305 Irresistible offer (3)
Leaving Nathaniel’s mansion was much easier than coming in. She had tried to battle her way out earlier but now that her discussion with Nathaniel was done, he must have ordered his bodyguards to let her go because no one bothered to stop her.
She shot one of them a smile. He was the one who had been most aggressive with her in the car and would have slapped her across the face if his companion did not remind him that Nathaniel didn’t want a single strand of hair missing from her head. At least the old fart had some manners, she thought.
The bodyguard, on the other hand, did not flinch at her smile. He retained his poker expression that she knew would crack soon enough. Wait until his master was dead and he was left running around like a stray dog. He would have to cave to whatever became of him and he might just be one of the people who would give her enough evidence to get Nathaniel behind bars. If they decided not to kill him, that is. She was more inclined towards getting rid of him once and for all but she knew that was not what Zaria would want. She wanted peace.
She waved at them and then left the compound to try and hail a cab. After several unsuccessful attempts, she walked back despite not wanting to. She glared at Nathaniel.
“Is this how you treat your guests? After bringing me here, leaving me hungry and thirsty, and making me feel sad, you are not even going to make sure I get home safely?”
He was done with her tantrums. She was a smart woman but for some reason, she had decided to drive him crazy by acting like a silly pampered princess. If this was her way of driving him to the grave before he was due, she was winning.
He signaled for his chauffeur. “Drop her off wherever she can get a cab.” Then, in a lower voice that only he could hear, he instructed the chauffeur to ensure he didn’t drop her off at the location of her choice. He still couldn’t risk Natalie getting back on her word. If that were to happen, it would not be wise to have left evidence that he was involved in her kidnapping.
The chauffeur drove off with Natalie in the backseat and he was relieved. Once all this was done, she would no longer be alive. Not for long enough to change her mind and rat him off, anyway. He knew how women’s minds worked. They were fickle beings who let their emotions rule them.
Natalie might be interested in working for him now since he had many benefits to offer. Once Zaria was dead, however, he couldn’t guarantee that she would not feel guilty. For some, that did not matter. But if she was stupid enough, she would want to confess everything she did, hoping her deceased friend would forgive her. He couldn’t let that happen.
.....
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Meanwhile, Natalie didn’t mind that she was dropped off in the middle of nowhere. All that mattered was that she could get to the grocery store, and then home in time.
She gave Devonte a call and as expected, he was worried.
“Is everything alright, love?” He asked in concern when he answered the call.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just had some family matters to deal with.” She said without explaining which family she was talking about. The mention of family reminded her of her parents’ invitation. They had wanted to dine with Devonte once Owen was out of the hospital.
She had been putting it off for a while but now, she didn’t think they would let her off if she continued making excuses. So, now that she was already talking about family and Devonte didn’t know which one she meant, she decided to use it as a decoy.
She bought the ingredients she needed and drove back home, where Devonte was waiting at the door. At least she thought he was. Otherwise, how did he appear so fast when she opened the door?
“Love, you look troubled.” He observed, cupping her face.
She threw herself into his arms. She hated to lie to him. Well, technically, she was not lying.
She stopped trying to make excuses for her deception. She was lying by not telling him she had been kidnapped and that Nathaniel wanted to use her, and that she had a scheme of her own. However, she couldn’t possibly tell him the truth. If Nathaniel suspected for a second that she was not the only one who knew about their deal, Devonte’s life would be in danger.
Besides, there was no way he would keep it to himself if she told him. He would want to confront the man and that would be suicidal. So she buried her face in his chest to avoid having to face him with a lie.
“My parents would like to have a meal with you. Will breakfast be okay?”
Based on her question, he knew he didn’t have a real choice. She was not asking whether or not she wanted to have breakfast with her parents but when he wanted to. Normally, he would tell off anyone who thought they could tell him what to do. But not Natalie. She could order him around all she wanted. He would still do as she pleased anyway.
So he kissed her forehead. “Tomorrow?” When she nodded, he agreed. “Okay. Just don’t come after me if either of them ends up dead for giving you shit, okay?”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, my love.”
“Now, get your ass in the kitchen so we can cook and I get to have my dinner off of you.” He nudged her in the direction of the kitchen and paused. “Unless you are tired.”
“It’s okay. I’m not tired. I just need a moment.” She let him take the grocery bags to the kitchen and used the chance to send a text message to Zaria.
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Zaria’s phone chimed while Evan was explaining what he thought his grandfather was doing. She debated checking the text and decided it was rude to do so in the middle of a conversation. So although her phone was practically boring a hole through her skin and igniting her curiosity, she held it in and asked more about Evan’s hypothesis.
“Assuming you are right and Gabriel is pairing up with Nathaniel, what do you suppose his goal is?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Evan couldn’t believe he had to explain this. “His beloved Veronica should have been the one to own the whole of The West. It has been in the family for years, after all. You just got in the way of that.”
“He cannot blame me for his incompetence,” Zaria grumbled, but she knew he was right. Men like Gabriel didn’t care about logic. Not when they had one foot in their graves, anyway. It didn’t matter what they did, as long as they got to accomplish their final goals.
“So he wants me dead.” She concluded. Her phone chimed again. This time she didn’t ignore it and the content made her eyes go wide.
[Natalie: You have to start planning a wedding, asap].
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