Natalie was a little surprised that Dante had suddenly asked her to come to his office. He said Alex was picking her up and would probably arrive in a few minutes.“What’s wrong?” Francesca asked after Natalie hung up the phone from Dante.“Dante asked me to come to his office. I don’t know if it’s anything important,” Natalie replied.“Maybe he misses you.” Francesca chuckled, then smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine here with a bodyguard outside,” she said.“I’ll come here again tomorrow if you’re not allowed to go home yet,” Natalie said.“Thank you.”Moments later, Alex walked into the room. He didn’t immediately ask Natalie to leave, but approached Francesca and asked, “How are you now?”“I’m fine. Thank you for helping me so much,” Francesca said sincerely. Yesterday, Alex took care of all her hospital needs.“My pleasure,” Alex said. He smiled and then asked Natalie to leave.Natalie said goodbye to Francesca before walking away with Alex. On the way, she asked the man why
“Dante, aren’t you overreacting? Everyone’s fine now anyway,” Henry said with a furrowed brow.Dante gave him a flat look. “Think about it carefully. I don’t want to repeat myself.”Henry let out a long breath. He held his granddaughter’s cold, sweaty hand. Obviously, the girl was afraid of going to court. She was afraid of going to jail.The old man turned to look at Natalie, hoping she would be kind to him and his granddaughter. However, the woman just looked down, having no intention of helping him.Finally, Henry smiled bitterly. “Alright. I’ll tell you my answer tomorrow,” he said helplessly. After that, he led Camilla out of Dante’s office.Natalie stared at the closed door complexly. Her heart went cold. Had she been too cruel? Did she need to punish Camilla to that extent?Suddenly, Dante pulled her to sit on his lap. He rubbed her cheek with a smile. “Do you feel good now?”“I don’t know.” Natalie looked down. She remembered that living in prison was nauseating. She hated tha
Natalie swallowed, looking fearfully at the man smirking at her. George dared to come to the penthouse as if he wasn’t afraid Dante would find out. It made her wonder how much influence and power George had in the underworld.“Aren’t you afraid that Dante will find out about your visit?” Natalie asked as she gripped the door handle. “If he finds out about our relationship, he won’t trust me anymore,” she said coldly.George chuckled as if her words were a joke. He smiled and said, “He left while it was still dark. Your maid also left somewhere. You think I don’t know you’re alone right now?”“You’re watching over this penthouse.” Natalie gave him a sharp look.“Let me in!” The man said, sounding like a stern order. Perhaps because he was older, he was more intimidating.Natalie shook her head. She was afraid George would do something bad. “If you want to talk to me, we’d better talk here.”The man looked at her with a smile. “Natalie, it won’t be comfortable talking standing like this
“I don’t know if this information is useful or-”“Just say it, Cavendish!” George hissed while gripping Natalie’s jaw. His gaze glared fiercely. He was almost out of patience.Natalie closed her eyes, then whispered, “I heard that the ship carrying Dante’s belongings was badly damaged. So, it’s stuck at the port. But I don’t know where the port is or what goods they’re referring to.”George’s eyebrows rose after hearing that. That was definitely interesting information. A sly smirk appeared on his face. “Do you know where he went?”“No.” Natalie lied. She suspected Dante’s departure to Las Vegas was to take care of the matter of the ship and his belongings. Maybe the port Ricky Goodman and Dante had talked about that night was in Las Vegas. Who knew?“Are you sure?” George stroked Natalie’s hair. He didn’t trust her easily because Natalie was a lying woman. Suddenly, he grabbed her hair with such force that she winced in pain.“Are you sure you don’t know?” The man asked once again.“
“Dante ....” Natalie muttered in a trembling voice. Dante and Alex were wearing all-black, covered clothing, but she could see that one of them, or even both of them, was injured.Dante carried Alex to the sofa. Lizzy, whose reflexes were quick, rushed over to them. “What happened?” she asked worriedly.“Help me take care of his wound!” Dante ordered without answering Lizzy’s question.“Okay.”Lizzy ran to get the first aid kit. Meanwhile, Natalie stayed frozen in place. She tried to calm down and act naturally, not letting Dante suspect her.She hurried over to the man and asked, “Are you hurt, too?” She held Dante’s arm and scanned his body.“Just a minor injury,” Dante replied. He let go of Natalie’s hand and helped remove Alex’s coat and shirt. The man’s right chest looked bloody with a bullet hole. Although it wasn’t deep, the blood kept flowing.Natalie, who saw that, could only gulp with a shaky feeling. “I... I’ll get a towel,” she said, quickly turning around and going to the
Natalie released her embrace and looked into Dante’s eyes. “I’m so sorry for you,” she said softly.Dante wiped the tears from her face. “Why sad? Death and loss are common in the underworld. The lives of subordinates are just like cannon fodder.”“Do you think of them that way?” Natalie asked.The man was silent. Natalie sighed. “It seems like the underworld is indeed a terrible place,” she muttered before finally stepping away.Dante watched Natalie walk away. His eyes were closed, and his hands were clenched into fists. After a moment, he got up and walked over to Alex and Lizzy. The girl was already bandaging the gunshot wound.“Rest in the guest room,” Dante told Alex.“I want to talk to you.” Alex’s gaze was serious when he said that. But Dante was tired and needed some time alone.“We can talk about it tomorrow,” Dante replied.Alex shook his head disapprovingly. He asked Lizzy to leave him alone with Dante. The girl obediently stepped away.“What’s so urgent? You’re about to p
Lunch was ready. Natalie invited Alex and Lizzy to join her and Dante at the table. Lizzy refused at first, but Natalie persuaded her to sit at the table. The chicken noodle soup was perfect for the cold weather that day. Natalie gave each of them a bowl of soup. “Please try it,” she said. “Thank you,” Lizzy said with a smile. Without hesitation, she tasted Natalie’s cooking. Alex also did the same. Natalie looked at them curiously. “Is it delicious?” Lizzy nodded quickly. “Miss, I didn’t know you could cook. It’s delicious!” Natalie smiled widely, happy to hear the compliment. She glanced to the side and saw that Dante was looking at her. “What?” she asked. “You’re not that happy when I compliment you,” Dante said. “When did you compliment me?” “Wasn’t it just now in the kitchen?” Dante replied as he looked at her with a furrowed brow. Natalie laughed mockingly. She finally asked Alex, “Does he think mockery is a compliment?” Alex smiled. “I guess so.” Dante gave Alex a sar
Natalie had only been in the room for a few moments, and someone was already knocking on her door. She opened the door, and Dante immediately pulled her out. “My grandfather’s here,” he said.“Uh, that’s surprising.” Natalie feigned surprise. “What’s he here for?”“About my condition, of course,” Dante said as he led Natalie by the hand down the stairs.“You look better now.”Dante looked at Natalie and her sexy lips. He smiled. “But I don’t think I can play in bed to the fullest today. Maybe we can do it tomorrow. You can be patient, right?”“Who the fuck wants to play in bed with you?!” Natalie glared. The man just smiled and grabbed her waist. However, his lips immediately grimaced as their bodies collided.Natalie snorted. “See? You’re even still in pain.” She immediately moved away from Dante’s body, which, although it looked big and muscular, was actually weak and full of bruises.Dante just sighed grimly. He finally brought Natalie to see his grandfather, who was sitting at the
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