Dante took Natalie to the bathroom and helped clean her up. She just stood there and let him do it.Natalie watched as Dante focused on bathing her. His naked upper body caught her attention. She noticed several scars on Dante’s chest and stomach. She slowly touched them.“Is your life so dangerous?” she asked softly.“Enough to keep me on my toes,” Dante replied indifferently. He bent down to rub Natalie’s leg with bath gel.His treatment was so gentle that Natalie felt comfortable. She held on to his shoulder and looked at the tattoo on his left shoulder. It was a small tattoo of a vine wrapped around a winged sword. Looking at it made her feel like she was being pulled into a fantasy world.Natalie touched the tattoo. It was her first time seeing Dante’s naked body and her first time seeing his tattoo. The man had always been very private about his body. Even during sex, Dante didn’t take off all his clothes.“So beautiful,” Natalie murmured. Dante caught her hand and stood up. Hi
It had been a long time since Natalie last went to a nightclub. She closed her eyes for a few moments to enjoy the smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and loud music.Natalie looked around. Many attractive young girls were dancing on the floor or just drinking with their male friends. She smiled subconsciously. “Youth is fun,” she murmured.She walked leisurely to the bar. Many pairs of eyes turned and watched her. Her beautiful face, ideal body proportions, and expensive and classy aura could always attract attention.The all-black outfit could not hide Natalie’s presence. Her mysteriousness impressed people. Before she even reached the bar, someone had already approached her.“Hi, sweetie! How about I treat you tonight?” asked a young man wearing a black shirt. The top two buttons were open. His hair looked messy. He obviously wanted to look sexy.Natalie smiled casually. “How many glasses can you afford?”The man pushed his hair back, acting cool. “Any amount! I have a black card,” he sa
“Are you sure he can be trusted?” Natalie asked Dante after taking over her cell phone from Aaron. She hoped Dante would cancel his intentions.“If he does anything to you, tell me.”“That’s not what I meant,” Natalie said grimly. She let out an exasperated breath before finally nodding. “Alright. As you wish.”Dante looked at Natalie with a raised eyebrow. “I just don’t want you in a nightclub by yourself. If anyone finds out you’re my fiancée, things won’t be as simple as you think.”Natalie just nodded her head. There was no way she could argue with Dante, anyway. She then noticed the man who appeared to be in a black-walled room.“Lizzy said you wouldn’t be back tonight. Why?” she asked.“I still have other business. Natalie, even if I let you go to a nightclub, don’t even think about having fun with another man!” Dante warned.“What if I have fun with another guy? Aaron may not fit my criteria, but there are plenty of good-looking mature men here,” Natalie said as she looked arou
“Working together?” Natalie laughed tastelessly. “You’re just forcing me! You’re all forcing me!” she shouted with reddened eyes. The man above her laughed loudly at seeing her so angry. He touched her lips, but Natalie quickly brushed his hand away. “Don’t ever touch me!” A smirk appeared on the man’s lips. He pulled Natalie into a sitting position. His right hand gripped the back of her neck, and then he whispered, “Remember whose side you’re on. If you dare to defect, I’m not sure what will happen to your grandmother and sister.” Natalie gritted her teeth angrily. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists. “What if I choose to report you to Mr. Vittorio?” The man chuckled. “You think Lucas and I work alone?” The answer made Natalie tremble. “Someone is ordering you around,” she muttered. “Who is it?” A mysterious smile appeared on the man’s lips. “You’ll find out when the time comes.” “Why me?” Natalie asked the same question she had once asked Lucas. She still didn’t unders
Natalie woke up late that day. Her head was spinning from last night’s hangover. She got up and sat dreamily for a few moments to gather consciousness.The table in front of her was clear of whiskey bottles. However, the smell of alcohol still wafted from her body. Finally, she got up and went to her room to clean up.Moments later, she came out of the room wearing only a bathrobe. She left her slightly wet hair down. Her stomach was hungry, so she went to the kitchen.“Where’s Lizzy?”She looked around but couldn’t find the girl. ‘Maybe she was in her room,’ she thought.Natalie didn’t really care about that. She took two pieces of white bread and spread them with peanut butter. It wouldn’t fill her enough, so she grabbed some yogurt and mixed it with granola and the few remaining fruits.“Lizzy should go shopping,” she muttered and then shook her head. “No. I’d better.”She finally started to eat her breakfast even though it was past the hour. While she was busy eating, Dante had ju
“W-why would I worry about you?” Natalie pretended to cough and let go of Dante’s hand. “I just don’t understand what you’re doing all that for.”Dante smirked. His gaze couldn’t escape Natalie’s innocent face, devoid of any makeup. There was no telling what he was thinking. A moment later, he said, “My family’s been doing it for decades. It’s not that easy to stop.”“Your father and grandfather did too?” Natalie asked.“Yes.” Dante leaned his back against the couch and began to tell a story. “My grandfather brought the Vittorio family to greatness. Not only did his illegal business expand, but his winery also became more successful in America.”“Our relationships and networks became extensive, whether they were sincere or just for the sake of it. But our enemies are also becoming more and more numerous. If we suddenly stopped all business, can you imagine what would happen?” Dante asked.Natalie became interested in hearing that. She had never been interested in talking about the maf
Natalie couldn’t believe Dante had said he would accompany her to see her grandmother. Did he have some kind of purpose? Somehow, she felt suspicious and worried.She kept thinking about Dante’s words even as she changed clothes. “If he wants to know where my grandmother lives, he can find out without going with me. Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?” she muttered.Dante was a busy man. He only needed to have his subordinates investigate Natalie’s grandmother’s house, and then he would find her. Why would he bother going to Los Angeles with Natalie?It was strange, but actually quite beneficial to Natalie. Maybe with Dante going with her, she could convince her grandmother of her engagement.Natalie sighed. “Let things go the way he wants,” she said with a nod.That day, she had nothing in particular to do, so she just lay around lazily scrolling through her social media. Dante was also resting, and she didn’t want to disturb him.Suddenly, the bell sounded faintly. Natalie frowned. Wh
Over the next few days, Natalie tended to Dante’s wounds more often. He was also quite enjoying her kindness. Their relationship became better as arguments became less frequent.That morning, Natalie and Dante had breakfast together. The man’s cell phone suddenly rang with an incoming call. He immediately picked it up.“What’s up?” the man asked. His brow furrowed for a few moments.“I know. I’ll go there in the afternoon,” he said again.Natalie watched him as she ate her waffle. After Dante put down his phone, he said, “I’m going to the winery this afternoon. Do you want to come with me?”The invitation was intriguing enough for Natalie. She wanted to know how big the Vittorio family’s winery was. Besides, she was tired of being in the penthouse all day.“Is your grandfather there?” she asked.“Yes. You’ll probably meet the rest of my family too,” Dante said.Natalie was honestly not ready to meet Dante’s family. But, ready or not, she had to do it. There was a mission to be done. I
The next day, Dante drove Natalie and her grandmother home. Alex came with him, too.When they arrived, there were already several bodyguards standing guard at Minerva’s house. Natalie was surprised and asked Dante as soon as they got out of the car. “You arranged this?”“Your grandmother asked for it,” Dante replied casually.Minerva, who heard that, immediately coughed. How could that man take advantage of an old woman like her?“Grandma?” Natalie looked at Minerva in surprise. She never thought her grandmother would ask something like that of Dante.“You don’t mind, do you?” asked Minerva, supporting Dante’s lie. After all, the man was pretending not to know about the attack that night.Natalie shook her head slowly. The placement of bodyguards was a good thing. It wouldn’t be easy for Leon or George’s gang to get to her if there were bodyguards. It was better that she didn’t make a big deal out of it.“Thank you,” she said to Dante. She was just worried that he already knew someth
When Dante arrived at the hospital, it was midnight and past visiting hours. However, he could sneak in with Alex’s help.In front of a closed door, he stood uncertainly. Moments later, he knocked softly on the door. It didn’t take long for Minerva to open the door.“Dante?” The old lady looked surprised, not expecting to see Dante there. Hadn’t Natalie hidden their whereabouts at the hospital?Dante pressed an index finger to his lips, asking Minerva to keep quiet. He glanced into the room and saw Natalie already sleeping. “Sorry, my arrival was too sudden and intrusive,” he whispered.Minerva immediately shook her head. “Not at all. Natalie must be happy to have you here. Please come in,” she said gently.Dante did not enter immediately. Instead, he walked to a waiting chair outside the room. Minerva sensed he had something to say, so she closed the door and followed him.“What is it? Do you have something to say?” Minerva asked.The man sighed. “Natalie hid everything from me. She
Dante wasn’t very busy that day and didn’t want to overthink about Natalie, so he came to visit his grandfather’s winery in Napa Valley. It was only about an hour and a half away from where he was staying.Roberto’s winery and vineyard in Napa Valley was much bigger than the branch in New York. However, the old man was more comfortable living in New York, where he could oversee his family’s illegal business.The manager and person in charge of the winery was Javer, one of Dante’s uncles, with whom he had almost no dealings. Javer only focused on taking care of the winery and never wanted to deal with the Vittorio family’s illegal business. So Dante also rarely interacted with him.When Dante came to visit, Javer was naturally surprised. The tall man met him immediately. “Dante, what’s so magical about you coming here?” His tone was sarcastic.“Uncle, I see your vineyard is getting busy,” Dante said as he watched the planters tending to the vines.Javer snorted. “Does the sunrise from
At night, Dante sat on a bar stool, massaging his forehead. His eyes were closed. The whiskey glass before him was empty, but his mood still hadn’t improved.Alex walked over and patted him on the back. “What are you going to do after this?”“I don’t know,” Dante muttered. He looked lethargic and lackluster. His cell phone rang for the umpteenth time, but he ignored it.“Do you hate her?” Alex asked, after seeing how Dante repeatedly ignored Natalie’s phone calls. It made him wonder how he felt about her.“I don’t know.”Dante asked the bartender for another whiskey. He seemed reluctant and lazy to talk about Natalie. However, the more unwilling he was to talk about her, the more obvious his fear of facing his emotions and feelings became.Alex, who had worked with Dante for years, could certainly recognize his abnormality. Although the man didn’t say or express it, Alex knew Dante must be disappointed with Natalie.“You wouldn’t just leave her, would you?” Alex sat down next to Dante
Natalie had received many stitches on her arm. The palm of her left hand was also stitched up. She was hospitalized and didn’t regain consciousness until the morning.When she opened her eyes, the first person she saw was her grandmother. The old lady was sitting on the sofa beside the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Her face and skin looked tired.Unconsciously, Natalie’s tears fell. She cried and sobbed not because of the pain in her body, but because she remembered the horrific incident of last night. She still felt scared and shocked.Minerva, who couldn’t sleep well, heard Natalie’s sobs. Both of her eyes opened. “Oh, my dear...”She got up and approached her granddaughter. Her hand gently rubbed Natalie’s head. “Are you feeling sick? I’ll call the doctor,” she said.Natalie shook her head. She wanted to grasp her grandmother’s hand, but she couldn’t move her hand. It was excruciating. Her left palm was also bandaged, and she couldn’t hold on to anything.“Don’t move too much.
Again, it was about Dante. Natalie took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “Why do you think I know about that? He’s an acute paranoid. Do you think he’d tell me every time he traveled?”The man shoved the muzzle of his gun harder into the back of Natalie’s head. “If he were wary of you, he wouldn’t treat you like a lover,” he said coldly.Natalie clenched her hands into fists. “You must not know him. He’s good at acting.”“Where did he go?!” the man snapped slightly while pushing the gun hard out of impatience. Natalie’s head hurt from the weapon. She stifled her groan.“I don’t know,” Natalie hissed. She secretly held the scissors under her pants. If the situation was urgent, she might use it to stab the man.“You don’t seem to be taking my threats seriously.” Suddenly, the man kicked Natalie’s leg so hard that she fell to her knees. Both knees hit the floor, and it hurt a lot.Natalie’s eyes watered slightly. She gritted her teeth against the pain and anger. “Are you George and
That night, Natalie spent time with her grandmother in bed. She lay down and hugged the old woman warmly. “Grandma, what’s been going on for the past two years?”Minerva gently stroked Natalie’s head. “Nothing special. I went to London a few times when I was bored.”Before Natalie was imprisoned, she often took her grandmother out to shopping, to social gatherings, or simply to travel abroad on vacation. However, since her arrest and imprisonment, Minerva rarely went out.“Darling, can you tell me what really happened back then? I know you couldn’t have committed a crime, so who framed you so cruelly?”Natalie closed her eyes. “It wasn’t Brent,” she whispered.“Are you sure it wasn’t your ex?” Minerva asked to make sure.Natalie nodded. She had been imprisoned for premeditated murder. She was accused of hiring a hitman to kill Beverley by running her over with a car. However, Chris, Brent’s twin brother, saved Beverley, which made him hit by the car and killed.Brent Oliver investigat
An old lady wearing a cardigan and a long skirt came out of the house. Her graying hair was neatly put in a bun. She looked so elegant despite her age.The old lady walked to the fence of the house. Even her steps looked calm and graceful. Natalie, who saw the lady, immediately smiled with emotion. “My grandma hasn’t changed,” she murmured.“So gorgeous,” Dante praised. He was amazed by how graceful and gentle Natalie’s grandmother was, like a noble lady.“Grandma!” Natalie called out to her grandmother. The old lady, who initially felt a little confused, immediately smiled.Minerva Wentworth immediately asked her housemaid to open the gate. “Please, open the gate!”The housemaid opened the gate. Natalie immediately ran inside and hugged her grandmother. Her long-held longing turned into tears.“Grandma...”“Oh, my dear, you’re finally home,” Minerva whispered as she rubbed Natalie’s back. Then, gently and lovingly, she kissed her granddaughter’s head.“Grandma, I’ve missed you,” Nata
Natalie slept in Dante’s arms. The fever made her dream of something unwanted.In her dream, she saw a group of assassins chase Dante and injure him badly. However, the dream suddenly changed, showing a scene where the man slashed her body with a knife and whipped the incision until it tore.“Why did you betray me, Cavendish?!” shouted Dante angrily. He whipped and tortured her body until it bled.She screamed and cried, but Dante cried, too. He tortured her while shedding tears. His eyes were filled with pain and disappointment.“I’m sorry...” she whispered.On the bed of the private jet, Dante frowned. He looked down at Natalie’s tear-streaked face. Her expression looked so painful. It confused him.“Cavey?” He tried to wake her up. However, Natalie seemed to be lost in her dream. She kept mumbling apologies while crying.“Cavey, wake up!” Dante shook Natalie’s body until she gasped. Her eyes opened, and she immediately got up to sit. Her face was pale, and her breathing rose and fe