With all of the people in the house, it had become too small for Nathan's liking. He had several estates to his name, and he had chosen the largest on purpose so that they would not be disturbed. But still...
Now, with Eric's attempt to hit Crystal, he had to reconsider shutting down the island. He wanted to lock Crystal up, and he didn't intend to let any other men see her, especially after the afternoon they'd shared. He wanted to keep her in his arms, but Helen was here, so he couldn't show her too much affection at the table.
Crystal stretched her legs under the table, though. She rubbed his foot with hers, and that was more than enough for now.
Hellen looked at her nanny, smiled, and said, "Miss Smith must be tired. Fill up her soup bowl." There was a snide tone to her voice, and her words sounded like a gift from a queen to a concubine. Crystal was exhausted, though, and she couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. She was happy to have the soup, and she didn't give two shits about what Helen thought of her.
The neckline of Crystal's white cotton nightgown revealed her shoulders and collarbone. This exposure made Nathan want to sweep all of the food from the table to the floor and fuck her right there, in front of Hellen, her nanny, and anyone else who cared to watch.
Crystal saw the look in his eyes, and she gave him a dirty look. Then she took out her phone, typed a few words on the screen, and pressed send.
Nathan's phone chimed, and he read the message she had sent him. It said: "Do you enjoy this peaceful coexistence between your ex and wife?"
Nathan: "You still have the strength to joke, darling. That is good. Once we are done eating, we can go upstairs for Round Two!" After he sent the message, he began to tap his long fingers on the table as he waited impatiently for her reply.
Crystal: "Nathan, Elma didn't know the rules. If she had, she wouldn't have interrupted us. I have since explained the rules to her and Helen. It is only their first day here. Understandably, they don't know a lot about your rules. Don't take it to heart. If there's anything wrong, just say so. Okay?"
Nathan leaned over, fixed Crystal's collar, and said, "You take care of the tire, and don't think about anything else."
When Helen heard that, the spoon in her hand loosened, her soup bowl tipped, and its contents spilled all over the table and all over her clothes.
Elma hurriedly went to help Helen clean up, but she held her hand up and said, "It's alright. I was careless."
Of course, Nanny Elma knew that what Mr. Davis had said had broken Helen's heart. The meaning of what he had said was not immediately apparent. But, after some thought, eventually, everyone at the table came to understand what he had meant. Nathan wanted Helen to focus on the baby and not think about anything else - and by comparing the fetus to a tire, it showed how little he actually cared about it.
Helen always went out of her way to tolerate everything, and Nanny Elma pitied her. She worried that once the baby was born, Crystal and Nathan would claim it as their own. If that happened, Crystal would be the child's mother. And where would that leave Helen? - wondered Elma. She noticed the marks on Crystal's neck, suddenly, and she wordlessly cursed. This girl is such a slut! - thought Elma.
"Look how clumsy I am," Helen muttered as she cleaned up her mess. "I am so sorry. If my vision were better, this never would have happened..." The light in Helen's eyes dimmed a little. Because her poor vision resulted from her attempted suicide, she blamed herself for her ailment, and she felt guilty whenever it put anyone out.
Crystal's phone buzzed. While her attention had been on Helen, Nathan had sent her another text message. This one said: "We should have our own baby."
Crystal hadn't ever thought about being a Mother, but something stirred inside her when she read those words. Suddenly, she found herself yearning for a child of her own - a child born of love - to watch grow and then grow old. So, this is what Baby Fever feels like - she thought. She smiled as her fingers lingered on the keypad. She didn't know how to reply, so she wrote "Eat" instead.
Helen seemed to be thinking something similar. She looked at Crystal and said, "You should eat more, Miss Smith. After all, you have to take care of Nathan."
"He doesn't need to be looked after. He's supposed to look after us, right?" Crystal looked defiantly at Nathan.
Nathan snorted, picked up his phone, and texted Crystal again. He wrote: "If you don't feel like I've already taken good care of you, then I will make it up to you tonight."
Crystal sighed when she read that. This man has a one-track mind - she thought, and he is utterly insatiable....
Nanny Elma looked at Nathan, frowned, and said, "I'm worried that Helen won't sleep well here. She wakes up at the slightest noise."
She was implying that Nathan and Crystal would be rude to make a lot of noise at night while having sex while everyone else was trying to sleep.
Nathan smirked and summoned Vic. Then, when the bodyguard came to the table, he said, "I'd like you to move Helen's room as far away from my own as possible. I would hate to keep her up at night."
Helen's face turned white. She hastily said, "There's no need. Nanny Elma is always exaggerating!" and then she shot her nanny a nasty look.
Nanny Elma was angry and distressed. She knew that Helen wanted to sleep close to Mr.Davis, but she also knew that this wasn't a healthy arrangement- and she knew that the additional stress would not be good for the baby. She looked at her charge and said, "You had better be careful, miss. You are still in your first trimester, so you need to be careful."
"I know," said Helen. Then she smiled and stroked her stomach.. "I will protect my baby."