Chapter 33: I Miss You Especially When I'm Alone

Natalie was utterly dazed: ".........???"

As if he couldn't wait for her answer, he continued, "I can guarantee you that what happened last time will never happen again."

The things that happened last time...

Natalie thought about it seriously.

Was he referring to his rekindled flame with his old love, or the fact that he deliberately had the other man approach her? Or perhaps, the time his old love tried to poison her?

Every single one of those incidents had been fatal.

She looked up and accidentally met his affectionate gaze. His voice sounded gentle, yet it carried an air of superiority. He was looking down at her from a position of power, mixed with emotions that were hard to define.

Natalie wanted to say something, but after a moment, she withdrew her hand and gave a nonchalant smile.

"You have a great family background, a high level of education, you're handsome, tall, and strong—everyone loves you. There are plenty of socialites in the city who are a perfect match for you. As for me, I'm nothing. Even my small career depends on your mercy..."

"Nanna."

He interrupted her softly.

Though they were only one seat apart, it felt like a galaxy lay between them. Yet, he crossed that distance to take her hand again.

"Some things are decided at birth; there is no choice. Very few people can change their fate later in life. To me, you are perfect and beyond reproach."

"The young mistress of my family—I believe it can only be you."

Hearing this, Natalie felt a lump in her throat. She hadn't expected to be held in such high regard by the heir of the family. Feeling guilty, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh... during the days I wasn't in the city, I tried calling you, but I couldn't get through at all."

He didn't let her change the subject or give up on his proposal for remarriage: "I wouldn't joke about something like this. I am perfectly sober right now, I haven't touched a drop of alcohol, and I know exactly what I'm saying..."

This time, it was Natalie's turn to interrupt him: "I understand your resolve. But I need some time to think it over. Let's talk about it later."

Faced with her polite refusal, he knit his brows almost imperceptibly. "I can wait, for as long as it takes. I just want to know—is your refusal to register our marriage tomorrow because you've fallen for him?"

"No." Natalie denied it instantly without a second thought. She immediately followed up, "Let's talk about you instead. During this time, I nearly lost my life because of you. Where were you when I needed you most?"

His grip on her fingertips tightened. "I had urgent matters to handle recently. Nanna, please don't start making a scene over such a small thing, okay?"

"Fine." Natalie's answer was blunt as she turned her head to look out the window.

"Making a scene"—this was the first time she had heard such words from him. Those in power can never stand it when things are outside of their control. He rarely failed to manage his emotions; the last time was during their divorce talk in the study.

The eldest young master, usually so unreadable, leaned in to put an arm around her shoulder, coaxing her in a low voice, "I will overcome all obstacles for you regarding that South District project. It's also time to expand the scale of your company. I will unconditionally support whatever you want to do and whatever your dreams are."

He was not only good at sweet talk but was also a master at making grand promises. Natalie didn't doubt his power or his ability to help her, but she wasn't going to lose herself just because of a few words.

"Me marrying you—isn't that the condition?"

"That's a separate matter." He rested his chin on her shoulder, his dark eyes brimming with affection. His voice was warm and measured. "I fell in love with you at first sight. I like you and I've decided you are my wife. That has nothing to do with my support for you."

How could it have nothing to do with it? All his past kindness toward her was built on the foundation of them being a community of interests. Once that connection was gone, the ugliness of the human heart would be exposed immediately.

Natalie wasn't in a position to argue with him. She nodded gently. "Too many things have happened lately. I need some time to process. Let's wait until the South District project officially launches, and then we can have a proper talk, alright?"

He seemed somewhat helpless and let out a sigh of laughter.

"Then, Nanna, can we go back to how we were before?"

Natalie pursed her lips. "You mean continuing to maintain our relationship in the eyes of the public?"

"More than that," he said. "I think we should present a united front to the world. I won't have a change of heart, and I hope you won't either."

With that, he pulled her into a tight embrace. The steady, warm woody fragrance clinging to him suddenly filled her senses, and she actually found herself reluctant to push him away.

Her brother used to have this same scent. His embrace was just like her brother's—broad, warm, reliable, and steady. Natalie subconsciously let herself sink into it.

They returned to the home where she had lived for half a year, the Palace.

Natalie got out of the car feeling uneasy, her eyes slightly damp. She stole a glance at his chest; fortunately, her tears hadn't left a mark. Sensing that he might want to hug her again, she quickly hurried into the house.

"Welcome home, young mistress."

Upon entering, several servants were already waiting in the foyer. Natalie greeted them one by one and naturally put on her pair of fluffy slippers.

The master bedroom had been completely refreshed, but its color scheme remained unchanged—a pink hue full of a princess's heart. Even now, that man had never asked her what she actually liked.

He stopped at the bedroom door. "I'll be sleeping in the study next door. If you need me, it's the same as before—no need to knock, just come in and find me."

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Natalie turned halfway and nodded to him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Before leaving, he considerately closed the bedroom door. Natalie took out her phone and saw five missed calls from the other man. She hurried to call back.

To her surprise, he declined the call and switched to a video chat instead. Natalie gritted her teeth, sat down against a wall, and then accepted the call.

She gave a long yawn, looking sleepy. "I was just binge-watching a show and didn't check my phone. I just saw all your calls. Have you arrived yet?"

On the screen, the man's features were sharp, and his eyes were piercing, especially when he looked at you seriously, making one feel an instinctive fear. Natalie mentally braced herself. No matter what, she had to wait for him to speak first; otherwise, it would only make her look guilty.

One minute passed...

Two minutes passed. Natalie just met his gaze lazily. Just as she was about to give in, he finally spoke: "Nanna, I miss you so much. Especially when I'm alone, I miss you incredibly."

Natalie bit her pink lip. "Then finish your business quickly and come back."

He brought the cigarette at his fingertips to his lips, took a drag, and blew it out. As the white smoke dissipated, the curve at the corners of his eyes turned playful. "I want you to help me right now."

"We're separated by a screen. How am I supposed to help you?"

"Be good. First, take off your clothes."

Natalie's brow furrowed instantly. "Ah~ no. The feeling of being able to see but not touch is not good at all. I miss you too; I want you to come back soon."

"Do you really miss me that much?"

"Mhm!" Natalie coaxed him with nearly all her patience. "So much. You've only been gone for half a day, and I'm missing you so much I'm going crazy."

He let out a low laugh. "Shall I teach you how to comfort yourself?"

"No way." Her face flushed red. "I'm done talking to you. I'm going to sleep!"

"Then lie down on the bed. I'll watch you sleep."

Chapter 34: In the Next Life, You'll Still Have to Call Me Brother

Natalie glanced at the large pink bed and shook her head frantically in her heart.

"No. Since you're not here, I'm not used to sleeping in such a big bed alone. I want to sleep on the floor tonight."

After saying that, she flopped down and lay on her side on the floor. She half-closed her eyes. "Goodnight."

Knock, knock, knock—

The bedroom door was suddenly knocked, and her heart jumped in fright. Fortunately, she was quick enough to hang up the video call.

"It's me. Open the door."

"Coming."

Natalie scrambled up from the floor to open the door. He was holding a glass of milk. "This will help you sleep."

"Thanks." Just as she took it, the phone in her hand rang.

He looked down. "It's so late. Is it your cousin?"

"Ah, yes. He wanted to talk for a bit. He's also suffering from insomnia."

Natalie quickly closed the bedroom door and walked over to a plain white wall before answering the video call again.

"Is someone at your house?"

"No." Natalie looked innocent, casually setting the milk aside and blinking her eyes. "I accidentally hung up on you just now. I'm so sorry."

He suddenly called her by her real name: "Joy."

Natalie subconsciously held her breath, her guilt reaching its peak. "What's wrong?"

"Where are you?"

He finally asked the question. Once he asked, it meant he was already suspicious.

Natalie looked puzzled, doing her best to show no signs of abnormality. "In the house you bought for me, of course. You really are good at hiding a woman away. I'm very satisfied with this place. Honestly, how many have you hidden here before me?"

Just as she finished, the other man's voice sounded from outside the door at just the right moment: "Nanna, I want to take you to a cocktail party this Friday. I'll have someone send over some dresses tomorrow. When will you be home?"

Natalie immediately cut off the video call again. "Tomorrow evening. I have to be at the company during the day."

"I'll make the arrangements."

"Mhm."

The phone rang again. Natalie didn't dare answer, waiting for the person outside the door to walk away. Unexpectedly, he spoke again: "Goodnight, Nanna."

"Goodnight."

Natalie finally breathed a sigh of relief. When she reconnected the video call, she saw a face that was cold to the extreme.

She said with a slight apology, "The signal at home is terrible, it keeps cutting out. How about we leave it at this for tonight? I'll have someone upgrade it tomorrow and then have a proper talk with you."

The darkness in his eyes turned sinister. "Is it fun to play me?"

"What... play you? I'm not..."

"Stop pretending. I'll give you half an hour. Get your ass back here."

Natalie braced herself to explain: "I really am at home, I'm not lying to you. If there's not even this bit of trust between us, then I don't think we need to be together anymore!"

He was completely enraged. "Do you know what it means when you say those words?"

A cold scoff escaped his throat, deep and raspy, carrying a trace of bloodthirsty danger.

Natalie instinctively knelt down. "I was wrong... Master."

The smile on his face was replaced by a cold sternness, without a trace of his earlier kindness. His thin lips looked as hard and cold as a ruthless scythe.

"Go. Press your body against the wall."

Natalie took a deep breath. At the moment she stood up, she gritted her teeth and hung up the phone. She decisively turned it off.

At this moment, it was finally quiet.

Since he was already angry and wasn't in the city anyway, there wasn't much he could do to her for the time being. Perhaps by the time he came back in a few days, his anger would have faded. No big deal.

Tossing her phone aside, she collapsed onto the pink bed, but her mind was frantically flashing back to the punishment she had endured that night.

There was a time when she thought she enjoyed being mistreated, that only pain and suffocation made her feel alive. Being a masochist isn't necessarily a mental illness; if it doesn't affect normal life, it's just a way to vent psychological pressure.

He had certainly cured her of that bad habit. Because he was simply too much of a pervert.

Natalie pulled the duvet tight, suddenly realizing how pleasant this princess-themed room actually looked. The walk-in closet surely held enough beautiful dresses to last a season without repeating.

Meanwhile, the closet he had prepared for her was almost entirely black, white, and gray. He had clearly done a lot of homework on her; otherwise, how could he know her so well?

It was a chilling thought. Perhaps, as he said, he knew of her existence and controlled everything about her. So, what was his motive? To protect his family? Or to use her to curry favor with them and climb higher?

Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine.

She closed her eyes, smelling the soothing fragrance in the room. Her eyelids grew heavy. As soon as she closed them, she remembered the day they first met.

It was on Halloween night. She had just made a bet with friends and stepped into those ruins when she received news from the city that something had happened at home.

In an instant, she lost her soul and ran back, never expecting to walk into an abyss. As for what exactly she witnessed, she could never remember, along with the face that felt so familiar to her. Even today, she wondered what she had seen that made those masked men with guns chase her relentlessly.

She only remembered a fragment of a desperate escape. Driven by a strong will to survive, she fled in panic, losing a shoe along the way. She ran barefoot through a place filled with nails, rust, and stagnant water.

Ignoring the piercing pain in her feet, the pursuers behind her seemed determined to take her life. Bullets flew one after another, giving her no room to breathe. Soon there would be no way out, yet the deadly gunfire never stopped.

Just as she was about to climb over the wall in front of her at all costs, a man dressed in black descended from above and landed before her. Before she could see his face clearly, he grabbed her by the waist. He took her over the wall she had thought was impossible to scale!

After landing safely, she was still shaken when she heard his deep voice: "Follow me!"

His broad palm, radiating heat, took her hand. She used the fastest speed of her life to run and hop onto a motorcycle. She ducked down in front of him. The sound of gunfire behind them didn't fade; instead, it grew clearer. Several motorcycles were catching up.

They brushed past countless bullets. The man pressing against her back to stabilize the bike spoke in a very low, strained voice: "Don't be afraid."

In such a situation, she hadn't expected him to be able to spare a thought to comfort her. Her heart felt warm, and she suddenly wanted to comfort him too: "I'm not afraid at all. I love excitement!"

Just a moment ago, she had heard the news. Her family had fallen, her parents had died in an accident, and her beloved brother was in prison. Her family was facing a series of disasters and was in utter chaos. Her uncle told her to book a flight back the next morning to handle her parents' affairs.

Now, she was facing a life-and-death situation. If a single stray bullet pierced her body, she would die. But the man behind her, as strong as steel, was not only powerful but also agile, as if he had merged with the motorcycle. Who was he? Did he know she would be in trouble and specifically came to save her?

If she was lucky enough to escape, she had to thank him properly.

They were chased to a cliff. The man didn't hesitate or brake; he decisively flew off. When she realized what was happening, she felt a tightening around her waist as that powerful arm firmly circled her.

Faint, dense gunfire could still be heard above. Terrified, she clung to the man, glancing at the bottomless black abyss beneath her feet. she wanted to scream but held it back, her breath coming in sharp gasps.

"Didn't you say you liked excitement?"

The mocking laughter against her ear made her body tremble uncontrollably again. In her terror, she looked up and unexpectedly met those eyes that merged with the night. His steady breath fell on the top of her head, and his lips lightly touched her brow.

The mountain wind howled, and the man's rugged, deep silhouette suddenly struck her. She would remember his face forever.

The man was gripping a protruding rock on the cliff face with one hand while holding her with his other arm, hanging precariously on the cliff. Yet, there wasn't a trace of strain on his face. No matter what, everyone has a limit.

She felt he was about to lose his grip and suggested in despair, "Let go. If this continues, we both will die."

A lazy, slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. "If you fall first and then I fall, isn't it still a dead end?"

"What, you want to die first so you can make me call you 'Big Sister' in the next life?"

"Uh..." She was speechless for a moment, biting her lip. What kind of person was this, still joking at a time like this?

"Then before we die, can you tell me your name? When we get down there, I'll properly thank you for risking your life to protect me."

"Looking for info already?"

She was stunned.

He gave her a strange look, specifically sizing her up, and then politely declined: "This Halloween look of yours isn't my type. You're fine as a sister, but let's forget about being a girlfriend."

Her face flushed with anger. "Actually, I'm quite good-looking, it's just..."

It was true that her current appearance was a bit frightening.

The man lowered his eyelids, the color in his eyes very dark, and his words remained nonchalant: "Don't you like excitement? Since we're going to die anyway, let's have one last thrill..."

Before he finished speaking, he actually jumped with her in his arms.

She screamed out: "Hey—!"

Her cry pierced the silence of the abyss.

Later, when she woke up in the hospital, she had already changed her name to Natalie. She was seriously injured, unable to move, and had nearly lost her life. The boy stayed by her side the entire time. By the day she fully recovered and was discharged, she hadn't found any trace of the man's whereabouts.

The hospital staff told her there was only one possibility: he had died in the wilderness, and his body had been scavenged by animals until nothing remained. And she was the lucky survivor.

For a long time, Natalie mourned that man. Almost every night, he would appear in her dreams. He would always look at her nonchalantly, mocking her: "Don't bother thinking about it. In the next life, you'll still have to call me 'Brother'."