Chapter 27 Tracking Her Best Friend to Find Her
Marcus could hear the impatience and reluctance in Connie’s voice over the phone. She made it clear that she was only doing this for Natalie’s sake. He spoke gently and humbly, expressing his gratitude.
“Yes, I understand. I apol or doubting Dr. Elim earlier,” Marcus said sincerely. “I’m
truly grateful you’re willing to perform the surgery for my grandpa.
“And I really appreciate Ms. Walker for putting in a good word for me. When my grandpa gets better, I’ll be sure to thank you and Ms. Walker properly,” Marcus promised.
“I’ll send you the details and schedule later,” Connie said flatly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”
“Okay, thank you, Ms. Sterling. Goodbye,” Marcus replied.
After ending the call, Connie opened her laptop and checked her emails. She then continued handling patients who had contacted her through special channels.
A moment later, Natalie finished her shower and changed into a simple T–shirt and jeans. Her hair was casually wrapped in a hair towel. She grabbed her phone, sat on the couch, and noticed that her best friend, Olivia Thatcher, had texted her three minutes earlier.
“Natalie, why didn’t you tell me you were kicked out of the Langley family? Do I still matter to you? If Selena hadn’t caused a scene at the company, I’d still have no idea what happened. Give me your address. I’m coming over.”
A second message appeared. It read: “I just transferred 20 thousand dollars to your account.”
And then another: “You’re out of the Langley family now, so take this money for the time. being. I’m really pissed, Natalie. Why didn’t you tell me this?”
After reading the messages, Natalie sighed and quickly transferred the money back to Olivia. Then, she dialed Olivia’s number, and it was picked up after just three rings.
“Natalie, do you know how mad I am?” Olivia’s angry voice came through the phone, but Natalie could hear the underlying worry in her tone.
“You better tell me where you are right now. I’m coming to find you,” Olivia demanded.
“I’m in Balford,“–Natalie replied, her usual cold tone softening slightly. “I’ve got something to take care of. You don’t have to come if you’re busy. I’ll find you when I’m done here.”
“Cut the crap. I’m coming over right now,” Olivia snapped. “Be honest with me: did the Langleys bully you in Amberton? Is that why you ran off to Balford to hide and cry by yourself?
“It’s really not,” Natalie replied with resignation “I’ve got a lot going on here. Even if you
Chap 12 Tracking Her Best Friend
come, I won’t have time to spare for you.”
Natalie was scheduled to perform surgery on Charles. The preoperative and postoperative procedures would take about a week.
She’d need to stay at Quinton Hospital the entire time. On top of that, she had to keep her identity as Dr. Elim a secret.
She’d already met with Charles, so she couldn’t avoid visiting him. Figuring out how to keep the Holdens from discovering she was Dr. Elim would be a challenge. If Olivia came over, Natalie worried she wouldn’t have enough time for her.
“I don’t need you to keep me company. You can focus on your own stuff, and I’ll be there for you,” Olivia said, her tone firm and leaving no room for argument.
“Unless you don’t see me as your best friend anymore. You’ve already hidden things from me. once, and now you’re going to drop me again?” Olivia’s voice was tinged with hurt.
Natalie stayed silent for a long moment before finally replying, “Fine, then; come. I’ll send you the address.”
“That’s better,” Olivia said. “And the money–don’t even think about sending it back. If you do, I’ll never forgive you.”
Before Natalie could respond, Olivia ended the call. In the next moment, Natalie received a notification that Olivia had transferred 20 thousand dollars to her account once again.
“If you don’t take this, I’ll make you regret it.” Olivia’s message popped up on Natalie’s phone, along with an angry face emoji. A warm feeling filled Natalie’s heart, and she finally accepted the money.
Olivia had been her best friend since kindergarten. They played together, bullied other kids, and got bullied in return. From elementary school to high school and even through college, they’d always been by each other’s side.
However, after they got into university, Natalie chose to study design while Olivia pursued her dreams of acting.
Even before graduating, Olivia’s striking looks and tall figure caught the attention of a
modeling agency. Over the past four years, she’d worked tirelessly to balance her studies with her modeling career. By the time she received her degree, she had already achieved financial independence.
Olivia didn’t come from a wealthy family. But her parents adored her and worked hard to give her the best they could. Because of their efforts, she was able to attend the same school as wealthy kids like Natalie.
However, some kids could tell the difference between wealth and poverty even at a young age. They looked down on Olivia for coming from an ordinary family and treated her with hostility.
Chapter 27 Tracking Her Best Friend to Find Her
Natalie was different, though: she never cared about Olivia’s family background. Whenever Olivia was bullied, Natalie always stood up for her without hesitation. That’s how their friendship began, and it only grew stronger over the years.
Now that the real Langley heiress had returned, Natalie found herself in the awkward position of being labeled the “fake” daughter. Selena stormed into the company where she was interning, causing a scene and making sure everyone knew Natalie wasn’t the real Langley
heiress.
When Selena started accusing Natalie, Olivia was the first to defend her. It wasn’t Natalie’s fault that the nurses had switched them at birth. She hadn’t tried to replace Selena in the Langley family on purpose. How could Selena call Natalie a scheming bitch when she hadn’t done anything wrong?
Olivia got into a physical fight with Selena at the company. Furious and heartbroken, she contacted Natalie immediately. Natalie had no idea about the fight between Olivia and Selena, but one thing was certain–when Olivia showed up, she’d better be ready for a lecture.
At Amberton Airport, Olivia booked the quickest flight to Balford. She wore her sunglasses and headed straight to the departure lounge. Not far behind, Selena and Diana followed closely both disguised with sunglasses and hats.
Selena and Diana followed Olivia because they had no other choice. After several failed attempts to reach Natalie by phone, they decided to visit the sanatorium to look for Grace. However, Grace refused to see them.
To make matters worse, Natalie had paid the sanatorium to hire a team of burly bodyguards to protect Grace around the clock. Diana and Selena had no way to get anywhere near her.
The mother and daughter spent an entire day and night cursing Natalie, finally hatching a plan to cause a scene at her internship. They aimed to ruin her reputation, expose her as the fake Langley heiress, and get her fired. However, they didn’t anticipate running into Natalie’s best friend, Olivia, right in the middle of their scheme.
As her best friend, Olivia immediately stepped in to defend Natalie. She slapped Selena twice. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into a physical brawl between the two.
After the fight, Olivia, furious and anxious, immediately contacted Natalie. Meanwhile, Selena came up with a new plan to track down Natalie-by following Olivia.
Selena was furious, her mind racing with anger and determination. That bitch, Natalie, thought she could hide, but Selena wasn’t going to stop until she tracked her down. Those Langley Group shares rightfully belonged to the true heirs, and Natalie had to return them. Without wasting a second, Selena called Diana, and the mother–and–daughter duo began tailing Olivia. When they saw Olivia heading to the airport, they followed her there. After figuring out which flight she’d booked, they bought tickets for the same flight. Selena was certain that by trailing Natalie’s closest friend, they’d eventually find her.
