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36|Vanished
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Save Him 37|Options-Part 1
The hand-me-down microwave had finally given up.It was already in a pretty sorry state when Natalie inherited it from her landlord. But there was a very real chance it could have been one of the many casualties of her meltdown when she went on a warpath and trashed her place.It was hard to believe it was just yesterday. It felt like a lifetime ago.Natalie didn't remember touching it, though. No way she would have had the strength to pick it up. But then again, she was high on meds, rage and adrenaline, so anything was possible. Hell, she ran down nine flights of stairs without pausing to think what it would do to her already battered body.And now, as she watched Emily pour two glasses of red wine, she wished she'd listened to her when she warned her against taking the stairs. Her midsection was on fire. The blinding pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before. If she was dying, she wished it would happen quickly."Nat? Are you okay?" Emily asked as she looked up from the kitc
Save Him 38|Options-Part 2
Alone in her cramped living room, Natalie pulled the blanket closer, curled herself into a small ball and absently watched the show, her mind racing over her chat with Emily.If her friend had made 15K just by allowing a client to suck her toes, then maybe Dreams was her lifeline, after all, and the only way out of her financial hole. Depending on what she did, she could raise all the money she needed for Jamie within six months, and then she'd get out.But what would she have to do?How far was she willing to go?How much was she willing to give up for Jamie to have a fighting chance?Would she take another beating?Worse, what if she vanished like Paul's previous companions?No. Natalie mentally shook herself. She couldn't—shouldn't—go there. She'd just had a very real, hair-raising incident with the man and was very lucky to have come out of it with her life still intact.Besides, she argued, Amber would never forgive her. Jamie, too, would never be okay with taking money she'd made
Save Him 39|Push Her Too Hard
The email popped up in Levi's inbox at 2:00 AM.Lounging in the situation room in his penthouse and contemplating all the clues littered on the whiteboard, he almost fell back from his chair when he saw the sender and subject line."No fucking way!" he whispered as he read the message.Natalie Taylor was so grateful for his donation, and because of him, they could cover Jamie's treatment for a couple of months. Maybe more. She was almost positive Jamie would love to come to Rock Union to see the Ravens play. She thanked him again for his kindness and wished him well.He still didn't have Natalie Taylor's personnel file, but his gut told him she was Noelle—his Noelle. The woman he wanted to take home to meet his mom. His future. His love.His heart felt lighter at the thought, as if someone had reached deep inside his chest and pulled out the heavy rock he'd carried around since Noelle—no, Natalie—ran from him on the rooftop.Her email didn't require a response, but he sent one anyway,
Save Him 40|Impulse
Amber had always warned her against making decisions when she was tired or angry. But after reading Levi's last email, Natalie was tired and furious.For a while, she just sat in her chair, simmering in her anger, unable to believe he'd tried to use his boss card on her.Sure, they desperately needed his money, but she didn't appreciate how he had tried to back her into a corner and force her to cancel her lunch engagement with Lennie.Levi's sense of entitlement to her time simply because he'd donated a ton of money to her brother's fund did not sit well with her.His pushiness had killed the last shred of warmth her traitorous heart had still held onto, even when she knew nothing would ever come out of her silly crush.Not pausing to think about the consequences of her actions, Natalie hit the refund button, bitter disappointment burning hot in her throat as she watched the balance in the fund drop back to five thousand.They were back to square one. But it was better this way. The
Save Him 41|Into The Flames
Still irritated with Natalie for ignoring his mails, Levi wasn't exactly brimming with joy while he stood on stage and addressed the impressionable crowd of young graduates.He would have preferred to be back at the office, squaring off with the woman he'd quickly deemed to be the number one threat to his peace of mind.But he was a professional, so he pushed his personal turmoil aside long enough to deliver his best performance yet.For ten minutes, he said all the right things and quoted all the pioneers of innovation and entrepreneurship. His impassioned speech would have inspired even a rock.Halfway through his address, Levi noticed Angela, sitting in the front row, frantically typing away on her laptop. The grim look on her face told him something was wrong. He figured it was some schedule conflict or a crisis with the dev team, and he trusted her to have it under control by the time he wrapped up his speech.Twenty minutes later, after a Q&A session about Chassis and an imprompt
Save Him 42|Two Broken Pieces
Angela was back in five minutes, her perturbed expression matching Natalie's.Bringing her in was no easy task, and Levi wouldn't have expected anything less. He knew she was going to be a handful, a spitfire of a thing, the moment she tried to kick him off her balcony.He sipped his Americano and nodded at his assistant. "Thank you, Angela. You can leave. I'll be up in a bit. Cancel my 2 o'clock.""Yes, Mr Van Holt." She smiled sweetly and left the room.Alone at last with Natalie, Levi could only stare at her. She was breathtaking. More so in the daylight, away from the glitz and glamour of The Empress and without all the makeup.There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much to ask, but first, he had to make sure she was okay. But before he could even decide on his approach, Natalie took charge of the situation, flipping the script on him with her businesslike attitude."Mr Van Holt, you asked to see me?"Levi was taken aback by her professional and somewhat aloof tone. After ev
Save Him 43|Ruined Me
Long after Levi left the third floor, Natalie was still in the meeting pod, replaying their chat.She thought she knew heartbreak in the backseat of Paul's car, but whatever that feeling was, it didn't come close to the searing ache in her heart.As she looked through the contents of the bag Levi had left her, she felt like someone had plunged a knife deep inside her chest and twisted her heart out.Each item in the bag had been carefully chosen— from the OTC medication to the Band-Aids and sweets and chocolates. Nobody had ever shown her the level of attention and care Levi had put into his version of a self-care bag.How could she have been so wrong about him?Could her run-in with Paul have twisted her sense of reality about all men?From the moment she met him, Levi had been nothing but kind to her. But she'd repaid his generosity with lies and arrogance, and self-pity.He never found her pitiful, not even once. Well, maybe not until she made herself pathetic in his eyes.She brea
Save Him 44|Open Wound
Forty minutes after leaving Natalie on the third floor, Angela knocked on Levi's office door, pushed it open and lingered on the threshold.He looked up, snapped his laptop shut and beckoned her closer."So?" he asked, an expectant look in his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers."She finally left the meeting room, sir," she reported, dispelling all the tension from his body with her announcement.Immensely relieved at his assistant's words, Levi picked up his now cold coffee and drained it in one go before throwing the empty cup in the bin under his desk.He was still so angry— no—he was beyond fuming with Natalie. But the last thing he wanted was to hurt her. So when Norah called him minutes after leaving the third floor, demanding to know why the star of her department was a mess in the meeting pod, Levi had made Angela check on her every ten minutes.Still worried he may have said too much and pushed Natalie too far, Levi asked his assistant, "has she stop
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Save Him 214|Follow The Sun
"Something's different," Natalie murmured as she flicked her gaze through the room.Levi gave her a back hug and kissed the top of her head. "I installed shutters.""Why?""This is our second home, Nat, and I wanted you to feel safe and comfortable.""Thank you," she turned around and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "The windows don't look as scary and frightening as they did when I first stayed over.""That was the plan. To make them look less frightening." He tapped her nose and asked, "are you hungry?""For something else.""I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied and promptly threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carried her to their bedroom."You sexy brute!" Natalie scolded him. "Put me down. The housekeepers will see us!"But he paid her no mind and only set her down once they were in their room."Say it again," he commanded as he moved over her on the bed and nibbled her lower lip. "Tell me all the filthy things you want me to do to you."Natalie
Save Him 213|Precious Love
Natalie had to blink a few times at the picturesque scene before her. It was hard to believe this place, decorated splendidly in ivory and silver motifs, was the same town hall used by Sparrow Beach's residence association to host their weekly meetings."This is amazing," she whispered as she swept her gaze through the room, at all the tiny details, the little things she would never have thought of if she was left to her own devices. Cynthia and the wedding planners had done an incredible job transforming it into a venue fit for a grand wedding reception. Natalie couldn't pry her eyes away from string fairy lights draping the ceiling. But the smell of white lilies permeating the room transported her back to her balcony at The Empress the night Levi proposed to her, and she turned him down. It felt like a lifetime ago, and as she gave him a sidelong glance and caught him looking at her, she couldn't help but be glad he never gave up on her, and she had the sense to say yes on his sixth
Save Him 212|Runaway Bride
At the altar, Seth and Mark seemed to be way more nervous than Levi."Are you sure about this?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, and Levi gritted his teeth for the hundredth time."How many times should I tell you? I love Nat, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.""Well, I'm just saying marriage is forever, you know." Mark dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief."Why are you sweating? It's not even your wedding," Seth said as he pulled out his own handkerchief and patted his face."Can I have some water?" Liam asked. "God, I need some water. What did that crazy Russian do to me last night?""You fell for his dare again," Mark tried to fill in the blanks for him. "He made you a Russian fuck bomb—that's what he called it. Still don't know what was in it. But you were a goner after you drank that shit, and we had to help Eden carry you back to your room at the B&B.""No wonder she's mad as fuck at me," Liam whispered. "Is she looking at me right now? Guys, I can feel he
Save Him 211|Heart Is At Ease
The weatherman had predicted strong winds and heavy rain. But Natalie's big day dawned bright and sunny. The sky was as blue as the ocean behind her house, with no cloud in sight. Amber and Colleen thought it was a good omen, and Emily, not a believer of anything really, agreed with them."You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," Amber said for what felt like the hundredth time since Natalie had stepped into her wedding dress.They were in one of the smaller administration rooms on the chapel's grounds, and the stylists had turned it into a makeshift dressing room."What are you talking about? I'm the only bride you've ever seen!" Natalie teased, but she really was overwhelmed by all the love her sister and friends had shown her, and she was trying so hard not to cry and ruin her makeup."Just accept the compliment already," Colleen scolded her as she fussed over the hem of Natalie's dress."Yeah, Nat, you need to learn to work on accepting compliments graciously," Emily agre
Save Him 210|Cold Feet
"Is everything okay with you two?" Colleen approached him. "I'm sensing a weird vibe. Are you guys getting cold feet?""I don't know about Nat, but I'm not," Levi replied and pushed his hands in his pockets. "How was she today? I don't know…These last two weeks, she's been so calm.""And how is that a bad thing?""Because I know Nat. A wedding is a huge, life-altering event, and she doesn't do life-altering events well. Her knee-jerk reaction is to run. I'm just scared that—Never mind.""No," Colleen refused to let him leave her with half the info. "You're scared of what?""She's too calm, Leeny. The last time she was this way was when she threw you the welcome party. The very next day, she made a run for it without telling me about the twins.""That was months ago!" Colleen reminded him. "You're overthinking this. I've seen the way Nat looks at you. She's crazy about you and your babies. She won't leave you in the lurch! Besides, where would she run to? This is her home town."Right,
Save Him 209|Midnight Rendezvous
Julian and Andrei took it upon themselves to throw Levi the biggest and craziest bachelor party Sparrow Beach had ever seen.And Levi was only happy to blame Mark for everything."What did I do? I followed your 'no bachelor party' rule to the T." His best friend held up his hands as they watched Liam, Jaxon and Matthew try to outdrink each other over a beer pong game."That's exactly why it's your fault. You didn't enforce the rule hard enough," Levi replied, his attention stolen away briefly by Julian and Andrei sipping champagne from the navel of one of the three models-slash-strippers they'd flown in for the occasion.The said model was laid out on the pool table, her half-naked body out on display for everyone to see, and Levi wondered just how Joe had allowed this debauchery to carry on at his family-friendly establishment."Seriously, Mark, as my best man, how do you think Natalie will feel about all this crap?"Ten—maybe even two years ago—this was totally his scene. But now, a
Save Him 208|One Thing Right At Least
In theory, the idea of having twins had sounded fun and appealing. But the reality was far from it, as Natalie and Levi soon learned over the next few weeks.Indeed, it was double the blessing, double the fun, and double the joy. But it was also double the work, and it didn't help that the first week after they brought them home, Juno and Mars decided to go on different sleep schedules.If she and Levi didn't have a strong support system to rely on, Natalie knew they would have lost their minds in those first few weeks.Mrs Ackerman semi-moved in with them, splitting her time between the Blue Mountains and Green Point. It was nice having her around; she was a pro at the never-ending laundry of tiny-sized human clothes and the general upkeep of the house.Levi suggested hiring a nanny full time, but Natalie wasn't sold on the idea. She wanted to be hands-on and involved in the twins' upbringing."Love, it's not working," he said after one particularly difficult night. They were running
Save Him 207|Life's Little Moments
Natalie received a clean bill of health five days after the twins' arrival, and two days later, they were all finally allowed to leave the hospital.After months of being cooped up in bed and eating terrible hospital food, she couldn't get home fast enough.She couldn't stop raving about all the stuff she'd do when they got home, like taking an actual shower and sleeping in her own bed—all the things she used to take for granted before her bed rest.Zachary and Carlos picked them up, and they spent a few minutes gazing at the twins in their double infant stroller, trying to decide who they resembled the most."I really can't tell who they look like," Carlos admitted at last."Neither can we," Levi said with a smile as he covered the twins with a light blanket and turned to Natalie. "Ready to go?"She took one last look around the ward, ensuring they had all their stuff. Satisfied everything was packed away, she nodded. "Yep, let's go home."She hooked her arm around Levi's, and he pus
Save Him 206|Juno and Mars
Levi called his assistant on his way back to the hospital and cancelled all his meetings for the week."Sir," Angela said before they could hang up. "We are all thinking of you. Norah and Natalie's team are beside themselves with worry. But she's a fighter. She'll be out of the hospital in no time.""Thank you," he smiled into the phone, praying with all his heart she was right. He'd lose his mind if anything had to happen to Natalie and their twins. They'd come too far for him to lose her now, especially after everything they'd been through.After he hung up from Angela, he called Amber. She was hysterical, and it took him a long time to calm her down and assure her Natalie, and their babies were fine, and there was no need for them to drive down to Rock Union.He was immensely relieved when he found Natalie sitting up, chatting with his folks and her bestie.Now that he was back, his parents and Emily excused themselves, promising to return later to relieve him."See, I told you I'l
