SWNOVELS Chapter 30
Chapter 30 His Heart In A Turmoil
Kenneth wasn't sure if he was in love with Thea.
Over the years, women flocked to him as they were attracted to his power and wealth. When his company was in trouble, Thea was the one who stayed with him without any complaints. After his company started doing better, she never acted arrogantly and continued to be his right-hand woman by dealing with his matters meticulously.
Kenneth knew Thea had feelings for him. In fact, he used to assume that he would get married to someone like Thea. They didn't hate each other and wouldn't depend heavily on each other as they were independent beings.
Thus, he turned a blind eye to the rumors circulating in the public.
There were two reasons behind his decision. First, he could stop women from pouncing on him. Second, he thought of ditching the play pretend and making Thea his wife. Years had passed, but he never had the urge to do so.
As he said nothing, Liam flew into a rage.
"If you love her, I won't stop you from marrying her. But if that's the case, you should stay away from Nat," Liam said sternly. "Nat's a good girl. Back then, I took a liking to her and arranged for you to marry her. However, things didn't go the way I wanted, and it ended up hurting Nat. Terence nearly had a fall out with me. Nat is the Watson family's only hope, Kenneth. If you think of me as your grandpa, please don't hurt Nat's feelings. I don't want Terence to worry."
Kenneth's lips thinned, for he knew Liam was being serious.
Back when he divorced Natasha in secret, Liam didn't even say these harsh words to him despite refusing to talk to him for two whole months.
"I know, Grandpa," he answered.
Liam gazed at him and sighed. "Kenneth, I'm not forcing you to follow my wishes. I just hope you won't regret your decisions."
Alas, Kenneth's heart was in turmoil now.
Back home, Thea headed to the bathroom to take a shower. After that, she sat on her bed and spaced out.
Comprehension finally dawned on her after she connected everything together.
Kenneth didn't remember that she loved eating at that restaurant. He only went there because Natasha was there.
Prosper Technologies' project wasn't that great, either. He only grew interested in it because Natasha worked there.
Everything he did was because of Natasha.
Thea couldn't help but find the situation ironic.
Initially, she thought Natasha was a gold-digger who wanted to get acquainted with Kenneth, but now she knew what their relationship was.
Previously, she found Natasha's name familiar but couldn't recall where she heard it from. After all, the Natasha she heard of was an ordinary-looking girl from the countryside with bad taste and a bad temper. Thus, she didn't pay any attention to her or connected both names together.
As that thought occurred to her, Thea slumped her shoulders in dejection.
After recalling how Liam treated Natasha tonight, she suddenly realized the distance between Liam and her was growing wider.
After pacing around her room, she gave the matter some thought before deciding to call Kenneth.
The call went through rather quickly.
"Liam, how is Old Mr. Hamilton doing?" Thea asked.
"He's fine. He has fallen asleep," Kenneth responded.
Thea promptly offered an apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen. Forgive me for being rash, for I didn't know about your relationship with Natasha."
"This has nothing to do with you," came Kenneth's answer. "You don't have to take it to heart."
"Actually, you should've told me about you and Ms. Watson," Thea said. "That way, I wouldn't have wasted my time doing all those things."
Kenneth fell silent for a moment. "There's nothing to say. It was all in the past."
"Do you mean-"
"Thea, get someone else to handle the project with Prosper Technologies," Kenneth cut in suddenly.
"Mm?" Thea could barely hide her surprise. "Didn't you say you'll take over the project?"
"I'm busy with other projects. You'll be in charge of the project from today onward," Kenneth ordered.
I'm not getting him wrong, am I? He wants to keep a distance from Natasha, right?
Her hope rekindled as she answered, "All right, got it. I'll make the arrangements."
"That's it for now. Talk to you later." With that said, Kenneth cut the line.
Thea gripped her phone excitedly.
She knew Kenneth well after working together with him for years.
It was obvious that Kenneth wanted to keep his distance from Natasha!
With that thought in mind, Thea took a deep breath. Perhaps lady luck is on my side this time.
Natasha and Terence left for dinner. They didn't tell the kids anything, but the kids could deduce who they had dinner with.
Staring at the photo, Denise asked, "So this is our great-grandfather?"
"He's also Gramps' friend," Benjamin chimed in.
Denise inquired, "It does seem very likely, right?"
Their imagination went wild.
They were deep in discussion when a commotion sounded at the door. At once, Anthony pocketed his phone, and the three of them acted as though nothing had happened. "Nat, Gramps, you're back!" Denise hopped toward them.
"Why are you still awake?" Natasha queried.
Denise retorted, "Why are you back this late?"
"Gramps and I came across something. That's why we came back late," Natasha explained.
Denise pouted. "We were worried since you were still outside and couldn't fall asleep."
Right then, Anthony went up to them. "Nat, did anything happen?"
"Oh, it's nothing. You have to go to school tomorrow morning, so it's time for you to go to bed," Natasha urged.
"Got it."
The kids nodded in unison and trotted back to their room.
Back in the living room, Terence's brows were knitted together. He was obviously still worried about his friend.
"Grandpa, stop worrying. The doctor said Old Mr. Hamilton is fine, right?"
"I was really afraid that Liam would pass away today. We lied to them about the kids, so I feel really guilty," Terence revealed his thoughts honestly.
His guilt was evident, so Natasha suggested, "Why don't we tell Old Mr. Hamilton the truth?"
Taken aback, Terence shot Natasha a stunned look.
"I don't want you to feel burdened," Natasha explained.
Terence pondered over the matter briefly before shaking his head. "No. This isn't the right time to reveal the truth. We'll have to wait until Kenneth gets married. By then, we can tell them about the kids." He paused and glanced at Natasha. "I didn't mean to stress you out."
Natasha's lips curved slightly. "I know."
"It's getting late. We should get some rest. I'll have to visit Liam at the hospital tomorrow morning," Terence said.
Natasha bobbed her head and headed back to her room.
Meanwhile, the kids were eavesdropping on the ongoing conversation in the living room by pressing their ears against the doors in their respective rooms. Thus, they heard the conversation between Natasha and Terence clearly.
In their group chat, Denise typed: If I heard correctly, the man who most probably is our great-grandfather is sick?