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

All of a sudden, Sebastian felt like all weight had been lifted out of his hands.

He looked down nervously when he heard Natalie’s scream and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Fortunately.Natalie was safe.The firefighters below had already laid out a rescue cushion under them to prevent Natalie from hurtling headlong into the ground.

Thankfully, she had landed right on target on the cushion.

With his hands grabbing the hand rills, Sebastian couldn’t hold on any longer and passed out.

Closing his eyes, he was still thinking that Natalie was not far from the ground now and that she should be safe.

When Natalie fell on the air cushion, she felt a sharp pain all over her body, as if her bones had broken.

Ignoring the pain, she staggered to her feet and looked up desperately at the rooftop.

The life-saving rope was burned, and there was absolutely no way for Sebastian to escape.

At this time, a loud sound came from the rooftop.

The fire on the rooftop could be seen from the ground. Frightened, Natalie shouted at the rooftop, “Sebastian!”

However, there was only the sound of burning coming from the rooftop now that the fire had grown so big.

Seeing that there was no response from Sebastian, Natalie was about to lose her mind completely.

She hurriedly said to the firefighters, “My husband is still up there! Please save him!”

One of the firefighters had no choice but to answer, “Our vehicles are still stuck out here; we had to carry the rescue cushion in ourselves just now.

Natalie suddenly felt desperate.She pushed the people standing in front of her out of her away and was about to rush upstairs to save Sebastian herself.

“Hey! Calm down, rniss.It’s too dangerous!”

Everyone around rushed to stop her dead in her tracks, “Natalie! Sebastian risked his life to save you!”

Laney lived on the lower floor and she had already run down before the fire spread.

She now grabbed Natalie’s wrist and said in a softer tone, “Calm down.Even if you rushed up, you won’t be able to save him; you will only get yourself killed.”

“Let me go up there! Laney, Sebastian is still up there, fighting for his life!” Natalie broke down and cried.

She couldn’t calm down even a little and kept shaking her head, trying to struggle out of the grip of the crowd.

The fire seemed to grow bigger with every passing minute, and the smoke mingled with the clouds in the sky. It was a serious fire accident, and the people gathered around gasped in fear.

At that moment, a helicopter with the Larson Group’s logo broke through the smoke and hovered above the rooftop.

The rope ladder rolled down, and the rescuers climbed down. Séveral men in bright orange suits jumped off the rope and saved

Sebastian, who had passed out.

The sound of the propeller gradually reached Natalie’s ears.

Seeing the helicopter parked in an open space near the neighborhood, she immediately rushed over. Sebastian’s face was covered in soot, and there were multiple burns on his body. He was unconscious. The blood from the wounds soaked his shirt. All the residents swarmed around him, and some kind- hearted person called 911.

“He is severely injured.”

“Don’t worry, young lady. The ambulance will arrive soon!” Tears streamed down Natalie’s cheeks when she realized what Sebastian had been through. She wiped the tears off her face and escorted Sebastian to the ambulance along with the firefighters.

Laney saw Natalie’s swollen ankles and reatized she must have hurt herself when she fell on the air cushion.

“You should treat the injury on your ankles first.” Natalie shook her head fiercely. She forced herself to calm down and got in the ambulance with Sebastian.

“Please go to this hospital.” Natalie gave the address of Frank’s hospital. The driver didn’t refuse. He knew it was a high-end private hospital, and the equipment there was much better than those at public hospitals.

As soon as they arrived at the front gate of the hospital, Natalie saw Frank standing there with a dozen medical staff as if they had been waiting for a big shot.

Frank ran over as he watched his people wheeled Sebastian into the hospital in a stretcher bed. His face turned grim when he saw Sebastian’s conditions.

“Take him to the OR and call the attending doctor of the Dermatology Department right away.”

Frank hurriedly ordered the nurse. Then, he and a dozen doctors pushed Sebastian into the operating room and began treating him.

Natalie clenched her fists and anxiously paced outside the door. Her swelled-up ankles had turned red. Laney couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She went to the nurse and got some ointment for Natalie.

“You don’t have to keep staring at the door. He is right inside there and won’t go anywhere.” She grabbed Natalie’s arm and helped her sit down.

“The doctors are treating him now.”

Although Natalie was sitting on a chair, her eyes were still fixed on the door of the operating room.

“Sebastian is seriously injured. He said he would get out of the place safely with me.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about it.

Laney wasn’t good at comforting people. She hadn’t even cried once after becoming an adult.

All she could do was sit beside Natalie and accompany her. Some doctors came out of the OR, and then more went in. The next afternoon, the light of the operating room finally turned green.

Frank walked out, his face taut with exhaustion. Natalie’s heart sank when she saw the expression on his face.

“Doctor Watson, how is Sebastian?” She hurriedly ran over and asked him.

Rubbing his temples in a bid to alleviate his headache, Frank took off his mask. Heaving a sigh, he massaged his stiff shoulder.

“He’s no longer in any real danger, but he had been seriously injured. He has multiple second degree burns and his lungs are damaged from inhaling too much smoke. He’s going to be in the hospital for at least three weeks.”

“I need to see him.” She tried to go into the ward. Frank stopped her.

“He’s awake, but you can’t go in there. He needs an asepsis environment while his burns heal. if you go in there right now, you might take in bacteria.”

Disappointment darkened Natalie’s eyes. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, lowering her head apologetically.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

‘It’s okay.” Frank knew that she was just worried about Sebastian. He raised his chin at the window.

“You can see him through the glass, but you should ready your heart for the sight. He’s all wrapped up in gauze. I don’t think even he himself ever imagined someday he’d look just like a mummy.” Natalie smiled, knowing that Frank was making jokes in a bid to make her feel better.

After a moment of hesitation, she turned around and walked to the window. Lifting a hand to the glass, she looked at the man lying on the bed.

Sebastian’s eyes were closed and there was an IV needle attached to his wrist. He had a ventilator on, and much like Frank had said, he was wrapped up in bandages and gauze like a mummy. He looked terrible. Natalie had never seen him like that before.

It seemed like Sebastian sensed a gaze on him, because he opened his eyes and turned his head, locking eyes with her. He couldn’t speak, so he could only blink at her from the other side of the glass. His gaze was gentle and comforting.

en and she hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand to keep her sobs from coming out. If he had not helped her down first, he wouldn’t have been suffering like this. Frank walked over with his hands behind his back.

The property manager was wholly overwhelmed by anxiety. He was very clear about the fact that the resident of the top floor was a big shot.

However, there was such an unexpected situation at the critical moment of rescue.

The manager wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and nervously watched the thick smoke billowing from the top floor.

Sebastian and Natalie were blocked into a corner of the rooftop. The surrounding area was as hot as the surface of the sun, and the heat was almost unbearable.

The floor under their feet was so hot that they could hardly stand.

Natalie was sweating profusely.

Her face was red and her hair had curled from the heat, Sebastian observed the rooftop calmly.

He couldn’t just sit still and wait to be burnt to death. He had already called for the firemen, and there should have been many people calling the police outside.

Why hadn’t the firefighters arrived yet? The wet blanket and wet towel they prepared in a hurry just now had already become bone dry from the sheer heat.

Natalie covered her mouth with the towel but she couldn’t help coughing and choking from the noxious gases of the fire.

“Sebastian, we’d better find a way to get out of here.This fire is going to eat us up if we don’t act fast.”

Natalie stared at the fire in the staircase leading to the rooftop.

It seemed to be impossible for them to go downstairs via that route.

Now they were truly in a predicament, Their wet clothes had also been dried out by the heat from the flames.

Even though the rooftop was an open space, the temperature and size of the flames was just too great.

The water in their bodies would evaporate quickly Sebastian walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down”! By this time, the fire had already burned the rooftop from the staircase to where they stood.

Natalie felt the heat increasing exponentially.Her mouth was dry, and her hands and feet were weak. She felt dizzy because of the dehydration from such close proximity with the flames.

The rooftop wasn’t that big.It was only a few dozen square meters wide.

The potted plants on the roof had become withered because of the heat.

There was nowhere for Natalie and Sebastian to hide.

Moreover, it was rather windy today, making the fire even worse. Gradually, smoke was forming on the rooftop. Sebastian knew that they couldn’t wait any longer.

As the smoke increased, so too would the concentration of carbon monoxide within the area.

And by then, he and Natalie would likely pass out on the rooftop due to excessive intake of carbon monoxide. It would take some time for the Larson Group’s helicopter to arrive.

They couldn’t wait for that long. Sebastian walked to the edge of the rooftop and tied a roll of rope to the railing, which he had taken from the bathroom earlier.

“Natalie, come here.I’ll get you down from the rooftop using this rope.”

Sebastian helped Natalie to the edge of the rooftop and tied the other end of the rope to her waist.

Dazed and dizzy, Natalie stared at the crowd.

There were numerous people beneath the building, small as ants.Her vision was blurring, and her legs grew weaker by the second.

“Sebastian, I… I’m scared,” Natalie stammered.

Sebastian lifted her up from behind and gently put her on the edge of the rooftop.

He leaned close to her ear and said, “Listen to me, Natalie. know you’re afraid, and of course, it’s dangerous. Trust me, I won’t resort to doing this if I have any other choice.The fire has spread to the rooftop.Our only option is to find a way down by ourselves.If we hesitate any longer, both you and I could perish here.”

For a moment, Natalie sobered up.She stared into his eyes through the thick smoke.

And in that instance, her vision blurred. She turned around, embracing Sebastian tightly.

This was a fear that she had never experienced before.

Bitterly, she cried, “What about you?”

Sebastian planted a kiss on her tear-streaked face.

“I’m strong enough to hold onto the rope by myself and go down after you.”

Natalie wiped away her own tears, still worried about him.

“I’m going to be fine,” Sebastian added.

He kissed her lips and smiled.

Thereafter, he double-checked the rope on Natalie’s waist and tied it more firmly.

“If you’re feeling scared, make sure not to look down and try not to move as much.Just leave everything to me.Got it?”

After taking a few deep breaths, Natalie closed her eyes and nodded.

As she held onto the rope tightly, Sebastian lowered her bit by bit.

By then, the fire was approaching and the heat wave was burning all in its wake.

Sebastian groaned in pain; his forehead covered in sweat.He felt a scathing pain on his back.

It was as if a red-hot iron bar was pressed onto his back through his shirt But right now.

Natalie was hanging in the air.He must endure the pain and lower her down as cautiously as possible, lest he dropped her.

Natalie closed her eyes, daring not to look down.

She could hear Sebastian’s faint grunts of pain when she opened her eyes to see what was happening, all she saw was dense smoke.

The top floor and the rooftop continued to burn.

Soon, the rope approached the window.

But then, the fire coming out of the window ignited the rope.

While Natalie was halfway down, the rope continued to burn.She felt as if it would break at any moment.

While Natalie was halfway down, the rope continued to burn.

She felt as if it would break at any moment.

Natalie’s heart skipped a beat and jumped into her throat when she heard the noise.

Sebastian gritted his teeth.

Blue veins stood out on his arms because of the overexertion.

He courageously endured the severe burning sensation engulfing every fiber of his back while he slowly loosened the rope and helped her down. It was still a fifteen-floor drop from where she was hanging and it was bone chilling.

As time ticked by quickly, Sebastian felt not only pain, but mostly dizziness.

The smoke on the rooftop had become thicker and thicker.

He had already inhaled copious amounts of toxic carbon monoxide.

He couldn’t keep himself from coming apart at the seams even if he wanted to do so.

Natalie’s hands were trembling, even her lips.

She tried hard and pressed her feet against the bricks of the small ledges that were between every floor as she went down in an attempt to reduce the weight on the life-saving rope so that Sebastian could bear less pressure.

If she relaxed for even a mere millisecond, she might went into a free fall and dragged Sebastian down with her.

But at this time, there was no other way to save themselves.

Sebastian could only grit his teeth and speed up.

Although the life-saving rope was fire-resistant, it might eventually be burnt to ash from being exposed to the fire for so long

Natalie suddenly felt like she was being let down to fall when she heard the knot in the rope cracking, and she unconsciously screamed in utter panic.

As the descending speed gradually increased, the life-saving rape finally reached its limit and broke.

Sebastian had also noticed the smoke.He got up and went into the kitchen to check what was going on.

“The stove doesn’t seem to be on.” He knitted his brows and smelled something burning again.

The smell of smoke caused Natalie to cough.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she got up from the sofa and asked him, “Sebastian, do you have the feeling that it’s getting hot here?”

“I’ll go check outside.”

Sebastian’s eyes darkened noticeably.

He made his way to the door and as soon as he opened it, a heat wave and thick smoke rushed into the room. It appeared that some apartment downstairs from them was on fire.

The stairway had already been sealed by the fire and the thick black smoke blurred their path ahead.

They heard people shouting and running in a hurry to get away.

People were shouting out loud, “Fire! Fire!”

Sebastian immediately closed the door.He ran into the bathroom to wet the towels, which he then draped over Natalie and himself

“What would cause this fire? There’s no one else on our floor, and I’m pretty sure the 21st floor is empty as well…”

Natalie coughed, her eyes tearing up from all the heavy smoke she couldn’t fathom why this was happening.

Their apartment was on the top floor, and no one else lived beside or below their unit. The fire had escalated at this point, and a dark cloud of smoke spread through the corridor, turning the place into a hot oven.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Sebastian comforted her.

“Someone must have called 911; the firefighters should be on their way. They’ll be here soon.”

His face was glistening with sweat, with drops trickling from his chin.

“I’ll go and check how bad itis out there.Let me see if we have a way to escape on our own.Stay here and watch yourself, okay?

Make sure you don’t get burned.”

“Sebastian!” Natalie grabbed his arm in a vise-like grip.

“Be careful.”

He hiked up her towel over her head and said, “I will.Don’t worry.”

With that, Sebastian pulled the door open and disappeared into the dark.

As the fire had come from the floor below, the stairs were naturally out of the question.

They couldn’t take the elevator, either. Judging by how fiercely the fire raged, Sebastian figured that this was no accident.

Moreover, their neighborhood had always been commended by the community for its fire safety measures.

This disaster was definitely intentional. He was sure of it.

Meanwhile, Natalie had been staring at the clock on the wall since Sebastian left.

lt had been almost ten minutes, and he still hadn’t returned.

Feeling restless and panicked, she opened the door and screamed into the burning hallway.

“Sebastian!”

A tall figure soon emerged from the thick smoke and pushed her back inside their apartment.

“I told you to stay put, didn’t 1?” Sebastian rasped.

“Save your energy.We’re going to have to make a run for it.”

“I was worried about you!”

Natalie wailed, feeling aggrieved.

Sebastian’s face had black patches from the ash in the air, but it did nothing to conceal his good looks.

He still looked dashing as ever, despite the severity of their situation.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

Then, he took out his phone and dialed 911.

After a brief conversation with the emergency responder, he looked to Natalie and considered their options.

There was only one option left.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Sebastian called Garrett.

“Send a helicopter over,” he ordered as soon as the line connected, no longer caring about having his identity exposed Natalie froze, stunned at what she had just heard.

She turned to Sebastian, but he had already dashed into the bathroom and was dousing his body with water.

“Come here!”

He waved at her urgently.

She ran over, and he promptly poured a bucket of water on her. The air was rapidly getting heavy, and tendrils of smoke were beginning to enter their apartment through the vent.

Sebastian knew that it wasn’t safe to stay in the apartment anymore.

He grabbed two new towels and soaked them in water before handing one to Natalie.He covered his mouth and nose with the other and motioned for her to do the same.

“The stairway is blocked, and the elevator isn’t working. We can only escape through the rooftop, but we’ll have to run through the corridor to get there.I need you to listen carefully.Once we’re out of the apartment, just run as fast as you can.No matter what happens, you must not stop.okay?”

Natalie nodded obediently.She could barely keep her eyes open because of the smoke.

They went to the front door and braced themselves.

The moment Sebastian opened it, a wave of heat rushed past them and into the apartment.

Natalie could feel the water on her clothes evaporate in a second.

Just as they had agreed, she blindly ran forward, pumping her legs with all the strength she had left.

Sebastian was following close behind, making sure that the fire wouldn’t reach her as they fled.

With one last spurt, they managed to reach the rooftop.

Just then, a sizable crowd of onlookers from the neighborhood gathered in the open apace downstairs the crowd raised their heads and looked at the Inp Mon which way engulfed by shirt blark clouds of smoke

A member of the property management’s voice was amplified loudly by a loudspeaker “Everyone, be quiet! Keep calm Keep a safe distance from the fire we have called the fire department and the firemen will be here shortly!”

“Why did the fire seem to start at the top floor? What about the people on the top floor?”

“Have all the people on the lower floors managed to evacuate? If you are fine, come and report to me!”

People were all talking and shouting over one another.It was a scene of utter chaos.

The fire had started on the penultimate Moor of the building Fortunately, the residents below that floor were not trapped and had escaped to safety Only Sebastian and Natalie were still caught in the fire since they lived on the top floor, The siren of the fire engine could be heard approaching quickly, but only the sound of the siren could be heard, and there was no sign of the fire engine itself.

Someone in the crowd peered around and saw that the fire engine had actually stopped just near the building, The firefighting access was originally unimpeded.

Now there was a big truck parked at the entrance, which completely blocked the way of the fire engine.

What’s more, this high-end community’s pedestrian system was separated from the vehicle system.

Except for the firefighting access, the fire engine had no way to approach the apartment building from the ground, The property manager was so anxious that he shouted, “What’s going on?! Where is the driver of that truck? This is a matter of life and death.We don’t have a second to waste here!”

Many people couldn’t stand idly anymore.

They also tried to contact the driver to move the truck, but sadly no one recognized this truck and they had no idea who to call.

“Damn it! There is no phone number left on the truck either. We have no way of contacting the driver!”

“Then we have to wait for the tow truck!”

“God knows when the tow truck will arrive! Besides, this truck is too big to be towed. It’s also impossible for the fire engine to forcefully hit a way out!”

“What’s the matter?”

Sebastian walked to the fridge and took out a bottle of chilled spring water.

He had the habit of drinking chilled beverages all the year round.He unscrewed the cap and said in confusion.

“If you have something to say, you can just say it.”

“I saw Brandon Larson today.”

Natalie said she pinched the edge of the couch cushion nervously.

Although she really wanted to question Sebastian, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by him

“And then? What happened?”

Sebastian closed the fridge door and leaned against it. He raised his head and looked straight into her eyes .He crossed his arms over his chest.

The fitting gray sweater hugged his muscles perfectly. After due thought and consideration, she said, “The two of you look perfectly alike.Tell me the truth… Are you and Brandon twin brothers?”

This was the only viable explanation she could think of They looked exactly alike and Brandon did seem to treat her a little specially compared to others

Perhaps this was the case because Brandon knew all along that she was his sister-in-law, and he was doing it for his brother Sebastian Natalie couldn’t help herself and continued to develop a narrative in her mind she thought that perhaps they were twins, but they were forcibly separated from each other and had to live separate lives from that point onwards.

A wave of relief washed over Sebastian.He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.He was amused by her question .How had she jumped to that conclusion? Sebastian walked over to her and sat down calmly.

He touched her face with his fingers, smiled and pinched her cheek “You sounded really sure. Did you see his face up close?

There are innumerable people who look alike in this world.Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

Fortunately for him, she didn’t suspect that Brandon and he were one and the same person.

However, it was not surprising that Natalie would think they were twins. It was indeed a perfect explanation.

With her eyes wide open, Natalie held Sebastian’s hand and said, “You have no idea how much you look alike! He has your exact nose and jawline!”

Seeing the serious look on her face, Sebastian took a sip of water and asked with convincing astonishment, “Really?”

“Of course! Why else would I be so surprised?” Natalie continued.

She was being completely honest.

If they didn’t bear such a remarkable resemblance, she wouldn’t be as shocked as she was. After thinking for a while, Sebastian rubbed the top of her head gently.

She looked so upset right now, trying to convince him. After mulling the situation over in his mind, he said, “I was just asking out of surprise.I don’t know if I have a twin brother or not.My mother never told me any details of my birth.But when I was born, the

Larson family was already down and out, and every member of it had a tragic tale to tell.So, there is the possibility that this may be true.”

He had rationalized to himself that it might be easier for Natalie to believe that Brandon and he were twin brothers.So he decided to go along with it.

“Then you should meet each other!” Natalie held his arm and said excitedly.

All of a sudden, she felt that she was doing a great deed by reuniting the twins.

lf Brandon really was Sebastian’s twin, Sebastian would finally have another blood relative in the world that he could call family.

Looking at the expectant look an her face, Sebastian felt a comforting warmth fill his heart.He had always thought he didn’t know much about love, but he was really warmed by her words.

He smiled and asked gently, “How?”

After thinking for a while, Natalie said, “I think he might know about your existence.Maybe you can just go see him directly.”

Sebastian was stunned and started coughing. How could he make it work? Currently, technology wasn’t advanced enough to create a person who looked exactly the same as him and who could interact with him face to face

“My idea is the exact opposite Indeed, Brandon might know something about this he just so happens to be the CEO of the Larson Group, so, of course, he knows more about this than we do.But he didn’t say this right out.He must have his own reasons for this. It’s better not to rush into meeting up with him.Furthermore, we happen to be very different in our social statuses. If it turns out we’re not related, it would be very embarrassing, am I right?”

Sebastian explained all this in a whisper Natalie scrutinized his face carefully.

Something occurred to her right then.Could it be possible that Brandon and Sebastian were actually the same person?

But as soon as she thought of that, she shook the idea from her mind.How could that be possible? This was Brandon Larson.

He was one of the richest men in Seacisco.

How could he and Sebastian be the same man? She tossed the idea out of her head and thought Sebastian’s explanation made more sense.

They were only ordinary people.

If Sebastian went to see Brandon just like that and told him that they were twin brothers, Brandon might take it that they wanted to milk him for money.

Furthermore, there had been a lot of rumors circulating about her in the Larson Group already.

If something were to happen again, everyone would point their fingers at Sebastian as well.

She didn’t want that to happen at all “Just forget about it.But it really seems that you two look alike.If you saw him with your own eyes, you would be as startled as me how much you guys resemble each other.”

With a heavy sigh, Natalie embraced Sebastian tightly to her.

Fortunately, Sebastian was only an ordinary man who she could enjoy the rest of her life with, without any complications or bother from the outside world.

“Maybe I’ll get to meet him some other time.”

A smile popped up on Sebastian’s face right then; however, it happened to be a forced one.

Knowing that Natalie suspected something already, he had to speed up his plan.He couldn’t keep this from Natalie for long.

The thing he wanted the most now was to get her to live in the biggest mansion in Seacisco and for everyone to look up to her.He didn’t want to continue talking about Brandon with Natalie so he changed the topic.

Holding onto Natalie’s wrist, he said in a hushed voice, “You said you had coffee with Kent Perkins just now? Did he say anything to you?”

Natalie nearly forgot about it.

Now that Sebastian suddenly reminded her of it, she had a lot to tell him.

“Kent said that it wasn’t just some ordinary reporter who had blitzed the media with all those bad things about Emani, but some big shot who hated her guts and wanted to help me out.But I have already asked Brandon about this matter and he said that it wasn’t him.I don’t know if he’s lying to me or not.But no matter what, I feel that it’s really strange. If it wasn’t him, then who the hell could it be? If it was really Brandon, why wouldn’t he admit it?”

Sebastian regretted bringing up this at all.

It looked like he had laid out a trap for himself.

When he was trying to think of an excuse, a strong smell of smoke suddenly came into the room.

“What’s that smell? This is so weird.”

It seemed as though Sebastian hadn’t come back yet.

Fortunately, the company was just a ten minute walk away from where she lived.

She could drop by the company again to get her keys.

It was already late at night when she arrived at the company building.

There were only a few floors which still had lights on. As soon as she entered the building, she noticed the CEO’s elevator door opening from a distance.

The person inside was coming out of the elevator.

It looked like Brandon had just gotten off work.

Natalie took out her phone to check if she had received a response from him, but it turned out that she still didn’t get any replies.

She was lucky that she ran into him here by accident.

She could just ask him her question face to face.

If he really did help her, she wanted to take this opportunity to ask him why he helped and thank him properly for it.

Brandon had help her several times before and all she had done was to send him messages of gratitude.

She had never expressed her gratitude to him in person.

To her, it felt like she was being insincere.

In the distance, Brandon was surrounded by several men in black suits.

He was also dressed in a suit and leather shoes.

Just as he was about to walk out of the elevator, his eyes swept across the door and noticed her.

Brandon’s eyebrows knitted together.

He paused for a moment and said, “I forgot a document upstairs.I’m gonna go upstairs and get it.”

If the men were to listen carefully enough, they would be able ta hear that Brandon was frantic.

Thereafter, Brandon turned around and shuffled back to the elevator.

His bodyguards followed him back inside.

When Natalie saw that he went back to the elevator, she strode over to him and shouted, “Wait, Mr.Larson! It’s me, Natalie Quinn!”

But as soon as she ran fo the elevator door, it was already closing.

She pressed the button and peered through the closing door.

Brandon was turning his face away, but she noticed that he looked exactly like Sebastian.

As Natalie stood at the door of the elevator, she was stunned.She was about to take a closer look at him, but Brandon had already turned his back to her and the door had closed.

It never occurred to Natalie thal Brandon had the same looks at her own husband, Sebastian, who geldom dressed up and was highly neglectful of his appearance. She wished she could rush up and sing open the door so that she could take a closer look.

She even wanted to barge headlong into the CEO’s office and spin Brandon around to face her so that she could see exactly what he looked like. But she wasn’t that bold.

After all, Brandon was the CEO of the Larson Group, and was her boss’s boss.She dared not offend him in the slightest.She hadn’t managed to catch a glimpse of his entire face.She had just caught a fleeting look at his side profile But she was convinced that her eyes hadn’t deceived her.

Brandon’s side profile looked so similar to Sebastian’s, plus they were almost at the same height.

Were there really two people who looked so like in this world? Just then, Natalie received a message from Brandon on her phone.

“Natalie, why are you under the impression that I have everything to do with what’s happening in your life? The Larson Group isn’t responsible for your life.As for Emani, I just found out about what happened to her this morning from my assistant.”

Judging from his frigid tone, Natalie knew that he had made it clear that he didn’t have anything to do with what had happened with Emani. But this was not a big deal anymore.

The thing that was consuming her mind was the fact that Brandon and Sebastian looked like spitting images of one another.

And just now, she had already noticed that Brandon was deliberately avoided meeting her.He had just come out of the elevator.

Why did he suddenly turn around and go back in the instant his eyes fell on her? It was quite peculiar indeed.

However, it was not appropriate for her to ask him such a question.

If he denied it, it would make her look like a narcissist, wouldn’t it? Natalie had no choice but to text him back politely.

“I’m sorry, Mr.Larson.Perhaps I over thought this whole thing.I happened to be in the company just now and I saw you going upstairs.Could I invite you to join me for dinner? You have helped me so many times before.I want to thank you properly in person.”

After sending the message, Natalie became overwhelmed by nerves.

Somehow, she thought of Sebastian’s face again.

Brandon looked exactly like him.

Brandon replied immediately this time, “I just received an urgent meeting invitation. need to leave the country soon and I will be very busy for the next few days.”

That explained why he suddenly turned around and went back into to the elevator just moments ago.

Staring at the message from Brandon, Natalie frowned thoughtfully, She didn’t believe there could ever be such a coincidence.

She had seen it clearly just now with her own two eyes.

As soon as Brandon saw her, he walked into the elevator without looking back But it was too far away, so she hadn’t really got to see his face clearly until she rushed over and the elevator door almost closed.

However, seeing such a reply, there was nothing more Natalie could say.

After all, Brandon was her boss.She couldn’t demand that he have dinner with her.

“Okay.I’ll thank you in person when you are free someday.”

She pursed her lips.She really had no choice but to go to her desk and get her keys.

Staring at the closed elevator door, she felt regretful, but her hands were tied.

She took out her phone and called Sebastian. Since she couldn’t ask Brandon, she could at least ask Sebastian about it.

Sebastian stood in the elevator, all stiff and tense. His fear lingered at the back of his head He had been sweating so much that his shirt had already stuck to his back. He had never expected to meet Natalie here, of all places. He hadn’t even figured out how to tell her the truth yet.

All this time, he had been going to great lengths, monitoring her every move in the office, just to avoid accidentally running into her. Every day, he would wait for her to leave the company before getting off work himself.

And whenever Natalie needed to clock in some overtime, Sebastian made sure to leave after she did. That afternoon, Natalie had sent him a message saying that she was going to have coffee with Kent.

Sebastian had been in the middle of a meeting with the senior executives, so he hadn’t even been able to reply to her Once the meeting was done, he had proceeded to go over the financial statements and make the necessary revisions.

It had taken him a while before he could finally call it a day.

He had felt safe taking the CEO’s elevator under the foolish presumption that Natalie would either be at the coffeehouse or on her way home by now.

Sebastian had never expected her to suddenly return to the company.

Just before the elevator reached the top floor, Sebastian received another message from Natalie.

She was asking about Emani.

To begin with, he had no intentions to use Brandon’s name in helping Natalie with this issue, since it wouldn’t make any sense He could only reply her coldly, saying that it had nothing to do with Brandon or the Larson Group As the elevator door slid to a close between them earlier, Sebastian realized that Natalie was staring at him through the gap.

He knew then that she had seen his face.

Although surprised at first, he immediately averted his eyes and turned away.

A few seconds after that, his phone pinged.

Natalie was inviting Brandon to dinner.

She offered to meet him in person and treat him to a meal, which could only mean that she had begun to suspect him It wasn’t the right time to tell her the truth, however, so he had no choice but to make up some excuse and decline her offer Sure enough, as soon as Natalie was rejected by Brandon, she called Sebastian.

Sebastian yanked his tie off his neck.

“Yes, is everything all right?” He spoke in the same old, relaxed voice he always used around her

“What time are you coming home?”

Natalie asked in a casual tone that made it difficult to tell how she was actually feeling “Do you have to work overtime every day now?”

Sebastian clenched his fist and cleared his throat.

“I don’t think I’ll be home until a while later,” he said calmly.

“I was just wrapping up my work for the day.”

After saying their goodbyes, Sebastian rushed into his office and made a beeline for the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the streets below.

When he finally spotted Natalie walking out of the company building, he let out a long sigh. He waited for another half hour before heading home.

Sebastian stepped into their house and was greeted by the sight of Natalie sitting in the middle of the sofa, her legs crossed, her arms folded over her chest.

Her eyes had been fixed on his face since he opened the door, and it trailed him as he moved across the foyer.

“It’s getting colder and colder, huh?” Sebastian said lightly as he took off his coat.

His hair was disheveled, and dark locks hung low over his brow. He looked like some debonair entrepreneur trying to try his luck out in the big world. He padded over to the rug and lazily shook the snow off his coat.

Despite his outward composure, Sebastian was practically shaking inside.

He wasn’t sure he was ready to face Natalie’s questions just yet.It didn’t help that she kept staring at him, either.

After a long, tense silence, Natalie took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

Her voice rang loud and clear.

“Sebastian Klein!”

Natalie turned off the TV and sighed.

She wasn’t expecting the public opinion shift completely in just a matter of hours.She took out her phone and began reading news about Emani on the Internet.

All the brands that she had previously endorsed announced the termination of her contract, and the comment section for each article was bombarded with hate speech against Emani.

Even on various social media platforms, this was the hottest issue, and the netizens didn’t hold back with their criticisms.

Emani had done many other despicable things in the past, so people didn’t really find it hard to believe that she had also framed Natalie this time.

Gradually, they began expressing their regrets in public, and some even apologized to Natalie for wrongfully pinning the blame on her.

As Natalie scrolled through the social media sites, she realized that Emani’s account had been officially deleted and could no longer be found.

She seemed to have been banned from the Intemet altogether.

Just then, Natalie received a message from Gerda.

“I heard that Emani’s Twitter account has been deleted.Serves her right! Finally, the whole thing has been brought to light! I am so pleased with how things tumed out.”

The text ended with a couple of cute smiling emojis.

Natalie pursed her lips and smiled as well.

For some reason, the sight of the comments and her friend’s text brought her comfort.She felt her anger slowly ebb away.

At last, this matter could be laid to rest.

“Looks like the trouble Emani caused is finally cleared up.”

Sebastian stood at the door, a gray, woolen scarf wrapped around his neck.He was carrying a large grocery bag in one of his hands.

Natalie turned to him with a wide grin on her face.

“Someone posted the footage of us by the lake that day on the Internet. It proved that Emani fell into the water by herself.Now, everybody is apologizing to me. This feels so good.”

Sebastian chuckled under his breath.

His pretty little wife was so simple and naive.

If it were his former self, he would have looked down on her with disdain.

But now, he could only feel sorry for the likes of Natalie, who often got bullied by the rich and the powerful.

He made up his mind to protect her for the rest of their lives, no matter the cost.

Sebastian strode across the living room and went straight to the kitchen.

“I’ll make some good dishes to celebrate,” he said as he passed by.

Natalie hurriedly put on her slippers and followed after him.

“Great!” she said happily.

“I want to eat some braised pork, please.”

They bickered in the kitchen for a while.

All of a sudden, Natalie turned pensive.

“Don’t you think I’ve been too lucky lately, Sebastian? Emani has gotten away with her evil deeds all this time. Why was she exposed now, after so many years? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence?”

Sebastian’s hand froze While in the jewelry store Insi time, he had noticed that something was going on between Emani and Natalie.

The first thing he did was to tell his people not to renew Emani’s contract once it expired And when than heard that she had signed a contract with Klein Silk Fabric, he kept an eye on her.

After all, Klein Silk Tabric belonged to the Klein family On the same day the scandal was exposed and Natalie was being accused of by the public, Sebastian immediately asked the public relations department of the Larson Group to deal with it.

Fortunately, there was a lot of dirt on Emani before Not long after Emani’s career took off, her company bought off all the paparazzi who had dirt on her to keep their mouths shut, in order to maintain her good image His last resort in exposing Emani’s dirty past was making his men do a secret investigation.

Then his next step was to approach Kirby, a renowned reporter in the entertainment industry.

Over the years, he had reported a lot of exclusive news that were all proven to be real.

Hence, his name became famous.

Sebastian knew Kirby was the right person to expose Emani’s secrets.

So he asked this reporter to write a long article using the information he had given him.

At first, Kirby hesitated.

It was because he knew too well that the information Sebastian had asked him to revealed could completely end Emani’s career.

Unlike him, Sebastian was merciless.

If it was only a simple argument, he wouldn’t have come to this point.

But Emani deliberately framed Natalie and used her fans to bully the latter online.

How could Sebastian tolerate it? On second thought, he knew that exposing Emani’s true colors was not enough to salve the problem.

It would be better if they found evidence that could prove Natalie’s innocence.

Everyone should know that she didn’t really push Emani into the water.

So on that night, Sebastian ordered his men to search for all the tourists that were there at that time.

Fortunately for Natalie, someone among thousands of tourists had taken a video of Natalie and Emani.

Sebastian snapped out of his trance and turned around to look at Natalie.

His eyes were calm, coupled with his deep and perfect features, creating a powerful visual impact.

“Aren’t there people analyzing this matter online? Such dirt on Emani had been dug out and been exposed before, but her PR

teams had paid to suppress them.Considering her ill personality, Emani must have offended many celebrities and reporters. Taking advantage of this opportunity to drag her name through the mud will give a fatal blow to Emani.This is a win-win situation for both the reporters and her rivals.”

In a daze, Natalie quietly listened to Sebastian’s analysis.

The more she learned about Sebastian, the more she realized that he was different from the rest of the people she knew.

His temperament, behaviors, and thoughts were all very unique.

At that moment, Natalie felt that he was a wise person in disguise all along.

As she got closer and closer to the real Sebastian, Natalie felt a little jittery for some reason.

“Well, your analysis makes sense.”

Pretending to be calm, Natalie smiled at Sebastian before walking back to the sofa in front of the TV.Her eyes were glued to the screen.

A lot of things happened in Seacisco during that winter.

Emani, a popular celebrity, had been the center of criticism.She basically lost everything, including her fans.

New faces soon occupied the big screen of the central square of Seacisco.

Emani was just another pretty face.

People would soon completely forget about her now that she was gone.

Two weeks after the incident, Natalie went back to work.

Nothing much had changed the employees of Larson Group still talked a lot about her.

But this time, they weren’t badmouthing her.

They were all sympathizing with her alter she had been framed by Emani.

Either way, Natalie didn’t really care.

All she cared about now was her and Sebastian’s family.

Everything else didn’t matter. The hours passed like the cold piercing wind outside.

When Natalie got off work, it was still snowing heavily. Putting on her gloves and scarf, she walked out of the building, and headlight of.a luxury car.

Natalie heard the door closed, and when she looked up, she saw a man walking in the foggy snow. It was Kent.He looked fairer with his black coat in the snow.His nose was a little red because of the cold.

With just this handsome face, anyone who didn’t know him much would think he was a good man.

“It’s a cold day.How would you like to have a cup of coffee with me, Miss Quinn?”

Kent stepped on the snow to get to Natalie, but then he kept his distance and kept his voice calm and respectful.

Natalie could not refuse because he had helped her again just recently, so she pointed to somewhere in the distance and said,

“There is a coffeehouse right around the corner.This will be my treat for all the help you rendered the last time.”

Kent was rather amused, so he asked, “Do you have to keep things so formal all the time? I wasn’t expecting repayment”

Natalie simply stared at him and shrugged her shoulders.She said, “In that case, there’s no need to go and get coffee with you.Can I go home now?”

“I wish the rumors were true, that Natalie really hooked up with someone in the Larson Group.I’ve been worried that it may be Sebastian who has been helping her.It would be horrible if he had such powers and connections.”

The more Elissa thought about it, the more she felt that it was highly possible.

Ritchie stood up in an instant and laughed sardonically.

“Sebastian? How could it be him? He’s just a loser! Natalie must be sleeping with someone powerful, and that dickhead, Sebastian, is still pathetically unaware of it.”

Elissa glanced at Ritchie and sneered.She couldn’t believe her son’s naivete.

“Sebastian is just like his mother. They’re excellent schemers.Don’t be fooled by what they choose to show you.Do not underestimate him.I’ve always suspected that there’s more to him than what meets the eye.”

There was a reason why Elissa thought so.

After Nora’s birthday party, she had sent a lot of people to follow and investigate Sebastian.

Either there was nothing important to report, or the men she sent just disappeared, both of which were anomalous results.

Since then, she had been convinced that Sebastian was more powerful than he was letting on.

“Are you kidding, Mom? He had never done well in school, and he had always been quiet and unsuccessful. What could someone like him achieve?”

Ritchie didn’t believe it.He had always remembered Sebastian as the loser that he constantly bullied.

Still, Elissa thought that Ritchie was making a mistake by trivializing his enemy.

“My silly son, if he’s really as stupid as you think, then how do you think did he get into Seacisco High School’s top class? Do you think that we paid his way in?”

Back then, the Klein family had to “donate” millions of dollars to get Ritchie into Seacisco High School, and he had only lacked a few scores.

But at that time, Elissa didn’t think that it was a big deal that Sebastian also got into Seacisco High School.

She thought that Sebastian’s intelligence was no threat to the Klein family’s power and fortune.

There was nothing Sebastian could do to go against them.

Now she regretted her decision to pay no mind to Sebastian. She realized that dangers were dangers no matter their size, and they should be dealt with the moment they presented themselves.

Finally able to connect the dots, Ritchie stared at his mother with wide eyes.He was instantly enlightened.He flashed Elissa a ferocious look and asked, “What if it’s really Sebastian? We have to do something, Mom!”

Looking into Ritchie’s eyes, Elissa felt inexplicably anxious.She picked up the box of cigarettes on the table.She fished out a cigarette and lit it.

As smoke filled her lungs, she let herself get lost in thought.

A sense of crisis rose in her heart.She had always been a decisive person.She decided to continue what she wanted to do but failed back then.She took several deep drags before flicking the cigarette to the ground and stubbing it with her shoe.

“It’s time to get rid of Sebastian.”

Natalie had no idea what had been happening outside.

Stewing in her own anxiety, she locked herself up at home.She drew all the curtains shut, plunging the room in depressing shadows.

The fridge was empty.

Sebastian went out to buy some food.

When Natalie peeked through the curtain to look outside winter dusk greeted her, which very much looked like nighttime.

There was still a large group of fans besieging the neighborhood, especially their building.

Natalie sighed.

She was about to look away when a new wave of commotion seemed to stir the crowd.

Everyone was still very agitated.

They were looking at something on their phones and discussing animatedly among themselves.

However, the “Natalie, apologize” banners had gone down, and no one screamed and cursed at Natalie’s window anymore.

Natalie felt that the angry mob was no longer upset with her.

They seemed to have calmed down a bit.

The security guards blew the whistles and dispersed the crowd.

Finally, they were able to clear a path through the gate.

Natalie’s phone then rang.

Because the room was as silent as a tomb, the sound startled Natalie.

She rushed to find her phone and answer the call.

It was Laney.

Since Natalie and Laney parted at the staircase, they hadn’t contacted each other.

Natalie felt that since she was the target of public criticism now, she might get Laney in trouble if she kept communicating with her.

“Natalie? Have you checked your phone?” Laney asked in an excited voice, which was rare.

She usually spoke in a nonchalant monotone.

“No.Sebastian took away my phone and shut off the Internet connection.He was afraid that I would be even more anxious if I

checked my phone,” Natalie replied, drooping her shoulders.

“Then turn on the TV and check out the news.”

“Sorry, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.I’m not in the best of moods right now.If I watch the news now, I may have to ask for a long leave after,” Natalie said as if she was joking.

She didn’t want others to think that she cared too much.

Laney said with a smile in her voice, “It’s not about you.It’s about Emani.Last night, a lot of news against Emani was exposed to the public, and she’s now being criticized online.I think seeing it on TV will make you feel better.”

Laney’s words reminded Natalie of the strange scenes downstairs just now.She picked up the remote control on the tea table and reluctantly turned on the TV.

Emani was indeed all over the news.

Her dirty past had been laid out in the open, and many influential TV personalities were condemning her and calling her a bad influence whose immorality knew no bounds.

The public’s attention was now on Emani.

It seemed that everyone had already forgotten about Natalie.

Natalie was stunned.

She couldn’t believe that she had survived such a desperate situation.She didn’t understand how the tables suddenly turned, but she was immensely relieved.She switched to another TV channel.

It was broadcasting news from someone who claimed to be present at the scenic tourist spot where Emani met her accident.

He released a video he had taken at that time.

Emani and Natalie were on it, and they were by the lake.

The angle was perfect, and it captured what really happened between Natalie and Emani that day.

Natalie hadn’t touched Emani the entire time.

It was Emani who held Natalie’s hand and seemed to use much force.

Natalie looked a little uncomfortable in the video, but before she could do anything, Emani had already fallen into the lake.

Natalie looked a little uncomfortable in the video, but before she could do anything, Emani had already fallen into the lake.

Natalie had known well that there were no security cameras around the lake, which was also partly why she hadn’t bothered to assert her own defense.

She simply didn’t see the paint-no one would believe her when she didn’t have any evidence to back her up.

But surprisingly someone had filmed the whole thing, and the footage could finally prove that she hadn’t pushed Emani into the lake.

The TV stations feasted on the story, and some of them even went as far as to interview random passersby and ask for their opinion on the matter.

“What do you think of this incident?”

“I honestly think that the standards for artists and celebrities these days have reached a new low.It looks like even an ill-mannered and talentless girl can be a star as long as she looks the part.”

“Yes, I’ve seen the video, and it led me to do a bit of digging Apparently, Emani hasn’t even graduated from college.She only managed to be where she is now by latching on to some rich old man. With her disgusting character and her questionable morals, I think she deserves to be banned from the entertainment circle entirely.”

“I heard that Emani purposely incited her fans to bash Natalie on the Internet.I’m telling you, that woman is crazy! Natalie is a good person who’s done nothing wrong, yet she had to suffer such malice.I really feel sorry for her.”