Not only that, Ethan had been pushing for deeper collaboration with The Gates Group, and even The Lane Group had gotten involved. Over the past two years, The Lane Group had lost out on a lot of opportunities to Natalie, who always managed to swoop in and snag the best deals from The Adams Group. Most of the time, she barely had to lift a finger to get what she wanted.
So when Ethan suddenly started chasing after Isabella, everyone thought he’d finally come to his senses. Maybe he was ready to move on from Natalie. Jennifer figured if he was letting go of Natalie, he should marry someone from a decent family, someone who matched him in status and background.
But Ethan wouldn’t budge. He insisted on marrying Isabella, even if it meant fighting with everyone around him. In the end, they couldn’t do anything but give in and agree to the marriage.
Looking back, Natalie’s character seemed even worse than Isabella’s. At least Isabella was upfront about what she did, never hiding behind lies or tricks. No wonder Stephanie had always been wary of Natalie.
“Call Natalie right now and put her on speaker. Make sure you record everything. Ask her what’s supposed to happen after someone takes that drug. Tell her Ethan drank the coffee,” Jennifer ordered.
“Once you have the recording, we’ll have proof that Natalie gave you the drug and told you what to do,” she added.
After giving Sophia her orders, Jennifer started the car again. She drove until she found a spot where she could turn around, then headed straight back toward Hearthside Coffee.
Sophia sat there, feeling miserable and humiliated after her mother’s outburst. Her cheek was still stinging from that slap, and she wasn’t about to argue anymore. She wiped away her tears with a tissue, took a few moments to pull herself together, then grabbed her phone, turned on the recorder, and dialed Natalie.
Natalie picked up almost immediately. “Sophia, what’s going on?” Her voice was gentle, almost soothing.
But Sophia’s voice trembled. “No, I put it in her coffee, but she wouldn’t drink it. She called Ethan, and he came over and drank it instead.”
“What? Ethan drank it? How could you let that happen? Weren’t you supposed to keep him out of this?” Natalie’s voice shot up, panicked. She nearly dropped her phone as she jumped to her feet. “Sophia, where’s Ethan now? Is he still with Isabella? You need to get him to a hospital right away. Don’t let him be alone with her.”
Ethan and Isabella had never really been a couple, not even when they were married. They’d always slept in separate rooms. Natalie couldn’t stand the thought that, because of Sophia’s mistake, they might actually end up together for real.
“Natalie, I was trying to keep Ethan out of it. Isabella was the one who called him to deal with me,” Sophia protested. “She even told my mom what happened, and my mom came to the coffee shop too. She dragged me out, so I’m not there anymore. Ethan is still with Isabella.”

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