Chapter 7: Not Something You Can Just Drop

"You want a 'next time'? Ha!"

Hunter rolled his eyes at her, half-joking. "My little lady, how rare can he be? If you need someone, I can call up eight or ten male models for you anytime."

Natalie didn't want to discuss it further and shifted the topic. "Julian put me in charge of the Southbay project. The properties near the Sterling estate are all in hand now. It’s exactly what I wanted."

Six months ago, through big data analysis, Hunter had predicted that the long-stalled redevelopment project would most likely fall to the Lu family.

Natalie had taken a gamble and approached Julian. She just hadn't expected him to marry her on an impulse.

"That’s true. Anyway, I really hated seeing you as someone else's wife." Before she could respond, Hunter rattled on, "With me around, you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. Little lady, you don't regret bringing me back to the country, do you?"

Hunter arched an eyebrow at her.

Natalie said irritably, "I love you to death."

Something occurred to her, and she lowered her eyes gloomily. "You’re all I have left."

Eight months ago, the letters from her brother, Silas, suddenly stopped. It took a whole month of searching to find out he had taken his own life in prison, and the person delivering the letters had also met with an accident.

Because of this, Natalie had returned home in a state of chaos ahead of schedule.

She felt something was fishy.

In all the secret letters over the years, Silas had never once mentioned wanting to end his life.

When the Sterlings met their downfall, she was only sixteen.

Hannah—now Natalie—was far away in a foreign land when her father died on the run following accusations of corruption. Her mother had died tragically abroad after allegedly betraying the organization during a special operation.

Natalie hadn't even had time to return home before she suffered a severe accident that nearly cost her life.

That man had saved her.

Which was why, five years later, she had lost her head over him the moment they met again.

"Why did Xavier save you five years ago, only to play you like this five years later?"

Hunter snapped back to reality and saw her biting her pale lips, looking like she was about to lose control. He quickly grabbed her trembling hand. "Don't think about it. Just recover first. You're so hopeless, falling for an illegitimate son."

Despite his concern, he couldn't help but complain.

But even if she hadn't fallen for Xavier, Julian would have found another way to make her demand a divorce. The outcome would likely have been worse than this.

It was mostly a matter of going with the flow.

A tear slid down silently, and Natalie turned her face away just in time. "The company is receiving a very important client this afternoon. I’m worried. Go and keep an eye on things for me, and tell me the moment anything happens."

Hunter was a bit scatterbrained and didn't notice anything unusual. He just sighed. "Fine. With me watching, you can rest easy."

Once he was gone, Natalie could finally vent her emotions.

By nine o'clock that night, Hunter still hadn't returned. Natalie was feeling extremely drowsy while looking over documents on her tablet and fell asleep.

In her haze, she heard some movement. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she forced them open just a crack, murmuring, "Is the contract signed?"

Her vision was blurry; she only saw a tall figure in a white lab coat.

Probably a doctor.

Natalie closed her eyes again, letting the person change her dressing.

A moment later, she felt a sharp sting on the back of her hand as a needle went in.

"Hiss—"

Natalie sucked in the cold scent of disinfectant, but a question popped into her mind: weren't these things usually handled by nurses?

She opened her eyes. There was still only one figure in a lab coat. Perhaps the hospital was short-staffed.

"Sorry for the trouble. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The moment she heard that deep voice, Natalie’s brain went into a total lockdown. By the time she reconnected, the man had sat down by the bed.

His hand, smelling of pungent disinfectant, brushed against her face.

He even pinched the flesh on her cheek.

"...??"

Natalie wanted to speak, but it felt like a stone was pressing on her chest. She was stuck in that state between waking and sleeping, unable to move.

After a while, a voice whispered in her ear, "You remember me?"

Natalie’s nerves twitched, her breathing deepening and making her chest heave.

Xavier had definitely entered her dreams again.

After a long pause, his voice came again, laced with mockery. "Am I really that unforgettable to you?"

Natalie instinctively bit her lip.

...

The next day, Natalie was invited by Mrs. Zhao, Claire’s sister-in-law, to a ribbon-cutting ceremony. She woke up early.

The sky was just beginning to pale, and Hunter was still fast asleep on the sofa.

She walked over, picked up the blanket from the floor, and covered him.

While washing up, she remembered swearing at Xavier in her dream last night and froze for a moment.

She had told that scumbag never to come looking for her in her dreams again.

She had even solemnly told him she had decided to move on.

And Xavier, in her dream, had given a wicked, mocking laugh. "You've thought about me for so many years; you can't just drop it because you say so."

Thinking of this, Natalie angrily splashed cold water from the tap onto her face.

Chapter 8: Warning

When the caregiver brought breakfast, Hunter finally woke up. He sat across from Natalie and couldn't help but yawn.

"I drank too much with the client last night. I didn't wake you when I came back, did I?"

Natalie served him a bowl of porridge. "No, I was dead to the world. I didn't even know you were back."

"Good." Hunter took a couple of bites of porridge, remembered something, and said hurriedly, "You haven't recovered yet. The doctor doesn't recommend you leaving. Why don't you skip the event?"

Natalie stretched her neck. "I feel mostly okay. My back and head still hurt, but it shouldn't be a problem."

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "You aren't going just to run into that jerk Xavier, are you?"

Natalie was stunned.

"Is he going to be there?"

For Mrs. Zhao’s ceremony, Xavier shouldn't be attending.

After all, they were enemies.

Xavier’s mother was a famous singer who had been beaten to death by his father’s legal wife—Claire’s sister-in-law, the current Mrs. Zhao. It was said that not a single bone in her body was left intact.

Luckily, the elder Mr. Zhao had arrived in time to save Xavier’s life and took him back to the military camp.

Hunter snorted. "Even if you run into him, stay far away from him, got it?"

"Yeah, I know," Natalie explained. "To find out the truth about my brother, I’ll have to deal with the Zhao family. We’ll be seeing each other often in the future."

Hunter understood, but he couldn't help his cynical tone. "Xavier got a lot of benefits from Julian because of you. And you ended up in a car crash because of him. If he knew, he probably wouldn't even feel sorry for you."

"Oh, by the way, I also heard that the elder Mr. Zhao wants to set him up with the second Miss Zhou. Meeting you was like stepping in gold for him. Who knows, Xavier might actually be able to step over that mother and son in the future."

Natalie paused, suppressing her emotions, and said mockingly, "He’s a pitiful man."

Hunter was dumbfounded. "You actually pity him?"

Natalie said flatly, "His status dictates that he can only ever be a supporting character to his older brother. No matter how hard he tries, it’s useless."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Hunter chuckled. "No one stays on top forever. There are plenty of latecomers who take the lead."

"Hmm..." Natalie lowered her lashes to hide her thoughts. "You're right."

The once-illustrious Sterling family also had its sunset; who could say for sure?

At nine-fifteen, Natalie arrived at the Heavenly Town resort.

The resort, which had cost tens of billions to build, certainly didn't disappoint.

But as soon as she stepped out of the car, some unpleasant voices drifted into her ears.

"Hey, look, it's Ms. Natalie. Haven't you heard? She was dumped by Julian Lu."

"Dumped after only six months? Julian went against everyone and took so much pressure to marry her back then, and now they're divorced just like that?"

"Ugh, he probably saw through her ugly gold-digger face."

"..."

Natalie quickly pulled Hunter back.

"Just some nobodies, don't mind them."

"Besides, I’m not some gold-digger of unknown origin. I’m the daughter of the prominent Jiang family from the capital."

But she hadn't had a chance to use that identity when she married Julian, because he hadn't even asked about her background or past before taking her to get the certificate.

Since they hadn't held a banquet, it was normal that no one knew her true status.

Hunter agreed. "True."

Just as he spoke, Mrs. Zhao waved to her. "Natalie."

the gossiping women were momentarily stunned.

This was Mrs. Zhao.

Natalie smiled and called out, "Auntie."

Back when Natalie was Julian’s wife, she had always called her Auntie.

Hunter gave the women a disdainful look.

Once they were out of earshot, the gossip started again.

"Auntie? I thought she was dumped by Julian. How does she still have that connection?"

"Exactly. How shameless, a gold-digger clinging on for dear life."

...

There were many media outlets present, and Natalie couldn't help but straighten her back.

But the moment she saw Xavier, the curve of her smile faded significantly.

He was with Frost Zhou.

Standing in the wind, Natalie scanned them with almost no emotion before immediately looking away.

Mrs. Zhao took her arm and asked softly, "I heard you and Julian divorced?"

Natalie nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

Natalie gave a faint smile. "Personality clash."

She said it so nonchalantly, showing almost no sadness.

Mrs. Zhao smiled. "That’s fine. No need to settle for a lifetime. Your generation is certainly more open-minded."

Natalie was a bit surprised.

Mrs. Zhao added, "But your mother-in-law still considers you her daughter-in-law. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked you to stand in this spot next to me."

Natalie couldn't figure it out. In her memory, Claire hadn't liked her at first and only tolerated her because of Julian.

"My former mother-in-law couldn't make it today due to some business. I’m sorry, Auntie."

Mrs. Zhao smiled and shook her head. "We’re all family; it doesn't matter who comes."

The auspicious hour arrived, and the ribbon-cutting began. Natalie stood next to Mrs. Zhao.

Xavier was on the other side of Mrs. Zhao.

Natalie acted with poise and gave them a smile.

Xavier, however, looked incredibly grumpy.

Completely baffling.

After the ceremony, they strolled around the town for a while before going to the scheduled lunch location.

When Natalie came out of the restroom, she ran into Xavier, who was smoking.

He was dressed in a cold, stark black, unlike his usual tones.

Natalie happened to miss her footing and accidentally bumped into the wall. Her head throbbed, the pain so intense she nearly blacked out.

She swore it wasn't on purpose.

Xavier made no move to help. Instead, he swept a flirtatious, mocking glance over her. "Trying to pull a scam?"

Natalie didn't want to have much to do with him here. She only said, "Stop flattering yourself."

Xavier arched an eyebrow. "Didn't you have something to say to me?"

"No."

Natalie was about to leave when she was blocked.

Xavier’s large hand clamped gently onto her shoulder, and he led her into an empty private room.

The door was left open.

He pinned her against the wall.