Chapter 3

A thrill of victory shot through Joanna as she watched Natalie sign the papers. It was almost impossible to conceal her excitement. Natalie was finally getting a divorce, and Sebastian would finally be hers alone.
Natalie confirmed that Sebastian’s signature was already on the document. With hers added, the agreement was legally binding. She straightened her back and handed the papers to him.-
He was standing close, closer than he’d ever been during their two-year marriage. For the first time, he truly saw her. Her skin was like porcelain, her eyes as clear as a mountain spring. Dressed in a simple black dress, she radiated a cool, almost languid elegance. But the loving gaze she once reserved for him was gone, replaced by an icy indifference that seemed to pierce right through him.
A sudden panic seized Sebastian’s heart, as if something vital was being ripped away. His hand tightened around the divorce papers.
Natalie turned to Joanna. “Are you satisfied now, Ms. Scott?”
Satisfied? Joanna was ecstatic. The whole point of this charade was to have Natalie publicly humiliated and thrown out. Her plan had worked perfectly.
“Please don’t say that. I never meant to blame you
“Oh, I know,” Natalie cut in. “You never blame me. You just orchestrate things to turn my family against me. Well, congratulations. You’ve won.”
Natalie glanced at her parents and her four cold-hearted brothers, a resigned smile on her face. She checked the time in her head, then turned and walked away with a graceful, unhurried stride.
As she walked, her mind raced. The Scott family had thrown this lavish birthday party for Joanna, only for Joanna to arrange her own kidnapping and assault that very day. Her maid, Lily, had then pointed the finger at Natalie, which was why Sebastian had flown into a rage and knocked her out. After all, he and Joanna were childhood sweethearts.
She counted down in her head. Five, four, three, two, one…
Suddenly, the large screen behind the stage flickered to life. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ.net
“Miss, if you want to get Natalie out of the Scott family for good and make Mr. Griffith divorce her, there’s only one way. You have to suffer a little. We’ll hire some men to kidnap you and frame Natalie.”
“Everyone adores you. One word from you, and they’ll believe anything. They’ll never trust that country girl over you.”
“Lily, what if we get caught?”
“What’s there to be afraid of, Miss? Don’t you remember all the other times? Even when Natalie talked until she was blue in the face, Sebastian never believed her. He doesn’t love her He loves you. You’ve always been the one he loves. Why wouldn’t he believe you?”
“Lily, I
“That’s enough, Miss. I’ll arrange everything. We just need to find a way to make sure Natalie is out of the house that day, then have the family testify against her. We’ll be rid of her for good.”
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
“My God, we’ve been watching this drama unfold all night, and it turns out she staged the whole thing!”
“That woman is terrifying. To get her sister’s husband, she’d even do something like this to herself.”
The guests erupted in a flurry of whispers.
Sebastian’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Natalie’s cool, composed face. She seemed different, as if she were above it all.
Joanna was horrified. The screen
was supposed to be showing a highlight reel of her dance performances a gift from her brother Jerome. Instead, it was broadcasting the evidence of her scheme against Natalie.
“No! That’s not real! It’s not me!” Joanna shrieked, immediately trying to spin the narrative. “Natalie, why are you framing me? You’re leaving, but you still have to resort to this?”
Natalie let out a cold, thin laugh.
“Even if I were framing you, wouldn’t all these loving people standing by your side still believe you? You could confess to murder, and they wouldn stil defend you without a second thought.”
Joanna lowered her eyes, unable to believe her plot had been exposed.
Sebastian stepped forward to defend her. “Natalie, don’t be ridiculous. Joanna is too kind to do something like this. Are you sure you’re not the one framing her?”