2025-05-02 21:46:41
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Chapter 76
Nathan had worked on the presentation all through the night, each click of his keyboard echoing through the silence like clockwork. His kind was rare – disciplined, precise, relentless. He moved like a machine, not because he lacked emotion, but because he had buried them under the weight of expectations and memories. The numbers, the charts, the slides – they were perfect. He checked every detail over and over again, eyes heavy but wide open, until finally, he saw the early morning sun stretch through the blinds like a gentle promise. He leaned back in his chair, exhaled, and stretched, allowing a small smile to find his lips.It was done.A quick cold bath came next, followed by a round of push-ups and light stretches. The pain that throbbed across his shoulders reminded him he was alive. His breakfast was silent, quick, and purposeful. Then, dressed in a simple black shirt and pair of jeans, Nathan stepped out.The breeze welcomed him as he climbed the winding path up the hill, th
Chapter 75
Taylor blinked. His tone made her chest tighten again."Nathan..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, laced with curiosity and concern. "Why that land?"His eyes narrowed slightly. A quiet storm gathered in them. "Because it's more than land."Taylor swallowed, sensing a depth in his words. Her heartbeat grew louder in her ears. "Is it because of the Grovers?"He said nothing, but in his silence echoed Liera's words from the previous day:"They manipulate policies, obtain lands through legal loopholes, and set up businesses that eventually hurt the economy. They drain public funds under false pretense, disguise them as 'developmental' projects."They had uninterruptedly rise for too long, building empires out of ruins they caused, smiling behind masks of philanthropy. This land, they wouldn’t get it. Not this time. Not again.But he didn’t want to drag Taylor into it. So, he kept quiet.Her brows drew together as she took a small step closer. “Is this personal?”His jaw clenched
Chapter 74
Nathan didn’t expect the heat in Taylor’s breath, or the way her lips brushed against his with a soft, teasing pressure. It was light, barely a touch, but it stirred something dangerous inside him.“Nathan…” she breathed his name, so softly, so sensually, it clung to the air between them.Her tone was smoky, dripping with desire, her gaze locked into his like a silent dare. She arched her head closer, and for a second, it genuinely felt like she was about to kiss him—for real this time.Nathan froze. His heart pounded, his breath shallow, his instincts a mix of alarm and confusion.Then he grabbed her arm, holding her firmly but not roughly. “Is this an act, Taylor?”The abruptness made her blink. She tilted her head, studying him as if she didn’t quite understand his resistance.“This act is too much now. You’re crossing the line, Ms. Monroe,” he added, his tone clipped, deliberately formal.Hearing him address her like that stung. The sudden switch in tone slapped the flirtation rig
Chapter 73
Nathan stiffened the moment Natalia’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Her warmth hit him first, then her scent. A familiar floral breeze laced with something faintly citrusy. It was her. Natalia. Again. Pressed against him. The woman he once called wife.His breath hitched in his throat.His hand hung awkwardly in the air, caught in a quiet battle – should he hug her back or let it fall? His other hand remained buried in his coat pocket, clenched, tense.God, his heart fluttered like a caged bird.He could feel her emotions seep into him like a sponge soaking up spilled pain. The way she held him, burying her face into his chest, was desperate, raw, and human. She needed this moment. And for reasons he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge, so did he.But still… he couldn’t bring himself to wrap his arms around her.Couldn’t push her away either.His jaw clenched as he stared at the far wall, torn between the past and the chaos of now.That was when he heard it, the soft hum of the scanner.
Chapter 72
Nathan sighed and simply answered, “I'm at home." The silence that followed Nathan’s “I’m at home” felt unusually long in Natalia’s ear. She didn’t hesitate.“I could come over to you if you don’t mind.” Her voice came out softer than she expected, hesitant but eager. Then she paused and added quickly, “Just send me your address.”There was only a soft hum from his end. A faint, almost indifferent hmm—then the call ended.Natalia stared at her phone, blinking. Was that a yes? She wasn’t sure. Her heart drummed with doubt. She almost placed the phone down when—ding. A message. He had sent the address.She opened it, and her breath hitched as the name popped up on her GPS.Lite Castle Villa.Her lips parted in awe. “Nathan is living in Lite Castle Villa?” she murmured, disbelieving. “Lite Castle is…” Words failed her. The villa wasn’t just luxurious, it was a monument of wealth. Not even the city’s top businessmen could easily claim ownership of it all these years.“How…?” she whispere
Chapter 71
Joyce stood some steps away, watching her mother closely. Thelma sat stiffly on the armchair, a look carved out of stone on her face. Her fingers tapped the carved wood restlessly, her lips a flat line, and her eyes—those sharp eyes—held back too much for Joyce to ignore.There was something, something Thelma was hiding. Again.The silence in the room stretched, thick and charged. The ticking clock on the wall did nothing to calm Joyce's nerves.She stepped forward, her brows slightly furrowed. “Mother, talk to me. What trump card do you have?”Thelma’s eyes snapped to her, glaring hard and sharp. Joyce felt the weight of it in her gut. Her mother didn’t like questions. Especially not ones that dug too close to her secrets.“It’s nothing you should know,” Thelma said coolly, her tone final.“But you…”“Shouldn’t you be in campus by now?” Thelma cut in sharply, straightening with disdain. “Go to school. This is why I never wanted you to attend a university that’s close to this house.
Chapter 70
Moments later, Natalia turned into the driveway, the still morning sun settled over the neighborhood, painting the skies in shades of light orange. Her tires crunched softly on the gravel, the sound oddly loud in the stillness around her. She parked, resting her head briefly on the steering wheel before reaching for her bag.With a sigh, she opened the door and stepped out. The air was cool and still. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder but paused.Her fingers twitched as she remembered.Heath.That moment by the car, how he had taken her hand with such careful gentleness and pressed his lips to her knuckles.It had completely caught her off guard. She hadn’t seen it coming. And worse, she had pulled away just after he kissed her.A wave of guilt tightened her chest. Nathan…Even though they were no longer together, the gesture had felt wrong. Like a betrayal.But Heath was a friend. She shook her head. “If it had been someone else, I would have slapped them… but Heath
Chapter 68
Natalia froze. Her fingers, which had just curled around the handle of her car door, slowly dropped to her side. The voice, so crisp, so oddly familiar—stirred something within her. Her heart leapt, and a name escaped her lips in a whisper, almost involuntarily."Nathan?"She turned swiftly, a small, hopeful smile forming on her face. Her eyes sparkled as she searched the crowd for the man she hadn't stopped thinking about. But the smile faltered, shrinking into something soft and bittersweet.But the smile faltered, her features fell into a neutral mold when she realized it wasn’t him."Heath." She said the name like she had to convince herself of it, adjusting the edges of her expression into something close to pleased.He was walking toward her, wearing his signature confident grin and sharp sunglasses, his gait relaxed yet purposeful. Natalia recognized him instantly—her old friend from Harvard. Time had added angles to his face, sculpting his jawline further, and his tall frame
Chapter 68
The next day, Natalia dressed simply yet smartly, her outfit speaking volumes of subtle elegance. A cream silk blouse tucked neatly into high-waisted charcoal trousers gave her a graceful yet businesslike edge. She pinned her chestnut-brown hair into a soft bun, letting a few strands fall at the sides of her face to frame her delicate cheekbones. A touch of nude lipstick added warmth to her anxious expression as she stepped into the tall glass building of Gaius Group.Inside Robert Gaius’s office, everything smelled of wealth and sharp decisiveness. The walls were lined with dark wood, interrupted only by a single large window that let in beams of filtered sunlight. Robert sat behind his mahogany desk, dressed impeccably in a navy-blue suit with a subtle silver pocket square. His presence was calm, but his eyes sparkled with mild amusement as Natalia walked in.“Good morning,” she greeted, lowering her eyes respectfully.“Morning, Natalia,” he said warmly, gesturing for her to take a
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