Henry stopped and turned around. Looking at Jennifer with disdain, he asked, "Jennifer Brown, do you really need a husband that badly? So much so that you'd stoop so low to get married?" He'd experienced the same feeling when Owen forced him to marry Natalie a few years back. It felt just like having something he disliked shoved at him, and he was compelled to protect it with great care.How ridiculous! He never thought he'd face the same situation twice in his life."Does it matter what tricks I pull as long as I get my hands on whatever I like?" Jennifer didn't cover up her strong desire for him at all."Ever since I was young, I, Jennifer Brown, have never failed to own whatever I took a liking to."Henry didn't say anything. He merely glared at her with obvious contempt.To think she dared to join forces with Cliff and used Owen as a bargaining chip against him. They were blatantly testing his patience!Noting his silence, Jennifer continued, "Haven't you always loved y
However, the automated voice that Henry heard through the phone shattered his hopes. "The person you're trying to reach is currently unavailable."Her phone was turned off! At a time like this, too!His grip on the phone tightened as he turned to peer into the building. It was already engulfed in smoke.Regardless, he couldn't afford to be concerned with that. He only wanted to find Natalie as soon as possible.Without so much as a doubt, he was prepared to dash into the building.A kind man beside him realized his intention and immediately grabbed his arm. "Hey there, what are you doing? The fire's going strong. It's dangerous!""I have to find someone!"The man continued persuading, "The firefighters would be here soon, I assume. Why don't you wait—""I can't wait!" With that, he sprinted into the apartment block decisively.Smoke clouded the corridors, and it was suffocating. Covering his mouth, he briskly headed upstairs.The fire had spread, and flames consumed the walls
"Isn't everything I've gone through just for liking you enough to pay the price?" Natalie looked like she was on the verge of breaking down.She could no longer afford to put up with more.Henry had been unceasingly casting aside his dignity and pride for her lately.And now, her words fell on him like a volley of arrows, wounding him emotionally."Natalie Shepherd, I've already put aside everything just to cheer you up. What else do you want from me? Why must you cling to the past?"Even though he had been wading through the business industry for years, he had never encountered such a challenging problem.Why on earth was coaxing a woman so much tougher than perfecting a project?"Getting impatient, are you? Go ahead and return to your work, then."Anyhow, I've never begged you to please me." She merely glanced at him and turned to leave.He was about to go after her when his burned shoulder ached. The pain seemed to spread all the way to his heart.That damn woman! To save
Recovering from her shock, Leslie managed to identify that person. It was Hugh.She couldn't believe her eyes at first because she had never seen him in such a pitiful state. Still, she recognized the watch on his wrist immediately.She designed that watch herself, and it was also the first present she gave him that could be considered a valuable piece.She couldn't understand why he'd keep that watch on even though they had already broken up. On the other hand, she had already disposed of everything related to him."You should be sleeping at this hour. What are you doing here?" Her brows were deeply creased as she looked at Hugh, who was sitting on the ground.Hugh slowly looked up. It was then she realized that his eyes were red-rimmed, as though he had been crying.The sight of him being in a state of dejectedness tugged at her heartstrings. However, she maintained her frosty facade.She said, "You shouldn't come running to me, no matter what you're going through."She inten
"Ms. Shepherd," Wade greeted politely before saying anything else.Natalie calmly hummed in response.He continued formally, "I'm calling to inform you that you'll be liaising with me regarding the design for that plot of land hereon. For the time being, Mr. Chase will be busy preparing for his marriage."Upon hearing that, she felt a greater sense of reality that Henry was getting married soon.Before this, he had had many scandals with various women, but those scandals were all proven false. It was different this time.Still, whether it was true or not, what did it have to do with her?So, almost immediately, she nonchalantly replied, "Sure. I'll contact you after I've completed the draft.""Alright. I shall not take up too much of your time. Goodbye." With that, Wade ended the call. He was actually in Henry's office then.During the call, he had turned on the speaker, so Henry heard every word Natalie had to say. He noticed the gloomy expression Henry wore.Leonard, sitting
"I'm actually already used to their scornful remarks. I just can't tolerate it when they target my innocent father." Natalie couldn't help but feel her temper rising whenever she recalled their sarcastic comments.At the same time, she blamed herself for it.She really wanted to overturn the verdict Daniel received, but he never agreed and always refused to bring up the incident. Now that he was gone, she was even more clueless about how to go about it."Don't take their words to heart, and don't let insignificant news get to you." Sheldon locked his gaze on her face.He was worried that the news published in the morning would affect her. So, when he saw her heading to the break room, he followed.He didn't expect to overhear that conversation.Natalie got the hint and smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I won't let it affect my mood.""That's great, then." He smiled."Oh, right. You helped me, and I promised to treat you to a meal previously. Why don't I buy you dinner tonight?
Natalie returned to her senses and immediately masked her wavering emotions. "It's nothing. But yeah, I know how to cycle."Sheldon smiled faintly. "The sunset seems glorious today. Why don't we cycle over there? The restaurant isn't too far away.""Sure, let's do it," she agreed to his suggestion.Amid the hustle and bustle of city life, it was alright to slow down occasionally and enjoy life, right?"Alright, now let's go get ourselves two bikes."With that, he crossed to the opposite side of the road where they rented their bikes.Natalie cycled behind him. On the way, they idly chatted while cycling.It brought a satisfied smile to Sheldon's lips. He really hoped she would be there with him in times to come.The restaurant he was taking her to was indeed nearby. It took them slightly over ten minutes to reach by cycling.Upon reaching the restaurant, Natalie realized there were no other customers.Sheldon seemed to notice her confusion. "I reserved the entire place.""Yo
Natalie didn't hold it against him. Instead, she solemnly commented, "The song you wrote was beautiful, and the lyrics clearly expressed your sincerity, too."You wrote it for her, didn't you? Then you must sing it for her personally. I think she'll understand your feelings.""You think so? She's … actually quite the silly goose." He smiled bitterly.He wrote down their past together in those lyrics, yet Natalie evidently didn't remember any of that.But it made sense, though. She was only eight or nine years old then."How would you know if you never tried?" She pumped her fist and encouraged him, "All the best!"He merely smiled and ended the topic there. "Let's continue our dinner."After dinner, they cycled back to the company and parted ways in their respective cars.Natalie received a call from the police once she reached the hotel where she was staying.The fire originated from her unit, so the police had called her once before to gather more details. They also said the