Chapter 700

Chapter 700I've always known that Mr. Shane loves Madam. I know his love for her runs bone-deep. Even so, I
never would have predicted this; I underestimated the extent of his love...
He's so in love with her that he would relinquish Thompson Group to her son... To someone who's not
his biological child. This is...
Silas cast a gentle gaze at Connor and Shane, taking in how similar they looked. He couldn't help but
mentally sigh at the two's twisted fate.
If only Connor were Mr. Shane's son...
“Alright, let's head back.” Shane carried Connor over to Natalie.
Natalie's lips twitched, wanting to say something but decided against it. Instead, she simply responded
with a simple nod.
The woman stayed silent during the drive home. Her head bowed as she was deep in thought about
what Shane had mentioned at the office earlier.
True enough, his words had utterly taken her by surprise.
Never in a million years would she have expected Shane to name Connor as Thompson Group's
successor. Not only that, but she hadn't told Shane that the two kids were his biological children; yet,
he still gave the position to Connor, a boy with whom he presumed shared no relations.
To top that off, she could tell that he was dead serious.
How could he put so much trust in me and my kids? Isn't he worried that we'll change the ownership of
Thompson Group in the future? That we'll remove him from the company and keep it all to ourselves?Shane side-eyed Natalie while driving. His low voice chuckled as if he had seen right through her mind.
Then, he soothed, “Don't overthink things. Connor's still a young boy.”
Frustration erupted from Natalie. She raised her gaze onto him and retorted, “That was extremely rash
of you!”
“I disagree. Connor is a brilliant boy who's more than capable of inheriting the Thompson Group. He's
even got the potential to take the company a step further, so I don't see why I shouldn't name him my
heir.” Although Shane was more focused on driving, his statement was full of sincerity.
Natalie massaged the space between her brows, anxiety brewing at the back of her mind. “Yes, but
aren't you concerned that...”
“Will you?” Shane had predicted her doubts and interrupted her with a bold question of his own.
Natalie's lips parted before they morphed into a smile. She answered truthfully, “Of course not. That's
not who I am. Neither is Connor because I will raise him to be a just and honorable man. I won't allow
him to become a scheming, backstabbing person.”
“Exactly.” Shane rested his case. He glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw the two children asleep in
each other's embrace.
His gaze softened at this serene sight.
Seeing their pink lips pout ever-so-slightly, Natalie couldn't help but flash a gentle smile as well. Since
the atmosphere around them lightened, she brought up a more cheerful topic. “Your birthday's coming
soon. We've already prepared your gift.”
“Is that so? I look forward to receiving it then,” Shane teased before withdrawing his gaze and focusing
on the road ahead.To this, Natalie stretched her arms while affirming, “You won't be disappointed.”
It was almost seven o'clock when Shane pulled up in front of the villa.
Once he parked the car, Natalie woke the children. Then, all four of them held hands as they walked
into the villa.
As they stepped foot in the living room, a figure emerged before Shane—it was a swollen-eyed
Jacqueline who looked like she had been crying. She mewled, “Shane...”
Immediately, Shane's face scrunched into a frown. He quickly asked in concern, “What's wrong?”
Jacqueline sniffled, then shot a timid look at Natalie. She was obviously hinting that the latter was part
of the reason why she cried.
Natalie rolled her eyes at the woman's dramatic antics.
Jacqueline is probably making a fuss about what happened earlier this afternoon.
Tsk. It must have been so hard on her, huh? Kudos to her, though, for bawling from this afternoon until
now. All so she can complain to Shane.
“Shane, it seems like Ms. Graham has something important to tell you. I'll take the kids upstairs then.”
With that, Natalie strode away with Connor and Sharon.
Shane watched them ascend the stairs. Once the three made it upstairs, his gaze returned onto
Jacqueline. He demanded, “Go on. Tell me what's wrong.”
Th€ connection to th€ §ource of thïš dat@ r€§t$ in n0v3lebook“Well, it's not entirely Ms. Smith's fault. Maybe it's mine. Shane, tell me what you think.” Jacqueline
twiddled her fingers. Then, she put on an innocent act of biting her lip. “Mrs. Thompson came by thisafternoon. She wanted Ms. Smith to put in a good word for Sean so that you'll let him off. Ms. Smith
said no, but I...”
Shane narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
“I agreed on behalf of Ms. Smith. Because of that, Ms. Smith and Mrs. Wilson were being so mean to
me...” Natalie lowered her head and broke into tears again. She resumed through jagged breaths, “I
just wanted to help Ms. Smith, but she...”
Jacqueline trailed off mid-sentence, wanting Shane to figure out the rest on his own.