“Miss, maybe you can chase him,” Alex suggested to Natalie.“Chasing him into the bedroom is too dangerous,” Natalie muttered, shaking her head. She had learned her lesson while knowing Dante. Avoiding the bed was the best way for her.So what should she do if Dante didn’t want to take her back to the apartment? Would she never get out again and just spend her days in the mansion?Alex sighed. “You guys better not get too close. We don’t know what Dante is really thinking,” he said. He picked up Natalie’s whiskey bottle on the bar counter and carried it away.Natalie just stared flatly at Alex’s retreating figure. Somehow, she felt like a girlfriend who had just discovered cheating. That wasn’t right. That was weird. Why did they treat her like Dante’s real fiancée and restrict her from interacting with other men?“Jayde, come on!” Alex called out to Jayde from above.Finally, Jayde left. Natalie, who was left alone, could only sit on the barstool lazily.Meanwhile, Alex took Jayde to
“Why?” Dante asked while closing his eyes. He sniffed Natalie’s sweet, soft, and distinctive body scent. Her body often smelled of vanilla, which was sometimes mixed with honey or milk.Dante always thought it was the scent of Natalie’s perfume. However, after knowing her for some time and even touching her bare skin and sweating together, he became convinced it wasn’t perfume. It was the natural scent of her body, which was very delicate and could only be smelled from an intimate distance.Just inhaling the scent of her body alone, one could get drunk. Natalie was indeed intoxicating. It would not be surprising if she could attract many men to like and admire her.“You didn't forget what happened before you disappeared, did you?” Natalie looked down while continuing to hold Dante’s muscular chest.“What do you mean?”Natalie looked up and gave Dante a tired look. A mocking, resigned smile finally appeared on her face. “Of course you forgot. You were drunk that day.”Dante frowned. H
Natalie slept without dreaming. When she woke up, it was already light. She got up and leaned against the headboard while trying to remember what happened last night.To be honest, she wasn’t someone who got panic attacks often. Maybe back when she was modeling, she had experienced it a few times because of the pressure of work. However, that was so long ago that she had even forgotten.What happened last night certainly surprised her. She didn’t have a panic attack when Dante touched her forcibly. She also didn’t get a panic attack when she was completely hurt and destroyed. Then what had triggered it?Natalie roughly rubbed her face. Then she took a sip of the water on the nightstand. Someone suddenly knocked on her bedroom door. She quickly opened it and saw Cora standing with a tray of breakfast. “Miss, how are you feeling now?” Cora asked.“I’m fine,” Natalie replied. “Actually, you don’t need to bring breakfast to my room. I can come down to the dining table.”“Sorry, I thought
“Stay here. I’m going to meet an investor,” Dante said after taking Natalie into his private office. He tried to forget what had just happened. “Do you just trust me?” Natalie glanced around with a flat expression. “I can steal your data here.” “Do it if you want.” Dante looked at her expressionlessly. He wasn’t worried because his greatest wealth was from his illicit business. After that, he walked out of the room. Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She also tried to forget Dante’s strange behavior. Instead of speculating and guessing randomly, it was better to ignore it. Dante’s private office was a special office for the CEO. It wasn’t Natalie’s first time entering a CEO’s office, but still, the atmosphere inside the room impressed her. The room was spacious, with a wide glass wall that looked out over the business district of Manhattan. One could see the bustling streets and modern-looking high-rises from there. The ceiling was high. The marble and all the furnit
‘Dante is really sick.’That was all Natalie could think about. She closed her eyes in the car and tried to calm down. She had always thought Dante was a cruel and cold-hearted man, but it turned out to be more than that.A sane man wouldn’t do those things. A sane man wouldn’t claim a woman as his own when they didn’t even love her. Nor would a sane man detain and imprison a woman like a criminal.Natalie thought she herself was crazy enough with the destruction of her life. It turned out that there were people who were crazier than her.Just then, Dante’s right hand suddenly touched Natalie’s thigh, instantly breaking into her reverie. She turned her head and said coldly, “Take your hand away!”“Are you still mad at me, Cavey?” Dante asked, but Natalie didn’t want to answer. She just swatted away Dante’s hand.“I won’t bring up your past again,” the man said. He stared at Natalie as he drove.“You think I’m mad just because of that?”Dante shrugged his shoulders. “Is there another r
Hesitantly, Natalie picked up the incoming call. Dante’s voice immediately rang in her ears. “Get ready. I’ll pick you up soon,” the man said.Natalie’s expression immediately turned flat. So Dante said she didn’t need to add his contact because he had already done it himself?“You’re so great, Dante!” Natalie sarcastically said. She’d never thought that Dante could be so narcissistic. The guy even named his own contacts ‘fiancé’.“I am,” he said.Natalie snorted. She asked, “What are you picking me up for?”“Dinner.” Dante’s answer irritated Natalie.“You shouldn’t say things on the spur of the moment, Mr. Vittorio! Women can’t get dressed up in 10 minutes, let alone to go to a formal event. You’d better go alone!”Dante, who was sitting at his desk, smiled. “Not a formal event.”“What do you mean?”“I’m in a good mood, so, well, what’s wrong with me asking you to dinner?”Natalie was a little surprised. However, she knew Dante’s moods were volatile and unpredictable. She’d rather ha
Dante’s arrival was completely unexpected. Natalie hurriedly put the paper back into the bouquet. She turned around and saw Dante staring at her with one eyebrow raised.“Why are you here?” The question went unanswered. Dante noticed the bouquet in Natalie’s hand.“Flowers?”“I think someone sent them to the wrong address,” Natalie said, trying to remain calm. She pretended to be confused and handed the bouquet to Dante.“Wrong address?” The man squinted. Slowly, he took the bouquet and reached between the flowers. “Are you sure?” he asked casually.Natalie’s heart skipped a beat. She gulped as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do you find anything?”Dante pulled out the letter Natalie had just hidden. He smirked and opened the letter while looking at the nervous woman. “Do you mind if I read it?”“No.” Natalie shook her head and smiled. “These flowers are definitely not for me, anyway.”Dante finally read the letter. Natalie could only pray silently, hoping that what was written o
“Dante, you’re crazy! Let me go now!” Natalie screamed as Dante cuffed each of her hands to the right and left sides of the bed. Trying to rebel was futile. All she got was pain in her wrists.Her anger was mixed with worry. She knew Dante was insane and had crazy sex fantasies, but she never thought she would be his crazy partner. That was scary.“Sssshhhh....” Dante pressed his index finger against Natalie’s lips. “This won’t hurt.”“I don’t fucking care!” Natalie continued to scream. Her eyes glared. “Why do you want to do this to me? Why?!”Dante caressed Natalie’s beautiful face. She instantly turned her face away, avoiding him. He looked down. “I don’t know. I’m just... angry.”“Angry?” Natalie was completely speechless. She closed her eyes and let out a rough breath. Maybe she should ease Dante’s anger.Slowly, the look in Natalie’s eyes softened. She asked in a smoother voice, “Why are you angry? I’m not lying to you, Dante. I never thought anyone would send roses here. I didn
Nicolo didn’t poison Natalie, he gave her an aphrodisiac!That’s outrageous!Natalie felt furious but had no way of venting her anger at Nicolo. There was no way she could hit him. So, before the aphrodisiac reacted more, she decided to walk away from him.Quickly, Natalie walked towards the door of the room. Nicolo immediately caught up and confronted her. “I wanted to see how you would handle the aphrodisiac,” he said with a smile.“Aphrodisiacs aren’t enough to make me lose my mind!” growled Natalie. She pushed Nicolo away, but he immediately pulled her into a hug.The touch made Natalie’s body run hot and cold. She felt uncomfortable from head to toe. Her throat was dry, and her body begged for more touch.“Let go of me!” Natalie pushed Nicolo with all her might. She was afraid of losing control in front of the man.However, Nicolo was difficult to get rid of. The man hugged Natalie tightly and then kissed her neck forcefully. He wanted to arouse her lust in that condition.Natali
Nicolo pulled Natalie into his bedroom and pushed her onto the bed. That made her panic. She tried to rebel and run away, but Nicolo pulled her back.“Let go of me, Nicolo!” Natalie yelled as she pushed and hit the man.“Don’t you want to be conquered nicely? Maybe I need to use harsher methods!” Nicolo smirked, then took the rope and tied Natalie’s hands firmly behind her back.“What do you want from me?! If you really want to win my heart, this is not the way to do it!” screamed Natalie with mixed feelings. Angry, anxious, sad, confused. How to be free from that place, from Nicolo, and from her suffering?“Getting your heart is not enough, darling,” Nicolo said. His hand gently caressed Natalie’s cheek. “I want the whole of you. I want your heart, your beautiful body, and your soul to fall for me,” he whispered obsessively.“You’re crazy!”Natalie kicked Nicolo in the groin with her knee, making him grimace in pain. The man was drunk, and his movements weren’t as fast as usual. Nata
On a golf course in London, a man was bent over holding a golf club. He squinted, measuring the distance and the target where he wanted his ball to end up.“How have you been feeling lately?” Someone suddenly asked from behind.Dante ignored him. He stepped back and swung his club, hitting the white ball until it soared far and landed near the golf hole. The ball rolled and stopped before going into the hole.“That wasn’t very good,” commented the man standing not far behind Dante.“Isn’t there no session today?” Dante asked as he took a step back. He continued his game without paying any attention to Mr. Lewis.“No, no. I had a lot of free time, so I came here,” Mr. Lewis said.Dante ignored him again. He hit his ball again. It hit the previous ball and pushed it into the hole. The last ball slowly rolled in as well.“Amazing!” Mr. Lewis exclaimed. “You play it like billiards.”Dante glanced at Mr. Lewis and handed him his gold-plated golf club. “Would you like to play?”Mr. Lewis sh
The situation at the Wentworth family's mansion became chaotic. After learning that a group of people had harmed Caroline and kidnapped Natalie, Nelson rushed home. He was furious that no one had called an ambulance or the police.“What’s wrong with all of you? Absolutely useless!” Nelson scolded the servants while holding his cell phone to his ear.“Don’t call the police,” Caroline whispered weakly. She looked very pale as if she could faint at any moment.“No, I’m not. I’m calling an ambulance,” Nelson said soothingly.A few minutes later, the ambulance finally arrived. They immediately took Caroline to the hospital. Nelson did not accompany his wife, but let the head maid take his place.Afterward, Nelson immediately had his assistant check the surveillance camera footage to see what had happened. After watching it for a while, he finally understood what had happened.“What kind of person is targeting Natalie?” Nelson muttered to himself. He felt worried and uneasy.“Sir, maybe we
Natalie’s life in Preston for the next few days was very relaxed and quiet. The Wentworth family didn’t mind her staying longer, but she also felt uncomfortable living for free like that for too long.After the new year and the holiday period ended, many members of the Wentworth family returned to normal activities and left the main mansion. They also had their own houses or residences with their respective families.Britia also returned to Nine Elms, leaving Natalie with only Grandpa Nelson’s family occupying the main mansion. The mansion quickly became deserted.Nelson was busy overseeing the silk factory left behind by the Wentworth family’s ancestors, who had lost their glory days. His frail wife just relaxed at home while their children had their own businesses, like restaurants and boutiques, in the city center.Natalie helped with some factory work because she felt uncomfortable living for free. Nelson, who was aware of her actions, went to see her.“My dear, why are you here?
Alex knocked on Dante’s bedroom door several times, but there was no response from inside. He grew uneasy. “Dante, open the door!” he shouted.“What’s wrong?” James, standing guard in front of the hotel room, became curious because he saw Alex worried. “Is there any urgent business?”“Hurry and ask the hotel staff for a spare key!” Alex ordered seriously.James felt confused but didn’t dare ask more questions. He hurried away and came back with a hotel staff a few moments later. Alex immediately asked the staff to open Dante’s room.Moments later, the door finally opened. “Let me in,” Alex said, as he hurried inside. He closed the door again and saw Dante crouched on the floor, busy doing something.“What are you doing?” Alex asked.“Stay right there! Don’t come any closer!” Dante ordered coldly.Alex was confused. Dante had his back to him, so he could only see his back. Shards of glass were on the floor, along with blood splatters. That worried him.“Are you okay?” Alex asked as he
Natalie finally met the Wentworth family. They didn’t recognize her and quietly asked Britia. “Is she your friend? Why didn’t you say you were coming with a friend?”Britia smiled awkwardly while looking at Natalie. They sat at the dining table with the rest of the Wentworth family, but the atmosphere was awkward and strange. They felt unfamiliar with Natalie’s presence.“Everyone, listen to me!” Britia finally shouted and stood up while holding a wine glass. “She’s not my friend. She’s Natalie, Aunt Minerva’s granddaughter in America. Don’t you all recognize her?”They were surprised to hear that. Minerva’s granddaughter?They all immediately looked at Natalie with appraisal and investigation. The change in her appearance had indeed puzzled them. Meanwhile, the observed person could only smile while putting on a friendly face.“Are you really Minerva’s granddaughter?” Nelson Wentworth, Minerva’s elder brother, the first child of that generation, asked in confusion.Natalie nodded. “I
Britia was still unsure of Natalie’s identity. However, she couldn’t bear to let her faint just like that. Finally, she asked the security guards to help take Natalie to her apartment unit.Natalie fainted for three hours. When she woke up, the sky was already bright. Britia, who had been pacing back and forth waiting for her, immediately sighed and offered her warm water.“Oh, you really confused me. It’s Christmas, you know?!” the beautiful curly-haired and blue-eyed woman grumbled.Natalie tried to sit up even though her body felt weak. Her head was throbbing, but she didn’t care. She took the glass of warm water and looked down. “I’m sorry I bothered you,” she said guiltily.“What exactly happened? Are you really Aunt Minerva’s granddaughter?” Britia asked.“Yes, I’m Natalie. After I got out of prison, I did have plastic surgery to change my identity so that others wouldn’t know who I really am. You know, I don’t want to hold that popularity anymore,” Natalie said weakly.Britia s
Nicolo and his two subordinates hid in front of his bulletproof car, using the car as a shield and hiding place. Meanwhile, Dante’s soldiers advanced closer and closer. They were full of preparations and overwhelmed Nicolo.“Son of a bitch! I don’t think we can survive here, boss!” shouted Nicolo’s driver, who had run out of bullets.“Find a place to hide! This commotion is bound to attract the police. If they come, Dante won’t be able to catch up with us,” Nicolo said as he looked around. He gave the code to his two subordinates. After that, they immediately ran away.Dante, who saw that, immediately told his subordinates to chase Nicolo. That was a good opportunity to catch them. Next time, he probably wouldn’t have the chance.James and some men dressed in black went after Nicolo. Meanwhile, Dante approached Nicolo’s car, which was riddled with gunshot marks. He opened the door and saw Natalie crouched in fear on the floor of the vehicle, crying shakily.“Go! Find a place to hide!”