Category: The Double Life Of My Billionaire Husband novel (Natalie Quinn and Sebastian Klein novel)

“Okay, will do.”

Since her superior had said so, Natalie had no choice but to swallow her grievance.

After leaving the office, Natalie promptly took her laptop to the repair shop.

“It was soaked in coffee and the hard disk is damaged.I’m sorry but I can’t retrieve the data for you.” The technician at the shop took a quick look at the damaged laptop and shook his head.

He tossed Natalie’s laptop aside and offered, “Are you considering getting a new one? All the second-hand computers here are cost- effective.”

“Oh, no, thanks.”

Although Natalie had already expected the worst, she was still very depressed.She took back her laptop and left the shop.

dejectedly.It took her a long time to finish this series of drafts.

Now, even if she had to redraw it, it would take at least a day to finish everything.

But the work had to be submitted by tomorrow morning. It would be futile to even try since there were only several hours left before the deadline. It was already 12:30 in the morning when Natalie came back home with a cloud over her head.

She walked into the dark living room quietly.

Suddenly, the lights went on, illuminating the whole apartment suddenly.

Natalie raised her hand to block the light and squinted.

Sebastian was leaning against the wall near the door, with his arms crossed over his chest.

Frowning slightly, his I lips pursed into a straight line, and his dark, sharp eyes seemed to penetrate hers.

“Why are you so late?”

“Well, I worked overtime today.There is a competition in our company,” she said, letting out a weary sigh.

Natalie was exhausted, both physically and mentally, so she went straight to her room.

Sebastian’s heart sank as she didn’t bother to even look at him.He didn’t wait all night just to hear something like this.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Spend some time with me,” he said, nestling his face in the crook of her neck.

Sebastian wanted to kiss her and make out with her.He couldn’t let his wait end in vain.

After all, he was a shrewd businessman.

“It’s already late.Aren’t you sleepy?”

His warm, steady breath blowing against her skin made Natalie restless.Her heart was crashing in her chest.

She turned around.

Seeing Sebastian’s handsome face, Natalie stood on tiptoe and pecked him on the lips.

A blush painted her cheeks.

“Well, I had to submit my designs for the competition by tomorrow morning.Unfortunately, one of my colleagues splashed coffee on my laptop.! just don’t have anything to submit now because the laptop broke down.I’m actually very upset about it.Can we talk tomorrow?”

Sebastian pursed his lips as he thought about it.

“Did your colleague splash coffee on your laptop on purpose, or was it an accident?”

Natalie didn’t want to talk about it.She felt annoyed to even think about Kaya.

“Her intentions don’t matter to me anymore.I have lost all my drawings, and it sucks.I put a lot of effort into it, you know.”

Natalie’s shoulders slumped with exhaustion.She had been busy all week designing for the project, but a cup of coffee had ruined all her efforts.

The expression on Natalie’s face answered Sebastian’s question.

“Oh, don’t beat yourself about it.It doesn’t matter if you don’t get selected this time.After all, you had just joined the company.” Sebastian rubbed her hair comfortingly.

Seeing the disappointment on her face, he kissed the corner of her lips.

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

“Hmm.” Natalie nodded.

It was Kaya’s arrogance that irked her, and she hated the woman for destroying her hard work.

However, Sebastian’s kisses made her forget all about her work problems.

She was mesmerized by the man, who wrapped her with his love and warmth.

Sebastian pressed her against the wall and kissed her until the two got breathless.

“Since you can’t submit the design tomorrow, sleep early tonight.”

Natalie’s lips were numb, and the burning trails of his touches made her dizzy.

Sebastian somehow managed to wake up the wild side of her.

Natalie went to bed, replaying the kisses in her head over and over again.

The next morning, Kaya went to Natalie’s table with breakfast.

However, Natalie was still mad at her.She scowled at her and looked away.

“I thought about what happened yesterday again.Sorry I might sound harsh last night, but I was simply angry and hurt that you misunderstood me.Anyway, I bought you this sandwich and chocolate.Let’s just forget what happened yesterday, please.”

Kaya placed an exquisite box of chocolates on Natalie’s desk.

Although she sounded sincere, the complacency in her eyes was unmissable.

“This brand is very expensive.I don’t think you’d have tasted their chocolates before. They are delicious.” Although Kaya was smiling at her, Natalie somehow felt the woman was disgusting and hypocritical.

Natalie put the chocolate aside and ignored Kaya.

Just as she was about to sit down, the lights on the entire floor went off, and darkness engulfed them.

“Gosh, is it a power outage?” someone exclaimed.

It wasn’t working hours yet, and most employees had just arrived at the company.

Therefore, the power failure only caused a commotion but didn’t affect their work in y any way.

“Contact the staff downstairs, and ask them to check the circuit.”

“Oh, thank God, I didn’t start my work.Otherwise, my designs would have been gone.”

A moment later, the employees were asked to take the day off because of the power failure.

The entire building had no power supply.

Tiffany walked out of her office and clapped her hands to get the attention of the people who had just come to work, looking around with confusion.

“We have just called the maintenance personnel to fix the problem. They said it would take a day to repair, so you all can go home.And considering the unexpected power outage, we are extending the deadline of the project. You can submit your design drafts tomorrow morning. The meeting will also be scheduled tomorrow.”

All the employees clapped and cheered.

“Great! Then, I can go on a date with my boyfriend today!”

“Much needed day off! I need to go back home and sleep well.I have been working overtime for the past few days, and I am exhausted.”

Everyone happily packed their things, ready to go back home.

Gerda nudged Natalie’s arm excitedly.

“Hey, Quinn, you are so lucky! You will have time to redo the design since we’re allowed to submit the drafts tomorrow.” “Yeah.I’ll go home and start working on it right away.”

Natalie grabbed her bag, grinning happily.She couldn’t believe her luck.

It was a great opportunity to prove herself.

Gerda had heard a little about what happened between Natalie and Kaya yesterday.

Although she was not at the scene, her colleagues were gossiping about it all morning.It seemed like a serious problem, after all.

“One day is enough.Don’t exhaust yourself.By the way, Kaya has done the same thing in the past as well.Last year, during the evaluation process of intermediate designers, one of our colleagues encountered a similar situation.Kaya had damaged her work as well.Fortunately, that girl had a backup.So Kaya didn’t succeed.”

Natalie cast a scornful glance at Kaya.It turned out the woman was a repeat offender.

All employees were happy except for Kaya.She stood there dumbfounded as if struck by a lightning.

Kaya was stunned.She gritted her teeth and ran to Tiffany.

“Didn’t you say that today was the last day to submit the design? How could you suddenly extend the deadline? It’s unfair!” Kaya grew impatient as she saw all the employees happily leave the company.

After all, the power outage had ruined her plans.

Kaya had deliberately damaged Natalie’s laptop.She thought even buying a new laptop for the company would be worth the effort if she could defeat Natalie and get a promotion.

One day was enough for Natalie to redo her work, and she couldn’t let that happen.

“Our superiors have asked us to take the day off,” Tiffany said calmly.

“There is a problem with the circuit.We can’t do anything about it.The entire company is out of power.How will they submit the drafts, and how will we check them without even one computer that works?”

“Can’t you just ask the maintenance personnel to speed things up a little?” Kaya insisted.

She couldn’t give Natalie so much time.Otherwise, she wasn’t sure she could get this promotion.

Natalie secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, she didn’t want to put too much pressure on herself.

Because of the upcoming evaluation, countless designers worked overtime, doing their best for the project.

Natalie was busy taking care of Hannah recently, so she had spent less time and energy on work.

So now, she did her best to keep up the pace and finish her work.She hadn’t been with the company for that long, but her outstanding performance had shone a spotlight on her.

In the words of Gerda, the third position was between her and Kaya.

The night before the deadline of handing their designs, a lot of the designers were still working overtime.

Natalie looked around and found that all her colleagues were bent over their desks, working hard.She massaged her aching neck and found herself parched.

Just as she stood up to go to the tea room, she found that Kaya was standing behind her.

“Do you want to take a break? Here, I just made some coffee. Want some?”

As she spoke, Kaya subtly glanced at the laptop on Natalie’s desk.

However, Natalie didn’t notice and gratefully accepted Kaya’s offer.

“Sure, thank you.”

Natalie did feel like coffee would be a great pick-me-up.

“No problem.IIs this your cup? Let me pour some for you.”

Smiling sweetly, Kaya picked up Natalie’s cup.

Suddenly, she lost her grip on the kettle and it fell with a clatter, spilling coffee all over Natalie’s laptop.

Natalie’s laptop screen instantly went black.

A slight sizzling sound came from inside it, and it coughed out a puff of smoke.

The air smelled of coffee and burnt metal.

Natalie hurriedly tried to wipe the coffee off her laptop with some tissue, but it was too late.

When she picked it up, the whole laptop was dripping with coffee and couldn’t be turned on, “Oh, my God! I’m so sorry! The coffee was so hot, and you cup was made of plass, so I dropped it accidentally”

Kaya’s hands flew to her mouth and she kept apologizing “Let me see if the data in the hard disk can still be restored,”

Angry but helpless, Natalie didn’t know what else to say. She quickly took the laptop to the Technology Department downstairs.

The technical staff carefully pried out the hard disk from the laptop and inspected it.

A brief moment later, they shook their heads and told Natalie that it was completely soaked and was irreversibly damaged.

Standing beside Natalie, Kaya apologized again.

“I take full responsibility for this.I’ll buy you a new laptop, I promise”

“This is a company laptop.it’s only right that you pay for it.But all my drawings were in this computer.Now the data is damaged beyond restoration. What are you going to do about that?”

Natalie’s tone was calm, but her eyes flashed dangerously. Kaya lowered her eyes, unable to utter another word.It turned out that the woman in front of her wouldn’t be as easy to bully as she thought.

“Why are you so angry? I already said sorry and that I’d take responsibility.Is it really necessary to be so aggressive?”

Kaya pulled a long face, as though she was the one who was wronged.

Just then, Tiffany happened to pass by and overheard their conversation.She knocked on the glass door from outside.

“What’s going on? Go outside if you two want to fight.Don’t disturb your officemates,”

Tiffany shot the two women an icy cold look Biting her lower lip, Kaya tried to defend herself.

“Ms.Fisher, here’s what happened, I’ve been working overtime every day this week and I’m exhausted.On my break, I made

myself some coffee and offered Miss Quinn here some, but it was too hot that I accidentally dropped her cup.I spilled the coffee on Quinn‘s computer, but it was just an accident.I’ll take responsibility for it and buy her a new laptop.”

She especially stressed the fact that she had been working overtime for a week.Her voice dripped with sarcasm, which made Natalie feel that something was wrong.

It sounded like Kaya was implying that Natalie hadn’t worked overtime for the past few days, unlike her, Natalie didn’t want to see Kaya in a bad light, but now it just didn’t seem like a mere coincidence.

“So what about my design drawings, which were stored in my laptop? How will you compensate me for that?”

Natalie looked at Kaya sharply.

“You need to redraw them yourself of course. How can I do that for you? Plus, I’ve already apologized to you.”

Kaya raised her chin slightly, but there was no mistaking the indifference in her tone.She reasoned that Natalie could do nothing to her In this stage of the competition, Kaya was most likely to be selected for the promotion.

But she had heard from other designers that there was a promising newcomer in the company.It was said that this newcomer was a dark horse and would make for a strong competitor.

Kaya had to get rid of Natalie as soon as possible, so she came up with this ploy.

Kaya’s indifferent attitude annoyed Natalie.

“I don’t have enough time to redo everything. How can I start over and finish on time when the deadline is tomorrow?” “I can only take responsibility for the laptop.As for the rest, that’s your problem.”

After saying that, Kaya turned after the broken Laptop around abruptly and was about to leave.

“Stop right there!” Natalie grabbed Kaya’s wrist and forced her to turn around, her eyes seething with anger.

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You came to my desk and offered me coffee so that you could deliberately damage my laptop to get rid of my designs!”

“How dare you accuse me of such a crime? Can you prove that I did it on purpose? Plus, I’ve already said sorry a hundred times. What more do you want from me?”

Kaya whined as though it was Natalie who was making things difficult for her.

“Well, that’s it.It’s late now.Dixon, you go back to your desk.Quinn, come with me to my office.”

After shooting the two women one last icy glance, Tiffany turned around and entered her office.

“I’m really sorry for what happened.Let me treat you to dinner sometime so that I can make things up to you, okay?” Before going back to her desk, Kaya looked at Natalie pitifully.But this only made Natalie feel sick.

Kaya was such a hypocrite! If Tiffany weren’t there, she would have slapped Kaya across the face.

In Tiffany’s office.

“I know you’re angry, Quinn.And I also think that she did it on purpose.It doesn’t look like an accident to me.But since we can’t prove it, we can’t do anything to her,” Tiffany sat in her chair and coaxed Natalie calmly.

As an experienced woman in design industry, she could see through this smokescreen at a glance.

“I just feel so wronged, you know? How could she do this to me? We don’t even know each other before this!” Natalie pursed her lips unhappily, her body trembling slightly from anger.

Tiffany sighed heavily.

“I’ve heard about what kind of person Dixon was before.Anyway, you can take your laptop to the repair shop to see if it can still be repaired.Maybe you might be able to download the data on it, then you can still participate in the evaluation.”

Tiffany also felt bad, because in her eyes, Natalie was the most promising candidate for this promotion.

However, Lauren hadn’t even seen Sebastian’s two brothers since he married Natalie.

This whole time, she had been waiting for an opportunity to introduce Cassie to his brothers.

That way, Cassie would have a chance to marry into the Klein family.

This was Lauren’s elaborate plan, which was why she was shocked that Natalie wanted to sever their relationship.

“You hired someone to rape me.Do you really think I’m an idiot and a pushover? Of course I want to cut all ties with you!” Natalie was so angry that she laughed bitterly.

Lauren narrowed her eyes at Natalie, wondering if she could still take advantage of her despite the odds.

But Natalie didn’t want to waste time here anymore.

“If you disagree to my terms, I’ll call the police.It’s as simple as that.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned around to leave.

George stomped angrily and pointed at Lauren, nostrils flaring.

“What the hell were you thinking? Now that things have come to this, severing ties should be the least of your worries! Why in God’s name are you hesitating?”

Lauren turned and whined in George‘s ear, “We’ve fed and clothed her for years.1 can’t just let her go like this!”

If they severed ties, Lauren would no longer be able to dangle Natalie on a string, using the fact that their family had taken her in to guilt her.

George‘s face contorted in anger.He had no idea that Lauren was so shameless.

“Then go to jail! I don’t give a damn, you hopeless woman!”

“Why, you”

Lauren gritted her teeth and glared at George angrily.She was doing all of this for the sake of the Quinn family after all.

In this way, Cassie would find a good husband and that bitch Natalie would never dare to talk to them like this ever again! “Have you decided yet? If it’ll help you choose faster, I’ll call the police already.”

Without waiting for a response, Natalie picked up her phone and unlocked it.

“No! Don’t you dare. call the police!”

Lauren iried to yank the phone out of Natalie’s hands, but Natalie dodged her advance deftly. She was so anxious that she nearly bit her lip until it bled.

Now that she was cornered, she had no choice but to submit.

She buried her face in her hands and slumped onto the sofa, crying pathetically, “Fine! We’ll cut all ties! Satisfied now? What an ungrateful child!”

After putting her phone down, Natalie looked at her pitiful figure, unfazed.

“Then let’s go and get it done officially now.”

They immediately went to the Department of Civil Affairs to finalize the formalities.

When everything was settled and they were about to go their separate ways, Lauren cursed Natalie under her breath.

“We have painstakingly raised you for so many years. You are so heartless to cut ties with us.”

People passing by all looked in the direction where Natalie was standing.

“Me? Heartless? Okay, I’ll go to the police station now.” Natalie shrugged indifferently.

If they kept pushing her like this, she was more than capable of defending herself.

“You, you…!”

Lauren’s nostrils flared uncontrollably.She was so angry that she pointed a finger at Natalie in front of all the passers-by.

George didn’t want Lauren to cause them any more trouble than she already had, so he hurriedly dragged her into the car Only when the car drove away did Natalie finally relax.

Her shoulders drooped, as though she had no strength left in her anymore.

“It’s good that you’ve finally gotten rid of them.Otherwise, the Quinn family would keep on making things hard for you in the future,” Sebastian commented nonchalantly, slipping his arm around her slender waist..

Natalie turned to him and buried her face in his chest.She muttered, “I just don’t understand why she always hates me.I never did anything to her!”

“It’s not your fault, okay?”

Sebastian rested his chin on the woman’s forehead, and stroking her back gently.

Their shadows overlapped on the ground.

Time stopped for no one, and life went on.

The following day, when Natalie got to the office, she ran into Tiffany.

“Why did you ask for another leave yesterday?” Tiffany asked calmly, but her eyes looked at Natalie sharply.

Natalie shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze.

“I’m sorry. There was something I had to deal with at home.” Tiffany pursed her red lips.

“No need to be so nervous, Quinn.I’m not going to bite you. You didn’t make it to yesterday’s meeting so I just came to catch you up to speed. The design department will select a new batch of designers for promotion, and there are only three vacancies.”

As soon as Natalie sat down at her desk, Gerda swiveled her chair around to face Natalie.

“Did you hear the news? The annual intermediate designer evaluation is about to begin.Everyone‘s been running around like headless chickens trying to prepare for it.By the way, why’d you go on leave again yesterday?”

“Something urgent came up at home.” After taking a sip of water, Natalie glanced around at the bustling office.

“It seems everyone’s excited.”

“Of course everyone’s excited. This is a good chance to be promoted.Besides, the fall—-winter fashion week is approaching.Everyone is secretly competing with each other.”

Then, Gerda leaned over and whispered in her car, “There are only three positions.All the new designers are itching to get a spot.I know of two who have been working here for a while now, and they both have performed excellently.I just know that they’ll get the promotion -but as for the third position, it’s hard to say who will get it”

“There’s a lot of people in our department.The competition must be tough.”

Natalie pressed her lips nervously, sensing that a fierce battle was about to begin.

While the battle had not yet begun per se, people were already loading their weapons.

“Well, what choice do we have? I know I’m way out of their league, so I’m pretty chill.After all, there are too many strong competitors this year.I feel like I’ll just be cannon fodder out there.”

Gerda sighed bitterly.

Then, she looked at Natalie and her eyes lit up.

“You and Kaya might have a chance.”

“Kaya?”

Natalie blinked at her colleague questioningly.

“You know, Kaya Dixon-oh, right! She went abroad to study so you haven’t met her yet.” Gerda‘s eyes wandered towards the tea room and she pouted.

“That’s her.”

Natalie followed her gaze and saw a slender woman with short hair.

Kaya’s eyes met hers.She strode towards Natalie, high heels clicking against the floor, and she asked, “Are you Natalie Quinn? Nice to meet you.I‘m Kaya Dixon.”

“Hello.”

Natalie smiled and shook hands with her politely.

“I heard that the company has a big upcoming project, and that many designers will need to participate.It’s said that this will be used as a reference for the promotion.I‘m looking forward to your performance,” Kaya nodded and smiled at Natalie with grace.

It seemed that Miss Dixon had already regarded her as a potential competitor.

“Oh, thanks.I also look forward to your designs.”

Then Lauren would help the man escape.

No one would know that she was the mastermind behind this.She got a message from the man earlier that he had Natalie.

But hours passed and Lauren still hadn’t gotten any more feedback from the driver, so she felt a little uneasy.

“Oh, relax, Lauren. You just need to wait a little bit longer.”

She comforted herself and proceeded to paint her nails a bright red.

Suddenly, she heard a ruckus from the vestibule of the villa.

“What the hell are you doing? Keep it down over there! Or else I’ll deduct your salary this month!”Lauren glanced at the door with disdain.But her angry shouts was met with a nervous voice.The servant announced, “Mrs.Quinn, Natalie… she’s here.”

Before Lauren could react, Natalie and Sebastian strode in, followed by several burly men.

They dragged in the driver she had hired with them.

When Lauren’s eyes landed on the driver kneeling on the ground, her body went stiff, as though she had been struck by lightning.

All color had drained from the man’s face, and his lips were cracked and bleeding.

It was clear that he had been tortured senselessly.

“Why the hell did you let them in?!”

Lauren yelled at the servant in a panic.

Wide-eyed, the servant didn’t dare to answer.

Lauren took a deep breath and feigned a sense of calm.

“What’s the meaning of this, Natalie?” Natalie glared at Lauren murderously.

Her chest heaved violently from anger.

Painting a finger at the driver, she shouted, “He admitted to everything. You hired him to rape me!” Lauren’s eyes went as wide as saucers and she pretended to be innocent.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t even know this man! What evidence do you have? If you keep this up, I’ll sue you for defamation!”

“Do whatever you want,” Natalie said fearlessly, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“I don’t need to show you any evidence.Go ahead and call the police. They’ll find the evidence and convict you for me.”

George was idly flipping through a newspaper on the balcony when he heard the commotion in the living room.

Confused, he went in to see what was going on.

“What are you talking about, Natalie? Lauren is a sweet, kind-hearted woman who doesn’t even have the heart to kill a cockroach.How could she do such an evil thing?”

“Is that so? Do you really believe that she’s kind?” Natalie sneered, her voice riddled with icy disdain.

“How ironic! A woman who can’t kill a cockroach is cruel enough to try to kill me. You should really open your damn eyes and look at the woman in front of you carefully.Well, if you’re not going to admit to your crimes, I’ll just call the police.”

As she spoke, Natalie pulled out her phone and started dialing 911.

Lauren was so frightened that her face turned deathly pale and her posture grew unsteady.She knew what she had done more than anyone else.

Unfortunately for her, the driver had been caught and forced into admitting everything.

If the police came to investigate and the truth was brought to light, she would definitely be sentenced to jail.

And by then, everything would be over.

Lauren’s arrogance vanished.She had no choice but to beg for mercy.She fell to her knees and grabbed Natalie’s arm, crying and begging her desperately.

“Natalie, I was wrong! I must’ve been out of my mind at the time! Please let me go this time for the sake of our family bond! We adopted you and took you in after all!”

George was shocked compared to the rest of the people present.He sprang up from the sofa and pointed his trembling finger at Lauren.

“What the hell are you saying? Did you really do it?”

He didn’t expect that Lauren would do such a thing.His anger reached its pinnacle.

“Lauren!” he bellowed, pounding the table.

“How could you do such a thing?”

The Quinn family members were decent people with good values.

George had married Lauren only because she was gentle and obedient.

Lauren wiped her tears and sniffled loudly.

“George, I know I made a mistake.I was too disappointed in Natalie that I lost my mind.I was just thinking about apologizing to her now.”

“That’s unbelievable! Do you think I’m dumb enough to believe you? You’ve been humming a happy tune all afternoon. You were even denying it when Natalie showed up here to accuse you.What the hell is wrong with you?” Bemie frowned.

The wrinkles on his forehead grew more prominent, making him look ten years older.His wife suddenly seemed like a stranger to him.He didn’t think Lauren would be such a ruthless person.

“You know I married you because I thought you were a kind, virtuous woman.When we first adopted Natalie, I knew you were angry and you had suffered a lot because we couldn’t have a child of our own.! felt sorry for you and never argued with you.! just wanted to make it up for you. You…I didn’t expect you to be such a ruthless person!”

“Now that Lauren has admitted the truth, let the police handle it,” Natalie said in an indifferent voice as her cold eyes flitted to Lauren.

George was taken aback for a moment.His anger was replaced with terror.

“No, Natalie.If Lauren gets arrested, it will ruin our Quinn family’s reputation.Can you please forgive her one last time? After all, she is your foster ‘mother. agree we didn’t treat you well in the past, but I promise such a thing would never happen again.”

George stood in front of Lauren, hoping to convince Natalie.

Regardless of how bad Lauren was, the woman was his wife.He couldn’t watch her go to jail.

Her arrest would also ruin the Quinn family‘s reputation once and for all.

Natalie crossed her arms over her chest and sneered.

Ever since Natalie was a child, George had always been a coward. He was never harsh toward Natalie but he didn’t stop his wife from illtreating her either.He never stood up for Natalie even though he knew Lauren was heartless toward her.

“That’s enough!”

Natalie snapped, glaring at the two people begging and crying for mercy.

“Do you think attempted rape is a forgivable crime? It’s not a trivial thing to forget.Don’t you think it’s unfair for you to ask such a thing?”

Natalie had always been grateful to them both.

After all, they had adopted her.

Even though George and Lauren were mean to her, they had put a roof over her head.However, now, she had lost all respect for the two after hearing George’s words

“Please, Natalie.Think about us.You want money from us, don‘t you? We’ll give you as much as you want if you don’t call the police.” Lauren said, hitching between her sobs.

Natalie’s anger reached its pinnacle.She was fighting for her self-respect, but George and Lauren were haggling with her, thinking she would do anything for money.

“Fine.I won’t call the police.In exchange, I don’t want you to mention adopting me ever again.Do you understand?” Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Besides, I’m going to sever all ties with you, formally.From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. You both mean nothing to me.”

“What?! Why would you want to do that?” Lauren blurted, stomping her foot anxiously.

Although she hated Natalie to her core, she never considered cutting ties with her.

After all, although Sebastian was just an illegitimate child of the Klein family, it was still the fastest way for Lauren to forge a relationship with them.She had tirelessly wondered how to benefit from her adopted daughter’s husband.

Natalie felt she had lost her mind.She had allowed her desire to cloud her reasoning and logic. However, she wasn’t acting upon her fear.

The incident today only made her realize how much she liked Sebastian and relied on him.

It was the first time Natalie had initiated getting close with him.

Sebastian had been trying hard to hold back his lust and desire all this while.

Although he couldn’t wait anymore, he still tried his best to restrain his emotions and asked, “You have always stopped me from getting intimate with you.Why do you want it now? What happened?”

“Nothing… I… I just think that you are a good man, and consummate our marriage doesn’t seem like a bad idea.” Natalie’s face burned with embarrassment.She had never openly admitted her feelings to a man before.

It was more or less a confession of love.

“I’m afraid you’ll regret it.”

Sebastian cupped her cheek and planted a soft kiss on it.

“But there’s no time for regrets because you initiated this,” he whispered, his hot breath blowing on her skin.

“I won’t regret it.”

Natalie trembled under his touch.

Their bodies rubbed against each other.The proximity made her shy.

Hearing that, Sebastian couldn’t wait any longer.He lifted Natalie and carried her to the bathtub.

Sebastian took off his clothes in one swift motion and hovered above Natalie, resting his hands on either side of the bathtub.His strong muscles flexed with every movement.His chiseled chest was pressed against her body.

Natalie feit hot all over.She was so shy that she didn’t dare to meet his eyes.

At that moment, Natalie realized how much she wanted Sebastian.

After all, she couldn’t take her eyes off his perfect figure.She could feel the lust coursing through her veins.

Sebastian held her in his arms and kissed her gently.

The kiss gradually deepened as he sucked her lips and drew circles against them with his tongue.

Their naked bodies were intertwined in the bathtub.

The bubbles scattered out as they got more passionate and aggressive.

Natalie sensed that Sebastian couldn’t wait any longer, for his erection rubbed against her abdomen.

Sebastian’s heavy-lidded eyes turned red as he stared at her.

“Tell me if it hurts,” he whispered, pecking on her lips.

Natalie’s eyeballs rolled up, and her eyelashes fluttered.She bit her lip and buried her face in his strong shoulder.She was nervous yet curious as she felt his huge cock rubbing against her.

Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing interrupted them.

“Fuck!”

With eyes as cold as ice, Sebastian cursed in a low voice.He was just inches away from achieving his goal, but the phone call got in his way.

“Don’t you want to answer that?” The ringing phone jolted Natalie back to reality.She raised her head to peer at him curiously.

But instead of answering her right away, Sebastian kissed her earlobe, sucking at it and nibbling it.His hand reached up to cup and squeeze her breast, and he said fiercely, “Not really.”

Ever since he had moved in with Natalie, he had become hot tempered.

Natalie snorted and rolled her eyes.

After a while, the phone stopped ringing and the bathroom fell silent.

Sebastian eagerly went back to kissing her lips passionately.He ordered in a hoarse voice, “Spread out your legs.” But before Natalie could oblige, the phone rang again, echoing against the bathroom tiles.

It kept ringing incessantly, without any signs of stopping.It seemed that the person on the other end of the line was very anxious.

There must’ve been something important he needed to talk about.

Sebastian was so angry that he almost pushed Natalie away.He stood up, got out of the bathtub, and picked up the phone.

“What is it? Spit it out!”

Sebastian barked into the receiver.

The man on the other end of the line was one of the subordinates he had ordered to investigate the whole kidnap thing.

Sebastian’s furious voice sent shivers down his spine.

“Sir… Here… Here’s the thing… After interrogating the driver, he confessed that it was Lauren Quinn who paid him to rape Natalie.” “I see.”

After hanging up, Sebastian turned around and saw that Natalie had already climbed out of the tub.She had wrapped a bath towel around her slim body tightly.

“What happened? It sounded serious. You should probably deal with it first.”

For his sake, Natalie didn’t think they should continue today.

“That driver was hired to hurt you,” he said gruffly.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around her slim waist.He looked down at her red, swollen lips and whispered, “And Lauren’s the one behind all of this.”

Before Natalie could react, Sebastian pressed his lips against hers fiercely.She parted her lips to let him in, enduring the man’s passion.

Their warm tongues intertwined, filling the bathroom with hot steam.

“Wait, wait… Lauren?” Natalie mumbled incoherently, still in a daze from Sebastian’s kiss.

She was shocked at the mention of this name: Although Lauren had never treated her well, Natalie didn’t expect her to stoop to this level of viciousness.

Clenching her fists, her nails dug into her palms.

Natalie couldn’t help but feel a mix of anger and disappointment.

“She must really hate me.”

Sebastian cupped her face in his palms and kissed her.

Natalie had just taken a bath, and her body smelled sweet and fresh.

“What do you want to do?”

Natalie shook her head, at a loss.

“I guess t want to see her, face to face.”

Sebastian didn’t object.He pinched her chin and said, “Let me take a shower first. Wait for me outside.” “Didn’t you just take a bath?”

After all, they were both in the bathtub just now.

With a helpless sigh, Sebastian leaned against the wall and gestured downwards playfully.

“Do you think I can go out like this?”

Natalie’s eyes followed the direction of his gesture.

When she saw what he meant, she immediately looked away as though she had been burnt.

“Okay, okay.I… I’ll wait for you outside.”

With a face as red as a tomato, she scurried out of the bathroom as quickly as possible and slammed the door shut behind her.

After getting dressed, Sebastian took Natalie to the Quinn family’s villa.

Behind them, his men dragged the driver with them.

“Who’s there?”

The same arrogant servant was the one who answered the door.

It seemed that every living creature from the Quinn family household-even the dogs they raised-would bully Natalie whenever they crossed paths.

This servant however, was the sort who would bully the weak and submit to the strong.

So as soon as she opened the door and saw the men in black standing at the door behind Natalie and Sebastian, her mouth snapped shut and she didn’t dare to insult Natalie.

“Oh, uh… Come on in.”

At this time, Lauren was leisurely painting her nails while a soap opera blared from the TV in the background.She seemed quite happy and was humming a cheery tune under her breath.

Just a few days ago, she had found a rapist who had just been released from prison.She offered him a huge sum of money to pretend to be a taxi driver to lure Natalie into her trap.

Such a desperado was greedy for money, and moreover, he had a criminal record.

Lauren figured that he was definitely the right guy to teach that damned bitch a lesson.

Sebastian had rescued Hannah from the car.

She was fine, but since the driver had kicked her just now, her arm showed a little bruising “Oh, my God! Are you okay? I’m glad you’re safe.I was so worried about you.”

Hannah stroked Natalie’s hair.

When she saw the red marks on Natalie’s face, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

“How on earth did this happen?” Natalie averted her gaze.

Biting her lower lip, she couldn’t answer.

Then, her eyes wandered over to Sebastian.

She quietly glanced at the dozen men in black suits that surrounded them.

Confused, she tugged Sebastian’s sleeve questioningly.

“Why are you dressed like that? And where did all these people come from? They look so scary.”

Sebastian was dressed in a formal, elegant suit.His black hair was combed to perfection, revealing his flawless face and accentuating his deep-set eyes that exuded a majestic aura every time he looked at others.

Unlike his usual slovenly self, Sebastian looked mature and noble, as if he were a whole new person today.

Sebastian stopped for a second, took off his double-buttoned vest, and draped it on his arm.He ruffled his black hair, letting a few strands fall between his thick eyebrows.

“I have to accompany my boss to receive an important client today,” he said nonchalantly.

“So I wore formal clothes. These are my friends.I asked them to help me when I received your call.”

Sebastian had a meeting with his foreign partners today, so he had dressed extra formally.But since he had come in a hurry to Natalie’s rescue, he didn’t have the time to change.

Sebastian’s so-called ‘friends’ were all trembling with fear. They nodded and bowed respectfully before Natalie.

“Hello! Nice to meet you!”

“Our buddy here always praises you.He thinks the world of you.”

Everyone tried to play along.

After all, it was a good opportunity to get a hike.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for helping us.How about I treat you to dinner?”

Natalie’s face turned red.She felt awkward to meet Sebastian’s friends like this.

After all, the slap mark was still visible on her face.She stole a glance at Sebastian, her eyes gleaming with admiration.She didn’t expect him to have so many friends and connections.

Sebastian draped his arm around Natalie’s shoulder and smiled.

“Well, that’s enough.She is shy. You guys better drop Hannah back to her home first and then hire someone to take care of her.”.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. It will cost a lot of money.”

Natalie frowned, tugging at the corner of Sebastian’s shirt.

“Well, would you rest assured if Hannah stays in the countryside all by herself?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Besides, it won’t cost much to hire a help to do household chores.Let’s discuss this further after Hannah recovers.”

Natalie had no choice but to agree.

By the time they got home, it was getting dark.

Natalie sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, as she watched the sun sink into the horizon.Her face was coated with ointment, and the swelling had alleviated a bit.

The sound of running water reverberated from the bathroom.

“I have run a bath for you.Go and take a bath first. It will make you feel better.”

Sebastian walked out of the bathroom.His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his strong forearms.

Natalie nodded and got up from the sofa.Her face bore no expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Sebastian checked her pulse and pressed the back of his hand on her forehead.

“Do you sense any discomfort? You don’t look good.”

He sensed something was wrong.

Natalie shook her head.

“Sebastian…”

She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, finally summoning the courage to speak.

“Can you accompany me to the bathroom?” she asked in a feeble voice.

The traumatic incident had shaken her up.

Natalie was still frightened.

Sebastian was the only person she trusted; his presence made her feel safe and secure.She wanted him by her side at all times.

Sebastian nodded.

“Sure.”

The bathroom was covered with steam, and a thin layer of mist sat on the glass.

As Natalie removed her dress, the sound of the zipper sliding sounded louder than usual.She cast a sidelong glance at the man beside her.

Sebastian’s gaze fell on the closed door.

His towering frame made the bathroom seem small and cramped.

Hearing the spluttering of water as Natalie stepped into the bathtub, Sebastian turned his head and sighed.

Natalie was submerged in the foamy water.

A thick layer of bubbles floated on the surface, revealing nothing but her flawless face.Her rosy cheeks and pitiful eyes somehow made her look more innocent than ever.She managed to effortlessly arouse his desire.

Sebastian’s mouth became dry as passion coursed through his veins.He tock deep breaths to control himself.

Natalie had seen him like this before.

Sebastian had the same look on his face every time he kissed her.

“I’ll be at the door.Call me if you need anything.” Sebastian smiled and gently patted her cheek before turning around to leave.

Natalie looked sad and miserable, so Sebastian decided to let her go today.

Just as Sebastian tumed out to leave, he felt a feeble grip on his hand.

He turned around and saw Natalie looking at him with expectant eyes.

“Don’t go…”

A hint of panic flashed in her eyes.She didn’t want to stay alone in the bathroom.

Natalie was almost in tears, looking aggrieved and helpless.

Sebastian couldn’t leave her alone after looking at the pitiful sight of her.

“Are you sure you want me to stay? Well, you know I’m not a gentleman.”

Sebastian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his jaw tightened.He lifted her in his arms and pressed her against the cold wall.

Caught off guard, Natalie yelped in shock.She didn’t stand a chance to react.

Although he seemed gentle, the ferocity of his kiss reflected his desire.

He thrust his tongue into her mouth, prying it open.

Then, he massaged his tongue against hers, making Natalie moan with pleasure.

“Hmm… Sebastian, I… I can’t breathe…”

Natalie moved her head back, trying to wriggle out of his grip.Her breathing faltered as a subtle blush painted her cheeks.

“Don’t you want it?” Sebastian asked, rubbing his nose against hers.

His dark eyes dazzled with desire.He gulped and gently bit her chin.

“If you are afraid, stop seducing me and behave yourself.” Natalie’s face turned a shade pinker.

However, she refused to let go of him.

“My… My period is over…”

Sebastian’s eyes widened with astonishment.He picked up the towel beside him and wrapped it around Natalie’s delicate body.

His breathing came out in short pants.

“No, this isn’t right. You better have your bath.I’ll wait outside.”

He felt that Natalie’s fear had driven her to say something like that.

Sebastian didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerability.

Just as Sebastian was about to leave, Natalie leaned forward and hugged him from behind.

The bath towel slipped to the floor.

“Please don’t go…”

She whimpered as tears filled her eyes.

Twenty minutes ago.

The Larson Group executives were in a conference with another high-profile company.

Sebastian’s phone had been vibrating for quite a while, but he chose to ignore it the first couple of times.

When the phone buzzed again and he finally glanced at the caller ID, his frown relaxed.

He raised a hand to signal a halt to the meeting.

“I’m sorry, but I need to take this call,”

he said, proceeding to answer his phone without waiting for the other men’s response.

As Sebastian listened to Natalie’s words, his face slowly darkened.

His body grew tense, and a heavy pressure was palpable in the air.

Garrett turned to Sebastian and noted how tight his grip was on his phone, as well as the slight tremor of his hand.

“What happened?” Garrett asked as soon as Sebastian hung up.

But the latter barely acknowledged him.

“Sorry, this meeting will have to be postponed,” Sebastian announced.

He stood up and walked out of the room.

The men looked at each other, dumbfounded, but none of them dared to raise a question.

Garrett hurried after Sebastian and asked him again, “What’s wrong?”

Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Send out all our helicopters to look for a maple forest in the periphery of the city.”

Garrett needed no further explanation.He nodded and rushed to do as he had been ordered.He knew that something had happened to Sebastian’s wife.

Moments later, five helicopters hovered over the city, scouring for a particular patch of woods.

Sebastian was on one of the machines, siting with back ramrod straight and his eyes straight ahead.

He was barely keeping his anger in check.

Just then, the radio crackled, and Garrett’s voice came through the noise of the propellers in full action.

“We’ve found it. There’s a maple forest just outside the main highway into the city.l’m sending the exact location to your phone.”

Sebastian cursed under his breath and instructed his pilot to turn around.

The helicopter took sever seconds to make a turn, and then it was speeding toward the southeast part of the city.

— Meanwhile… After being slapped and then running for a long time, Natalie now had no strength at all, but she was still struggling.

She stared up at the sky in despair, and thought she heard the distant rumble of a helicopter approaching.

“You bitch, I’m gonna fuck your brains out,” the driver said with an evil grin on his face.

He undid his belt, took it off, and used it to tie Natalie’s hands together.

Before he could tighten the binding, however, someone pulled him by the shoulder and sent him falling on his back.

Dazed and disoriented, the man had to blink a few times and collect his bearings.

When his vision finally cleared, he found himself surrounded by a group of people wearing all black.

“Cut his balls off,” Sebastian commanded, his voice cold as steel.

He stood against the light streaming through the trees, so the driver only caught his tall, suited silhouette.

“Who are you people?” the driver demanded as he cowered and tried to crawl away.

No one answered him, but one of the men in black stepped forward, brandishing a knife.

Shortly after, a howl of agony rang out in the woods.

Sebastian strode over to a barely conscious Natalie.

He crouched beside her and untied her hands before carefully wrapping her in his suit jacket.He gathered her close in his arms and whispered, “Don’t be scared, baby.”

Natalie’s eyes were still glazed, and she instinctively panicked at his sudden proximity.She flailed in his embrace.

“Let go of me! Somebody, help! You bastard! If you dare to touch me, I will kill you!”

The sheer desperation in her voice made his heart ache.

Sebastian grabbed both of her hands and tried to soothe her.

Although his voice was calm and comforting, his face was the complete opposite.

His brows were knitted, his lips tight, and a deadly storm was brewing in his eyes.

Sebastian carefully carried Natalie into the car.

As he laid her down on the backseat gently, the cool breeze of early autumn blew on her ruddy cheeks.

“Do you know who I am?” he whispered.

Seeing Natalie in such a state made Sebastian feel terrible.

He ran his fingers through Natalie’s messy hair.

There were two obvious palm marks on Natalie’s face, and there was a streak of blood at the corner of her mouth.

His heart ached so much that he didn’t dare to touch Natalie’s face.

Holding Natalie’s shivering body in his arms, he gently tried to cornfort her.

“It’s okay now.I’m here. You’re safe.Don’t cry.”

Natalie clenched the waistcoat of Sebastian’s striped suit and looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Only then did she return to her senses.

She threw herself into Sebastian’s arms and sobbed, “Oh, Sebastian, it’s really you…”

“Yes, Natalie.It’s me.”

Sebastian was very patient.He gently fixed the suit jacket he put on her and put his arm around her shoulders.

With his head slightly lowered, he was able to press his forehead against hers, He kissed her earlobe gently.

“Does it still hurt?”

Natalie couldn’t answer him.She could only sob uncontrollably and bury her face into Sebastian’s chest.

It was as though a boat that had sailed alone for so long had finally found a harbor amidst a violent storm.

Sebastian rubbed her back reassuringly and gestured at his men to bring some tissue.

His men, on the other hand, were in a state of shock.

Their boss had always been an icy cold, serious man.

Yet here he was now, wiping the tears of a woman as though he was patiently coaxing an aggrieved child.

“Your eyes are all red and puffy from the crying. They won’t look pretty for a while,” he whispered in a low voice.

Only Natalie could hear him.

At that, the woman stopped crying abruptly.

Her teary eyes tumed angry.

“Calm down, babe. You look good no matter what-even if your eyes are red and puffy.So stop crying. It hurts me to see you cry.”

Seeing that she still had the energy to glare at him, Sebastian finally heaved a sigh of relief.

But when his eyes landed on the stark slap marks on her face, his expression darkened once more.

Damn it.

Castration was too good a punishment for the driver.

It took a few more minutes for Natalie to calm down.She was really scared.

As Sebastian’s men castrated that damned driver, piercing shrieks echoed across the forest.

After screaming in pain for a while, the driver finally ran out of breath and fell silent, whimpering quietly.

Sebastian covered Natalie’s ears before turning to his men and ordering coldly, “Keep him alive.No matter what, get him to tell you who’s behind this.”

A few minutes later, Sebastian’s men dragged the driver away.

With a tissue in her hand, Natalie blew her nose and wiped her tear-stained eyes.

The tip of her nose and cheeks were red, and her eyelashes were wet with tears.

“Sebastian, were you able to find Hannah? How is she?” Natalie asked in a broken voice.

Sebastian cupped Natalie’s face and wiped her remaining tears with his thumb.

“Don’t worry.I’ve asked someone to look after her.”

When Natalie finally calmed down, Sebastian took her to see Hannah.

Sebastian ended up paying part of the fee to make it happen.

Three weeks later, Natalie packed the bags and helped Hannah out of the hospital.

“Hannah, would you like to live with me?”

“Oh, no.I’m old, and I’m used to living in the countryside. Take me back home.I won’t be comfortable living in big apartments here.” Hannah smiled happily.

She was pleased to see that Natalie led a better life here.

Natalie had no choice but to grant Hannah’s wish.She called a taxi at the gate of the hospital and decided to drop Hannah back at her home in the countryside.

Natalie looked out the window and saw them traverse a desolate path.

At that moment, it dawned on her that the car was driving in the wrong direction.

“Excuse me, you are driving in the wrong direction.”

When Natalie looked out of the window, she found that they were already in the wild. The place was uninhabited and was surrounded by an endless stretch of trees. The car was winding across an unknown path.

Hannah knew her way home better than anyone else.She also realized they were traversing an unknown terrain.

“Ah, this is not the way to our home! Are you deliberately going in the wrong direction?” Hannah anxiously shouted.Sensing something was wrong, Natalie quickly grabbed the driver’s seat.

“Stop the car! We need to get out!” The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror.He was wearing a mask, leaving only his eyes visible.

Before they knew it, he hit on the gas.Natalie and Hannah jerked backwards.

Hannah had just undergone the surgery, so she weakly collapsed on the seat.Her lips turned pale in an instant.

The taxi moved in an unknown direction, circling along the winding mountain road.

“I told you to stop the car.If you don’t, I’ll call the police!”

Natalie took out her phone from her bag and quickly called the police.

“Help! A taxi driver has abducted me.I! don’t know where I am.There is a maple forest in front of me.”

“Ma’am, calm down, please.Do you remember the license plate’s number? Could you be more specific about where you are and what’s around you? Any clue would be helpful to us.”

Natalie couldn’t tell where she was.She couldn’t see the license plate number now and didn’t pay attention to it when she got into the car.

“No.1 don’t know.I don’t remember.I’m terrified! Please help me.”

Natalie’s voice trembled with fright.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.Any landmark or any distinct thing you can spot?”

“No, nothing.It’s a desolate place surrounded by mountains and trees.”

The driver sneered and turned a deaf ear to Natalie’s words.

Then, he suddenly turned the steering wheel and made a sharp tum.

Sitting in the back seat, Natalie jumped with every bump.

As the driver took a sharp turn, Natalie’s phone flew from her hand and fell down.

Natalie fumbled around and finally picked up the phone.

Unfortunately, by then, the call got disconnected.

Natalie propped herself up and looked out of the window.

The wind was like a sharp knife, slashing her face.

Just as Natalie tried to jump out of the car, her gaze fell on Hannah, who had passed out in her seat.

Natalie could easily jump out of the car and escape.

But Hannah was old and was just discharged from the hospital.

Therefore, Natalie couldn’t leave Hannah alone in the car.

Natalie took out her wallet, gathered all the money, and angrily threw it at the driver.

“I’ll give you all my money.Let us go!”

The driver narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

“You bitch! What’s the use of your small bills?”

He ignored Natalie’s pleas and drove into a grove.

Not knowing what else to do, Natalie called Sebastian right away.

When the phone got connected, she shouted, “Sebastian, Sebastian… the taxi driver has abducted me and Hannah.It looks like we are in a maple forest.But I don’t know the specific location.No one is here.It’s about an hour’s drive from the city…” Natalie controlled her emotions and tried to calmly describe her situation to Sebastian.

“Do you have anything to protect yourself? Try escaping or negotiating with the driver.I will be there in 20 minutes.” Natalie felt a sense of invisible security.

Sebastian’s calmness somehow made her believe she was fine, and that he was coming for her.She trusted him..

However, she was too frightened to notice that Sebastian’s voice had never been this cold and serious before.

Hearing that Natalie was on the phone, the driver hit the brakes.

Natalie’s forehead rammed against the seat, and she cried out in pain.She hurriedly fumbled in her bag.

As soon as she touched a pen, she heard the door open.

“You fucking bitch! Who are you calling?”

The driver grabbed fistfuls of Natalie’s hair and dragged her out of the car.Then, he snatched her phone.

“Ah! Let go of me!”

Natalie shouted in horror, kicking her legs and struggling to escape snatched her phone.

“Ah! Let go of me!”

Natalie shouted in horror, kicking her legs and struggling to escape.

Natalie thrashed around, struggling to escape. She tried biting his hand and kicked her legs.But she was no match to the driver.

He was a strong man who effortlessly dragged her out of the car.

Hannah wanted to help Natalie, but the driver kicked her.

“You old bitch, get away from me!”

Then, he slammed the door shut and locked Hannah in the car.

“Hannah!”

Natalie screamed as a lone tear trickled down from the corner of her eye.

When the driver closed the door, Natalie quickly took the pen and stabbed it into his palm.

“Ouch! Damn it!”

The driver groaned in pain. The man’s face turned scarlet red and the blue veins on his forehead popped out.He quickly grabbed his wrist, and the blood trickled down from the tip of the pen.

Without looking back, Natalie seized the opportunity to escape and ran into the forest.

The driver grew furious.He quickly took off his mask and pulled the pen from his palm.He sucked on his wound and spat out the blood.

“Damn you, bitch!” he bellowed.

He grabbed the knife on his belt and chased after Natalie.

Natalie ran as fast as she could.

After running past the maple forest, she arrived at a green cornfield.

The cornstalks towered above her, swaying with the wind.

They were taller than an average man’s weight.

Natalie couldn’t run anymore.She bent down and began gasping for breath.

All the running had exhausted her.She turned around and found that the driver was still chasing after her.

Knowing that she was no match for the driver, Natalie decided to hide in the cornfield behind the lofty cornstalks.

The wind blew the corn leaves, and the sound of footsteps became louder and resonant.

Huddling in the cornfield, Natalie held her breath and carefully listened to the sound of the footsteps.

“Bitch, I know you’re in here!”

Natalie’s heart leaped to her throat when she heard that.

As the footsteps grew louder, the corn leaf above her suddenly parted.

The driver grinned down at her, looking like the devil.

“I found you, bitch!”

Natalie let out a piercing scream.She tried running away but the driver grabbed her hair and dragged her out.

Natalie fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“You bitch! You shouldn’t have made the phone call.And how dare you attack me?!”

The driver angrily dragged Natalie out of the cornfield with a ferocious look on his face.He squatted before Natalie and slapped her face twice.

“Let me go! I will give you more money!”

The sharp pain made Natalie dizzy; her vision grew blurry.She could taste the rancid taste of blood as they slid down from the corner of her mouth.

The driver grabbed her chin and eyed her with lust.

Then, he pulled out his knife and tore Natalie’s shirt open.

His jaw dropped when as he looked at her milky white skin.

“Oh!” He moaned.

“Gosh, you’re beautiful! We can have some fun before I kill you.” Natalie struggled and scratched the man’s face.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her chest heaved violently.

“Don’t even think of touching me.I will fucking kill you!”

The driver frowned and touched the wound on his face.

Anger blazed in his eyes.

He slapped Natalie and ripped off her shirt.

“Fuck you, bitch! I will give you a moment to enjoy it!”

“What’s on your mind? Why’s your face so red?” Sebastian pinched her cheek playfully.

Glancing at his phone on the table lazily, he asked, “Who are you texting anyway?”

“Oh, just Brandon Larson.He was the one whe invited us to the party. Thanks to him, I had the opportunity to teach Lauren and Cassie a lesson today.”

As she spoke, Natalie typed out another text to Brandon to express her gratitude.

Sebastian observed her quietly, taking note of her swollen lips from his biting earlier.

Then, he stood up and tumed on all the lights in the room, flooding the apartment with light.Just then, his phone lit up again.

“Who keeps texting you so late at night?”

Natalie eyed Sebastian’s phone curiously.

But she didn’t connect the dots, thinking it was just a coincidence.

“The owner of the convenience store asked me to come in and restock the store tomorrow.”

Sebastian picked up his phone and saw that Natalie had sent texts to his business account, which was Brandon’s.

After a quick glance, he put away his phone.

Simultaneously, Natalie saw that the messages she had sent to Brandon had been read, but he didn’t reply.

Under her breath, she muttered, “Huh? Why didn’t he reply?”

Worried that Natalie might make the connection any second now, Sebastian hurriedly scooped her into his arms and carried her to her room.

“Ah! What’re you doing?”

Startled, she grabbed his clothes in a panic.

Sebastian laid her down on the bed gently then kissed her passionately.

The woman’s unique fragrance intoxicated him, making him want to conquer her even more.

He cupped her cheek gently, but he climbed atop her, holding her down.He started kissing Natalie even more passionately, his tongue dancing with hers.He tasted like mint, too.

Probably from the tooth paste.

After what seemed like an eternity, just as Natalie was beginning to think something might happen, the man suddenly pulled away.

Natalie’s eyes were shut tight.

The kiss made her feel dizzy.She lay on the bed weakly.

“Get some sleep,” Sebastian said gruffly, gently kissing her ear.

His eyes still burned with lust, but he pulled out the blanket and gently tucked her in.

Then, he kissed her on the forehead and asked, “By the way, when’s Hannah’s surgery?”

Natalie, who was cozily wrapped in the blanket, looked stunned.

Blushing, she muttered, “Tomorrow.”

“Okay.I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

Sebastian stroked her hair and gave her one last peck on the forehead before turning around to leave. He had kissed her just now only to distract her.But he almost lost control of himself…

The scorching sunshine filtered through the curtains. The faint smell of disinfectant wafted in the air.

It had been a few weeks since Natalie came to see Hannah.

She felt a little guilty about not being able to see her often.

Ever since Natalie started working, she had been dealing with unfortunate incidents that seemed to take all her time.

Hannah’s liver transplant surgery was scheduled for 10 o’clock today. Natalie still had half an hour to talk with her.

“Don’t be nervous. You won’t feel any pain after they administer anesthesia.”

Natalie smiled and combed Hannab’s gray hair.

Hannah gently patted Natalie’s hand and smiled at her.

“I have no fear, my little girl. know you’re busy with work. You don’t have to wait here for me.The nurses in the hospital are very considerate. You need to stop worrying about me.”

Tears welled up in Natalie’s eyes.

She knew Hannah was in so much pain, yet the old woman was smiling to make sure Natalie didn’t worry about her.

“Don’t worry about me.I’m not a child.”

Natalie couldn’t help but smile at her.

Hannah suddenly pouted and flicked her gaze to the door.

“That young man has been waiting outside for a long time.Why don’t you let him in?”

Natalie turned around and saw Sebastian leaning against the railing in the corridor.

His gaze occasionally flitted toward them to see if they were okay.

Natalie hadn’t figured out how to introduce him yet..

“Nice to meet you.”

Sebastian walked into the ward with a polite smile.He had changed into a brown windbreaker today.

The man looked handsome as if he had come straight out of a magazine photoshoot.

Natalie had never seen Sebastian in such clothes before.

She was taken aback for a moment.

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “This is Sebastian.Well… You know about the marriage the Quinn family had arranged for me.” Hannah wasn’t aware of Natalie’s secret.

She only knew the Quinn family had arranged a man for Natalie and that she was already married. Hannah’s face broke into an ecstatic smile as she examined Sebastian’s face.

“Wow, what a handsome young man!” She patted Natalie’s hand.

“He looks like a good, decent man.Natalie, you are a lucky girl!”

Sebastian smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall.

“It’s about time.”

Natalie’s heart leaped to her throat when she saw the nurses wheeling Hannah into the operation theater.

“She will be okay, right?” she asked in a tremulous voice.

“Yes, everything will be fine.”

Sebastian patted her back comfortingly.

It was a long procedure that lasted all afternoon.

Hannah had to stay in the hospital for at least three weeks for observation to see if her body had adapted to the new liver.

After the operation, Hannah had to rest on the bed as the doctors administered an IV drip.

She needed someone to take care of her.

“I want to take a few days off and take care of Hannah.But I’m not sure if the company will agree.”

Natalie let out a weary sigh as she walked out of the doctor’s office.

“You should call them and explain your situation.I’m sure they’ll understand.After all, it’s a reasonable request,”

Sebastian suggested.

“But I have already taken many days off this month.” Natalie’s shoulders slumped with dejection.

“How do you know if you don’t give it a try?” Sebastian asked Natalie sighed and called Tiffany.

“You want to ask for leave? No problem at all.How many days do you need? How about two weeks?” Tiffany asked in a serious tone.

Natalie was taken aback.She thought Tiffany was mocking her.

“No, no, no! Thank you so much.” Natalie frantically shook her head.

“Forget I called.”

“No, I’m serious.How many days do you need?” Tiffany asked.

Brandon had called Tiffany earlier and spoken to her.

Therefore, she didn’t dare to frighten Natalie in any way.

Tiffany didn’t know much about Natalie, but she was shocked the CEO of the company had personally called her, instructing her to approve Natalie’s leave.

“Well, two days.Is that okay?” Natalie asked cautiously.

“Okay, okay.Sure. Your leave is approved.” Tiffany laughed.

Hannah recovered well after the operation.

The doctors said she would be discharged real soon.

Natalie had already taken several days off, so she had to return to work.

However, she didn’t work overtime and came to the hospital as soon as she got off work to check on Hannah.

During the day, she hired a nurse to take care of Hannah.

Initially she was against the idea of a full-time nurse, because she couldn’t afford it.

“Come on, then.Tell me already!”

Natalie tugged at Sebastian’s sleeve, her eyes full of curiosity.She looked like a little child asking for candy.

Sebastian pursed his lips into a straight line, and his expression darkened again.

But with a heavy sigh, he started to talk.

“My mother was born into a rich family, but her family’s financial situation plummeted fast later.She was never a mistress, like the rumors claimed.My father had forced her, which led to her pregnancy.At the time, she couldn’t fight against him, and he was the one who claimed she was just a mistress.Because her health was in bad shape, she couldn’t have an abortion.So she gave birth to me.”

Natalie tilted her head to look at him.

His tone was calm, but there was a frighteningly cold undertone.Plus, Sebastian omitted how his mother died. There must’ve been more to the story.

But she didn’t ask.

She could tell that his mother held a special spot in his heart.

Yet in order to protect Natalie earlier, Sebastian had brought up the subject of his mother in front of all those people.

“I have to thank your mother, because you turned out to be a great man.”

Natalie smiled and wrapped her arms around his slim waist.Her cheek was pressed against his chest.

There was always a faint smell of mint on his body.

She couldn’t help but bury her nose into his clothes, taking in his scent.

Sebastian chuckled and rested his chin on her head.

In a low, hoarse voice, he asked, “What’s gotten into you? Aren’t you afraid that I will eat you up?”

Natalie’s heart skipped a beat.

With a cunning look in her eyes, she raised her head and pressed her lips against his.

The quiet night seemed to spark up the romance between the couple. Natalie somehow felt fearless.

She and Sebastian hugged each other in the quiet park.Sebastian gently lifted her up and hoisted her on his lap.

His touch made Natalie quiver as she began panting.

Sebastian clasped her neck with one hand and nipped her bottom lip.

Perhaps because they were outdoors that Natalie felt more nervous.

The furtive night made it all the more thrilling.

Natalie was afraid, but she wanted more.

Sebastian wrapped his hand around her slender waist and pulled her closer to him.

Their chests brushed against each other.

Natalie was wearing a long silk dress that made his body temperature spike up in an instant.

Natalie grew breathless as Sebastian deepened the kiss.

He slowly loosened his grip after a while, and the two stared at each other, gasping for breath.

“Who taught you to bite people like this?”

Sebastian asked, peppering soft kisses all over her cheeks and eyes.

Leaning against Sebastian’s strong chest, Natalie looked up and saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down.

“Well, I learned it from you.Did I do it wrong?” she asked, touching her flaming cheek.

Sebastian chuckled and looked at her.

Once her breathing returned to normal, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

This time, the kiss was soft and chaste, unlike his usual hungry, aggressive kisses.

Sebastian bit her lower lip and gently sucked it.

Then, he opened his eyes and saw the passion on her face and how much she enjoyed his kisses.

Natalie let out a soft moan and stuck out her tongue to lick Sebastian’s lips.

However, she then realized Sebastian was watching her, so she shyly shrank in his arms.

Sebastian seldom kissed her this gently, without lust but just pure affection.

He wrapped his arms around Natalie and rested his head on her shoulder.

“Now, I have you.”

Hearing his muffled voice, an inexplicable feeling welled up in Natalie’s heart.She stroked his hair and realized they only had each other.

“Yes.We have each other.”

Sebastian hummed softly as he gently bit her slender neck and earlobes.

His hot breath blowing against her skin made Natalie shiver with pleasure.

“Stop kissing me.l’m still on my period,” she mumbled as a blush flamed her cheeks.

Her body felt sticky, and her raging hormones made her uncomfortable.

“I know.I’m only kissing you. won’t do anything else.”

Sebastian could barely breathe.

The need to make love to her grew intense with every passing minute.

Sebastian stood up and lifted Natalie in his arms in one swift motion.

“You’re light as a feather.” He frowned, trailing his fingers against her hip.

“You don’t have flesh in your body.”

“I’m already heavy.” Natalie blushed.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, no one was around.She felt conscious about making out with Sebastian outdoors.

Moreover, she didn’t expect him to lift her with one hand.She quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

His towering frame made her feel tiny.

Sebastian immediately took her home, and the two fell on the sofa and continued to kiss.

“Wait, wait, I have something important to do.”

Natalie quickly turned her head and stopped him from deepening the kiss.

Sebastian groaned and buried his face on her bosom, groaning irritably.His body was buming with passion.

However, he stopped kissing her and gently bit her neck.

Having no other choice, he stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

Natalie nodded.

Once Sebastian went to the bathroom, she took out her phone from the sofa and sent a message to Brandon.

“Mr.Larson, thank you for organizing the party tonight.Everything went well.”

She thought about it and added, “Things went on just like you said. Many colleagues have apologized to me.I’m sorry for all the trouble, and thank you very much for helping me.”

It was Brandon, who had invited the Quinn family members to the party and asked Natalie to clarify herself in public.

As soon Natalie sent the messages, Sebastian’s phone on the table lit up.

Since the room was still dark and the lights were still off, the messages caught Natalie’s attention.His phone lit up twice, right after Natalie sent messages to Brandon.She frowned and looked up at Sebastian’s phone.

Natalie didn’t think too much about it.She thought it was just a coincidence.She wouldn’t have made the connection between Sebastian and Brandon so easily.

After taking a quick cold shower, Sebastian came out of the bathroom in a white T-shirt and loose track pants.

Water was still dripping from his black hair, and his long narrow eyes drooped slightly.

Natalie was still waiting for Brandon’s reply when she felt somebody hug her from behind.

The farniliar scent of mint wafted to her nose, which comforted her.

“Done so soon?” Natalie asked feebly, shifting uncomfortably in his arms.

“Weren’t you waiting for me?” Sebastian smiled.

He withdrew his arms and dried his black hair with a towel, staring at her lazily.

Natalie’s face flushed and she immediately tried to defend herself.

“I wasn’t waiting for you.Anyway, you should check your phone since it lit up twice now.I think you got a few texts.” Unhurried, Sebastian leaned over and nibbled on her earlobe affectionately.His stubbles tickled her.

“Hey, stop! You phone… Do you need me to get it for you?”

Under his touch, goose bumps formed on the back of his neck, so Natalie pulled away quickly to get his phone.

But as soon as she tried to stand up, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, shackling her to the sofa.

“Stop it! Just give me a minute, will you?”

Natalie’s watery eyes were as wide as saucers.She thought that Sebastian was going to try to kiss her again.

While the thought gave her butterflies, she still felt shy around him.

Plus, there was some business she had to take care of first.