Silly Bride

Chapter 283

“Come up with us.”Soon after the three of them entered Xavier’s office, Nate hurried inside to hunt for water.Taking in his frantic behavior, Josiah could not help but slap Xavier’s arm.“Why is he acting this way? Did he just come back from begging in Alendor? Must he make himself look so pitiful being this thirsty?”While taking snacks and pastries from the cabinet in the pantry, Xavier said, “I don’t know. He didn’t say anything. As for you, why did you come over all of a sudden?”“Because I care about you!” Josiah said. “I asked Louis, and he said you might still be working overtime. I just happened to pass by and noticed that the lights in your office were still on, so I came over. Oh, by the way, does your aunt know that he has returned?”Xavier furrowed his brows slightly. “It looks like she doesn’t know yet.”While they were conversing, Nate had already finished his second bottle of water.Xavier pushed the food beside him in front of Nate when he noticed that. “Eat,” he said curtly.“No, thanks.” Nate was already full from drinking so much water. “I remember you have a lounge here. I want to go wash up first.”Before Xavier could speak, Josiah pointed him in a direction, as he could not tolerate the smell.“Go on! Hurry up! It’s over there. Your cousin’s clothes are in the room. Remember to change into them after cleaning yourself up.”Twenty minutes later, Nate finally came out.He was wearing Xavier’s clothes that looked a little ill-fitting on him, as they were one size larger.Contrary to him, Xavier and Josiah were well-groomed, and even the ties around their necks looked neat.As Nate observed the two smartly dressed men in front of him, a strong sense of shame suddenly surfaced in his heart.He stood in front of Xavier and cleared his throat before saying in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry, Xavier. I know I was wrong. I should have been able to discriminate between right and wrong. I shouldn’t have been stubborn and aided Yulissa in harming our family.”Xavier sat in front of Nate, crossed his long legs, and scrutinized the latter wordlessly. After a moment, he slowly furrowed his brows.“Have you truly realized your mistake? If you make the same mistake again, Nate, I’ll never forgive you even if Aunt Beatrice cries and begs me to.”Nate clenched his fists and nodded. “I have! This time, I’ve truly ascertained Yulissa’s character. I helped her in any way in the past, hoping to get her love. But after this trip to Manchernius, I’ve finally seen right through her. She has no love for me, not even a hint of affection!”Nate’s eyes turned red as he spoke. “She had been putting on an act and using me entirely. I regret it so much for not realizing it earlier. Now, let everything return to dust following her death.”Josiah still did not quite believe him. “You’re not acting this time around, are you?”“I swear!” Nate quickly raised his hand. “If anything I say today proves to be false, I shall die a horrible death, and that includes my entire family!”“Stop, stop!” When Nate mentioned “entire family,” Josiah hurriedly stopped him. “That’s a little too extreme! The practice of guilt by association is long gone!”“That’s because I’m serious this time.” Nate became agitated. “I’m not lying this time, absolutely not!”“That’s enough. Sit down.” Xavier did not express his opinion on whether or not Nate was lying. He was more interested in other matters. “Tell me, what exactly happened to you in Yeringham later, and how did you come back?”“I…” Nate’s expression immediately changed when he heard the question. Even until that moment, he was still terrified.“Harold abducted me. He’s truly inhumane and crazy! It felt as if I was living in a nightmare during those days when I was being held captive. I don’t want to mention him anymore. Can you stop asking about him?”“All right. Let’s not mention him, then. How did you escape afterward?” Nate clenched his fists with tears of resentment and humiliation in his eyes. “Because of gang fights! The situation was chaotic, so I escaped. But I was penniless at that time with no money or phone. I couldn’t contact anyone in the country, so I got on a stowaway boat. I spent seven days on it with nothing to eat and drink.