“Really?” Yulia sensed that her daughter was not being truthful.
Natalie lowered her head and tried to steer the topic, “Yep. Mom, when are you coming back? Let me know the date and time so that I can go pick you up at the airport.”
“Why do you care about all that? I’ll contact you once I’m back.” Yulia waved her hands to dismiss her daughter’s idea.
Natalie patted herself on the chest as her attempt to steer the topic was successful. “Sure thing. Remember to contact me then.”
That way, she could make some preparations so that her mother would not find out about her and Shane.
Natalie was hoping to only let the cat out of the bag after her mother had caught onto something. She’s going to be able to take it better then.
“Alright, alright.” Yulia replied before hanging up.
Natalie put her phone down and wiped the nervous sweat off her forehead.
Shane entered the room and noticed that the woman was letting out a huge sigh of relief. Perplexed, the man raised a brow and asked, “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing, my mother called me to tell me that she’s going to come back for that court case with Harrison.”
“What court case?” Shane tugged on his tie and made his way over to Natalie’s side.
The woman recounted what her mother said about Harrison trying to get Jared to fulfill his legal filial responsibility.
Shane’s eyes glinted as he removed his tie and tossed it aside. He worked on unbuttoning his shirt and said, “Since Harrison doesn’t stand a chance of winning the case, there’s no need to worry.”
“I know.” Natalie smiled.
Shane made way for the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Alright.” Natalie picked up the tie he took off, rolled it properly and put on the nightstand.
The sounds of water running soon filled the room, and it inexplicably made Natalie very uneasy.
Shane finally came out of the shower, and noticed that Natalie was in a daze as she sat by the bed. “You’re not asleep yet?”
Natalie regained her composure and cast him a glance. His bathrobe was hanging loosely on him, exposing his firm chest. A tinge of pink appeared on Natalie’s cheeks, and the woman turned her head to one side as she cleared her throat. “I took a long nap in the afternoon and have trouble falling asleep now.”
It had only been a few hours after her nap.
His thin lips curled into a slight smile. “Since you have trouble sleeping, let’s do something to help you sleep better.”
“What is it?” Natalie cocked her head to one side, puzzled by his suggestion.
Her adorable manner made Shane’s heart flutter. “Some exercise before sleep.”
He removed the towel wrapped around himself and pinned her under.
It was too late when Natalie realized what the man meant, and there was nothing she could do but surrender herself to him.
The next day, Natalie woke up feeling sore all over, but the culprit was no longer by her side.
She glanced at the time, and it was already over nine. She uncovered her blanket and freshened herself up in the bathroom.
Mrs. Wilson had sent the twins to kindergarten, and the villa was left with only Shane and herself.
The man was sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a financial magazine.
Natalie peered at him and noticed that he was reading about the interview that he did in the television station.
“Go take your breakfast. We’re heading out after that.” Shane turned around to look at Natalie and said gently.
She nodded and headed toward the dining room.
After she was done having breakfast, the woman headed upstairs and changed into a black dress with a white flower pinned on her chest. She steadied herself against the handrails and descended the stairs slowly. “Let’s go.”
Shane put down his magazine and stood up.
He did not change as he already had a black suit on, and the only thing missing was a white flower on his chest.
He handed over the flower to Natalie, and the woman knew what he meant. She smiled and took it over to pin it on his left lapel.
“We’re done.” Natalie straightened out his collar and was about to remove her hands.
Suddenly, Shane grabbed onto her hands.
“What’s the matter?” Natalie cast a puzzled look at the man.
The man grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
The woman let out a small shriek as she fell into his arms.
Then, the man lifted her chin and lowered his head to kiss her.
