Chapter 5

"Luke? What are you thinking about?" Natalie's gentle voice snapped Nelson out of his thoughts. Nelson lowered his eyes slightly, the faint contempt in their depths settling back into cool indifference. "It's nothing," he replied. "Let's walk by the river," Natalie said softly. "We haven't been here since we grew up." The lights along the riverbank shimmered in the water like a river of stars. Lights spilled along the riverbank, their reflections rippling across the water like an upside-down galaxy. Natalie pulled Nelson by the hand and stopped at the glass railing. "Look! That's the direction of our high school. "Back then, you were always skipping class to play basketball and making your brother answer roll call for you. In the end, you were fine, but he got punished badly. Looking back, you were terrible." Nelson's heart jolted, and he studied her carefully. The words sounded pointed. But her face was relaxed, the breeze lifting her long hair, her expression tinged only with nostalgia. She didn't look like she knew. "And there's more," she added suddenly, turning her head. "Do you remember the gift you gave me when you first confessed? The little star boats that floated all the way down the river. They were kind of ugly, but I loved them so much. "I remember thinking… even if you weren't exactly my type, if a guy put that much effort into me, I'd have to marry him." Nelson's breathing stalled. Back then, both he and Lucas had been smitten with Natalie, the same woman they now saw as cruel, and they had agreed to compete fairly. Nelson had folded those star boats drifting down the river all by himself, one by one. He was clumsy and terrible at delicate crafts, so every boat came out crooked. Lucas had only glanced at them with disdain, saying childish tricks like that could never beat him. Later, word spread through their circle that Natalie had accepted Lucas. And Nelson had given up completely. It was only now that he realized Lucas had used him from the very beginning. Something stabbed deep in his chest. A flood of excitement, bitter amusement, and anger hit him all at once. "Ah, Luke! Look over there! Isn't that Nelson and… Zia?" Natalie suddenly exclaimed in mock surprise. Nelson's heart clenched as he followed the direction she pointed. On the concert hall terrace, Lucas stood close behind Zia, their laughter soft as their faces drew dangerously near. At the last second, Lucas swallowed hard, lifted a hand to cradle the back of her head, and kissed her with undeniable dominance. Zia's face flushed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her initial shyness melting into eager response. Natalie swallowed the bitterness rising in her chest and studied Nelson's reaction silently. All color drained from his face, and his pupils contracted sharply. Even his fingertips trembled without his awareness. Natalie's lips curved into a faint smile as she spoke softly. "I didn't expect Nelson and Zia to be together. They look so in love. They should've told us. We could've all gone out together." Nelson's mind went completely blank. How could Lucas be with Zia? Weren't they supposed to wait until after the birthday banquet? Then they would compete fairly after helping Zia get her revenge and pushing Natalie away. This morning, Lucas had called him about an "urgent matter", claiming it was to keep Natalie from causing trouble for Zia. And yet, just hours later, Lucas was already kissing Zia? A wave of anger and bitter irony surged within Nelson, leaving him breathless. Natalie's eyes flickered with a cold glint. It was time. Casually, she added fuel to the fire and said, "Zia is the Shaw family's beloved true heiress. Now that she's with Nelson, you can't talk about taking full control of the inheritance anymore." "No way I'm doing that, and the Shaw family will never agree to it either." Nelson's pupils shook violently, but he forced himself to look calm as he turned to her. "When did I ever say that?" Natalie smiled sweetly. "You couldn't even take my advice to rest. Did you already forget what you said yesterday afternoon? Weren't you just talking to the board yesterday, asking them to vote to transfer all the shares your parents had frozen into your name?" Nelson felt the room spin. Holding onto the last shred of composure, he nodded through gritted teeth. "Ah… pardon my memory. I must've forgotten. Natalie, I'm not feeling well. I'll head back first." There wasn't a trace of emotion in Natalie's eyes as she watched Nelson's unsteady retreat. She knew it. Once things started falling apart, there was no putting them back together. Didn't they all love playing games? She'd play along, then.