Chapter 651

Stanley gazed upon the couple standing across from him. With an ominous glint across his eyes, he
commented, “Natalie, I’m relieved to see how well you and Shane are doing.”

“Thank you.” Natalie beamed. “Stanley,” she added. “What are you doing here?”

“Here’s what happened. “I’ve accepted a request to perform surgery on a member of the royal family. I
am here tonight at this party as his guest,” Stanley explained, with a smile that displayed his teeth. “It’s
such a coincidence running into you here, Nat.”

Natalie’s mouth hung open in amazement. “Surgery? Stanley, does that mean that your treatment has
finished?”

“Hey, what treatment? Dr. Quinn isn’t even sick! That wasn’t an illness!” Annie retorted coldly,
apparently displeased at Natalie’s remark.

Shane gazed at Annie with his eyes narrowed into slits. “If mental disorders are not classified as being
illnesses, pray tell me what is it that you would consider an illness?”

“I…” Annie stammered. It was not only Shane’s status that had frightened her, but his assertiveness as
well.

Not daring to attempt to refute a statement as bold as that, she lapsed into a sulky silence.

“That’s enough, Annie.” Shane pulled Annie’s arm as she trotted back to his side obediently. “Mr.
Thompson is right. I am indeed ill.”

Natalie did the same. She squeezed Shane arm to hush him.





However, she was secretly delighted that Shane had leaped to her rescue at Annie’s attempt to belittle
her.

Stanley waited for everybody to settle down before speaking again. “My treatment had ended half a
month ago. I’ve been declared fit to return to my work.”

“I see.” Natalie nodded. “As it had been concluded some time ago, why have you not returned to J City
sooner?”

“It’s because of this particular surgery,” Stanley answered. “I will only return after I’m done with that.”

Shane pursed his lips at that news.

Stanley noticed his expression. “Mr. Thompson, are you not looking forward to my return?” he queried
with a polite smile.

“Yes,” Shane replied bluntly.

“And why is that?” Stanley asked, his smile unfaltering. “Could you be worried that I may have plans to
woo Natalie again?”

Shane’s scowl darkened. The atmosphere between the four was thick with tension. “Even so,” he
sneered. “There’s nothing you can do. She is my wife.”

As he said that, he asserted his dominance by wrapping an arm around Natalie’s waist.

She did not struggle. Instead, she leaned against him.

Even if she were not his wife yet, she was not going to embarrass him.

“Of course, I know that Nat is your wife, I’ve never denied it,” Stanley reasoned. “Why would you treat me
with such hostility, Mr. Thompson? I’ve changed, and I’m not who I used to be. And please, believe me,



I’ve moved on from my feelings toward Nat.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Shane snorted.

Feelings were not as easy to let go as Stanley claimed they were.

Stanley shrugged helplessly. “There’s not much else I can do to convince you if you choose not to
believe me. If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Thompson. I have an appointment with my employer.”

He turned to Natalie with a smile that was much more genuine and warmer than the one toward Shane.
“Nat, I’ve got to get going. See you back at J City.”

“Hmm.” Natalie nodded.

At that, Stanley led Annie away.

Natalie’s smile dampened slightly. “I could be imagining things,” she remarked softly. “But it seems to me
like Stanley had changed a lot.”

“Hasn’t he always been a weirdo?” Shane replied with disgust.

Natalie shook her head. “Though his character is similar to how it used to be, something about him felt
different.”

However, she could not quite put her finger on it.

Shane wrapped his arm around Natalie’s waist as they walked toward the direction that Stanley had
gone in. “Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

Natalie grunted in assent.



Once they were indoors, Shane spoke up. “It doesn’t matter if he seems different. You be wary of that
man, do you hear me? My instinct tells me that something is off with him, and it’s usually never wrong.”

“I know.” Natalie nodded solemnly. With a sweeping glance, she had located Lina and Joyce in a corner.

“Darling, I’ll check on Joyce. You…”






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