Chapter 8

NATALIE’S POV

This time, the room wasn’t silent. It was charged, guests whispering viciously in hushed tones, their eyes darting like hungry wolves on a bloodhunt.

The tension rose and fell like my erratic breathing, heavy and strong.

Malcolm had stepped in, positioning himself between Lucas and me like some kind of immovable force. But why?

My brows drew together in confusion as Malcolm moved forward, each step deliberate, his gaze dark and ice-cold. Lucas flinched as though he had been burned, backing up like he’d been ordered to retreat.

“Onyx has always stood for integrity and power. There’s a reason for that—one you clearly haven’t grasped. Should I teach you?” Malcolm’s voice was heavy and sharp as steel.

Lucas’s eyes widened, fear flickering in them as he swallowed hard.

“N–No, sir,” he muttered, his voice cracking. My brows shot up in surprise to witness Lucas, a man of pride have his shoulders curling inward.

My eyes moved to Malcolm as he slid his hands into his pockets, deceptively calm for someone who’d just made a veiled threat that changed the entire personality of another person.

He must have felt my confused, shocked gaze on him and glanced at me. Just One look And then back at Lucas.

My mouth nearly fell open when Lucas suddenly stepped forward, brushing past Malcolm with forced bravado.

I opened my mouth to speak but I was too stunned to develop words as Lucas cleared his throat.

He reached out, his palms enclosing mine in a way that was so weird to me that I nearly pulled out of the enclosure.

I looked from his face to Malcolm’s and back again.

What just happened?

Lucas cleared his throat again, voice strained. “Natalie…”

But his eyes wouldn’t meet mine.

“It hurts me… deeply, that you’ve come to this decision.”

My brain scrambled at the word ‘hurt’ what the hell was he talking about?

Another pause. Another swallow. His brows knitted together to give the emotion he was trying hard to portray and like a manipulator, he shook his head.

That bastard.

“But as a respected member of the Onyx family… if this is truly your wish, I won’t object. I accept your proposal and… I bid you farewell.”

I wanted to scream at him. To tell everyone that Lucas has never felt a single word he just said but then his gaze finally locked onto mine—and there it was. Humiliation. Fury. That wounded ego bleeding beneath the surface.

Lucas had become everything he loathed in a single breath and all because of the man he despised the most.

He let go of my hands just as Malcolm cleared his throat and returned to his seat, calm and composed like he hadn’t just portrayed how much power he held.

The table grew tense again but Malcolm ignored the cackling whips of it and gestured toward my chair. I was in a state of shock but I sat, my pulse still pounding.

He rose to his full height at the head of the table, a knowing smirk now tugging at his lips.

Like he hadn’t just redefined power in front of his own family.

My gaze flitted to Lucas—who either buried himself in his wine or avoided every eye in the room and for a moment I felt a whiff of pity for him but I also knew he deserved it, so I minded my business.

“And now,” Malcolm began, voice smooth as velvet, “with no more drama…”

The guests chuckled nervously.

“…let’s celebrate my mother’s birthday. And what’s a birthday without proper gifts?”

His tone was easy, but the crowd erupted with excitement as the butler appeared with a dramatic flourish, carrying gifts of all sizes.

When mine was presented, Malcolm took the liberty of explaining how priceless it was but I knew that Lucas was seething in fury to see a gift he lied about been from us being poised as mine. I smirked at the irony.

Malcolm continued speaking but I was stunned—not just by his interference but by the obviousness of it. What the hell was his endgame? Why entangle himself in my mess?

Still, the night continued with unexpected grace. Slowly, the realization sank in.

It was done and I had finally and publicly broken up with Lucas. No more pretense, no more lies.

And instead of pain, I felt… relief. Sweet, liberating relief.

I lingered, helping Grandmother say goodbye to the guests until only close family remained. Part of me wanted to walk my parents to their car. Maybe they’d turn and invite me home, back into the warmth I used to know. But I knew better.

That fantasy came wrapped in purgatory.

So I stayed behind, watching them from a distance as they got in their car and drove away.

A gentle hand suddenly wrapped around my shoulder.

Grandmother — Warm, familiar, steady. I leaned into her touch.

“You could stay with me tonight,” she said softly. “Since you and Lucas… err…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the words.I felt for her. I really did. Lucas had always been her favorite because of me and the most ungrateful grandchild she’d ever known.

I looked into her kind, ocean-blue eyes and a part of me wanted to say yes. To give her that comfort and closure But I knew what would happen.

This house would become a crutch. A safe place I’d never outgrow and nothing good ever came from staying too comfortable.

“I can’t,” I said quietly.

She gave a small, disappointed shrug that tugged heavily at my heart “I suppose you’re right.”

“But at least tell me you brought your umbrella?” she asked with concern, just as the sky suddenly darkened and a light thunder echoed in the distance.

Suddenly, it hit me and I gasped.

Without a word, I rushed from her embrace, powered by adrenaline at first… until dread started to creep in.

I reached Lucas’s car and froze.

He was still inside. His brows lifted when he saw me, his mouth fell open and his gaze darted from me to the passenger seat as if to ask me what I was doing.

“I’m not—” I began, throwing the door open to avoid the awkwardness but then —

There she was.

Vanessa. Her smug grin, perfectly composed,Seated in the spot I had vacated less than four hours ago.

I looked from her to Lucas and a look crossed my eyes.

What did I really expect? Guilt? Shame?

“Oops. Were you hoping for favors around here?” Vanessa’s voice was syrupy-sweet, laced with her usual venom.

I didn’t engage her, I didn’t flinch either, I didn’t speak. I just reached beneath her seat, retrieved the umbrella and a small box, and walked away.

That chapter of my life had been sealed the moment I publicly announced our breakup.

I returned to Grandmother and handed her the gift box. Her eyes sparkled with shocked surprise, Just as Lucas’s car screeched out of the driveway.

Malcolm appeared behind me, his strong presence announcing itself before showing his face but I didn’t look at him, Infact I ignored it.

“Natty, you shouldn’t have,” Grandmother said, surprised. “I already have one of your gifts.”

No. No way in hell was I going to allow her keep the one Lucas had claimed as ours.

“Open it,” I whispered.

She hesitated but I insisted, gently. And finally, she gave in.

When she opened the box, her hand flew to her mouth.

“Natty… this is…”

“I know you’re upset about Lucas and me,” I said, my voice cracking. “But even if I was never meant to be part of this family… I’ll always be yours. I’m your daughter. And I love you. Thank you—for everything.”

She pulled me into a fierce hug.

Malcolm cleared his throat again, and I shot him a glance laced with irritation.

What was he doing here?

But when I looked back at Grandmother, I saw her smiling—beaming, actually.

Why?

“Don’t speak too soon about never joining the family,” she said, eyes twinkling. “Miracles aren’t out of stock. One might be just around the corner.”

What?

I blinked clearly puzzled, as she let the butler escort her inside.

Almost immediately, the sky darkened and a chill ran down my spine.

I tapped my phone in hopes of booking a cab. A certain relief flowing through me like blood running through my veins.

It was real. Finally — No more Lucas,No more convenience, No more random drives and No more blackmail wrapped in affection.

Just me.

Alone.

A smile was growing on my face when tires screeched gently to a stop in front of me. A sleek black Mercedes.

I knew that car too well. A flashback of the night he had rescued me from Lucas at the underground garage flashed through my eyes and his critic words echoed in my head.

His window slid down, his fingers casually on the wheel and his eyes on the road.

Suspicion flickered through me.

What was his game?

“I feel like we’re headed the same way and obviously a storm is brewing, Let me give you a lift.”

I nearly laughed at his audacious assumption. No chance we were going the same way.

A smirk tugged at my lips and I scoffed.

“It’s going to rain soon. Get in.”

His voice was calm, but there was a command beneath it.

I stepped back and he finally looked at me.

“My ride’s coming. You should go,” I said.

His face was calm but his eyes held amusement. Before his lips curved into a smirk, that same smug curve of his lips. God, it irritated me.

Without a word, he sped off—tires screaming in his wake.

Good riddance and almost as though God himself agreed with me, it started to rain.

Hard.

Within minutes, my shoes were soaked, the hem of my dress drenched. There was no shelter and nowhere to hide.

It took twenty more minutes for my cab to arrive. I was dripping wet, cold, but strangely—relieved.

The rain felt like a cleansing. Maybe this was the universe washing off all the filth, all the pain. All the ruin and Maybe this was a new beginning.

I arrived at St. Luis Hospital with my shoes in my hands. The nurses recognized me, so they didn’t even need to point me in the right direction.

I didn’t care that I carried my wet shoes in one hand or that my legs were freezing and walked down the hall, smiling. I was where I wanted to be and I couldn’t wait till I was with her, her hands in grasp as I yapped about what the hell just happened to me.

I turned a corner and violently collided into someone.

I stumbled back, blinking rapidly as I tried to catch my breath until I looked up —

“What the hell are you doing here?” I gasped.

That same smirk, calm and unreadable, curved on his lips.

And my thoughts fractured in a dozen directions, all spiraling to the same conclusion.

"What the hell was Malcom Onyx playing at?”