Chapter 221: Vincent’s Demand

"So, what do you want me to do?" Vincent asked casually.

His words pulled Natalie out of her thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to drag this Aiden Hendrix—or Shaw, whatever he calls himself—to you? Or would you prefer to come with me and personally press a gun to his temple?" His tone was so nonchalant it was as if he were talking about a stroll in the park.

"There’s no need to do anything," Natalie said firmly. "I’ve already found him."

"Found him?" Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Did he come to you on his own?"

"Yes, and we’re together now. So stay out of it. You’ve done enough." Her tone was dismissive, signaling the end of the conversation.

Vincent’s expression darkened, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "After making me work for you, you dare to dismiss me like this? Are you taking me for granted because I’ve given you some freedom? Do you want me to take you back to Xyros right now?"

Natalie swallowed hard. Despite his usual care and gentleness toward her, she was all too aware of the darker side of Vincent—the one she had no intention of provoking.

"What do you want to do, then?" she asked carefully. "You can stay in this city and... have some fun."

"Oh, I will," Vincent replied with a smirk. "But first, I want to meet your husband in person. Once I see him..." He paused, the smirk widening. "...I’ll be good to him."

Natalie’s heart sank. The idea of Vincent meeting Justin—or Aiden—was alarming. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

"You don’t need to," she said quickly, trying to dissuade him.

"But I to," Vincent replied, his tone firm. "If I see that the reason I let you go isn’t good enough—that he’s not suitable for you—you’re coming back with me to Xyros. No arguments."

Natalie clenched her fists in frustration, but she knew better than to challenge him outright. She needed to think fast to prevent Vincent from crossing paths with Justin—or worse, Aiden.

"You gave me three years, and only two have passed, so..." Natalie began, her tone defiant.

"You’ve failed miserably in these past two years," Vincent interrupted coldly. "Do you really think another year will make a difference?"

"It already has," she snapped back, anger flaring in her voice. "Aiden and I—we love each other. I’ve decided to spend my life with him."

Vincent’s expression didn’t waver. "That remains to be seen. I trusted you with Ivan, and I was wrong," he said flatly. "I didn’t invest my time in you just to watch you fall into the hands of idiots. I’m the only man who is suitable for you, and you’ll realize that soon enough."

"I never—" Natalie began, but he cut her off sharply.

"Dare say that?" His voice was calm, but the underlying menace was clear.

Natalie felt headache coming her way. Were her current troubles not enough that another one added to it, just at the worst moment?

Vincent wouldn’t leave until he met her supposed husband and confirmed her love was genuine.

When Vincent had allowed her to leave Xyros, it had been on the condition that she had three years to find her true love. If she failed, she had promised to return to him.

Now, she was stuck. Letting Vincent meet Justin as her husband seemed the only plausible option because introducing him to Aiden Shaw was out of the question. But the thought of Vincent and Justin meeting made her heart almost jump out of her chest.

she thought grimly.

She buried her face in her hands.

Just then, the door of the meeting room opened, and Mia entered. "What’s going on, Nat? Why does everyone outside look so tense, and why did they even dare to stop me from coming in—" Her words trailed off as her gaze landed on a tall, silver-haired man lounging on the couch. "Hmm? Is he a new actor you’re poaching, Nat?"

Vincent chuckled, his lopsided smile making him look both charming and unsettling at the same time.

"What are you doing here, Mia?" Natalie asked, her tone tinged with irritation as she frowned at her friend.

"I thought one of the Fords was here to annoy you. I didn’t realize you were poaching an actor," Mia said, her gaze still fixed on Vincent.

"He’s not an actor," Natalie replied with a sigh.

"Then... a model?" Mia asked, tilting her head as she studied him. "He definitely looks promising."

"Keep quiet," Natalie said firmly, shooting Mia a warning look before turning back to Vincent. "You can leave now. I’ll call you when I’m free."

Vincent, however, remained unbothered, his demeanor as cool as ever. "Won’t you at least introduce me to your friend?" he asked smoothly, his sharp gray eyes glinting with amusement. "I must say, you have excellent taste in friends. She looks smart."

Mia blinked, caught off guard by his tone, while Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

she thought grimly.

"Mia, this is my friend Vincent. He’s from Xyros City," Natalie introduced reluctantly. Before either of them could say more, she quickly added, "Vincent, I have work to do. You can leave now."

Vincent stood, unfazed. "I’m not leaving because you asked me to, but I do have some work to take care of," he said, pulling something from his pocket as he walked toward Mia.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mia," he said smoothly, holding out a small package. "This is for you."

Mia’s eyes widened as she stared at it. "H-How did you get this? I thought it was discontinued ages ago."

Vincent smirked and placed it in her hand. "You might not want to know the details... dear Mia."

"Vincent!" Natalie exclaimed, stepping toward them, her tone both warning and exasperated.

Smirking, Vincent turned back to Mia. "I simply made an earnest request to the owner of that company. Now, he makes these exclusively for me. I like keeping them around to honor a woman who’s crazy about them."

Natalie frowned, her imagination painting a vivid picture of Vincent holding a gun to the company owner’s head.

"These are mine and Natalie’s favorite candies!" Mia exclaimed, tearing open the pack with giddy excitement. "We used to devour packs of these, but the damn company stopped making them."

Without hesitation, Mia popped a few tiny sweet-and-sour candies into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered shut as she savored the taste. "Damn!" she said, her voice tinged with delight. "My stomach just had a foodgasm."

Vincent smiled as Natalie snatched the candy pack from Mia’s hands. "Don’t finish them all at once," she said, shooting a warning glance at her friend before turning to Vincent. "Will you leave now?"

"No need to be sneaky, sweetheart," Vincent replied with a playful smirk. "I’ll get more for you. I hold exclusive authority over your favorite thing, after all."

Natalie glared at him, still trying to keep Mia away from the candy pack. Unbothered, Vincent chuckled and walked out of the room.

The moment Vincent stepped out, Ryan, John, and Dan burst into the meeting room, their faces filled with concern—only to stop dead in their tracks at the scene before them.

"Nat, he gave those to me!" Mia was saying, chasing Natalie around the table.

"But he brought them for me!" Natalie countered, standing across from Mia as she stuffed more candies into her mouth.

"Hey! You can’t eat so many at once!" Mia exclaimed, still trying to grab the pack. "You’ll finish them all!"

Natalie finally pulled out a small handful and placed them on the table. "These are for you. Be happy."

"That’s unfair," Mia grumbled but quickly snatched them up anyway, her face pulling into an exaggerated pout. "You’re not my friend anymore."

"Alright, fine. Two more," Natalie said, putting a couple more candies on the table. "Just because you’re my friend."

Mia’s face lit up as she grabbed them, and the two women settled into their chairs, happily munching on their candies like content children.

The three men stared at the scene, then at each other, utterly dumbfounded. They had been dead worried while standing outside and here these two women were, fighting over candies like kids, as if the world outside didn’t exist.

they wondered in unison, still frozen in disbelief.