Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Natalie glanced at the little boy in Brian’s arms, a flash of surprise flickering across her face. The kid was pale as fresh milk, with sharp, defined features that mirrored his father’s so closely they looked like two peas in a pod.

He had a kid already.-

But then again, Brian was turning thirty this year. Having a kid at his age was pretty standard

fare.

“Where’s your cap, little buddy?” Brian noticed the bustling crowd in the elevator eyeing his son and frowned, looking down at the little tyke.

Nate grudgingly fished out a tiny baseball cap from his grasp, not in the mood to wear it.

“Didn’t we have a little gentleman’s agreement, buddy?” Brian pinched Nate’s chubby little hand, swiftly took the cap, and placed it on his head, shielding his face from view.

“Cotton candy!” Blinded by the cap from what was in front of him, Nate could still see the candy store on the ground floor with its pink storefront. He excitedly pointed at it.

“No sugar before bed,” Brian murmured, a knot forming between his brows.

This kid was a handful stubborn, sweet–toothed, and easily distracted by desserts, just like his mom used to be.

“I want it!” Nate’s eyes began to well up with tears as he clung to Brian’s neck, and he was pouting, the very picture of a child on the brink of a tantrum.

It had been days since Nate had last savored a candy, and the mere thought was enough to make him restless.

Without a word, Brian weighed his options and pulled out his phone to signal the bodyguard ahead to buy some cotton candy. After all, what wouldn’t he do for his little heartbreaker? If Nate wished upon a star, Brian would find a way to pluck it from the sky.

As Brian’s gaze wandered away, a familiar silhouette caught his eye. He paused and looked again, but the figure had already turned the corner and vanished.

An hour later, Natalie sat in a secluded corner by the window of a third–floor café, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen in front of her while her right hand idly stirred the ice in her glass.

After a few minutes of typing, the screen flashed a reassuring green signal.

King’s voice came through her earpiece. “Good job, it’s done.”

Natalie looked out the window without expression. Across the street, the sixty–story Central Building went dark all at once, and the sounds of chaos from inside could be heard even through the glass. She had hacked the building’s electrical system.

1/2

18-45

Chapter 4

Mission accomplished. Notifications of a two–million–dollar deposit to her Visa lit up her phone’s screen.

“Natalie, what’s up with you today?” King asked before hanging up.

Usually, Natalie wrapped up these straightforward tasks quickly, but she took a little longer this day, nearly missing the deadline.

“Just jetlag. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I’ll be fine after a night’s rest,” Natalie replied curtly.

“When are you returning?” King pressed.

Natalie thought of the dinner Samuel had asked her to attend the following day, her lips twisting in distaste. “After I get my degree, I guess. We’ll see.”

“If the Wright family gave you any trouble, let me know immediately. For emergencies, contact Gavin,” King added, his voice low with concern before ending the call.

Though his words were commanding. Natalie could hear the care in them. King was the only one who’d ever cared for her. If it hadn’t been for him, there might not even be a Natalie today.

After the call, Natalie examined the bank card Samuel had given her that afternoon, a silent. sneer crossing her lips before she began typing the card number into her computer’s code.

The Wright family’s little entertainment company, with a total capital of over a hundred million only, had a financial firewall so pathetic it was almost beneath her to hack.

But Natalie’s eyes grew cold when she remembered Samuel and Lydia’s conversation about her as if she were no more than livestock.

She would show them what it meant to cross her. It would be her first ‘gift‘ to them upon her return.