In the car, Natalie felt her legs go numb. She roughly removed her stilettos, making Dante smirk. He wanted to see how far she could go with her pretense.
Women who make it in the modeling industry are not weak. They were sometimes cunning, seductive, and deceptive. Dante was very wary of those types of women. The car was moving toward Manhattan. Natalie didn’t say a word to Dante during the ride because she was in a bad mood. After nearly an hour, they finally arrived at a five-star hotel in the city center. Dante watched Natalie, who still hadn’t put on her stilettos. She looked so reluctant to move, as if she wanted to stay in the car. “Why aren’t you wearing your shoes yet?” “Tell me what your plan is, who we’re meeting, and what I should do,” Natalie replied with a flat expression. If she wanted to escape, then she had to know the situation. The man raised the corner of his lips. He reached into his coat pocket for something. A beautiful diamond ring appeared in his hand. “Nothing special. I just wanted to show my fiancée to someone else.” He took Natalie’s left hand, putting the ring on her finger. The corners of his lips turned up even wider when he saw her sharp gaze. It was clear she didn’t like his gift. “You’ll do it, won’t you?” asked Dante, his hand caressing the nape of her neck. “You won’t let me refuse,” Natalie replied sarcastically. Dante smiled in satisfaction. He suddenly squatted down and grabbed Natalie’s ankles. Slowly, he put on her stilettos, even though he knew they weren’t her size. His demeanor was gentle, as if he truly considered her his queen. Natalie hated him even more just because of that. Dante was toying with her. He was torturing her in a gentle way. It was more cruel than just hitting her. “You need to be nice, sweetheart. I’m not someone who doesn’t know how to pay others. If your acting is satisfactory tonight, I will certainly give you a reward,” he whispered in a sweet way. However, Natalie wasn’t going to be fooled. A man’s words are always full of lies, especially a man like Dante. Why trust a criminal? It is better to risk her life to escape. “What’s your name?” asked Natalie, her amber eyes looking straight into Dante’s gray eyes. “I’ve earned the right to know, haven’t I?” Dante smiled beneath her feet. His hands squeezed her thighs sensually. “My name is Dante. Ramadante Vittorio.” “You’re Italian.” Natalie had guessed it long ago. Dante’s good looks were not American. “One hundred percent.” They stared at each other with their hidden thoughts. Until someone tapped on the car window. Natalie immediately turned her head and pushed Dante’s hand away. “Okay, that’s enough introductions. We’re already late,” Dante said as he opened the car door. He got out and opened the door on Natalie’s side. His hand led her out. Natalie was being nice, letting Dante take her hand and treat her like a real couple. She endured the pain in each of her footsteps. The glittering stilettos were stiff. The longer she walked, the more her heels and fingertips chafed. She forced a friendly face as she passed people, not asking a single question when Dante led her to the ballroom on the top floor. The better she acted, the more she felt her intentions were well hidden. Alex and two bodyguards followed them from behind. That level of security would be difficult for Natalie. However, she would try to create a moment. The large, luxurious hotel ballroom was already crowded with people. Many men in ties and women in beautiful dresses had gathered. They were all clapping to celebrate someone’s birthday. Dante’s arrival was late, and it caught the attention of several people. A middle-aged man who had just blown out his birthday candles immediately exclaimed, “Dante, come here!” Dante hugged Natalie’s waist and brought her to the center of attention. He lazily extended his hand to Charles. “Happy birthday, Charles.” Charles smiled broadly. He asked everyone to enjoy the party, then turned back to Dante. His attention was immediately drawn to a beautiful woman in a maroon dress who was none other than Natalie. “Who is this beautiful woman?” Charles asked curiously. Natalie pretended to smile embarrassedly. “He just proposed to me last week.” “Really?” Charles felt surprised. He looked skeptically at Dante. Then he looked at Natalie with a furrowed brow. “How much did he offer you?” “You mean....” Natalie didn’t understand. “Don’t mind him.” Dante kissed her cheek. “Even though I didn’t invite anyone, that doesn’t mean our engagement is fake, does it?” Natalie’s brow furrowed, wondering what was going on between the two men. Dante gave her a sharp look, so she nodded. “It was done simply, but Dante never plays games with me.” She showed her diamond ring proudly to Charles. “I’d kill him if he just played me,” she said lightly. Her words were somewhere between honest and joking. Dante looked down and smiled mockingly. His hands squeezed her waist. “My future wife is very possessive,” he commented. Charles sighed. “All right. So, what’s her name?” “Cavendish Smith,” Dante replied. “She brought you a present.” Charles wasn’t the only one surprised. Natalie was too. At that moment, Alex came in carrying a gift box of unknown contents and handed it to Charles. “Please.” Charles looked at Natalie with a beaming smile. “Thank you, Miss Smith.” Natalie just nodded and smiled slightly. She had no idea Dante had prepared for such a thing. However, it had nothing to do with her. She would just go with the flow. “You don’t disappoint me, Dante. Then come with me. I won’t break my promise,” Charles said. Dante took Natalie’s hand and squeezed it. He leaned over, whispering in her ear, “I would be very happy if you would wait for me here.” “I will,” she replied, her lips lifting into an alluring smile. The corners of Dante’s eyes narrowed. He turned and looked at the two bodyguards, who were faithfully following them. “Take good care of her. Don’t let anything happen to her.” “Understood.” Finally, after kissing Natalie on the cheek, Dante and Alex leave to follow Charles somewhere. Natalie watched them until they were completely out of sight. She looked down and smiled coldly. During the party, Natalie just sat in a chair, drinking champagne. Her legs hurt, so she didn’t want to walk around and hurt herself before her escape plan got underway. The two bodyguards kept a close eye on Natalie. They were wary of her running away. However, until Dante returned, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her. She was just chatting with people who wanted to make her acquaintance. Her actions may have been strange, but she managed to keep their guard down. Dante silently observed Natalie from afar. His eyes narrowed. “She’s so obedient.” “Someone named Lucas Alexander has sent her to you. She shouldn’t have run away before her goal was achieved,” Alex commented. “Did you confirm the situation in Los Angeles?” Dante asked. Alex nodded. “It’s confirmed. There is no Natalie Hale in any prison. Your guess wasn’t wrong.” “It’s hard to hide a beautiful woman,” Dante commented indifferently. “I don’t understand. That woman seems to hate us and is not happy to be among us. Could it be that that guy named Lucas released her from prison just to get $50 million? There may be no other intentions.” Dante swirled the wineglass in his hand. His gaze suddenly met Natalie’s. He lifted the corners of his lips and then said to Alex without taking his eyes off her, “Don’t think too simply if you don’t want to die so soon.” Alex just frowned. Meanwhile, Natalie stood up from her chair and stepped closer to them. “Good to have you back. I need to go to the restroom,” she said. Dante moved his hand forward, allowing her to leave. The two bodyguards looked at him skeptically. “Do we need to follow her?” “Bryan, you follow her. Jayde, stay here.” Dante gave instructions, and they nodded obediently. Natalie no longer cared about whatever was behind her. She walked with quiet steps towards the restroom. Bryan followed behind her, but she wasn’t scared or panicked. One bodyguard was no big deal to her. She was sure she could escape.To reach the toilet, Natalie needed to pass through a quiet corridor. There, she deliberately took off her stilettos and leaned against the wall. She sighed wearily. “You know, this hurts,” she complained.Bryan looked down, noticing Natalie’s blistered fingertips. Those beautiful feet looked pathetic as they were covered in red on the fingertips and heels.“Being a woman is never easy,” Natalie said. Bryan was silent, with a foggy mind. He scrutinized her body from top to bottom. The allure of her body was so strong. He was no Dante who could ignore such a beautiful and sexy woman.“Do you have any ointment or something?” Natalie asked.“No, I don’t. We never carry things like that.”Natalie’s expression became sullen. She bent over until her narrow cleavage was visible from the front. Her hands rubbed the tips of her toes. “I can’t walk anymore.”“Let me help you,” Bryan smirked. He pulled Natalie to her feet and carried her to the toilet.Natalie smiled meaningfully. She hugged Brya
“Mmhhh.... Let go of me!”Natalie shook her head to avoid Dante’s kiss. He suddenly lowered his head and swept his tongue across her neck. Her whole body was suddenly tense.Gloomy images of the past flashed through Natalie’s head. Images of her ex fucking her, adoring every inch of her body, loving her like an ember, but then throwing her away like she was nothing. Her heart ached.“No,” Natalie muttered, shaking her head. She tried to remove her hands. Her legs kicked. The look in her eyes implied fear.“Don’t touch me!” she snapped.Dante gripped her hand even tighter. He stared at her with a furrowed brow. During their interaction, Natalie had been cold and unfeeling, as if her emotions were long gone. She could control her fear very well. However, this time, her fear was so obvious.Of course, Dante became curious. What was she so afraid of?Natalie was clearly no longer a virgin. That information was even relayed by the host at the auction house. She shouldn’t have anything left
Natalie stood up from the floor on weak legs. Her appearance was a mess, but she didn’t care at all. Her heart was already too messed up and shaken. All she wanted was to close her eyes and hope everything that happened was just a dream.The door to the hotel room suddenly opened. “Miss Smith, it’s time to go home,” Alex said, expressionless.Natalie looked down. She walked out with unsteady steps. Alex took her hand and pulled her along. They didn’t exit through the main lobby because Natalie’s appearance was too conspicuous.Moments later, they arrived in the basement. Alex led Natalie to the car. Dante was already waiting for them inside with a driver who kept a straight face. They just kept quiet and ignored her when she got in.Alex closed the car door for Natalie. Her vision accidentally caught Jayde and a man in black dragging Bryan roughly out of the elevator. The two of Dante’s underlings looked heartless as they loaded Bryan’s body into another car.What were they going to d
Natalie woke up earlier than usual. It was still dark. She got out of bed and winced at the pain in her thighs. The whip wound remained bruised despite Cora’s compresses and ointments.Her brow furrowed, but then she took a deep breath. She was more relaxed, and her mind was clearer after a few hours of sleep.“I’ve had worse than this. Two lashes are nothing,” she muttered without emotion.Her two feet stepped into the narrow bathroom. Moments later, she came out looking much fresher. Her face was plain without makeup.She opened the window and breathed in the cool morning air. It was late summer, approaching fall. Her hard times might be coming soon.At that moment, a car suddenly rolled into the courtyard of the mansion. As usual, Natalie liked to keep an eye on the situation down there. Something immediately intrigued her when she saw a luxuriously dressed young woman get out of the car. It was the first time a woman had come to the mansion during her stay there.The stranger clos
“I guess Alex’s warning last night was just a wind-up for you,” Dante said expressionlessly. His cold, piercing gaze seemed to pierce Natalie’s back to her solar plexus.Natalie was silent, not reacting.Laura, on the other hand, turned around. She asked, “What warning?”Dante ignored his little sister’s question. He walked over to Natalie and stopped behind her. His right hand held her tense shoulder. He leaned down, whispering in her left ear, “Don’t take advantage of others, or the punishment for them will be more cruel than you deserve.”“She’s your little sister,” Natalie muttered expressionlessly. She remained staring straight ahead, not turning her head toward the man at all.“You think I can’t be cruel to my sister?” The corners of Dante’s lips curled up. He smiled crookedly. “I don’t mind eliminating a stupid girl like her. I didn’t like her to begin with.”Natalie tensed up even more at that. She immediately turned her head to stare at Dante’s face, which was so close to her
Natalie’s whole body was tense. Her heart was beating erratically. Dante was on top of her. He silenced her mouth with the palm of his left hand while his right hand opened the nightstand drawer to retrieve a gun.Shots from outside came raining down on the bed. It was so quick and short, as if they just wanted to kill the owner of the bed, and that was it. There was no sound whatsoever.Dante’s expression was cold. His gaze was watchful. The door to the room suddenly opened. He immediately raised his gun.“It’s me!” Alex shouted in the doorway while raising both hands. Natalie, who saw him coming, felt a little relieved. At least she had survived the shooting incident.“Are you guys okay? Is anyone hurt?” Alex asked anxiously.Dante lowered his gun. He closed his eyes as he looked down deeply. “Who are they?” he asked coldly.“Not sure yet. Our men are chasing them,” Alex replied.“Who are they?” Dante asked again, that time looked at Natalie, who was still pale-faced. He gripped her
Dante rushed out of his office and went to his grandfather’s winery on the edge of town. On the way, he called Jayde.“Stop looking for those people. Jayde, go back and help Alex investigate who Alfonso Verga’s henchmen are hiding in our mansion,” Dante ordered Jayde.“So, Don Verga was the one acting up this morning?” Jayde asked.Dante leaned his back casually. The corners of his lips lifted. “Yes, but I think I can take advantage of him. Just do your job. I'll take care of the rest.”“Okay.”“Don’t forget to keep a good eye on Natalie. I wonder if she has any dealings with the Verga family,” Dante added.Jayde immediately replied, “Understood.”Dante finally hung up the phone. He thought back to the text message Alfonso had sent. Why did the old man say he should be careful with the women around him?His suspicions were, of course, on Natalie. Perhaps Alfonso had arranged for Natalie to be by his side. That wasn’t impossible. However, Dante wasn’t so sure. After all, he’d met Natal
After Cicero left, the door was closed again. The room became silent. Roberto chuckled casually as he shook his head. “You’re quite tolerant of them,” he commented to Dante. He knew all too well how his grandchildren fought each other for power and influence in the underworld. It wasn’t just Dante’s younger siblings. His other grandchildren were the same way. They were family, but really, their relationship was more like competing royalty.Roberto sighed. “Your father’s inheritance was not small, but you didn’t take any of it. And even after all that, Anthony still doesn’t like you.”“I did that not because I wanted them to like me. Who cares how they pay me back?” Dante picked up the empty glass and poured himself some wine.“That’s good,” Roberto said softly. He was a man with five children. In the past, he had tried to be fair to them. However, divisions and disputes within the family persisted. One of his children had even died because of it. Dante had to be more careful than him
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