Third Person’s POVTHE WIND was cold. The surroundings were quiet and dark, and only the rustling of leaves could be heard.Not far away, there was a group of people who had been observing an old building for some time.“Stephen, aren’t we going to attack yet? My fists are itching to punch someone,” Ashter muttered beside him, his face scowling as he gazed at the abandoned building just a few meters away from their hiding spot.Stephen remained silent, knowing that his friend already knew the answer to his own question. He was just getting impatient.He sighed and quietly observed his scattered team and friends, as well as a few of their men, while leaning on the hood of his car. Cole was not with them at the moment; he left him and the others at the mansion to guard his wife.The security of the mansion was undoubtedly high. From the iron gate that could not easily be broken down to the CCTV cameras scattered around, monitored 24/7 by some of his men in the control room, everything w
Nathalia’s POVI felt so exhausted just staring at the ceiling, and then I heard Cole’s voice calling from outside the room, followed by a loud knock.“Madame! Please eat already! Bossing will be furious if you skip a meal!” he said in what seemed like a pleading tone.I let out a deep sigh. “You’re just exhausting yourself, Cole. How many times do I have to tell you that I have no appetite? Besides, he won’t know if you don’t tell him.”Truth be told, I don’t feel like doing anything right now. I’ve been cooped up in this room all day, doing nothing but reading. Eventually, I got bored and decided to lie down and stare into space.Stephen left early this morning, and as usual, his friends were with him. When I asked where he was going, he didn’t even bother to respond. That’s why I can’t help but feel anxious. I’m sure he’s up to some mischief again. I didn’t even notice when he came back last night, and now he left so early again.Lost in my thoughts, I was suddenly interrupted by a
Stephen’s POV“I told you already. We won’t gain anything from this. Do you think he would just hand over that thing to anyone?”I was taken aback by Liam’s words. I turned to look at his scowling face.“But I can’t afford to be wrong. I personally saw the old Romero holding that thing when I was tailing him the other day. Besides, he used that thing to manipulate other members of the organization to follow his plans.”He scratched his head. “Maybe he did have it at the time you saw him. But I’m pretty sure it’s no longer with him after we stormed in here earlier. The man probably made different leaders to hold that thing, so it wouldn’t directly lead back to him.”I let out a deep sigh. I had also considered that possibility. However, I couldn’t help but hold on to hope. Besides, I had another reason for coming here.“Did you find any information or anything that could lead us to his whereabouts in this headquarters?” I asked.He scratched his head before sighing. “Nothing. Even in t
Nathalia’s POVI woke up because of the commotion and various voices around me, as if they were arguing. I tried to ignore it at first because I was still sleepy, but as time passed, their voices grew louder and louder.Slowly, I opened my eyes to see who was causing the disturbance so early in the morning. But I almost jumped out of bed when I saw a man wearing a mask standing there. My heart raced with fear.“Good morning, Thalia!” The man removed the mask, and it was Harold’s smiling face that greeted me.I blinked, unable to believe that one of my friends was standing in front of me.As I recovered from the shock, I annoyedly grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.“Don’t startle me like that! What if I had a heart condition?” I glared at him.He raised both hands, laughing. “Chill. I know your heart is healthy.”I shook my head. This guy really knows nothing but mischief.But I was taken aback when I heard simultaneous laughter. I looked around and noticed that Mads, Damon, and Alb
I glanced at him, unable to hide my frown because of his last statement.“Don’t worry. I have no intention of escaping. Just make sure my family and friends are safe. We have nothing to argue about anymore.”His smile slowly disappeared, and surprise replaced it. It seemed like he didn’t expect me to say that.I smiled at him before turning back to look at the vast ocean. Due to everything that happened in the past few days and the information he shared with me, which still isn’t clear until now, I couldn’t leave his control.I still need to know everything he’s hiding and everything he knows about me.***“How many days will we stay here?” I asked Stephen as we entered our room.I couldn’t help but be amazed by its entirety. Aside from the spacious bed in the middle, it also had a mini-living room on the right side. There was a long chocolate and white sofa placed there, and in front of it was a long center table. The wall facing this area had a flat-screen TV attached to it. On the
Nathalia’s POVI silently answered a take-home activity for school when I was suddenly disturbed by my mother forcefully opening my bedroom door.“Mom?” I called her, but she ignored me. She went straight to my closet and started grabbing my clothes, then pulled out a suitcase and placed it on the bed.“What are you doing, Mom?” I asked, puzzled, as I approached her.“We’re leaving. Get ready.” Her voice trembled with panic.I furrowed my brow. I couldn’t recall any plans we had for today. Besides, it was already evening.“Where are we going?” I followed her movements, trying to make sense of what she was doing. Despite not having any idea what was happening, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.She paused for a moment from her rushed packing and faced me. I was taken aback when she tightly gripped both my shoulders.“Nathalia, listen to what I will say, okay?”I nodded even though I was still clueless about what was happening.She took a deep breath before continuing, “We need to get ou
Nathalia’s POVI stayed in the resort’s infirmary for a few hours before the nurse finally allowed me to leave. I couldn’t help but feel regretful, as it was already dark outside when I got out. Because of what happened, I wasn’t able to make the most of my stay here, and we’re heading back home tomorrow.We’re currently having dinner in one of the huts here, which is close to the beach. Chicken with creamed corn, Tortellini, Slow cooker shrimp boil, Creamy pesto chicken, and vegetable salad are served on our long table. There are also a few bottles of red wine on the side.“Hey, take it easy on the food. Don’t let them see that you’re starving,” Harold teased Albert, who was eating enthusiastically.“Exactly. It’s like you haven’t eaten for days, huh? Even though you practically finished all of our snacks earlier,” Damon teased further.Albert was about to retort when he suddenly choked. Damon quickly handed him water. Just as Mads was about to pat his back, Damon slapped her hand aw
Nathalia’s POVThree days have passed since we went to Stephen’s family’s private resort. But until now, I have been troubled by his response to the question I threw at him.“Because I love you.”I let out an exasperated sigh as I stared at the ceiling. I’ve been awake since earlier, but I still can’t bring myself to get up.After he answered that night, he quickly stood up and left. We didn’t get to finish the game, and we silently retreated to our respective rooms. Even during the journey back home, not a word was exchanged between us. I couldn’t even confront Damon and Mads anymore due to the absurd questions thrown at them by Harold and Albert.Since that day, Stephen hasn’t shown me any affection. We’re in the same house, sharing the same bed, but I feel like he’s not really there.I should be happy. Because aside from not talking to me anymore, he’s also letting me do the things I want. As long as I’m always with Cole.But I don’t know why sadness is slowly engulfing me.I knew