Joanna looked at Natalie’s indifferent expression, tears welling in her eyes. Why was Natalie still so calm when they were in the exact same position?

“Natalie,” Joanna yelled, unwilling to accept it. “You know exactly who you are. How can you still act like nothing affects you?”

Natalie often felt Joanna was her own worst enemy.

Why else?

Life didn’t need to answer every ‘why.’

She turned to Joanna, taking in her resentful face. “Joanna, is it really that hard to accept your fate? So what if you’re illegitimate? So what if you’re an heiress? We can’t choose how we’re born, but we can choose how we live.”

“Instead of wallowing in self-pity about your birth, you’d be better off working on a few more projects, making a few more millions, and building a nest egg for your own security.”

“Sometimes, having too many expectations only leads to a terrible outcome. When you’re giving it your all, why overthink it?”

Joanna froze. The word ‘illegitimate’ felt like a brand of shame on her skin.

Why didn’t Natalie care at all about the very thing that consumed Joanna? Seeing Natalie about to leave, she quickly called out, “Natalie.”

Natalie turned back, clearly annoyed. “Joanna, don’t you ever get tired of this?”

Joanna just wanted answers to the questions eating at her. “Natalie, what kind of family did you even grow up in? Why is your design talent so much better than mine?”

This time, Luna couldn’t hold back. Before Natalie could respond, she snapped, “Joanna, you know exactly how amazing she is. Asking that is only going to make you feel worse.”

Joanna trembled. It was true. She had seen Natalie’s brilliance with her own eyes, yet she tortured herself by seeking the painful truth.

Joanna smiled bitterly, staring straight at Natalie. “Natalie, do you enjoy playing me for a fool? You’re obviously brilliant, yet you purposely played the part of a naive country girl who knew nothing.”

Natalie thought it was a great

question. A smirk tugged at her lips. “Joanna, so what if I played you? l never pretended to be clueless. You were just so full of yourself, so blinded by your own ego that you couldn’t see anyone else. How could you possibly notice my brilliance?”

“In your eyes, you’re the only one who matters.”

Joanna pressed her lips together, staying silent as she stared intensely at Natalie for

a long moment. Finally, she said, “Horace, let’s go get dinner.”

“Right away, Ms. Scott,” Horace replied.

He cast a deep look at Natalie before pushing Joanna’s wheelchair away.

Marshall watched Joanna leave, feeling as though the air had instantly cleared.

“Natalie, the way she looked at you… she’s going to get even more vicious. I have a

feeling she’s going to come after me again, too.”

Natalie thought his concern was entirely valid.

Joanna had nothing left to lose now.

When someone was backed into a corner, they were capable of terrible things.

“Just like we talked about last time, stay on your guard. Now that her entertainment career is ruined, she’s going to act as the shadow boss for her elite team and manipulate everything from behind the scenes.

Marshall narrowed his predatory gaze. “Got it! I know, Natalie. Let’s go grab some food. A good meal fixes everything.”

Natalie looked at his easy smile. Compared to him, she felt a lot of her own burdens had lifted today.

Queena, however, chimed in with a warning. “Mr. Spencer, Joanna’s fate has shifted. She is naturally lucky, like they say. When one door closes, another opens. If she can’t make it in showbiz, shell thrive somewhere else. Her luck is still running incredibly strong. But she’s done too many awful things, so it all comes down to a year from now. If her luck turns by then, you guys can win.”