Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 68

The heavy rain was accompanied by a subtle touch of snow, resulting in a bone chilling coldness that permeated the atmosphere, penetrating every cell in the body and sending a shiver down the spine.

Growing increasingly impatient as Sherri Landor continued to take an eternity to arrive, Natalie headed upstairs to fetch a cigarette and a lighter.

Perched on the sofa, Natalie delicately cradled a cigarette between her slender fingers, igniting it with the flicker of a lighter. The swirling smoke wistfully concealed the complexity of her emotions. Despite finishing a cigarette, her inner turmoil refused to dissipate. Retrieving another from the box, she lifted it to her lips, poised to light it anew. At that very moment, the blare of Sherri incessantly honking the car horn outside could be heard.

Natalie extinguished the half-smoked cigarette and rose to her feet, making her way toward the door. As she moved, her hand instinctively picked up a conveniently positioned black umbrella before entering Sherri’s Mercedes-Benz passenger side.

The rain poured relentlessly, drenching the seat. Sherri inquired, her voice laced with curiosity, “Please, do tell me, what is the reason behind summoning me to pick you up? And where exactly are we headed in this weather?”

Sherri knew Natalie well enough to know that her friend would not go out of her way to request assistance unless necessary. The fact that Natalie had asked for her to pick her up from Adare Manor, Trevon’s residence, indicated a compelling and crucial reason behind her presence there.

Natalie playfully quipped, “Let’s go to Lovers’ Cafe to meet Trevon’s awful lover.”

Sherri turned around in shock and asked, “What do you mean?”

Observing Sherri’s perplexed expression, it became clear that she did not grasp the underlying meaning of Natalie’s remark. “Don’t zone out. Come on, take me there. Once we arrive, everything will become clear,” Natalie urged.

As Natalie’s words resonated, Sherri slowly met Natalie’s eyes before shifting back to face forward. She ignited the engine, stealing another glance at Natalie before focusing on the road ahead.

Natalie was dumbfounded and wondered, “Is she going for a confrontation?”

This time, Sherri drove relatively quickly while Natalie navigated from the passenger seat.

Following the instructions provided by the unfamiliar individual, Natalia pushed the door open and entered the private room with Sherri trailing closely behind her.

As they entered the private room, their attention was drawn to the presence of a woman with flowing, milk tea-colored curly hair. She exuded an air of elegance, adorned in a limited-edition Chanel suit that accentuated her style. Her white down jacket hung gracefully on the coat rack near the entrance.

nails, meticulously adorned with black sugar caramel tea-inspired nail art, shimmered and glimmered, capturing attention effortlessly. Clearly, she had invested considerable effort into her appearance, perhaps intending to overshadow

jacket, valued at

visibly taken aback by the sight of the woman seated within. She exclaimed

composed demeanor, Mia responded amusedly, “Miss Landor, I see you’re also here. Did Miss Foster bring a protector because you perceive me to

Sherri,

to whisper in her ear. “Sherri, wait for me downstairs. Your presence here might restrict her actions. I

the presence of Trevon’s ex-girlfriend. Uncertain of Natalie’s feelings towards Trevon, the unexpected arrival of his former partner stirred

her friend to leave. Sherri finally relented and stepped

coffee, opting for a simple glass of plain water. She held

radiate through her

not immediately acknowledge Mia. She paused before speaking slowly. “May I know how you want to be addressed?”

at Natalie’s perceived aloofness, responded with

Mia, what is the purpose of our meeting

a commanding tone, “Leave Trevon Wilson.” As she spoke, Mia placed a check on the corner of the table

nodded in agreement while holding the glass of hot water to warm her hands. She picked up the check from the table, her eyes widening with surprise at the substantial amount. However, instead of accepting the offer, she placed the check back down. Natalie then posed a counterquestion with a steady voice, “Miss Mia, while I appreciate your generous offer of 200,000 dollars. But, I must inquire

towards you are nonexistent, and even if you were to leave now, you would still be rewarded with 200,000 dollars. It’s a rather generous offer. Do not think that

tone, “Hmm, you speak as if you are the sole person deserving of his affections. I’m curious to know what gave you the confidence to think that every aspect of yourself is deeply ingrained

swayed, Mia found herself at a loss for

indignation, “First and foremost, who are you? You’re making such demands without even figuring out your own identity. What gives you the right to speak when you have not even figured out who you are to Trevon? Let me help you: Are you an ex-girlfriend, a casual fling, or a mistress? Which category do

and fixed a piercing gaze upon Natalie. “So it appears that your true motive is simply money, isn’t it?” she retorted, her

asked rhetorically, a hint of amusement in her voice. “You’re cunningly attempting to make me leave Trevon Wilson, all in the name of true love, or so you claim. But do you even believe that yourself? You had the audacity to arrange this meeting with me today, indicating that you must have dug into the true nature of my relationship with Trevon, Well, let me remind you, based on our legal status, regardless of who you may be, you’re nothing more than a mistress. Do you understand that? It’s bad enough being the third party, but to proudly announce it to the world?

“You… You’re just a crude woman from the streets. Don’t assume you’re the only one who has had a relationship with Mr. Wilson. I have also been intimate with him!”

by her desire to argue, Natalie fired back, “So what?

esteemed high-society mistress? Do you take pride in counting the number of times you’ve slept with Trevon Wilson? Is being a mistress considered a prestigious status now? By the way, are you insinuating that you slept with him the same day

it was

on that day,”