Chapter 5

"Mr. Rowan is busy working at the office and still has to look after Mr. Roger. They haven't even said they're hungry yet, so how could Ms. Sarah, who's just at home playing, already be hungry?" Pamela complained, clearly displeased. Natalie picked up some salad, put it into her bowl, and then sharply tapped the table with her fork. "Who exactly is the lady of this house, you or me? When Sarah and I eat, do I need your permission? Maybe I should just let you take my place as Mrs. Payne." Her tone was calm and measured, yet her words carried enough pressure to silence Pamela. Natalie had always known Pamela was deliberately placed in the villa by Scarlet to spy on everything she did. In the past, she could ignore Pamela no matter how excessive she was. But yesterday was different. Pamela had deliberately set her up and nearly caused Sarah's death, and Natalie would no longer tolerate it. "I… I was only worried that Mr. Payne would be angry when he got home," Pamela muttered quietly. "Are you worried about Rowan being angry, or do you actually want to run this house yourself?" Natalie asked. Pamela fell silent. She had never seen Natalie speak with such authority before and was so frightened that she didn't dare say another word. Rowan returned to the country with Roger, and shortly after, Imogen followed. So much had happened over the past few months that Natalie had always chosen to look the other way. But yesterday, Sarah had been locked out on the balcony and nearly frozen to death. That was something Natalie could no longer endure. She finally saw the truth clearly. No matter how much love and care she poured into Roger, she could never truly warm his heart. She had given birth to him and raised him for four years, yet she couldn't compare to the year and a half he spent abroad with Imogen. At that very moment, Rowan and Roger were probably enjoying a lavish dinner somewhere with Imogen. Natalie would never let Sarah go hungry. It was almost 10:00 pm when Rowan finally brought Roger home. As they went upstairs, Natalie faintly heard Roger talking about how delicious the lobster Imogen had ordered for him was. About half an hour later, Natalie returned to the master bedroom after tucking Sarah into bed. Rowan had just finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom. His tall, lean body was wrapped only in a white towel loosely tied around his waist, and he skillfully dried the water from his damp hair with another towel. He had always been strict with himself when it came to his physique. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a body that looked sharp in clothes and impressive without them. His flawless build, combined with his strikingly handsome features, was exactly what had made Natalie fall hopelessly in love with him years ago. "Is Sarah asleep?" Rowan asked casually as he set the towel down. "Yes," Natalie replied softly. Rowan lifted the blanket and lay down on the bed, picking up his phone to check messages. Natalie got straight to the point, not wanting to waste time on unnecessary pleasantries. "When are you giving me this month's living expenses?" she asked. "Isn't that something you've always handled with my mother?" Rowan replied without looking up, focused on an email on his phone. "Just give it to me this month," Natalie said firmly. Rowan was growing a little impatient—she was bothering him over such a trivial matter. He hadn't rested last night, and today he had been swamped at Payne Holdings, with work still unfinished. He suddenly remembered what Imogen had said earlier, accusing Natalie of being just a housewife who could never understand how hard he worked at the company. "How much do you want?" Rowan asked, meeting her gaze. "500 thousand dollars," Natalie replied. She couldn't understand why Rowan acted like she was asking for an extravagant sum. This wasn't money for her own indulgence; it was just the household expenses, nothing more. But she knew she couldn't confront Rowan directly right now. He was constantly entangled with Imogen, and since she wanted a divorce and needed to secure Sarah's custody, it wasn't the time to go head-to-head. Rowan frowned slightly when he heard the number. He thought that a month's living expenses shouldn't cost that much. "Have Pamela make a detailed list for you tomorrow," Natalie added when she saw the look of disbelief on his face. "Compared to that VIP room you booked for Imogen, which costs ten thousand dollars a day, this living expense is nothing." Rowan and Roger were extremely picky about food, and everything they ate was premium quality. Utilities and household expenses were all handled by Natalie, and even with 500 thousand dollars a month, she still had to budget carefully. Rowan glanced at her indifferently, thinking she was asking for the money not out of necessity, but because she was jealous of Imogen. He didn't ask further and directly transferred 500 thousand dollars into Natalie's bank account. That money not only covered the household expenses but also had to go toward Sabrina's medical bills at the sanatorium. "It's been transferred," Rowan said, showing her the transaction record on his phone. "Your mother called you, didn't she?" Natalie asked. "She did," Rowan replied. His work kept him extremely busy, and Scarlet called him every day, but it was always just routine check-ins. "Then when are you free?" Natalie asked. Since divorce was inevitable, she wanted to settle it as soon as possible. Dragging it out would benefit no one. She was genuinely afraid that if she wasn't careful, Imogen might harm Sarah. Rowan was focused on the work on his phone and barely registered her words. Natalie wanted to finalize the divorce. "We should go to the court—" But before she could finish, Rowan's phone rang. "Hello, what's wrong?" He asked as he answered the phone. He got out of bed and hurriedly pulled clothes from the wardrobe to put on. "Alright, don't panic, I'm coming now." After hanging up, while putting on his pants, he deliberately asked her, "What did you just say?" "Where are you going?" Natalie asked. "Imogen was in a car accident," Rowan replied. "I'm going to check on her." Natalie grabbed his arm. "Call the police, and get an ambulance. You're not a cop; you can't handle a car accident. You're not a doctor either. Even if she's hurt, you can't save her life." "What kind of nonsense is that?" Rowan pulled his arm free from Natalie's grasp. "She went back to the company to pick up some work files and was planning to work late tonight. She got into that accident because of Payne Holdings, and as the CEO of the company, shouldn't I go help her?" "Even if you go now, you might not be able to help," Natalie shot back coldly. "Natalie, don't be so petty," Rowan said impatiently. "Imogen was in a car accident and could be hurt. This is serious." "So her problems are serious, but mine aren't?" Natalie shouted, her eyes red and her anger spiraling out of control. "We're not done talking." Ever since Imogen returned to Haxson City, Rowan might not even remember how many nights he hadn't come home because of her.