After hanging up, Natalie walked to the apartment unit's floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the scenery. Her profound gaze held a mix of complicated emotions.

Five years ago, the Lunsfords had taken her child away from her right after she gave birth. She had been exhausted back then and hadn't even had the time to look at the baby.

She only vaguely saw a dark red butterfly-shaped birthmark on the baby's left shoulder.

One quick glance—that had been all she had gotten.

But now, there was a little girl by Horatio's side who just so happened to have such a birthmark, and her mother was unknown.

Was there really such a coincidence in the world? Was such a birthmark really that common?

"Star…" Natalie whispered the name softly, feeling a dull ache in her chest.

The weekend came around quickly.

The charity dinner was held in a five-star hotel owned by Hurrell Group.

Crystal ch

Hailey approached Natalie slowly, strutting gracefully in her high heels.

She was wearing a bright red dress with a very low, V-shaped neckline and had put on heavy makeup. She swirled the glass of red wine in her hand, a mocking smile on her face.

When she spoke, she deliberately raised her voice, prompting the surrounding guests to glance over. 

"You're certainly a pro at seducing men, Nellie. You know it's best to start by winning over their children. It's a pity that Mr. Hurrell looks down on people like you."

Hailey finally found an opportunity to make a dig at Natalie. 

How dare this damned bitch scheme against Audrey? As a result, Natalie was now the one who had leverage against them, leaving Hailey infuriated.

Natalie glanced coldly at her. "What's it to you? Are you also interested in Mr. Hurrell?"

"You… You're still as sharp-tongued as ever, Nellie."

Hailey then leaned 

Natalie's cold black eyes flashed dangerously in the dim light.

Blaine lurched back in fright, his fat body almost slamming into the wall.

He asked in a shaky voice, "H-How are you awake? Didn't Mrs. Lunsford reassure me that you'd be asleep for three hours?"

Still, he feigned calm. He forced a vulgar smile onto his face and reached out to tug at Natalie's collar. "No, it's even better that you're awake. You'll be more cooperative this way."

Natalie smiled dangerously. "It's better that I'm awake, you say? Looks like you enjoy quite a bit of excitement, Mr. Heinrich. However, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up with me."

Blaine was taken aback by her attitude, but he quickly smiled maliciously. "You're quite feisty, beautiful. I like it!"

As he spoke, he attempted to pounce on her.

In response, Natalie extended a hand.

Blaine suddenly smelled a strange fragrance in the air. His body went limp soon afterward, and he collapsed bonelessly onto the floor.

Natalie struggled to drag him onto the bed, then deliberately made a lot of noise.

The moment Audrey heard it, she smiled in satisfaction. 

Something was happening inside the room!

She instructed Hailey to keep watch downstairs before quietly going upstairs.

Blaine and Natalie were probably sharing a heated session now, which was wonderful news to Audrey. She was definitely going to make sure that she had Natalie fully under her control this time.

She quietly opened the door, planning to take some incriminating photos.

Just as Audrey stuck her head inside the room, Natalie, who had been hiding behind the door, struck her fast and hard in the back of the neck.

She fell to the floor, unconscious.

Natalie dragged Audrey to the bed and stripped off her outer layer of clothes. Then, she moved Audrey and Blaine's bodies so they were hugging each other tightly. They looked like an extremely loving couple.

She took a few nice photos of them afterward, including close-ups of their faces.

With that done, Natalie jumped from the second-floor balcony and landed lightly on the garden lawn. She dusted off her hands and sneered, then left the Lunsford residence.

Not long after she left, Walter returned. He had been rather angry earlier, so he went for a walk outside to calm down.

"Where's your mother, Hailey?" he asked.

Hailey replied with a smile, "Mom's upstairs. She asked me to wait downstairs."

Walter frowned, somehow getting the feeling that something wasn't right. "Upstairs? What's she doing upstairs?"

Hailey lowered her voice and answered mysteriously, "Mom's discussing things with Mr. Heinrich. She said she wanted to teach Nellie a lesson… She thought of a way to make Nellie give up on the company—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a yell suddenly rang out from upstairs, followed by another heart-rending scream from Audrey.

Walter paled and rushed upstairs. Hailey also panicked and followed closely behind him.

The guest room door was wide open. Audrey was sitting on the bed, pale and disheveled.

Blaine, on the other hand, was naked. His body was only covered by a thin blanket.

"W-What's going on here?" Walter demanded, shaking with anger.

Audrey stumbled over her words. "I-It was… It was that bitch, Natalie! She…"

Just then, Walter received a text message. "I have something good to show you, Mr. Lunsford. If you don't want the photo to be exposed to the public, you should consider the matter of the company carefully."

Walter tapped on the photo and nearly passed out.

In the photo, Audrey and Blaine were naked and hugging each other in an extremely compromising position.

He slapped Audrey vehemently. "You idiot! You worked together to scheme against Natalie, yet you were the one who was screwed over instead!"

Audrey truly hated Natalie with every fiber of her being. Her eyes were filled with defiance and resentment.

She had truly underestimated Natalie! She was definitely going to crush her to bits next time.

…

After sending the photo to Walter, Natalie went home. She could already imagine the rage on the cunning old fox's face when he saw it.

She leaned lazily against the genuine leather couch with a sneer. That was only the beginning of her revenge against the Lunsfords.

Just then, Lennox called her. She straightened and asked, "How are things?"

She wondered if Lennox had already obtained information on Estella.

Lennox replied, "I've only found some superficial information about that child you mentioned, Boss. Horatio is protecting her too well."

Natalie unconsciously clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "Get to the point."

Lennox reported dutifully, "That girl called Star is Horatio Hurrell's biological daughter. She's in very poor health. Mr. Hurrell hardly ever allows her outside and has even hired home tutors for her. 

"But strangely, I can't find any information on her mother… I heard that Mr. Hurrell picked her up off the streets and did a paternity test. She's his daughter."

Natalie's breath caught, and her heart rate instantly picked up.

She ordered in a rather shaky voice, "Keep looking into it! I want to know that child's exact birthdate, blood type, and everything else about her!"

"Okay, Boss. By the way, it just so happens that a charity dinner will be co-hosted by Hurrell Group and Sutten Group over the weekend. 

"There'll be many celebrities and socialites from high society in attendance. Do you want to go?" asked Lennox.

Natalie had only just returned and needed to make herself known. She agreed immediately. "I'll be there. Get me an invitation."

This was her best opportunity to get close to Horatio.

Whether or not Estella was her child, she had to get to the bottom of things.

After hanging up, Natalie walked to the apartment unit's floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the scenery. Her profound gaze held a mix of complicated emotions.

Five years ago, the Lunsfords had taken her child away from her right after she gave birth. She had been exhausted back then and hadn't even had the time to look at the baby.

She only vaguely saw a dark red butterfly-shaped birthmark on the baby's left shoulder.

One quick glance—that had been all she had gotten.

But now, there was a little girl by Horatio's side who just so happened to have such a birthmark, and her mother was unknown.

Was there really such a coincidence in the world? Was such a birthmark really that common?

"Star…" Natalie whispered the name softly, feeling a dull ache in her chest.

The weekend came around quickly.

The charity dinner was held in a five-star hotel owned by Hurrell Group.

Crystal chandeliers refracted dazzling light. Many celebrities from high society were among the crowd of well-

Chapter 9 Another Encounter