Natalie watched as bulldozers and excavators rolled in–five or six in total. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but it wasn’t until the excavator’s arm slammed into the building that the truth sank in
She whirled around to face Rowan, who stood slightly behind her
His hands were tucked casually in his pockets, his posture tall and ready, unshaken as a stone pillar. His face betrayed nothing. Natalie had never met anyone so hard to read.
“Do you have a grudge against Jason?” she asked.
Rowan’s expression remained blank, his gaze fixed on the soon–to–be ruins. “You could say that.”
Natalie tilted her head, her voice sharp with frustration. “It’s a yes or no question. Don’t give me some vague answer.”
Rowan suddenly turned to look at her, and for a split second, Natalie thought she caught a flicker of something fierce in his eyes.
“Jason hurt someone I care about. That makes him my enemy, too,‘ he said.
Natalie, flustered, dropped her gaze as she turned his words over in her mind. They’d only crossed paths twice, so there was no way he meant her.
Still, the enemy of her enemy was an ally. In a way, they wanted the same thing. Perhaps someday, they could even work together. She lowered her head, lost in thought.
Without warning, Rowan remarked, “Ms. Sutton, your eyes just flicked around. Plotting something?”
Natalie blinked up at him, caught off guard. “What? No, nothing like that. Mr. Mattel, let me introduce myself properly. I’m
Natalie Sutton. I’m an artist.”
Rowan barely suppressed a smirk. “Yeah, I’m aware.”
As expected, he’d done his homework on her.
So what? She had a clean record, nothing to hide.
Natalie wasn’t bothered. The sight of the building coming down actually lifted her mood. For the first time in ages, she felt like she could breathe freely again.
A genuine smile curled her lips. “If that’s all, I’ll be on my way, Mr. Mattel. Goodbye.”
Without another word, she turned and slid into her car.
Rowan tracked her car until it was out of sight. His lips curled in a faint smirk as he murmured, “I’ll be looking forward to our next meeting, Natalie.”
The truth was, he had only gotten Avon Villa through scheming.
Landon had scheduled the demolition for today, and Rowan never intended for Natalie to witness it. He wouldn’t have changed his mind at the last second if he hadn’t run into her by chance.
The place was filled with memories of Natalie and Jason, and just thinking about it put Rowan in a foul mood. That was why he’d been so set on tearing it down, to bury her pain and humiliation beneath the wreckage.
The next day, Natalie saw the news about Avon Villa’s demolition. Online, people were buzzing with wild theories. Some even claimed the villa was cursed, which was why it had to be torn down and rebuilt.
One commenter went so far as to list “proof“, blaming all of Jason’s misfortunes on the property’s bad luck or dark history.
Natalie found it amusing. She even liked the comment.
1/2
Chapter 47
+25 BONUS
She was stretched out on the couch, idly scrolling through her phone, when something important suddenly occurred to her. Without hesitation, she opened Twitter and fired off a tweet.
In less than an hour, Natalie’s tweet was trending.
#RenownedArtistAmandaAt BoylenGalleryExhibition26th
At the same time, Sienna’s name started trending. The art exhibition buzz went viral, sending shockwaves through the art world. Half the industry was already making plans to attend, eager to see the spectacle for themselves.
Natalie smiled, pleased with her work. She wanted Sienna in the spotlight. The higher she rose, the harder she’d fall.
For the first time ever, Natalie found herself actually excited about an art exhibition.
Before she knew it, the day of Sienna’s solo art exhibition had arrived.
2/2
