All Chapters of THE SUPREME NATHAN THORNS (The City's god): Chapter 171
- Chapter 180
243 chapters
Chapter 171
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and was quiet. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead. Nathan pushed the ward door open and walked in without hurry. His boots made a soft thud on the linoleum. He spotted James in Bed 7, head wrapped in white bandages, stitches along his temple, a thin sheen of sweat on his face. The man’s body trembled when he saw Nathan approach.James’s eyes went wide. He tried to sit up but a nurse’s warning hand stayed him down. He swallowed hard, voice small, “N-Nathan… I – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I didn’t want any of this.”Nathan stopped by the bed and sat on the chair. He folded his hands, cracked his fingers. The faint red smears on his knuckles caught the light, dried blood that would not wash out tonight’s memory. He let his fingers flex, slow. His face was calm, but cold as ice.“How did you get involved in what happened?” Nathan asked, low and steady.James’ lips trembled. He stammered, voice raw, “I was hiding, trying to stay out of sight after the fall
Chapter 172
James sobbed out a sound like a small animal. “Thank you. Thank you, Nathan. God, I'll never think of going against you again.”Nathan rose and smoothed his shirt. He kept his voice plain. “You’ll have a lawyer. You’ll cooperate. You help my case against them, and you get what leniency you can. But lie…and I will end you here, hospital walls or not.”James swallowed and promised again. “I will do everything you want. I swear." He meant it. Nathan could see it. The man was broken, but honest in his shame.Nathan stepped back to the door. He paused, one last look at James. “Tell them,” he ordered. “Start when the police come to interrogate you.”James nodded, his whole body shaking. The nurse came close and reached for a call button. James’ voice was thin as paper. “I will. I’ll say it all. I will.”Nathan stepped out of the ward, and the hospital noise hit him: carts squeaking, a distant beeping, muffled voices behind doors. He should have felt relief. Instead something cold and heavy
Chapter 173
Natalia’s hands flew to her mouth. Her breath came short and fast. “What…no…Nathan, you can’t just accuse us. I didn't…”He cut her off again. “Don’t dare try to deny it, Natalia.” His tone left no room for bargaining. “You’ll be honest when you speak. You’ll tell the truth to the police. And if you lie, if you try to shift blame…”He raised his hand, not to strike, but in warning. The hospital corridor seemed to hold its breath.“For your own good,” he said, voice low and cold, “I hope you’ll not be lying to cover your mother's crimes.”She nodded until her head bobbed. Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and fast. “What are you saying? You're assuming the worst of me.”He studied her for a long beat. Truth or a well-acted terror, he could not tell all at once. But he felt he saw enough judging by the way her hands shook, the way her eyes avoided the full weight of his stare. He stepped back toward the ward door. His voice dropped to a stone-hard whisper. “You’ll speak to the police.
Chapter 174
Natalia’s hands trembled. The house tilted. She had expected excuses, denials, a lie. Not the simple, cold truth.“You want money?” she whispered. Thelma’s answer was not fast.“Yes.” Thelma’s voice held no shame. “I wanted reward money. I wanted Nathan gone for good.”For a moment, everything in Natalia frayed, the soft lies, the dinners, the promises. Her mother’s face, once a familiar map, now felt like a stranger’s mask. Thelma’s calm made the house feel empty and cruel.Natalia’s legs nearly failed. She sank onto a chair, head bowed, the reality folding around her like winter. “You used me,” she said, the betrayal raw in her voice. “You used me, Taylor, and James. For money.” She looked up, eyes wild. “You knew. You planned it.”Thelma leaned back, gaze steady. “I did what I had to do,” she said simply.Natalia pressed both palms to her face, hot and trembling. The bright kitchen light hummed above them. Outside, the world kept moving. Inside, the hush between mother and daughte
Chapter 175
Nathan had just stepped out of the doctor’s office, his face unreadable as the man’s words lingered in his head. Amelia, Taylor, and even James, all stable enough to be discharged later that day or the next. As he walked down the quiet corridor, his gaze snagged on a figure at the far end. Natalia.His brows pulled tight, instinct drawing his expression into a frown. She stood waiting, wringing her fingers, her eyes darting like a guilty child. His stomach hardened. He didn’t need to guess why she was here; surely, another round of begging, or worse, defending her mother.She hurried toward him, words tumbling out. “Nathan…”“Why are you here?” His voice cut sharply, cold enough to make her flinch.“I’m sorry.” She stopped right in front of him, breath shaky. “You were right. My mother… she did what you accused her of. And just like you, I want her to pay. Lawfully.”His stare didn’t soften. He studied her as though every syllable might be a lie.“I’ll testify against her,” Natalia p
Chapter 176
James’s voice trembled as he started to speak, then froze when his eyes landed on Nathan outside the slatted blinds. He swallowed hard, and the single word he’d been about to give cracked off his tongue: “It was The—” He stopped, because Nathan’s sharp shake of the head said everything without sound.“Um.” James stammered, flailing for a cover. He forced a small, hollow laugh and then, with panic softening into practiced confusion, lied. “I don’t recall seeing an accomplice. It was dark. I was confused. I couldn't make out any face.” His hands shook on the blanket.“Are you sure?” the officer pressed, pen poised.“Yes,” James answered quickly, eyes flicking toward the window where Nathan stood. “I just… I need to be left alone to rest, please.”The officers exchanged looks, took notes, and after a few more gentle questions they left the room. The door clicked closed behind them and the hallway’s noise resumed.Nathan stepped in without knocking. James’ face stiffened. Nathan’s voice w
Chapter 177
Amelia leaned back against the pillow, the sun slanting through the ward window. “My launch is coming up – Selvarrah Jewels. I hope you’ll come this time and not reject it like you did last time.”Nathan’s mouth twitched. “I’ll likely consider it.”“Great. I think I should have just gone out of my way to get you to accept the invitation before.” Her eyes glittered, half fun, half challenge.He gave a short laugh. “I’m sorry for rejecting your invitation. I found you… irritating then.”She gasped, hand over her chest. “Excuse me?!” Her face went theatrically offended. “You found me irritating?”He shrugged. “Now I don’t.”“Oh.” She sat up, mock serious. “So it took me putting on brave boots and walking into a fire to change your mind?”He looked at her sideways. “You came across as silly at first. Didn’t strike me as an entrepreneur.”She blinked, then grinned. “So you’re definitely attending my launch, right?”He looked at her and simply nodded. “Yes. I’ll attend the launch.”“Great. I
Chapter 178
Louisa folded the handkerchief, tucking the stained corner into the pocket where the vial once rested. Her hands shook as she climbed out of the car and closed the door soft. Nathan stood, wiping grease from his fingers. He turned and met her eyes.“Thanks,” she said, voice small. She stepped forward, keeping her manner light. “I’ll pay you back.”Nathan shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get home.”A moth beat at the streetlamp, and the night smelled of warm tar. Louisa’s stomach turned. The vial’s cold weight pressed into her mind like a finger. Her father’s words were a drum, press, obey.She moved toward him, handkerchief hidden in her palm. If she could rub a trace on his exposed forearm, it would be almost clean, like a smear he’d not notice. He bent to check the radiator, his sleeve rolled just enough.Louisa paused, the handkerchief trembling at her fingertips. In one step she could do what her father demanded. In the next she could let him live. The earth beneath h
Chapter 179
Nathan parked the sleek black sedan in front of the Monroe mansion, his gaze scanning the impressive pillars before the door opened. Taylor stepped out gracefully, her heels clicking lightly on the marble steps as she approached.She had her hair styled in soft waves that framed her face, her pearl earrings glinting beneath the porch light. Nathan moved instinctively, opening the passenger door for her.“I thought you wouldn’t want me to come with you,” she said with a playful smile, pausing beside him before sliding into the seat.Nathan’s lips curved faintly as he steadied the door. “Well, you asked. I couldn’t refuse. Besides, I want you to mingle again. You’ve been hiding away since… that incident. You need it, for your mind, for your heart.”Taylor slipped into the seat, smoothing her silk dress as she did. “You shouldn’t be worried, Nathan. My mental health is fine,” she assured, though her tone carried more weight than she probably realized.Nathan circled to the driver’s side,
Chapter 180
Taylor’s heart pounded in her chest. This was the second time she had dared to bare her feelings to Nathan, the second time she had strung courage around her shoulders like armor and stepped forward, hoping against reason that this time he would see her, truly see her. She wasn’t asking for much: only that he understood what she saw in him, what she felt for him, what had slowly consumed her since the charade of their “relationship” had started.But Nathan wasn’t like other men. Any other man would have leaned closer, eyes curious, testing the edges of her confession, maybe teasing but secretly intrigued. Not Nathan.Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his brows with his fingers, glancing around the glowing hall as if the chandeliers or the DJ playing soft jazz were far more interesting than her trembling heart. Then he gave a small chuckle, dismissive, almost cruel in its casualness.“I’m not falling for your acts this time,” he said. “Come on, drop it, Taylor." Taylor’s chest caved