Determined, Ivan took his laptop and began working on it again. Trevor was confused. "Boss, what are you doing?" he asked.Ivan sighed. "I can't just sit still. I will try looking into any enemy that we have now..." he said as his fingers ran on the keyboard. Trevor was still scared. This was almost the a hundredth time they had checked up on their enemies. “Boss, it has been five hours. Do you think they are still safe?“ He asked.Ivan sighed again. “We shall find them… I mean, once the abductors make a call, we shall track them down.“But the truth was that he was way too scared. He did not know why it was taking the abductors so long to make that call. But one thing he was sure of was that neither Natalie nor Carter was the target of those enemies. He was the person they wanted, and they were only using them to get him.Just as he was lost in his thoughts, his phone rang, interrupting the silence. The display showed his grandmother's name.Taking a deep breath, Ivan answered the ca
Ivan's heart raced as his phone finally rang. He had been anxiously waiting for this moment, hoping against hope that it would bring news of Natalie and Carter. With trembling hands, he swiftly picked up the call, his voice filled with a mixture of fear and desperation."Natalie? Is that you?" Ivan's voice cracked with emotion, his words barely audible.A brief pause followed, and then Natalie's voice, strained and filled with anguish, reached his ears. "Ivan... it's me." Her voice trembled, carrying the weight of the torment she had endured. "I'm so sorry... they forced me to call you."Ivan's heart sank at the sound of Natalie's voice, knowing that she was being manipulated by their captors. "Natalie, where are you? Where's Carter?""Listen to me, Ivan," Natalie pleaded, her voice quivering. "Don't come for us. It's too dangerous. I'll find a way to get us out, I promise."His grip on the phone tightened, his frustration and desperation mounting. "No, Natalie, I can't just sit here a
The dimly lit basement was filled with tension as Ivan, Natalie, and their young son Carter stood huddled together, their bodies trembling with fear. The abductors watched them intently, their patience wearing thin. The atmosphere was heavy with a sense of foreboding.Ivan couldn't help but feel a surge of anger building up inside him. He looked directly at the boss of the group, his eyes burning with defiance. "What exactly do you want from me?" he demanded, his voice filled with coldness. He racked his brain, trying to recall if he had ever crossed paths with these menacing figures before, but their identities remained elusive.The leader of the gang, a burly man with a sinister grin, chuckled in response to Ivan's question. His eyes glinted with malice as he replied, "I want everything... Everything you own." His voice dripped with an air of greed, as if relishing the impending downfall of his captives.Ivan and Natalie exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts sinking at the real
Summoning every ounce of courage within her, Natalie took a deep breath, her trembling hand cautiously reaching out to grasp the cold, unforgiving metal of the gun. Her fingers curled around the grip, her knuckles turning white as conflicting emotions battled within her.The abductor's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with sadistic satisfaction. "Remember, Natalie, the clock is ticking," he warned, his voice a low, ominous whisper. "Make your choice swiftly."As Natalie held the gun, its weight seemed to symbolize the burden of a thousand impossible decisions. Time seemed to stand still as she contemplated the unimaginable task laid before her. She thought of the love she shared with Ivan, of their precious son, Carter, whose innocent laughter still echoed in her ears.Suddenly, a flicker of defiance ignited within Natalie's heart. She refused to let this vile man dictate their fate. Suddenly, she met the abductor's gaze, her voice steady and unwavering. "I won't do it," she declared,
Natalie sat up on her seat, her hands trembling on her lap. The room felt suffocating as the doctor's words echoed in her ears. Pregnant. The realization hit her with a lot of force and confusion. It wasn't like she had never thought about the possibility of getting pregnant before; in fact, she had contemplated it on numerous occasions. But now, faced with the confirmation, it felt utterly overwhelming.Her mind raced, and fear gripped her heart. Being pregnant with Ivan's child was a terrifying prospect. She wasn't sure how he would react, what he would say, or if he would even want to be a part of this. The uncertainty hung heavy in her head, making it difficult for Natalie to breathe.As her anxiety grew, a throbbing pain began to build in her temples. She closed her eyes, hoping to find some peace from the fear inside her. But instead, a vivid scene from her past flooded her mind. It was the young Natalie, fearfully confessing to her father that she was pregnant. The memory was
Natalie's heart skipped a beat at the mention of something being wrong. She quickly shook her head, even though fear danced within her. "No, no. I'm perfectly fine, Luca. Just some stress, maybe. You know how it goes. I appreciate your concern, though."Luca let out a soft sigh, clearly dissatisfied with Natalie's response. "Alright, Natalie. But I hope you know that I'm here for you if you ever need anything. Don't hesitate to reach out."Natalie forced a small smile, grateful for Luca's offer despite her reservations. "Thank you, Luca. I'll keep that in mind."Luca was clever enough to know that Natalie did not want to talk about sone things. He decided to change the topic. "By the way, Natalie, when are we going to meet as we agreed? I've been looking forward to catching up."Natalie thought for a moment, considering her hectic schedule. "Send me the location of your choice tomorrow afternoon. I'll be done shooting by then, and we can meet."Luca seemed pleased with her response. "P
Luca observed Natalie intently as she appeared lost in her thoughts. A mischievous chuckle escaped his lips, betraying his amusement. "Tsk tsk," he taunted, a sly smile forming. "I knew Natalie too well. I can spot the differences between you two! Are you surprised?"Natalie's was stunned. How many more people were aware of her situation? She felt a growing sense of unease, realizing she had been kept in the dark while others possessed knowledge about her past."But..." Natalie began, her voice faltering as she tried to process the situation.Luca's smile widened, and he reached into his bag, pulling out a worn notebook. "Well, I think you won't be needing this anymore," he said, his tone teasing. He handed the notebook to Natalie, who eagerly snatched it from his grasp, hoping to find some answers in it."I don't know what happened!" Natalie protested, her voice filled with frustration. "You know I lost all my memories." She hurriedly flipped through the notebook, searching for any cl
Luca and Natalie walked out of the restaurant, Luca's face glowing with contentment after a delightful evening. He couldn't help but smile happily, basking in the enchanting company of Natalie. "I will drop you off," he said, his voice warm and affectionate. Even though they had not come to an agreement about them being together, he was so glad he had spent some time with her.Natalie, on the other hand, was calm. She was disturbed by the fact that she had to ask Ivan to help Luca. Was it going to work?She hurriedly shook her head. “You don't have to,” she said, remembering how angry Ivan sounded when she told him that Luca was there to pick her up earlier. She still needed to go back and pacify him.“Why are you trying to keep your distance from me so much?“ Luca asked with a sigh. “You don't have to think too much about it…” he said, as he instinctively reached out to hold her hand.However, before Luca's hand could find hers, another hand grasped Natalie's firmly, pushing Luca away
Black and Ivan looked at each other before turning to Natalie. Ivan cleared his throat. “Honey, I recently found out that Black wasn't the person that killed my family. It was June and her accomplices!“Five years ago, Black really did have intentions of killing Ivan and the whole of his family. But his first aim was Ivan, and that was the reason why he sent Natalie to kill him. His family, back in the country, were out for a night. Black was prepared to attack, because Ivan was away and he would not be there to protect them. But an hour earlier, he received information that they were already killed.After gathering information, Ivan had recently realized that June was behind everything. Despite being around and pretending to be a naive and innocent girl, she had caused more havoc.She had killed, thinking that the company belonged to Ivan's dad. To her shock, it was Ivan who owned it. So she lost. She was not able to put her hands on the company.Luckily, she was now behind doors. I
The old lady chuckled. “I was so stupid! How could I not differentiate between someone with a good heart like you from those full of bad intentions? Instead of protecting him, I exposed all of us to danger. Please forgive me…”Natalie, who had never had any experience of an elderly person apologizing, did not know what she was supposed to say. She pursed her lips in fear.The old lady sighed. “I am not saying all this because you saved my life. I just think I was too blind in the past not to see the good in you. Please, take good care of my grandson, and my great grandchildren!“Natalie was just so shocked. She had not expected that things would be this easy after so much struggle. That meant that the old lady was blessing her marriage with Ivan, right?She lifted her eyes to look at Ivan, and seeing the broad smile on his face, Natalie relaxed. Everything was fine. They were finally going to be together without any difficulties.Ivan winked at her, and Natalie could not help but roll
The doctor sighed with disappointment. “You don't know it? That thing that healed you!“ He was not sure if the girl was just pretending or she really knew nothing about it.Natalie shook her head. “Wait… I think I was wounded! What happened? What is that Gello you are talking about?“ She asked.The doctor sighed. “When you were brought here, we all thought you were going to die! You had wounds, you had lost a lot of blood and you were almost losing your child. But… that thing they gave you… it healed you in less than ten minutes…”Even though Natalie was pretending not to know anything about Gello, she was shocked to hear that she was healed like that. “Doctor, are you sure about what you are talking about?“ “Yes… it happened… He just wrapped it around your hand…” The doctor had begun speaking when the door was pulled open and two men walked in. Trevor went directly to the doctor and held his hand. “Doctor, would you mind us having a small talk?“ He asked while pulling him out, not
Natalie froze up. She waited for the excruciating pain, then maybe, death. She had been so sure that June had shot her straight in the chest. She would be dead in just a few seconds.However, after a few seconds, nothing happened. She did not get any pain either. Confused, she opened her eyes.“Natalie…” Someone called her. All she could hear and see were the movements of people here and there.But her eyes caught one person who was running towards her direction. “Natalie… are you okay?“ Ivan asked as he pulled her into his arms.Due to the pressure he applied, Natalie winced in pain. Her body was covered in several wounds due to the torture that these people had inflicted on her. She saw June lying on the ground, her gun some distance away from her.“You are hurt! Quickly, call an ambulance!“ Ivan ordered as he tried to untie her. Trevor and a few other men were checking up on the old lady.“Ivan… you came…” Natalie said in shock. She had not expected him to be back that quickly. But
Carter opened his eyes when he heard Natalie's voice. “Mommy…” he called between cries as he struggled. His mommy was finally there to save him.Natalie hurriedly untied him and pulled him into his hands. “You are fine now…”“Mommy…. Save great grandma. She is in the backyard. Auntie June has a gun…” Carter said the moment he remembered what had happened.Natalie shook. “It's okay,” she said and carried Carter to the room where she had locked Melan. “She will protect you,” Natalie whispered to Carter.She handed Carter to Melan. “Melan, don't open the door until I come back. Don't make any noise,” she said while trembling.“Sister… will you be safe?“ Melan asked in fear. Natalie hurriedly nodded and locked the door behind her, leaving.She ran upstairs to Ivan's room and took out her phone. Luckily, Ivan hurriedly picked him up when she called him.“Natalie…” Ivan called. “Did something happen? I am done here. I am taking the plane soon…”“Ivan… hurry up! Grandma is in danger!“ Natal
When Black came back to the room, Natalie wanted to keep her distance from him. If this man could send his wife away without blinking, what was he not capable of?Black sighed seeing her action. “Daughter, I sent her away to make up for what we caused you to go through in the past,” he spoke up. “Please, forgive me…”Still, Natalie could not fully understand if the man had changed or he was just pretending. “Why did you bring me back?“ She asked at last. She wanted to end things as fast as possible. She wanted to go back to Ivan and Carter.Black took a seat beside her. “I heard about your break up with Ivan… that man has wronged you. I am your father. I had to come for you. I will help you carry out revenge if you want to…”Natalie pretended to be really heartbroken. “But… why are you two fighting?“ She asked. She was still mad that the man had pretended that the break up had nothing to do with him.Black was silent for a while. “ We were fighting in the past, not anymore. I won't li
…Natalie's eyes widened when she woke up on an unfamiliar bed, her mind finally connecting the dots. The room she found herself in was lavish and spacious, a real contrast to the small, cramped space she had been forced to inhabit in the past in this house. The memories of the mistreatment she endured flooded her mind, making her feel annoyed and anger about those two people that called themselves parents.She moved, and her body ached. She could not help but wince in pain. She had expected to be taken away by Black, but the fact that they had sedated her before bringing her here spoke volumes about their intentions. It was as if they didn't even want to give her the chance to fight back or escape.Her thoughts were interrupted as the door was pushed open, and a woman around forty years old stepped inside the room. The woman's eyes widened in disbelief as they landed on Natalie, and she let out a horrified scream."Aaaah!" the woman shrieked, her hands flying to her mouth as if to st
Natalie tried to sit up, her concern immediately shifting to the boy who had accidentally knocked her off her feet. "The boy who just knocked me off... Is he okay?" she asked, showing her compassionate nature even in her own moment of distress.Ivan scanned the crowd and locked eyes with the worried boy. He noticed the blood on the boy's hand and pursed his lips. "Someone check up on the boy," he instructed, and the people around quickly rushed to help him.Still feeling disoriented, Natalie held onto Ivan's hand. "Can you help me up?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly."Of course," Ivan replied hurriedly, carefully assisting her to her feet. He guided her away from the gathering crowd and led her towards the car, where they could have some privacy.As they distanced themselves from the scene, Ivan noticed Natalie's expression changing. Her eyes turned red, and sadness enveloped her face. He gently helped her into the car, his heart aching for her."Are you feeling hurt anywhere?
Ivan woke up with Natalie in his hands, a broad smile appearing on his face as he looked at her sleeping face. He brought his hands to her face and gently caressed her, feeling the sense of peace that he had missed for days.Natalie's eyes fluttered when something kept moving on her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes and met a man's warm gaze. She snuggled closer to him, a smile on her face. "Good morning, beast," she greeted him jokingly.Ivan smiled and pinched her nose. "You look so happy today. Did that mean that I satisfied you well last night?" He joked back.Natalie buried her face into his chest to hide away her embarrassment. "Can't you just talk like a normal person?" She asked and pinched his waist playfully.Ivan hurriedly held her hand. "Stop messing around unless you want to awaken the beast again," he said, and kissed her lips lovingly.Natalie smiled, her cheeks flushed. She seemed to have thought of something and sat up. "Um... Black will be taking me today, right?" She