Chatper 23


    hapter 23


    Brian gripped her with a ferocity that seemed to scream hatred. Natalie tried to break free, but he


    pinned her effortlessly against the wall. In just a few seconds, she tasted the faint.


    sweetness mixed with the metallic tang of blood between her teeth.


    Her face went pale. Fragments of that night years ago shed through Natalie’s mind.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    As a young girl, whenever she looked up to Brian, she couldn’t help but fantasize about the tenderness


    he might show if he ever kissed her.


    She couldn’t deny that she had harbored a cautious affection for him, never daring to reveal a trace of it


    to anyone else. She knew she shouldn’t fall for him, fearing that if he ever found out, he would cast her


    out.


    Brian had been the light of Natalie’s life. He was someone she loved to her core. But Brian would never


    be gentle with her. Never. She knew he had always hated her. He hated how Audrey had shattered his


    parents‘ marriage and hated her by extension. Audrey leaving with a stash of cash only intensified his


    disdain.


    Brian didn’t realize Natalie had been crying until he tasted the salty bitterness of her tears.


    He let her go.


    Natalie looked into his eyes and saw nothing but indifference. After a moment, she spoke softly, “I will


    pay back the debt Audrey owes you. And for the record, I had nothing to do with her schemes four


    years ago.”


    She was willing to make amends for Audrey’s wrongdoings but would not admit to faults that weren’t


    hers.


    Brian’s face twisted into a sneer when she brought up the past, mocking her in a soft voice. “How will


    you pay me back? With the help of Shawn, Gavin? Or some other man?”


    He didn’t need to see who was in the car. He just had to check the lease agreement for the apartment.


    “How I pay you back is my business,” Natalie said, cleaning her tears, her voice devoid of emotion.


    She no longer cared about his insults. After all, the year he threw her belongings out of the Howard


    mansion and let the rumors in Streamville run wild, he had already crushed her dignity underfoot.


    She looked at him and said firmly, “I told you I’d pay you back, and I will.”


    With that, she turned and unlocked the door.


    Brian couldn’t help but let out a scoff. But in the end, he said nothing more and stormed out, mming


    the door behind him.


    1040


    Chapter 23


    Right after he left, Natalie quickly locked the door behind her.


    She headed back to the bathroom to shower again.


    She scrubbed herself over and over, at least a dozen times.


    When she looked at her body, her mind was haunted by the memory of him looking at her with those


    disgusted eyes, saying, “Natalie, you’re truly despicable!”


    Yet, his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at Gracia.


    Chapter 24


    Chapter 24