Dante sat on the sofa, watching Natalie tend to his wound. The woman was crouched on the floor with a serious face. She was holding tweezers and trying to pull out a small shard of ceramic plate that was deeply embedded in the sole of his foot.“Tell me if it hurts,” Natalie said, without looking at Dante. She winced at the wound on his foot.“Are you afraid?” Dante asked, but Natalie didn’t answer because she was too focused on her activities.Dante secretly let out a long sigh. In all those years, no woman had ever handled his wounds. In fact, he had never let a woman see him injured. Why? Because he didn’t want them to take advantage of his weakness to attack him.He remembered his mother doing that in the past. When Dante’s father was in a weakened condition, his mother gave him a deadly attack. It wasn’t that they weren’t in love anymore or that his father had betrayed their love, but from the beginning, she had been an enemy who wanted to destroy the Vittorio family.Dante and h
Natalie went to the kitchen to make coffee. Lizzy was busy making breakfast. The girl turned around and asked, “Miss, I see that Mr. Vittorio is injured. What happened last night?” “He stepped on a broken plate, but it shouldn’t be anything serious. I’ve bandaged the wound,” Natalie replied, without giving away the details. “Mr. Vittorio wouldn’t just sit back, even if he was injured. You’ll see, he’ll be off doing this and that,” said Lizzy, who seemed to know Dante well. That made Natalie curious. “Have you been working for him for long?” Lizzy was silent. A moment later, she shook her head. “I just know him pretty well.” Natalie’s coffee machine was running, and she looked down at it. Secretly, her mind was busy determining what she should do with the threatening letter sent to her. ‘Do I have to investigate Dante’s illicit business?’ She asked herself, then sighed heavily. ‘Maybe I should find out how Kelsey is doing. But how?’ Kelsey was the name of Natalie’s sister, who l
Inside the elevator, Natalie stood looking at the car keys in her hand. She felt excited. It had been a long time since she had driven, and the car she was going to drive this time was luxurious and expensive. How could she not be excited?The corner of her lips lifted. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened. She thought she had arrived at her destination floor, but she hadn’t. On the 18th floor, a woman wearing sunglasses entered hurriedly. Her formal attire looked chaotic and messy.“Irina!” Natalie exclaimed in surprise, but then quickly realized her mistake. Stupid. She shouldn’t have called out to her!The woman named Irina turned around and looked surprised. She immediately took off her sunglasses and then watched Natalie up and down intensely. Her brow furrowed deeply.“Natalie? Is this you?” Irina asked cautiously. In the past, she was Natalie’s manager. Their relationship was very close, even like siblings. They had gone through many ups and downs together in the modeling indust
Natalie answered Dante’s video call while the therapist returned to massaging her feet. She cleared her throat at the sight of Dante’s face on the phone screen. “What’s wrong?” she asked.In the car, Dante frowned at the sight of Natalie lying down, wearing only a towel. Her white skin seemed to glisten with oil. Her narrow cleavage looked plumpy and so tempting.“Where are you?” Dante’s voice sounded less than pleasant.“I’m getting a massage. Don’t you see how I look now?” Natalie replied with a frown.The frown on Dante’s forehead deepened. “Who’s the therapist?” he probed.Natalie stared at her therapist, who remained focused on massaging her feet. She replied, “A woman. Don’t worry.”Dante’s expression showed suspicion and disbelief. Finally, Natalie asked her therapist, “Can I show you to him? He seems very afraid of other men touching my body.”The therapist smiled. “Go ahead, Miss.”Natalie pointed her camera at the therapist massaging her feet. However, Dante’s focus was draw
“W-who?” Natalie’s grandmother’s voice trembled. She couldn’t believe her own ears.“It’s Natalie,” Natalie said as she closed her eyes. She wanted to go home and hug her grandmother. But that was impossible. Maybe she would never even see her grandmother again. Thinking about it made her even sadder.“Oh, dear Natalie, is this really you?” Minerva, Natalie’s grandmother, sounded surprised and excited. Natalie nodded while trying to hold back her sobs. She asked, “Grandma, how are you? I heard you were sick.”Minerva chuckled. “Are you crying? Honey, I heard a lot of people there. You must remember that elegant women should not cry in crowded places. You must be calm.”“Grandma, we’re not talking about that now,” Natalie said, feeling a little frustrated. She wanted to talk about something more serious, but her grandmother was teaching her how to be an elegant lady.“My dear, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m sick of missing you. But now I’m talking to you, so my condition will d
Natalie hugged Dante as if seeking protection from him, and it made Dante feel complicated. Slowly, his hand came up to rub her back.“I’ll look for her if you’re worried,” Dante said, which instantly made Natalie swallow.“And then?” she asked.“Then what do you want? If you want to eliminate her, I can kill her.”Dante just said it casually, but it managed to give Natalie goosebumps. Killing someone seemed so easy to Dante, like it was just a trivial matter. Whether the man would actually follow her will or not, it was still terrifying.“No. Dante, you don’t have to,” Natalie said softly. She looked up and stared into the man’s face.“As long as you’re by my side, I’ll be safe, right?” she asked.Natalie’s puffy eyes looked so weak. She looked like a fragile woman who could break at any moment. However, Dante found it strange that Natalie never looked like that. Was she acting?Dante had been with Natalie for several months. And during that time, she had always been a tough woman wh
At 3 am, Natalie suddenly woke up because of a nightmare. Her throat was thirsty, so she intended to go to the kitchen to get some cold water. However, just as she left the bedroom, she vaguely heard Dante talking to someone downstairs.Her brow furrowed instantly. Who had come to visit at 3 in the morning? Could it be Alex?Carefully, she took off her slippers and stepped down the stairs. Many of the lights had been turned off, so the atmosphere in the penthouse was indeed darker and more dimly lit.Dante was in the living room. The closer Natalie got, the clearer their voices became. She heard a woman whining spoiledly. “Dante, you have to help me. If you don’t-”“What? Are you going to snitch to your father or grandfather?” Dante’s voice was flat and cold. He didn’t seem interested in the conversation.The woman snorted with a frown. “I know you don’t like me, but could you have a little compassion for me?”“Why should I have mercy on you?” asked Dante.“Because our grandfather wan
“Come here.” Dante invited Natalie over. She hesitantly complied.Natalie stood in front of Dante with her head down. She felt a little awkward. “I didn’t mean to kick you out. I was just pretending in front of that woman.”“Why aren’t you in your room?” asked Dante. It was 3 a.m., so it was only natural that he would ask that.“I was going to get some cold water, and then I overheard your voices,” Natalie answered honestly. Dante pulled Natalie down to sit beside him. His hand caressed her cheek where Camilla had slapped her. “Does it still hurt?”Natalie shook her head. Slaps like that were actually common for her when she was still in prison. It was just that she was quite surprised because she did not expect Camilla to do it.“Who is Camilla? Why did she come here?” she asked.Dante snorted. “She’s the granddaughter of my grandfather’s best friend. She and I have known each other for a long time.”Natalie finally understood. Camilla was brave enough to Dante because her grandfath
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!”
After meeting Nicolo, Natalie’s days were filled with fear and worry. She didn’t want to go to Italy, but what if Nicolo forced her to go?Natalie couldn’t eat and slept well. Several times, she went to see Kelsey to make sure she was okay. The longer it went on, the more uneasy she became. She didn’t know when Nicolo would show up again, and that made things uncertain.On Christmas Eve, it snowed more heavily. Natalie was about to go to Betty’s restaurant. However, remembering the last time she met Lucas in the alley made her cancel her intention. She'd better stay in her room.Natalie pulled up the blanket. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. Her feelings were immediately alert. Had the person she feared finally come?She swallowed. What if she didn’t open the door? Would that person break down the door and barge in?Natalie was silent. Then the sound of knocking on the door came back, along with Harper Lawrence’s shout. “Miss Smith, are you in there?!”“Oh, wait!” Natalie felt
Natalie tried to break Nicolo’s embrace and pushed the man’s body away. She sat up and looked at him angrily. “Do you hate me that much? You really have no heart!”They had only met occasionally at nightclubs in the past. Natalie even only knew Nicolo’s name without knowing his true identity, so she never took his proposal seriously. Who would have guessed that it was that rejection that led her into various life-and-death situations?“I do hate you. But if you’ll go with me, I’ll forgive you,” Nicolo said.Natalie was completely speechless. Nicolo had gone mad. He spoke as if everything was her fault and she needed his forgiveness. Shouldn’t he be the one apologizing to her?After he had caused her career to crumble, her life to fall apart, and put her in danger so many times, shouldn’t he be the one apologizing?“I’m fucking innocent!” Natalie stared at the man with reddened eyes. “You’re the one who should be apologizing to me, Nicolo! You’ve ruined everything!”Nicolo gave her a c
In the car, Natalie sat anxiously uncertain. Lucas sat beside her and looked at her with a smirk. “It's only been a few months since we've seen each other. Why are you being so strange to me?”Natalie clenched her fists tightly. She looked at Lucas hatefully. “Back then, I didn't know what your intentions were. After you sold me and put me through those cruel things, why should I be nice to you?”Lucas laughed without feeling guilty. He just thought of Natalie as a toy. Whatever Natalie felt wouldn't make him feel bad.“All this time, you've probably been wondering who the person is who hates you enough to make you suffer like that. I'll take you to see him,” Lucas said. Right after that, the car they were traveling in stopped before a nightclub.Natalie swallowed nervously. She got out of the car without asking many questions and followed Lucas into the nightclub.That was no ordinary nightclub, but an exclusive nightclub. The security staff guarding the entrance looked at Natalie sk
That night, Natalie stayed alone in the flat. The quiet and lonely atmosphere made her claustrophobic. She looked out the window and daydreamed while staring at the snowflakes falling from the sky.Natalie felt like everything was empty. She had no purpose in life anymore, no dreams or desires that could make her endure and try hard. Even if she had to die today, she probably wouldn’t regret it.She rubbed her face tiredly. “Maybe I’d better go out,” she muttered.It wasn’t late, so Natalie decided to go to a small, secluded old restaurant. There were only a few customers there, and there weren’t even any waiters, just an old couple sincerely serving the customers.“Miss, are you a new customer? What makes you interested in coming to this old tavern?” The old woman wearing an apron asked Natalie kindly.“This place is in an alley, but the aroma of the food wafts far away. It’s surprisingly quiet here. I’m not in the mood to meet many people,” Natalie said.The old lady smiled and sat
“Miss, please.” Mr. Lawrence invited Natalie to come in and look around the empty flat. She nodded and went to look around. However, her mind could not focus.Natalie couldn’t ignore someone who might be watching her. There were only two possibilities that popped into her head. If it wasn’t Lucas’s subordinate, it had to be Dante’s. The people who had been ensnaring her were just them.“Sister, why are you daydreaming? Don’t you like this place?” Kelsey asked.“I like it,” Natalie answered immediately. She smiled and asked the landlord a few questions, including about the rent and the safety of the neighborhood.Mr. Lawrence explained kindly. However, Natalie wanted to quickly catch who was stalking her, so she didn’t want to listen too much.“May I rent for one month first? If I feel comfortable, I’ll extend the lease,” Natalie pleaded.“No problem. We are very flexible,” Mr. Lawrence replied.Natalie immediately paid the rent for one month. It was probably the quickest transaction f