Even now, he wanted to make it seem like he was the one ending it.
"William, don't be rash…" Ashley advised. Now wasn't the time to divorce Natalie—not until Hailey's illness was fully cured.
If not, with Mrs. Parker's temperament, there was no way she'd accept a sick Hailey as her daughter-in-law. She'd immediately try to arrange another marriage for William. The thought left Ashley anxious.
Suddenly, William's phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.
"What? …Okay, I'm on my way."
After just two sentences, William's face darkened further.
Logan had gone behind his back. He had summoned everyone William met yesterday to the Parker estate and made them confront one another. If they couldn't give a proper explanation, they'd all be punished.
Under pressure, those people panicked—and pointed fingers.
Worse, the man William had trusted, someone who always acted loyal, cracked under pressure and revealed everything.
Logan used the confession to force their father to let him join the board of directors.
What a joke. Based on this alone, Logan wanted a seat on the board?
Ridiculous!
William didn't have time to waste. He stormed out.
A few minutes later, Thomas Roberts returned home in a rush.
He looked at Ashley and immediately asked three sharp questions:
"What happened? Why did William leave? Why didn't you stop him?"
He had just launched a new energy vehicle project and urgently needed funding. Now that the Parker family had regained their footing, he planned to secure investment through William and Natalie's marriage.
But when he visited Parker's Corporation that morning, William hadn't shown up. After digging around, he found out William had gone to the Roberts home.
Thomas rushed back, only to arrive too late.
"Dad, this isn't Mom's fault. Natalie provoked William," Hailey said with a sigh, her tone full of concern.
"What happened?" Thomas asked, frowning as he sank into the sofa.
Hailey bit her lip, anxious.
"My sister didn't come home last night. It seems she went out with another man. William must've seen them. That's why he came here so early, demanding to call off the engagement."
"What did you say? William wants to break off the engagement?"
Thomas's face turned dark instantly. Just when he needed Parker's support the most, William wanted to call off the wedding?
He turned sharply to Ashley.
"What's going on?"
Ashley avoided his gaze, looking embarrassed.
"I didn't see this coming either. I only heard about it from William himself."
Enraged, Thomas slammed the coffee table.
"Natalie, get down here right now!"
The girl had really caused a mess at such a critical moment—there was no way she could be let off easily today.
Hailey lowered her eyes, concealing the flicker of excitement dancing within them.
Ashley quietly turned her head, subtly shifting the floor lamp next to Thomas.
Upstairs.
Natalie, who had heard the commotion downstairs, slowly stood up.
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists before the mirror, then turned around, picked up Logan's cufflink from the table, and headed downstairs.
Thomas was the one she needed to win over at this stage.
And he only cared about one thing: benefit.
She had to make him believe that her strongest backing was Logan.
Clutching the cufflink tightly, Natalie shed her former image of being timid and shy. She sat upright in front of Thomas with a new aura of confidence.
Thomas's anger was unintentionally subdued by her assertive presence, and even his voice softened:
"Natalie, tell me. Why did William break off the engagement?"
"Because he wants to push Logan out of the Parker family," she replied.
Thomas frowned. "What does ending the engagement have to do with driving Logan out of the family?"
Natalie looked directly at him. "It's all connected. He wanted to use me to frame Logan."
"Last night, he drugged my drink with sleeping pills and sent me—while I was unconscious—to Logan's hotel room. Then he had reporters waiting outside."
"But for some reason, the media didn't act. So he came to me afterward, begging me to testify against Logan."
Thomas finally understood and said with a scowl, "That William really went too far. Natalie, now I get it. Since he created this mess, breaking off the engagement isn't his decision to make. I won't let you take this loss for nothing."
Natalie smiled. "I already refused. It's over."
"Why did you refuse?" Thomas asked, confused.
"Because Hailey was involved."
"Natalie, don't talk nonsense!" Hailey snapped. "I was home all night! Mom and Dad can vouch for that."
Natalie turned to her with calm defiance. "Can you swear that you had nothing to do with it?"
"If I'm lying, my illness will never be cured," Hailey said.
"Then swear. And I'll believe you," Natalie replied with a soft smile.
Hailey's face turned pale. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she whispered, "Natalie, how can you use my illness like this? You're stabbing me in the heart…"
Natalie gave a cold laugh. "If you didn't do anything wrong, why are you afraid of a ghost knocking at your door?"
Thomas sighed deeply. "Enough. I don't want to see my daughters fighting. We need to figure out how to deal with William."
"Let me handle this," he added. "William wants to cancel the engagement? That's not happening. He'll pay for trying to hurt my daughter."
"No need," Natalie said, shaking her head. "Because last night, I suddenly realized something important."
"What is it?" Thomas asked.
Natalie smiled faintly. "Compared to Logan, William is absolutely useless. Just thinking about him now makes me sick."
She paused. Then her expression changed slightly as she gently placed the cufflink on the table.
"This belongs to Logan."
The cufflink was finely crafted, inlaid with a flawless emerald that sparkled with refined elegance.
Hailey, overwhelmed with jealousy, still forced a concerned tone.
"Natalie, this isn't right. You can't just take other people's belongings."
"Take?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. "I didn't take it. I chose it—very carefully."
Hailey huffed and looked at their parents. "Dad, Mom, you've all heard that Logan doesn't like women. So why would he give Natalie a cufflink?"
"If he wanted to give her something, why not a necklace, a bracelet, a car, or a house?"
"Why a cufflink? Natalie, did you steal it? Do you know how much trouble this could cause our family?"
Natalie smiled—though it didn't reach her eyes. "Sure. Think whatever you want. Let's say I stole it."
The issue was now back in Thomas's hands. Who would he believe?
Almost immediately, Thomas made his decision.
Hailey, apologize to your sister."
He had originally thought that once William broke off the engagement, Natalie would be ruined. But now, she had caught Logan's attention. That changed everything.
This was great news.