Chapter 19: Full for Today

Natalie had no words.

It wasn't her fault; that was a strong old woman wielding a weapon.

After the police took the woman away, Natalie remained slumped on the floor, weak and drained.

Then, a broad palm was extended toward her.

Natalie stared at it blankly.

The hand was large, fair, and slender, but there were calluses on the webbing of the thumb and the sides of the index finger. She remembered her parents’ hands looked the same—marks left behind by years of handling firearms.

"What, do you want me to carry you to the bed?"

Hearing that teasing voice, Natalie snapped her gaze away and scrambled up from the floor, curling herself into the sofa behind her.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Choosing the sofa over a bed?"

Natalie shrank back, hugging herself, and nodded. "Yes."

It felt as if she had been running into the Grim Reaper lately; she had nearly lost her life twice.

Even the person she trusted most wasn't by her side right now.

She probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Xavier saw her state and gave a small laugh. He turned and sat on the edge of the desk opposite her, peeling a tangerine as he spoke. "I'll stay and keep you company tonight."

Natalie answered without thinking, "No need."

Technically, they had shared the ultimate intimacy between a man and a woman, yet they had never actually shared a bed for a night's sleep.

In contrast, she and Julian had spent nights on the same bed until dawn, but nothing that should happen between a husband and wife ever did.

Julian had always respected her in that regard, never going against her wishes.

But Xavier had forced himself on her today.

Thinking of this, she gripped the fabric of her trousers tightly.

"You don't need me? Then you must want Mr. Lu..." Xavier paused, forcing the peeled tangerine into her hand. "You want him to stay with you?"

Just as he finished speaking, his phone began to ring.

Natalie reminded him, "Your phone is ringing."

Xavier glanced at the caller ID, stood up, and walked out to answer it.

"Were you at my house last night?"

Xavier closed the ward door behind him. "Yes, I was."

"Really?"

Xavier replied, "Really."

He had indeed been there, but he hadn't filmed the video, nor had he seen the third Miss Zhou poison the soup; he had only received the footage the following morning.

The other end went silent for a moment before Julian spoke again: "Did you see with your own eyes that she put something in the soup?"

Xavier sat down on a chair in the corridor and chuckled, countering, "You don't believe she’s capable of such a thing?"

"It’s fine, it doesn't matter if you don't believe it. The police don't have physical evidence anyway. A video alone can't prove exactly what she put in there."

Julian caught the sarcasm in his tone and stated plainly, "I don't intend to shield her. If she did it, I'll turn her over to the police."

Xavier let out a cold, mocking snort. "Could you bear to?"

He exposed the reality in the next second: "Then again, even without you, there's still the Zhou family. How could old Mr. Zhou let his precious pearl suffer in prison?"

Additionally, since the old woman had been arrested for attempted murder, no one on the outside would care about the deceased little boy anymore. The matter would likely just fade away.

After a silence on the line, Julian spoke again, his voice much deeper: "Next time you see something like that, tell me immediately!"

"Got it," Xavier said and hung up.

When he walked back in, the girl was still curled in the corner of the sofa, her wide eyes full of wariness.

He laughed for no apparent reason and sat on the opposite sofa.

They were separated by a bed, staring at each other from across the room.

After a while, Xavier spoke lazily, "I’m full for today. I likely won't want another round."

"But," his tone shifted, "if you keep staring at me with those bedroom eyes, I can't guarantee..."

Before his ribald comment could finish, a pillow went flying toward him.

Xavier looked at the pitiful pillow that landed two full meters short of him and gave a muffled laugh. "Thinking you can take me on with that little strength? How bold."

Natalie sensed the hidden intensity in his voice and shrank back further, changing the subject: "What did you mean by what you said today?"

"What did I mean by what?"

Xavier feigned ignorance and lay down on the sofa. It was clearly too small for his tall frame, leaving his calves dangling off the end.

Natalie frowned. "You know something, don't you?"

Xavier said tonelessly, "Miss Jiang, you can't even finish a sentence properly. Who are you trying to play?"

Natalie was about to walk over when her phone began to vibrate.

The sound was almost imperceptible, yet Xavier must have have had some kind of specialized hearing; he didn't even turn his head as he warned, "If you dare answer that, Hunter won't be getting out this month."

Natalie froze. She looked at the screen; the caller was Julian.

She let the phone vibrate, questioning him, "You think you have more influence than he does?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back.

This was a direct provocation of Xavier’s pride!

Xavier turned his head to look at her, his lips curling slightly in a way that didn't look like anger.

But his words were chillingly authoritative: "You can choose not to believe me. You, Natalie, are free to gamble again. Oh, by the way—Mr. Lu broke his promise to you today, didn't he?"

Natalie’s brow furrowed tightly.

"You... you..."

A flash of dark color crossed Xavier’s eyes. "Get over here."

Chapter 20: Sit Up Here

Natalie steeled herself and walked over. To make it easier to talk to him, she knelt on the floor by the sofa, clutching a corner of his sleeve.

She looked grave. "Are you with the police department?"

Seeing no major reaction from him, she bit her lip nervously and asked, "You attended the top national defense university, so why did you drop out right before graduation?"

Xavier watched her, a faint smile slowly spreading in his eyes. "You investigated me?"

Natalie instinctively wanted to deny it.

But in the next second, he pinched her chin. "Tell me, what did you find?"

Natalie pursed her lips. "Uh, nothing much. Just things everyone knows."

She wasn't lying.

Xavier shifted his body slightly. "Then what makes you think I'm a cop?"

Natalie took the hand that was on her chin and felt the small callus on the webbing of his thumb, her tone certain: "Your hand. You handle guns often."

Their eyes met, gazes shifting silently.

Xavier suddenly burst into a scoffing laugh. "Is it not normal for me to have practiced shooting in university?"

Natalie: "Uh..."

That was true.

Maybe she had misunderstood.

Even if he was, Xavier would be acting in the interest of the Zhao family. After all, Zhao Yisheng had treated him quite well over the years, no worse than he treated Hunter.

Natalie inexplicably began to panic again. "I’m really not the person you think I am..."

Her wrist was suddenly yanked, and she was pulled toward him.

She crashed into him with a thud.

Their lips happened to meet perfectly.

For a moment, his aggressive masculine scent was everywhere.

Natalie wanted to flee, but his large hand pinned the back of her head.

She pressed her hands against his shoulders, barely managing to create a sliver of distance.

Xavier didn't use too much force, but he didn't let her go completely either, keeping her pinned in a stalemate.

Those eyes that seemed to see through everything took on a hint of playfulness. "It seems you don't like it when I talk to you nicely."

"No, it's not..."

Xavier’s gaze was deep and gentle, but his words were commanding: "I'll say this one last time. You must listen to me and stay away from Julian. If you do, I can overlook today's incident."

She let his words go in one ear and out the other; she certainly didn't believe he was more capable than Julian.

Xavier seemed to see right through her.

The hand at the back of her head moved to the tip of her ear. His palm, carrying a warm dryness, traced over her delicate skin, rubbing it in a way that felt like both a tease and a punishment.

The temperature rose, and Natalie felt an inexplicable fear. She shrank to the side and said before he could speak, "If I listen to you, what will you give me in exchange?"

Xavier’s gaze turned cold, and his tone became sharp: "Please me."

Natalie: "...?!"

She clenched her fists. "I'm on my period. It's not convenient."

"When did it start?"

"When I went out for the snack." Natalie looked troubled. "I know you're a germaphobe, and you wouldn't be happy. I'm doing this for your sake."

He laughed. "So kind to me. Does your stomach hurt?"

Xavier seemed to be in a good mood; he didn't call her out and even expressed concern.

"It doesn't..." Before she could finish, he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

He lay down with her, squeezing onto the single hospital bed.

The more Natalie struggled, the more her body sank into his broad chest, wrapped tightly in his heated embrace.

Strangely, she felt a sense of security she couldn't explain.

Even though this was the very man who had just bullied her.

What a jerk!

Xavier closed his eyes and whispered, "As long as I'm here, no one has the power to assassinate you."

Natalie bit her lower lip, feeling both annoyed and amused.

It was as if someone had thrown a small pebble into her heart, sending out quiet ripples.

She unexpectedly slept very well that night.

The next morning, she woke up to a sharp cramp in her abdomen, her face covered in a cold sweat.

Her period had actually come early!

Xavier inadvertently felt the cold sweat on her forehead and released her, his tone hard to read. "You really are on your period?"

Natalie was pale. "Yes. Can you go buy some pads for me? Please?"

Without waiting for his answer, she dashed into the bathroom.

As Xavier left, he received a call from the second Miss Zhou.

"Can you make it on time?"

Xavier reached out to press the button for the down elevator. "If you have work, we can reschedule."

"That would be great. How about noon? Come to my office, and I'll have my secretary order takeout. What do you like? Huaiyang, Cantonese, or Sichuan cuisine?"

The eldest Miss Zhou was right; her second sister only cared about work.

Xavier: "Huaiyang. It suits your palate."

"Fine then. I'll see you there."

Hanging up, Xavier stepped into the elevator and inexplicably thought of a dish in Huaiyang cuisine—steamed pork meatballs with crab roe. That little thing liked it; they had eaten it together twice.

After buying the pads downstairs, his assistant happened to arrive with some papers for him to sign. He handed the large bag of pads to the assistant.

The assistant, Song Zuo, asked, "Anything else, boss?"

Xavier paused, wanting to say he should tell that little thing not to eat too much breakfast.

Then he reconsidered; Natalie was highly guarded now. She probably wouldn't dare eat anything until Hunter returned, just like yesterday.

When Song Zuo arrived at the VIP ward, he unfortunately ran into Julian.

"Mr. Lu, you're here too."

Julian glanced indifferently at the items in his hand and reached out. "Give them to me."

Song Zuo hesitated for a moment but handed them over.