Instinctively, Natalie tried to push him away, immediately on edge “What are you doing?” she asked coldly.
Rowan leaned down. His lips brushed perilously close against hers before veering past at the last second. He whispered into her ears. “But know your limits.”
Natalie was startled.
Know her limits? What did he mean by that? Did he know something?
All of a sudden, a strange feeling coiled in her chest, all directed toward the man she’d just met.
Rowan straightened up, pulling himself away from her, and inet her curious gaze with a dark and unreadable one. “Let’s go.”
The ambiguous atmosphere vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
Natalie watched as Rowan turned away indifferently, as if what had happened earlier had just been her hallucination.
Pursing her lips, she followed him.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the lobby of the restaurant, Alfred was telling Jason that the surveillance system at the restaurant had failed that afternoon and wouldn’t be fixed until the next day. Therefore, they had no idea who had eavesdropped on their
conversation earlier.
Noticing Jason’s scowl, Alfred said appeasingly, “Mr. Pereira, it might just be a random guest passing by. Even if they heard us, they won’t be able to understand us. There’s no need to worry.”
If it were before, Jason might have let this slide, but ever since the ledger disappeared during his coma, he had to be cautious.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jason said curtly, “Keep searching for the ledger.”
Then, he strode out of the restaurant.
A woman rushed toward her as soon as Jason exited the restaurant.
It was Jane. She clung to Jason’s arm and said with a pout, “Mr. Pereira, there you are! The restaurant manager treated me horribly. They didn’t let me go in and kicked me out just for trying to see you!”
Already in a foul mood, Jason shook her off impatiently. “Leave me alone.”
Jane stumbled backward and almost fell, but she pursued him doggedly. She wanted to tell him about the woman who looked uncannily like her, but instinct clamped her mouth shut—she somehow had a feeling that that woman would be the biggest threat to her relationship with Jason.
She couldn’t let Jason know about her.
She put on a coquettish act instead. “Mr. Pereira, why have you been ignoring my calls lately? I missed you. Let me stay at your place tonight?”
The blatant invitation was clear to any sane man around.
Jason’s expression darkened further. “I’m not in the mood today. Go back to your own place.”
With that, he walked away without a backward glance.
With Jason gone, Jane dropped all pretenses. Fury and discontent burned in her eyes.
When Jason had first woken up from his coma at the hospital, she had been the first person he’d seen. He had grabbed her hand
Chapter 36
+25 BONUS
and begged her not to leave, crying, “I’m sorry, Natalie. Please don’t leave me.”
Jane had seized her chance and played along, comforting him. From then on, taking care of Jason became her primary job.
Even after his discharge, Jane would go to his place to check on his recovery.
One time, Jason had some drinks before his regular checkup. Jane took the opportunity and seduced him with calculated touches, and sure enough, she managed to provoke a reaction,
Jason had tossed her a set of clothes and commanded her to change into them. Jane did as she was told, and when she reappeared, something in him seemed to snap.
He pinned her to the bed and had his wild way with her the entire night–the first and last time he’d touched her. In fact, he never even contacted her proactively after that night.
Jane wouldn’t settle for being just a fleeting affair. She wanted to be his wife.
No matter who that woman was, Jane would not let her get in her way.
Meanwhile, Rowan walked Natalie downstairs and out into the night. Though the sky was dark outside, Grendale’s night scene was as bustling as ever.
Natalie was eager to part ways with Rowan. However, he just stood beside her at the curb with no indication of leaving anytime
soon.
With such a dangerous man standing beside her, Natalie felt stressed. “I can hail a cab myself, sir. I won’t trouble you further.”
“Rowan Mattel.”
“Hmm?”
Rowan turned to her, his gaze dark and unreadable. “Rowan Mattel. My name.”
A light breeze brushed against Natalie’s face as she found herself momentarily trapped in that dark stare. It took her a few moments to return to her senses. “I’ll remember that, Mr. Mattel.”
