Natalie woke up in the morning, hugging Dante’s body. Her head was on his bare chest. She blinked a few times, looked up, and saw that the man’s eyes were still closed. Even so, she wasn’t sure Dante was still sleeping.“Are you awake?” Natalie whispered.“Hmm.” Dante only mumbled. His hands stroked Natalie’s hair and head without opening his eyes.Natalie was too lazy to get up. She pressed her ear against Dante’s chest and listened to his heartbeat with her eyes closed. Her heart and mind felt very comfortable and peaceful.“What time are we leaving?” Natalie asked a few moments later.“No rush. Probably after lunch,” Dante replied in a hoarse, waking voice.Natalie sighed. Her fingers played on Dante’s stomach, stroking his well-defined abs. However, her movements stopped immediately when she saw the tension in his groin. It was clearly visible despite being covered by the blanket.Normal men do tend to have erections when they wake up. Natalie wanted to move away, but Dante sudden
Dante woke Natalie when it was noon. He tugged at her blanket, making her squirm.“Hey, we’re leaving soon,” he said as he brushed Natalie’s hair off her forehead. He immediately frowned when he felt her body temperature rise.“Do you have a fever?” Dante touched her forehead, and she opened her eyes.“What time is it?” Natalie asked in a weak, hoarse voice. She felt weak and achy. Her waist and hips were also sore.“It’s already noon. But if you’re sick, we’d better—”“No.” Natalie shook her head, not wanting to cancel her travel plans. Even if she was sick, she still wanted to visit her grandmother in Los Angeles.Dante sighed at Natalie’s stubbornness. “I’ll have Lizzy prepare some medicine for you,” he said.Natalie nodded. After Dante left the room, she tried to get up and limped to the bathroom. Her body felt dirty after sweating morning and night, so she forced herself to take a shower.Moments later, she came out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe. Dante was waiting for her on
Natalie followed Dante onto the private jet. Some of the jet crew greeted her in a friendly and polite manner. Their uniforms and appearance were neat and classy.Dante led her to the few passenger seats, which could be counted on by the fingers. Alex was already sitting there with three other Dante’s subordinates. One was Jayde, and the rest Natalie didn’t recognize.“Sit down.” Dante guided Natalie into a plush leather seat.It wasn’t Natalie’s first time on a private jet. After all, in the past, she had been a model and the ex-girlfriend of a billionaire. Her life back then could be considered luxurious.Dante sat beside her, but their seats were far enough apart to provide privacy. The man said, “Our trip will take a few hours. If you feel uncomfortable, you can sleep in the bedroom.”“I feel much better now,” Natalie said. After taking the medicine from Dante, she felt that her body wasn’t as weak as before. It was just that she still felt aches and pains in some parts.She looke
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
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
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
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
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.
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