Chapter 532

It was undeniable that Buck’s wife was a real nuisance. While she wouldn’t actually kill herself, getting entangled with her was a major headache that was hard to shake off.
Since this man had jumped in without knowing the first thing about the situation, Penelope felt he needed to be taught a lesson: it’s best not to meddle in other people’s affairs.
As the two women got on the elevator, they saw the man hadn’t left; he was now talking to Buck’s wife, getting her side of the story.
“Penelope, I’m worried something might happen,” Hannah said, feeling uneasy.
“Just ask yourself this: do you have any responsibility toward Buck and his family?”
Hannah shook her head. She was the victim. What responsibility could she possibly have?
“If you have no responsibility, then don’t worry about it. With people like them, the kinder you are, the more they think they can walk all over you!” She glanced back at the man, a corner of her mouth twitching. “As long as our conscience is clear, that’s all that matters.”
What other people thought of her, especially a complete stranger, was utterly irrelevant.
By the time Natalie arrived at the audition with her two little terrors, they were already running late and had to take a spot at the end of the line, with more than a dozen other children ahead of them.
Hubert needed to use the restroom, so Natalie had Kristin wait on a bench, telling her not to wander off, before taking Hubert to the bathroom.
When they returned, Natalie saw that someone had arrived even later than them and was now in line behind their spot. As she started to walk over, the father turned his head, and she froze in shock.
It was Hamilton!
He was wearing a black overcoat, his hair slicked back, looking as if he had just rushed back from a trip. He was holding the hand of a little girl dressed like a princess in a white dress.
Hamilton was bent over, speaking to the girl with a doting smile on his face.
Natalie was certain the girl was Maria’s daughter.
Kristin was sitting right next to them, occasionally glancing at Hamilton with the eyes of a stranger. Perhaps envious that this girl had a father, she pouted slightly.
“Natalie, let’s go back! Kristin is waiting for us!” Hubert tugged on her arm when he noticed she had stopped moving.
Natalie didn’t dare show her face in front of Hamilton. She shushed Hubert and pulled him into a nearby corner to hide.
The last time e she had spoken to Hamilton was when she fled Orenth. His final words to her echoed in her mind: “Natalie, you’d better disappear from my sight this ver second. Don’t ever let me see you
again! If I do, I will kill you!”
Coming from someone else, it might have been an empty threat made in anger. But Hamilton was a man who would actually do it.
Fortunately, the director of the
dance troupe saw Hamilton and rushed out to greet him, allowing him and Maria’s daughter to bypass the line and go in for the audition first.
Only then did Natalie lead Hubert back to their spot. She realized with a sinking feeling that all these other children were just props for Maria’s daughter. With Hamilton involved, the role was as good as hers.
“Kristin, let’s… let’s just go home,” Natalie said to her daughter.
Kristin looked confused. “But we haven’t auditioned yet.”
“Well, sweetie, they’ve actually already chosen the actress, so it doesn’t matter how well we dance during the audition.”
Kristin thought for a moment, then shook her head. “But as long as I try my best, I can accept any outcome. Isn’t that what you taught me?”
Natalie stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Alright then. We’ll give it a try.”
Hamilton took Maria’s daughter inside and didn’t come back out. The other children continued their auditions one by one, and soon it was Kristin’s turn.