the wooden box a gentle shake.

There was a lock on the box, and the keyhole bore obvious signs of having been pried at.

Natalie instantly understood.

Yelena had clearly spent years trying to break into the box but never had the nerve to smash it open. She had specifically saved it for a day like today, using it as a bargaining chip to blackmail her.

Natalie slowly reined in her emotions. "If she didn't hand it to me personally, then it clearly wasn't anything important."

She refused to be strung along by anyone using the past or her mother's belongings ever again.

Yelena looked utterly shocked.

They knew exactly how much Natalie cherished her mother's things. Back when Tobias had locked her in the house under house arrest, she had been so devastated she'd even considered ending her own life.

In the end, it was only the threat of destroying Sabina's belongings that forced her to comply.

Natalie's tone grew heavier. "Even if my mother were still alive, she would never want me to compromise myself or beg for scraps over a simple keepsake."

She turned to a nearby servant, refusing to waste another word on them. "See them out."

"You—!" Yelena wanted to argue, but the words died in her throat.

Without anyone noticing, Hassan had stepped out and positioned himself directly in front of Natalie.

His tall frame and commanding presence were overwhelming. With just a single, indifferent glance, he struck fear into their hearts.

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