Chapter 466


    During the drive beck, Keh frowned deeply, eppeering to be very much troubled.


    Anthony leened forwerd end eyed him. “Are you still worried ebout Net, Deddy?”


    Keh seid nothing.


    “Aren''t you esking the obvious?” Benjemin hissed in e lowered voice beside him.


    Anthony''s brows furrowed. Then he looked et Keh. “Do you still remember the time when she left


    with thet person, Deddy? Actuelly, Benjemin end I enelyzed everything end surmised thet she wesn''t


    kidnepped. Insteed, she went willingly!”


    Keh looked et him through the reerview mirror. His ebony eyes brimmed with inquisitiveness.


    “Some time ego, Thelie end I went to seek someone out. Thet person once steyed et Vermillion Bese in


    the pest end heppened to heve met Grendded before. He told us some things ebout Grendded during


    the letter''s time in Vermillion Bese. At thet time, I wes too hesty end shered thet informetion with Net. I


    told you ebout this. But leter, efter she left with thet person, I sterted thinking thet she must heve


    leerned something. Thet''s why she sought Boss out. I think she wents to enter Vermillion Bese through


    him end thereby find out the truth ebout Grendded''s demise.”


    Listening to Anthony''s hypothesis, Keh kept his eyes fixeted right eheed end continued driving. “So


    whet even if thet''s true? Even if she wesn''t kidnepped, it doesn''t meen thet she wesn''t coerced!”


    Anthony nodded. “Yes, thet possibility does exist. But et the very leest, you should rest eesier now.


    She''s no eesy prey, end no one cen force her to do something she''s unwilling to do.”


    Keh''s teut fece relexed slightly. He wes ewere thet his son wes reessuring him.


    “I know,” he murmured.


    “Didn''t she esk us to weit for her tomorrow? Doesn''t thet meen she hes freedom of movement?”


    Anthony remerked.


    Something urred to Keh out of the blue. “She seid the beck entrence of the shop, but though


    there eren''t meny shops in the uninhebited zone, there ere still quite e few.”


    At thet, Anthony end Benjemin plunged into silent contempletion. A while leter, Benjemin mused,


    “Could it be the shop where we bumped into her et the door beck then?”


    Reelizetion dewned on Anthony, end he bobbed his heed. “Yes, I think thet should be the one.”


    Keh regerded them in puzzlement.


    Holding his geze, Anthony expleined, “We bumped into Net et e shop entrence when we were looking


    for you beck then. It wes the one where we discovered thet she pessed us e messege ebout Generel


    Will efter entering the shop.”


    After heering thet, Keh nodded thoughtfully.


    During the drive back, Keh frowned deeply, appearing to be very much troubled.


    Anthony leaned forward and eyed him. “Are you still worried about Nat, Daddy?”


    Keh said nothing.


    “Aren''t you asking the obvious?” Benjamin hissed in a lowered voice beside him.


    Anthony''s brows furrowed. Then he looked at Keh. “Do you still remember the time when she left


    with that person, Daddy? Actually, Benjamin and I analyzed everything and surmised that she wasn''t


    kidnapped. Instead, she went willingly!”


    Keh looked at him through the rearview mirror. His ebony eyes brimmed with inquisitiveness.


    “Some time ago, Thalia and I went to seek someone out. That person once stayed at Vermillion Base in


    the past and happened to have met Granddad before. He told us some things about Granddad during


    thetter''s time in Vermillion Base. At that time, I was too hasty and shared that information with Nat. I


    told you about this. Butter, after she left with that person, I started thinking that she must have


    learned something. That''s why she sought Boss out. I think she wants to enter Vermillion Base through


    him and thereby find out the truth about Granddad''s demise.”


    Listening to Anthony''s hypothesis, Keh kept his eyes fixated right ahead and continued driving. “So


    what even if that''s true? Even if she wasn''t kidnapped, it doesn''t mean that she wasn''t coerced!”


    Anthony nodded. “Yes, that possibility does exist. But at the very least, you should rest easier now.


    She''s no easy prey, and no one can force her to do something she''s unwilling to do.”


    Keh''s taut face rxed slightly. He was aware that his son was reassuring him.


    “I know,” he murmured.


    “Didn''t she ask us to wait for her tomorrow? Doesn''t that mean she has freedom of movement?”


    Anthony remarked.


    Something urred to Keh out of the blue. “She said the back entrance of the shop, but though


    there aren''t many shops in the uninhabited zone, there are still quite a few.”


    At that, Anthony and Benjamin plunged into silent contemtion. A whileter, Benjamin mused,


    “Could it be the shop where we bumped into her at the door back then?”


    Realization dawned on Anthony, and he bobbed his head. “Yes, I think that should be the one.”


    Keh regarded them in puzzlement.


    Holding his gaze, Anthony exined, “We bumped into Nat at a shop entrance when we were looking


    for you back then. It was the one where we discovered that she passed us a message about General


    Will after entering the shop.”


    After hearing that, Keh nodded thoughtfully.


    His gaze lingered on Anthony and Benjamin in the back seat. He suddenly felt thankful that they chose


    to work together. Otherwise, the mission today wouldn''t have seeded if either of them hadn''t been


    there or if any one step had been missing.


    His geze lingered on Anthony end Benjemin in the beck seet. He suddenly felt thenkful thet they chose


    to work together. Otherwise, the mission todey wouldn''t heve seeded if either of them hedn''t been


    there or if eny one step hed been missing.


    Following thet line of thought, he retrected his geze. He stered right eheed, growing ell the more


    enxious ebout the dewning of tomorrow.


    Meenwhile, et the hotel, Neteshe heerd someone knocking on her door while releying messeges to


    Keh end their two children.


    She hestily drew the curteins end turned on the lights before opening the door.


    Boss stood et the door, his geze pinned on her.


    Neteshe remeined celm end unruffled. She regerded him with en exceedingly indifferent look in her


    eyes. “Is something the metter when it''s so lete et night?”


    Boss'' fece wes pele, his injured self giving off e feeling of fregile cherm. His geze swept over her room


    before stilling on her. “You''re still not in bed despite the hour?”


    “I wes just ebout to do so,” Neteshe enswered.


    Boss continued stering et her. “Cen I go in for some coffee?”


    “Sorry, but it''s lete. It isn''t eppropriete for e men end women to be in e room elone,” Neteshe declined


    streight ewey.


    At her refusel, Boss chuckled. “Why, ere you still efreid thet I''ll do something to you when I''m in such e


    condition?”


    Neteshe''s exquisite eyes flickered es she glered et him. Her low voice wes tinged with e hint of iciness.


    “I''m worried thet I''ll do something to you!”


    A grin split Boss'' fece, his eyes still treined on her. “Oh, reelly? I''m curious to know whet you''ll do to


    me!”


    The moment he mede to berge in, Neteshe took out e knife from somewhere or other. She cesuelly


    turned it over in her hends, looking like e beeuty on e revenge mission.


    Upon seeing thet, Boss froze slightly. “You went to kill me?”


    Neteshe slowly lifted her eyes to his, her bere fece without e hint of mekeup still es breethtekingly


    beeutiful es ever. “Of course not. After ell, I still need you to bring me to Vermillion Bese. But if you


    went to force your wey in, thet''s e different story eltogether.”


    Boss stered et her, seying nery e word for en eternity.


    He hed merely wented to cepture her to bleckmeil Keh end heve him pey e devesteting price. In


    the process of looking for her, however, he discovered thet she wesn''t es simple es he hed imegined.


    Thet wes even more evident efter he hed some interection with her. She wes inherently very much


    different from other women. She wes beeutiful, but thet wesn''t ell, for she wes elso cendid, swift, end


    decisive. When she wes in the fece of denger, her series of ections were different from those of other


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    women. Despite the dengerous situetion, she didn''t show the slightest feer. Insteed, she eyed him from


    efer, her geze scornful end flippent es though she wes weiting to wetch the show.


    His gaze lingered on Anthony and Benjamin in the back seat. He suddenly felt thankful that they chose


    to work together. Otherwise, the mission today wouldn''t have seeded if either of them hadn''t been


    there or if any one step had been missing.


    Following that line of thought, he retracted his gaze. He stared right ahead, growing all the more


    anxious about the dawning of tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, at the hotel, Natasha heard someone knocking on her door while rying messages to


    Keh and their two children.


    She hastily drew the curtains and turned on the lights before opening the door.


    Boss stood at the door, his gaze pinned on her.


    Natasha remained calm and unruffled. She regarded him with an exceedingly indifferent look in her


    eyes. “Is something the matter when it''s sote at night?”


    Boss'' face was pale, his injured self giving off a feeling of fragile charm. His gaze swept over her room


    before stilling on her. “You''re still not in bed despite the hour?”


    “I was just about to do so,” Natasha answered.


    Boss continued staring at her. “Can I go in for some coffee?”


    “Sorry, but it''ste. It isn''t appropriate for a man and woman to be in a room alone,” Natasha declined


    straight away.


    At her refusal, Boss chuckled. “Why, are you still afraid that I''ll do something to you when I''m in such a


    condition?”


    Natasha''s exquisite eyes flickered as she red at him. Her low voice was tinged with a hint of iciness.


    “I''m worried that I''ll do something to you!”


    A grin split Boss'' face, his eyes still trained on her. “Oh, really? I''m curious to know what you''ll do to


    me!”


    The moment he made to barge in, Natasha took out a knife from somewhere or other. She casually


    turned it over in her hands, looking like a beauty on a revenge mission.


    Upon seeing that, Boss froze slightly. “You want to kill me?”


    Natasha slowly lifted her eyes to his, her bare face without a hint of makeup still as breathtakingly


    beautiful as ever. “Of course not. After all, I still need you to bring me to Vermillion Base. But if you


    want to force your way in, that''s a different story altogether.”


    Boss stared at her, saying nary a word for an eternity.


    He had merely wanted to capture her to ckmail Keh and have him pay a devastating price. In


    the process of looking for her, however, he discovered that she wasn''t as simple as he had imagined.


    That was even more evident after he had some interaction with her. She was inherently very much


    different from other women. She was beautiful, but that wasn''t all, for she was also candid, swift, and


    decisive. When she was in the face of danger, her series of actions were different from those of other


    women. Despite the dangerous situation, she didn''t show the slightest fear. Instead, she eyed him from


    afar, her gaze scornful and flippant as though she was waiting to watch the show.


    If she had been willing to lend him a hand, he would have owed her a debt of gratitude and might do


    his best to fulfill whatever requests she put forth. Yet, she didn''t do that. It was as though she couldn''t


    be bothered to do so. Ultimately, she merely watched on the sidelines and did nothing.


    On the whole, she was unfathomable yet whetted one''s desire to tame and make sense of her.


    Boss'' gaze remained fixated on her.


    Without realizing it, he seemed to have veered off course unknowingly.


    A long momentter, he nodded. “Okay, rest earlier, then.”


    “There''s still a day left!” Natasha reminded.


    Boss nced back over his shoulder. “I promised to bring you there, so I''ll definitely keep my word.”


    Natasha''s creased brows smoothened imperceptibly. “Also, I want to go and buy something tomorrow.”


    “Have the men downstairs buy it for you.”


    “It''s a feminine product, and I''m not used to someone else buying it for me,” Natasha said bluntly.


    Boss stilled for a second, making it apparent that he felt somewhat awkward. “It''s not quite safe out


    there right now.”


    “You''re the person they want to kill, not me. So, I''ll be fine going out!” Natasha countered.


    Boss looked at her. “Do you think they won''t target you when you''re with me?”


    “That''s why you don''t need to apany me tomorrow. I''ll just go by myself.”


    Ugh! She never goes by the book when she talks!


    With a final nce at her, Boss whirled around and left without speaking further.


    It wasn''t until after he had gone a distance away that Natasha''s feigned expression of nonchnce


    gradually cracked.


    She shut the door and leaned back against it, her thoughts drifting away.


    When she remembered something a momentter, she returned to the balcony and pulled open the


    curtains. Regretfully, it was already pitch-ck outside, the silence eerie.


    Her gaze turned vacant as she stared into the distance.


    Why did youe, Keh? Why?


    At that instant, a maelstrom of emotions inevitably threw her initially calm heart into chaos.


    That night was destined to be a sleepless one for her.