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 Bryan’s solid waist to tease him. He had bad thoughts for her, so she didn’t hesitate to sacrifice him. “Wait here,” Natalie said after they arrived outside the ladies’ room. “Why don’t you let me in? It’s quiet.” Natalie showed a doubtful expression. Bryan suddenly pulled her inside. Sure enough, there was no one in the restroom. The man suddenly pushed her against the sink. “What are you doing?” Bryan bent Natalie’s body over the sink. Her cleavage was clearly visible in the mirror before them. He held her hands behind her back. “Miss Smith, Mr. Vittorio has never been in love with anyone.” “So? Do you think I wish he would love me?” Natalie asked, looking at the man her age in the mirror. She smiled while biting her lower lip. “Bitch.” The man laughed and then kissed her neck. Natalie moaned seductively, making Bryan even bolder. He turned her around and kissed her greedily on the lips. Natalie slowly rotated their positions until Bryan was the one with his back to the sink. Her hand silently reached for the ceramic vase on the edge of the sink. Her eyes flashed with cold light. “Excuse me,” she whispered. Before Bryan could react, she hit him hard on the back of his head with the vase. The man’s eyes widened before he fell unconscious. “Sorry,” Natalie muttered with a flat face. She spat into the sink and then rubbed her lips roughly. The method of teasing was disgusting, but she had no other quicker and more effective way. She quickly stripped off Bryan’s suit and used it to cover her dress. After dragging his body to the corner, she quickly ran out of the restroom, barefoot. Her heart was beating fast. She looked right and left as she kept running. The direction she took was a deserted fire escape. A security guard stopped her there. “Miss, what’s wrong?” Natalie’s appearance was unusual. She was running around like she was being chased by someone. Her feet were bare and covered in blisters. The security guard was wary of a crime there. “Someone is trying to harass me, sir. I have to leave quickly before he catches up with me. Please don’t tell anyone that you’ve seen me!” pleaded Natalie with a terrified expression. “Miss, where is he, and what does he look like? You better... Miss, wait!” Natalie didn’t care about the security guard. She entered the fire escape and immediately ran downstairs. Her steps were so fast that she almost fell many times. Her chest was tight, and she was gasping for air, but she kept on pushing. Arriving downstairs, Natalie held onto the wall limply. Her face was already pale. She felt that she would soon be free, and that made her even more excited. “Hang in there, Natalie. After this, you won’t have to get involved with those vile people anymore,” she muttered as she took a deep breath. She smiled and pushed open the fire escape door. Suddenly, her vision caught a man standing in front of her with his head tilted. A smirk appeared on his lips. “Are you lost, darling?” Natalie’s face turned as white as paper. The hope that had risen in her heart was dashed. Her feet stepped back weakly. She shook her head in disbelief. “How ....” “How would I know?” Dante stepped closer. His hands were in his pants pockets. He looked relaxed, but the look in his eyes was cold. “You can play tricks on others, but not with me. Can fool others, but can't fool me,” he whispered. Natalie immediately turned around and ran for the stairs. However, Dante quickly reached out and gripped her hand firmly. “Cavey, you’re not a fool. Why do you have to do something futile?” “Because I’m not going to stand by and wait for you to torture me to death!” screamed Natalie. She glared at the man. “This pretense is over. You don’t need me anymore. So, let me go.” “Someone sent you to me,” Dante said coldly. “Lucas only wanted money! He sold me for money!” growled Natalie. Her eyes were red. She really didn’t understand why Dante always accused her of that. How to make him believe that she had nothing to do with Lucas? “You’re so paranoid. Are you so afraid I’ll harm you?” Dante’s eyes grew cold. Natalie laughed mockingly. “You’re big and muscular. But you’re afraid of a weak woman like me? Oh, I just found out that Vittorio is a real coward.” “What?” Dante frowned. “You’re a coward!” insulted Natalie with a glare. Suddenly, Dante grabbed her chin and gripped it firmly. Her head snapped up. She winced in pain. “You’re so brave,” he hissed coldly. “Natalie Hale, if I reveal your identity and whereabouts, do you think you can still live freely?” Natalie’s face paled. She stared at the man hatefully. “Right, you already know my identity.” The man smirked coldly. “I’ve said it before. If you behave well, then I’ll give you a reward. But if you make trouble, I won’t spare you from punishment either.” He grabbed Natalie’s hand and dragged her to one of the hotel rooms. The woman tried to rebel, but she had already lost a lot of energy after being tired of running away. She wasn’t able to fight Dante at all. “What a demon!” hissed Natalie. Dante smiled coldly. He closed the hotel room door with a bang and pushed Natalie down onto the bed. She quickly got up, but he pushed her back down again. “Cavey, I’m not afraid you’ll kill me.” The man looked up at Natalie from where he stood. “But I need to know who’s after me.” Natalie just stared coldly to the side. She was silent. “If you turn to my side, I would appreciate it.” And she remained silent.“How do I get you to say something?” Dante suddenly pinned her body down. He confined her with both hands. “Do I need to force you?”
Natalie finally turned her head, staring boldly at the man above her. “Even if you hit or whip me, there’s nothing I can say. You’ll just be wasting your emotions and efforts.”"Right." Dante looked at her deeply. "So, I won't be cruel."
He stared at Natalie's sexy lips that were red and seductive. The corners of his lips lifted slightly. "Maybe I should force you with something delicious."
Dante suddenly kissed Natalie roughly on the lips. His hands gripped and held both of her hands on the bed.
“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
Natalie fell asleep with her hands still tied. The door to her room suddenly opened, startling her. She expected it to be Dante coming to untie her, but it turned out to be Cora.Cora entered and began to organize Natalie’s few belongings. It was the stuff that Dante had provided during Natalie’s stay.“What are you doing?” Natalie got up and asked in surprise.“Mr. Vittorio wants to move you tonight,” replied Cora, without looking at Natalie.“Move? Do you know where?” Natalie continued to probe.“No.”Natalie didn’t know if that was good or bad news. Inwardly, she wondered, Where would Dante move her to? What if the next place was worse than this mansion?“Can you untie it?” Natalie asked as she stood up from the bed. “Just let me.” Another voice suddenly sounded from the direction of the door. It was Laura, walking in with a pair of scissors. Cora immediately blocked her.“Miss, you shouldn’t do this, or Mr. Vittorio will be angry!” Cora said in a slightly bluff tone.“Nevermind.
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