Chapter 66: Effortlessly Beautiful

At Justin’s presidential suite.

After making sure his grandmother was finally asleep, he returned to his own room, hoping to get some rest. After a hot shower and changing into fresh pajamas, he climbed into bed, expecting the exhaustion to finally take over. But instead, he found himself tossing and turning, unable to relax.

Frustrated, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering why he couldn’t settle down.

He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep, only to find himself thinking about Natalie.

But then he confronted himself.

He tried to shift his thoughts to anything else but found himself facing the empty half of the bed.

Sighing, he turned back to face the ceiling, When he thought he’d finally managed to push her from his mind, he glanced over at his phone.

Without thinking too much about it, Justin dialed her number, still lying in bed. When she answered, her voice was soft, almost melodic, "Hello?"

He froze for a moment, swallowing. Her voice sounded sweeter over the phone, and he realized just how much he missed it—the way she’d argue with him, her flashes of annoyance, anger, everything about her seemed to echo in his thoughts.

he reminded himself, pulling himself back to the present. "Were you sleeping?"

In response, he only received silence.

Wondering, he called her again, wishing to hear her say at least something. "Natalie?"

Smash!

Hearing the sound of glass breaking through the phone, Justin’s heart skipped a beat, and he sat up abruptly in bed. He was about to ask again when he heard Natalie exclaim, "Ah! Damn it!"

Panic surged through him. "Natalie, are you alright?"

"Ah, yes. Don’t worry. Good night," came her quick, dismissive reply, and then the call ended.

Justin stared at his phone, confused and worried. "What the hell? Is she hurt?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the suite. His heart raced as he sped down the empty streets, pushing the car to its limits. His mind was fixated on Natalie—if she was hurt, if she needed help. The worry etched across his face grew more intense with each passing second.

When he pulled up to her apartment building, the screeching of his car caught John’s attention. Stepping out of his own car, John hurried to Justin’s side as he rushed toward the elevator.

"Mr. Harper, is there a problem?" John asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Go back to your position," Justin brushed him off as he entered the elevator, leaving John stunned.

Once on Natalie’s floor, Justin almost ran to her apartment and rang the bell. He cursed under his breath, realizing he didn’t know her door code.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door swung open, revealing Natalie. She looked a little sleepy, but even like this, there was something about her that made his heart stutter.

The messy hair, her slightly drowsy expression—she was effortlessly beautiful. A wild urge to hold her, to pull her into his arms and feel her against him, flickered in his mind.

"Justin?" she asked, clearly surprised to see him standing there.

He shook off his thoughts, stepping forward immediately. His eyes scanned her face, then dropped to the bandage on her finger. "Are you hurt? I heard something break."

Natalie blinked, trying to process the fact that he had come all the way here."I... It’s just a small cut. You didn’t have to come all the way here," she stammered, feeling a rush of emotions she wasn’t prepared for.

"I couldn’t just stay away," Justin replied, his eyes locked on hers. "Let me see it." He held her hand.

Natalie instinctively tried to pull her hand back. "It’s really nothing..."

Grip of his hand tightened over hers and he offered her a warning gaze, daring her to pull it back.

’This domineering man.’ She sighed inwardly, but also touched by his gesture.

"Is this how you treat your wounds?" Clearly displeased, he looked back at her, "It seems like living among thugs taught you nothing better."

"You..."

"Where’s the first aid kit?" His demanding voice cut her off.

"I don’t have any," she replied, her frustration growing, especially after his earlier remark. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back again, but his grip was firm. ’

she wondered. ’

"So irresponsible," Justin muttered, frowning. He pulled out his phone with his free hand and made a call to John. "Bring a first aid kit from your car."

He then guided Natalie to the sofa and made her sit on it, "Don’t move," while he scanned the drawing room and asked. "Where?"

She understood what he meant, and answered, not knowing what to feel about his sudden caring attitude towards her. "In the kitchen."

Justin headed to the kitchen and saw the broken glass and droplets of blood. Before he could begin cleaning, the doorbell rang.

He opened the door and took the first aid kit from John, who cautiously asked, "Is everything alright, Mr. Harper?"

Slam!

The door shut before John could get an answer. Outside, John breathed a sigh of relief.

Justin hurried back to Natalie, who sat quietly, sensing it was best to let him have his way for now. She watched him as he carefully removed the cloth bandage from her finger, examining the wound.

"It’s not a deep cut," he commented.

Natalie sighed again inwardly.

Justin, oblivious to her thoughts, sanitized the wound carefully and then applied a fresh bandage with a tenderness that caught her off guard. Just like that time when he taped her hurt ankle, his concentration, the way he took care of such a small injury, made her confirmed—Seems She could not deny, up close, he looked endearing to be with.

When he finally finished, he lifted his gaze and caught her staring at him. For once, he didn’t react. Instead, he held her gaze, seemingly willing to get lost in her beautiful eyes.

Her delicate hand still rested in his, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how slender and fragile her fingers felt, as if they could break with the slightest touch.