Day Fifty-Eight…
~~*****~~
After his confrontation with Tatsumi, Nathan became more moody and grumpy. He was not in the mood to interact with others.
He chose to be alone as he roamed around the mini-forest in the vicinity of the mountain resort. He didn't know how long he could bear this complication.
The woman he hated was the sister of the woman he loved. And lately, he was slowly wavering. The Shining Star he used to know was Phantomflake, the same woman who killed the mother of his child.
'I was fooled by Monica… I fell for her thinking she was Shining Star. How did it happen?'
Nathan picked up his phone and dialed Axel's number.
"Hello, Sir?" Axel was surprised when Nathan called him suddenly. His Boss was in the middle of a vacation trip.
"Axel, how is your investigation regarding the accident in Ceceres Hills? Did you find a clue?" Nathan couldn't be at ease since the real culprit was still at large.
"We are still looking for another person of interest. Sir… I'm afraid to say but… Miss Veronica appeared to be one of the suspects. She has a motive to harm Miss Abi. But we can't be sure… because she is someone who can't hurt you." Axel was aware that Veronica was loyal to Nathan and she cared so much about him. She wouldn't do anything to harm their Supreme Leader.
"Okay. Just continue your investigation. We have to consider all the possibilities. If Veronica has something to do with this, I will deal with her myself," Nathan firmly said.
"Got it, Sir."
"One more thing, how is your investigation about Monica? Have you gathered information about her background and anything I don't know about her?" Nathan sounded serious when he said those words. He had never thought this day would come and he would doubt Monica and her identity.
If she was the fake Shining Star, what was her purpose for approaching him? Why did she have to pretend as someone she was not?
'Is Ethan truly my son?' Nathan mumbled to himself. A seed of doubt started to grow in Nathan's mind.
Nathan shook his head, disregarding that idea. 'Of course, Ethan is my son. We've already proven it through the paternity test.'
"Spider is working on it, Sir, digging some more information related to her past and background. Should we ask Lady Veronica about some other details related to her sister?" Axel asked Nathan's thoughts.
"No. Don't ask her. Keep this investigation from her. She must not know about this," Nathan ordered him.
"This is noted, sir. We will do what we can to gather more information about Miss Monica," Axel reassured Nathan.
Nathan wrapped up their conversation and hung up. He took a deep breath, sat down, and leaned on the tree while closing his eyes. He felt so exhausted and stressed lately.
Unknown to him, Jane overheard the conversation. She had been following him ever since she saw Nathan go to the mini-forest.
'This is great. Nathan began to doubt Monica,' Jane thought to herself, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
She would like to grab this opportunity to talk to Nathan alone. She just waited for ten minutes before she came out of her hiding spot.
She sat down next to Nathan. Sensing the newcomer's presence, Nathan opened his eyes only to be surprised by Jane.
'Here she is… again.'
Nathan put on a grim expression as he looked at her.
"Can you see? I want to be alone." Nathan scowled at her. He emphasized that he didn't want her to be there.
But Jane was brave enough to ignore his complaints. She could handle his tantrum because she was in a good mood today.
"I didn't see any warning signs." Jane nonchalantly responded, shrugging her shoulders.
Nathan glowered his eyes at her. "Stay away from me. Your father's subordinate will be upset when he sees us together. I don't want him to misunderstand our relationship. I'm not two-timing anyone." Nathan sounded like a kid complaining about some bullies.
Jane blinked her eyes in puzzlement. She wondered if Nathan was referring to Tatsumi.
"Did Tatsumi talk to you? What did he say?" Jane didn't expect Tatsumi to confront Nathan. 'He shouldn't get involved.'
"Just ask him." Nathan stood up. He didn't have any plans to stay in one place where Jane was around.
He was about to leave but Jane grabbed his hand tightly. "Nate. I have something to discuss with you. Listen to me first."
Nathan turned his body to face her. "What?"
"I can't obey your command. I won't avoid Ethan. Please don't forbid me from interacting with him," Jane pleaded.
Nathan's expression darkened further when he heard that.
"I won't stay away from him… including you! Starting today, no one will dictate what I should or should not do. I'll do what I want in the remaining days. I only have forty-two days left." Jane said with conviction.
Nathan frowned at the mention of Forty-Two Days. Was she counting the remaining days in their contract? Why was she in particular with the number of days left?
"Not obeying me means breaching our contract. How can you say that you will do what you want without following my orders and command?" Nathan questioned her with disbelief. Her stubbornness was getting on his nerves.
"I'll find Raven for you. And I'm willing to die in your hands. Are those two reasons not enough to reassure you of our contract?"
"I won't tell my father… and I will do no harm for you and Ethan. I'll atone for my sin. I won't betray you, Nate. You have my word. You know me. Phantomflake never breaks her promise," Jane tried to convince him.
Nathan was silent. He was just observing Jane, not breaking their eye-to-eye contact.
'I know. Shining Star never breaks her promise.'
"Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don't bother me," Nathan removed her hand.
Jane's lips curled up into a satisfied smile. Nathan saw her bright expression, leaving him in a trance.
"Thanks, Nate!" Jane felt grateful. "But I can't promise not to bother you," Jane added meaningfully.
'I will stick with you until you notice me… I'll do my best to win your heart and gain your affection. My life depends on it,' she swore to herself.
"What will you do if you can't find Sizzling August within forty-two days?" Nathan suddenly asked her out of the blue. He was still curious about that.
Jane fixed her eyes on Nathan's face, staring at him intently. "Who said I won't find him?" Jane moved closer to Nathan, placing her hand on his chest teasingly. Nathan felt uncomfortable with her touch. Their closeness was making his body tense. 'Damn it! She's doing this to me… again.'
"Even if he hides from me, I will be able to trace him. He taught me everything. Don't underestimate my skills," she winked at him.
Nathan just arched his brow, eyeing her in disbelief. 'Where did you get that confidence? I'm already in front of you. But you still have no idea.'
As if Jane had read his mind, she tiptoed and whispered to his ear, "Who knows… he is just nearby. It could be someone close to me. It could be… You."
Nathan: "..."
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