I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 54

With that, Natalie also rose from her seat.

“Grandma, I’ll come visit again when I have time.” As she spoke, she didn’t spare Alexander a single glance.

She couldn’t understand him. Before they had even left for the estate, she had told him she could meet with Charlotte alone if her presence made him uncomfortable. He was the one who had insisted they go together. Now, for some reason, he was acting petulant and speaking in riddles.

“Wait a moment,” Charlotte said, realizing the dinner was a lost cause. She gave Hazel a meaningful look.

A moment later, Hazel returned with the wooden box.

Charlotte had her give it directly to Natalie. “Take this. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

Unable to refuse Charlotte’s persistence, Natalie accepted the box with a steady hand. “Thank you, Grandma.”

Savannah, who had seen Natalie holding the box earlier without knowing its contents, now recognized it as the antique. Her eyes widened in disbelief. That was the antique bowl that had cost ninety-five million dollars!

What’s more, she had called Camila and told her to go with Alexander to the auction, win the piece, and present it to Charlotte personally. How had it ended up in Natalie’s hands? And why was Charlotte giving it back to her?

“Mom, that’s a priceless antique! You can’t just—”

“Are you saying I don’t have the authority to give gifts as I see fit?” Charlotte retorted, her voice dangerously low.

Savannah snapped her mouth shut, her eyes practically burning a hole in the wooden box. She could only watch, fuming, as Natalie walked away with it.

Natalie had arrived in Alexander’s car but had no intention of riding back with him. During dinner, she had texted Arianna Mitchell, asking for a ride from the Ramirez Estate if she was free.

Arianna had only seen her once since she’d returned to the country, as Natalie had been incredibly busy. She had jumped at the chance and driven over immediately.

She was now waiting by her car just outside the estate gates. When she saw Natalie, she waved enthusiastically.

“That jerk Alexander…” Arianna began, ready to launch into a tirade about how he’d brought Natalie all the way out here only to abandon her. But her words died in her throat when she saw Alexander emerge behind Natalie.

He followed a few steps behind her, his gaze fixed on her back.

“Arianna, just a second,” Natalie said before turning to face Alexander as he approached his Rolls-Royce.

Natalie tilted her head up to meet his gaze, seeing the barely suppressed anger in his face. He had asked her twice now why she had returned. Did he feel she was in his way again?

If she hadn’t come back to Cabinda, he and Camila White would probably be engaged or married by now. With the Ramirez family’s influence, dissolving their marriage would have been simple, even in her absence.

“Why I came back has nothing to do with you,” Natalie said, her voice cool and detached. “And I never intended to get in your way.”

They shouldn’t have crossed paths again. Cabinda was big enough that, with a little effort, they could have easily avoided each other.

“Then on the day our divorce is final, I’ll give this back to you,” she declared. Without another word, she turned and walked toward Arianna.

In the car, Arianna glanced at the wooden box in Natalie’s lap. “What’s that?”

“An antique bowl,” Natalie said, her gaze lost in the flashing city lights outside the window.

“Is that the one Alexander Ramirez paid ninety-five million for?” To Arianna, it was just a bowl.

Natalie lightly touched the ring finger on her right hand, where a faint indentation remained even after three years. “Arianna,” she said softly, “let’s go get a drink.”