457 As If She Were Her Own
Natalie was lost in her thoughts, unconsciously rolling the ring on her finger when the door to her room opened, rousing her attention instantly.
She glanced up at the figure at the door and was relieved to see that it was Jason, having been waiting for him.
âYou asked for me, Maâmâ Jason walked into the room and bowed his head slightly as he stopped directly in front of her. Even without Natalie being Ericâs fiancée, she was one of the oldest members of the household and was respected, although she wasnât active in the family business.
âYes, please sit.â Natalie directed him to the sofa beside her. When he settled down, she turned to face him, licking her lower lips and Jason recognized that move as a show of nervousness. Whatever the reason Natalie wanted him here, he had a feeling his boss had no idea of it.
âI need your help.â
And there it is.
âMy help?â Jason asked, pretending not to have seen that coming. He only hoped that favor wasnât going to land him in trouble. His boss loved the woman dearly and if anything happened to her, it was his head on a spike.
âYes, I need information on someone,â
âWho?â Jason intentionally raised a questioning brow, already guessing it was about her daughter. Eric had asked him to search for her daughter in secret too, it seems she has changed her mind about it. He would be sure to inform his boss that the woman was now showing interest in her long-forgotten daughter.
.....
Natalie took a deep gulp before saying, âMy daughterâs father.â
At once, Jasonâs questioning brows furrowed instantly. It wasnât about her daughter, but the father? What does she want to know about him when it was years already? Moreover, why was this coming up the exact moment his boss proposed to her? Was she having a change of heart? Nonetheless, it was none of his business.
âI assume that you donât want the boss to know about it?â Jason asked, holding her gaze as he waited for her answer. Only her response would determine whether he was going to take that risk.
Natalie nodded, âYes, Eric canât know that Iâm looking for him else he misunderstands my intention. I just want to know how heâs been living all these years and if possible, thank him for taking care of our daughter all by himself. I donât deserve to be a mother to her, but Edward deserves...â She couldnât find the right words to express her gratitude to the man.
âI understand,â Jason nodded in understanding. He knew about Natalieâs story and when he wasnât running errands for Eric â and now Elijah â his other work was covering Natalieâs tracks and making sure that asshole Daniel never finds her â and the fact that sheâs still alive.
It was a miracle that Ericâs father had found her on that dock bleeding and nearly drowning to death. Just to escape Daniel, she had shot herself thankfully, in the stomach and fallen into the water to die, fortunately for her, they were carrying out a secret mission underwater that night and when she fell in, they had been the ones to rescue her.
Not that Eric would let that old bastard lay a hand on her, but it was better safe than sorry. There was a reason why everyone avoided Daniel and it wasnât only the fact he played dirty. He was a two-faced bastard and the only time he was truthful was when it benefitted him. Aside from that, anyone entering a deal with Daniel and expecting honestly from him had better well dug his grave.
âThank you,â Natalie smiled at him gratefully, âYou donât know how much that means to me.â
âItâs nothing.â Jason stood to his feet and bowed once more, âIâll see you then when I have the information intact.â He had his hands full digging up information for Eric, and did he forget that rascal Elijah, then lastly, Natalie. Now, where was he going to begin?
As soon as Jason left, Natalie was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Once Jason provided her a means to communicate with Edward, she would visit him â and maybe catch a glimpse of her daughter. He wouldnât need to introduce her to their daughter, just make up a lie that sheâs a friend or something.
However, thinking about it now, she doubted it was going to work. Natalie remembered that day she stumbled into her daughter at the café, the girl was her copy. The resemblance was uncanny except for the fact she had inherited the red hair from her fatherâs side. Edward was no redhead but his grandmother had been.
Luckily for her daughter, she had her father and a whole lot of relatives to take care of her, unlike her own family that ousted her as soon as she became a liability. Natalie took a deep breath recalling her father cutting all ties with her just to push her to Daniel. Her mother had fought hard, but she was not strong enough.
By the time Natalie opened her eyes, she realized tears were sliding down her cheeks. God, she hated this. It was all in the past, but still, it cut deep inside of her remembering she had a family far away from here yet couldnât identify with them. At first, she had wished her Papa death, but he was still her father nonetheless.
A knock on the door interrupted her train of thoughts, and she jerked in the direction only for the door to swing open in a matter of seconds and a blur ran in her direction, nearly knocking her down to the ground when their bodies collided.
âAunt Natalie, Iâm back!â Rose screamed, throwing her entire weight on her and God knows, the girl was heavier than the last time they met.
Rose was Ericâs only daughter and child he had with his former baby mama and the girl was quite a handful yet a darling.
âI missed you, aunt Natalie,â The girl pressed cute kisses all over her face and Natalieâs heart swelled with affection. It was true that she didnât have a chance with her daughter but she would treat Rose as if she were her own.