Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 18: She Is Not My Aunt

Natalie Kendall bit her lip tightly, staring down Isaac Vaughn with defiance, forcing out two words: "Whatever you say."

"You..."

Isaac’s expression was dark enough to make it look like he wanted to strangle her.

But in the next second—

His body suddenly softened, and he moved forward to hug her tightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Natalie felt his breath hot against the spot near her ear. She froze, then heard him complain as if he were suffering some huge injustice.

"Natalie Kendall, you have no heart."

"I want to be your husband, but you want to be my aunt."

Natalie’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably. She pushed him away: "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Isn’t that so?" He straightened up, looking down at her.

Natalie turned her head away, grinding her teeth: "...No, it’s not."

*

Natalie refused to go back with Isaac.

Isaac went outside and smoked a cigarette.

When he came back in, Jessica Vance was chatting warmly with Natalie, holding her hand.

"I just got to Seaharbor, there’s still so many places I haven’t been to. Nat, can you take me out tomorrow?"

"Sorry, I’ve got something on tomorrow."

"Oh, really?" Jessica looked a little disappointed but quickly put on a smile: "Maybe next time then."

Natalie hadn’t meant to brush Jessica off; she actually did have something to do.

Her professor had helped her get a translation job, and tomorrow she had to go to the company for an interview.

The assistant’s first look at Natalie was stunned by her beauty, but soon his attention moved to her ears.

She had her hair up in a neat bun today, giving her a capable look, and she hadn’t bothered to hide the hearing aid on her ear.

"Are you—deaf... hearing impaired?" The assistant pushed his glasses up his nose, obviously displeased. "What’s wrong with your university, sending me a hearing-impaired student? What’s that about?"

He barely finished when his phone rang.

"Hold on a sec."

Saying that, he turned away to take the call.

Someone said something on the other end, and the assistant muttered quietly: "...Yeah, she’s pretty, but her ears... Okay, Mr. Grant. Understood."

Hanging up, the assistant told Natalie to follow him.

Natalie said nothing and followed.

She wasn’t afraid of being underestimated, because she would prove herself with ability.

At the office door, the assistant told her to go in by herself.

"Mr. Grant’s in there. Whether we use you or not, that’s his call."

Natalie raised her hand to knock, heard someone inside say "Come in."

The voice sounded oddly familiar.

She opened the door and saw Jason Grant sitting behind his desk.

"What’s going on?"

Jason Grant jumped up in surprise, glaring at Natalie, not bothering to hide his irritation: "Won’t go away, will you!"

Ever since the engagement, it felt like he and Natalie were bound together, couldn’t escape each other anywhere.

When the assistant said the translator coming today was a knockout, he’d actually been excited. Who’d have thought it’d be Natalie?

"Don’t you have something wrong with your ears? And you can translate?" Jason Grant sounded doubtful.

Aside from written translation, he also needed her for simultaneous interpretation that day.

How could a deaf girl handle that?

Natalie hadn’t expected her professor’s recommendation would lead her to Jason Grant’s company either.

But since she’d taken the job, she wasn’t backing down.

She stepped into the middle of the office, face unreadable: "Want to test me?"

Jason Grant eyed her cool expression, frowned, and impatiently waved her off: "Forget it."

Then he pointed at a tall stack of documents on the coffee table: "Start translating those."

Three days later, he was meeting with foreign partners, but he was a total dunce at languages—barely at the how are you? I’m fine, thank you. level.

There was a lot of material, with plenty of technical terms, but Natalie didn’t find it too tough.

She sat quietly, translating away.

Jason Grant played video games for two hours. When he finally looked up to stretch his neck, he glanced at her and found he couldn’t quite look away.

Natalie was in business attire today, the tailored cut outlining her figure perfectly.

In Jason Grant’s eyes, it screamed uniform, seduction, temptation.

He licked his lips, stood and walked over.

"How’s it going?"

Jason Grant sat down right next to Natalie and casually draped his arm over her shoulder.

Natalie frowned, shoved his arm off her, and shot him a frosty look.

Jason Grant got nothing but coldness, and his face instantly darkened.

It’s not like he ever had trouble getting women.

Besides, this deaf girl always had this dead-fish expression—probably no fun in bed either.

"Just get these translated. I need them tomorrow, so you have to finish tonight."

After saying that, Jason Grant whipped out his phone, heading outside while calling friends to set up a drinking party.

——

Franklin Finch was hosting a house party at his villa, and Jason Grant joined in when he started gathering people.

"Sharp, we haven’t had fun together for ages."

"True, Jason." Franklin Finch intentionally dragged out the "Jason" part, clinking glasses with him: "Tonight, we party all the way."

He raised his drink, but before he could take a sip, Isaac Vaughn kicked him, making him spill most of his drink.

"Isaac! What’s your problem!"

Isaac slung an arm around his shoulder, smirking with zero warmth: "Bro—the way you say it’s pretty cute."

Franklin Finch grinned like a little devil, calling him "bro" just to mess with Isaac’s seniority.

"No way I’m calling your uncle ’uncle’ too, right?"

"Get lost!"

"Hehe. Oh yeah, I heard your uncle’s getting engaged?"

At this, Isaac’s eyes flickered, giving Franklin Finch a faintly amused look: "You get wind of things fast."

"Of course! Hey, let me ask you." Franklin Finch leaned in, gossiping. "What’s your new aunt like? Is she hot?"

Isaac swirled his glass, then slowly spat out four words: "None of your damn business."

Franklin Finch choked: "Tsk! Isaac, you’re such a pain sometimes!"

On the other side—

Jason Grant was making out with a new influencer he’d picked up, when his phone rang.

"Documents? What documents? Fine, just bring them over."

After ending the call, he tossed his phone aside and slid his hand into the influencer’s dress, making her giggle and gasp nonstop.

*

Natalie arrived at the place Jason Grant mentioned. First thing she saw was Isaac, her eyes flickering with surprise.

Then she saw Jason Grant locked in a steamy kiss with the influencer, but she showed no emotion as she walked straight over.

"Here are the documents."

Jason Grant only broke off the kiss when he heard her voice.

Wiping his mouth, he coughed awkwardly. "You actually showed up."

"Didn’t you say you needed them tomorrow? I’m leaving them here."

Natalie set the documents down, turning to go.

Isaac glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Just then, a drunk trust fund kid recognized Natalie, blinking blearily: "Hey? Isn’t that sis-in-law? Jason’s here too—stay and hang out with us."

"What?! Sis-in-law?!"

Franklin Finch whipped his head around in shock toward Isaac, totally thrown.

"Isaac, don’t tell me your uncle’s fiancée is her?!"

Isaac’s eyes darkened. He sipped his drink, silently confirming.

Franklin Finch felt like thunder had struck him, fried inside and out.

He leaned in close, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, grinding his teeth: "Seriously Isaac, what the actual fuck is wrong with you! That’s your aunt!"

"She is not my aunt."

Isaac’s voice was icy, his face cold as stone.

Franklin Finch, agitated and unwilling to back down: "Listen to yourself! They’re engaged! You wanna be your uncle’s side piece or what?!"