Chapter 21 +25 BONUS The crowd whispered among themselves , and someone could be heard saying , " Opening the first dance at Madam Eleanor's birthday party … That says a lot about how much she favors that young lady " " Absolutely . Just look at the way Madam Eleanor looks at her will pure admiration . " Another chimed in , " And dancing with Mr. Sinclair himself ? Thats to mean something , right ? " " Isn't he a father ? No one's ever confined who the child's mother is . What if it's h her ? What if she's the future Mrs. Sinclair ? - " She's stunning and incredibly talented . No wonder he's loept her out of the public eye . Anyone would want to protect a woman Now like that . " Anathea listened to the speculative murmurs around her , her expression unreadable . However , Isabel was furious . She didn't care how talented or beautiful Natalie was - being a homewrecker was still disgusting And now , Natalie had the audacity to take Gregory's hand and dance with him in front of everyone , as if declaring herself the rightful Mrs. Sinclair . " She's unbelievable ! I need to put her in her place ! " Isabel clenched her fists , about to storm forward when Anathea grabbed her Wrist " Anathea , what are you doing ? " Isabel shot her an incredulous look . " I'm doing this for you ! " " Don't be reckless , " Anathea said calmly . " This is a Sinclair family event , and everyone is watching . " It Isabel caused a scene now , it wouldn't just be about her standing up for Anathea - it would be a scandal that could taint the family's reputation . Eleanor's birthday would be ruined , and Holden , as the head of the family , wouldn't take that lightly . Holden's influence was undeniable . Even Isabel's mother had to show him respect . If Isabel went too far and angered him , the consequences wouldn't be pretty . Hence , the best move was to avoid unnecessary conflict . That was what Anathea believed , and that was what she tried to convince Isabel of Isabel slowly exhaled , trying to calm herself . She knew Anathea was right , but it still burned her up inside . She was angry that , despite being the one who'd been betrayed , Anathea still had to stand back and be the bigger person , letting Natalie flaunt her relationship with Gregory in front of everyone . What infuriated Isabel even more was how familiar this whole situation felt . It was exactly how that other woman had swooped in and stolen her ex - boyfriend of seven years . Was this just the nature of mistresses ? Did they all carry the same kind of shameless arrogance ? Meanwhile , Natalie stood before Gregory , a soft , shy smile on her face . " Greg , Eleanor's made a request of us . We wouldn't want to disappoint her , would we ? " Eleanor gave Gregory a knowing look , her voice light but insistent . Nat has already taken the first step , Gregory . Don't let me down now . " Gregory was s silent for a moment before responding with a faint hum . Then , he stood and extended his hand toward Natalie . The moment Natalie placed her hand in his, the room fell silent . Almost immediately after , the first notes of a violin melody filled the air . Under the admiring gazes of the crowd , Gregory and Natalie began heir waltz . Their steps were fluid and graceful . Gregory led the dance , steady and firm as he guided Natalie through each turn . Natalie's movements were light and effortless , her gown billowing with each spin like the petals of a blooming blue rose . Anathea had never seen Gregory dance before . Now , as she watched him move with such effortless charm , his usually cold Chapter 21 +25 BONUS features softening , she raised her glass and downed the rest of her wine . For some reason , the normally rich and smooth red wine tasted bitter tonight . Of course , Gregory only ever looked like that when he was with Natalie . With her , he was warm . With Anathea , he was nothing but distant - cold and harsh , even . The murmurs in the crowd grew louder . " They're a perfect match ! Who would've thought Mr. Sinclair , the sually intimidating businessman , could be this charming on the dance floor ? And that woman is stunning ! ' " They're made for each other . Just look at them . They're like a picture - perfect couple straight out of a fairytale ! "