Chapter 34
Natalie did not want to deal with Jane, or with anyone connected to Jason, for that matter. A flicker of impatience crossed her features, and she turned to Tom.
“She’s going to disturb the other guests, and not everyone will be accommodating as I am. If I were you, I would have this lady escorted out immediately.”
Tom hesitated, likely intimidated by Jason’s influence.
Natalie raised an eyebrow and studied Jane again carefully. “If Mr. Pereira truly valued her, she wouldn’t be left clueless as to where he is.”
Tom understood immediately. He gave Natalie a grateful look before calling over a waiter. “Please escort this lady out.”
Natalie did not wait around to watch what happened next. She had had a long journey–all she wanted was to go back to her hotel and sleep.
She grabbed her handbag, slipped her phone inside, and strode out of the private room.
But as she turned a corner, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
The man was speaking in a rare dialect from Dacosna.
Natalie remembered the man, Alfred Sage—he had visited Jason at Avon Villa previously, and they always conversed in this language.
One of her college roommates had also been an exchange student from Dacosna and had spoken this exact language, which was why Natalie recognized it. Though she couldn’t fully translate their conversations, she understood enough.
That was how she found out that Jason was involved with underground dealings.
Pressing against the wall, Natalie stealthily pulled out her phone and angled the camera toward the voices. She wanted to confirm if the other speaker was Jason.
The camera focused. Natalie held her breath as a handsome profile appeared on the screen.
It was Jason.
He was dressed in a black suit, looking noticeably thinner than he was three months ago. His once–sculpted face was now
slightly hollowed.
Natalie had seen the tabloid headlines in Grendale. After their divorce, Jason had tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills and was comatose for almost three months. Clearly, he hadn’t fully recovered from the ordeal.
Even with Jason just a few steps away, Natalie felt no lingering feelings for him. All her past devotion to him felt like a dream. All that remained was a deep loathing.
Jason held a cigarette between his fingers and asked coldly, “Have you found the ledger?”
Natalie perked up immediately, widening her eyes.
The ledger was missing? Was the ledger she was looking for not in Jason’s possession anymore?
Alfred lowered his head. “Not yet, sir.”
Jason’s expression was dark. “I was just comatose for three months, not dead. If you can’t even handle something this simple, you’re useless to me.”
Alfred kept quiet, terrified.
Coldly, Jason continued through gritted teeth, “That ledger contains every illegal dealing we’ve made. If we don’t find it soon, we’re all dead.”
Chapter 34
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Suddenly, Natalie’s phone rang.
A WhatsApp notification from Benjamin lit up the screen. At the same time, Jason snapped his head toward the sound. “Who’s there?”
He strode over, but there was no one around the corner.
Natalie had slipped into a nearby room as quickly as she could, jittery with nerves. If Jason found her, would he kill her just to silence her?
Knowing him, even if he let her live, he would lock her away forever.
She couldn’t let him see her. At least, not now.
Natalie took a deep breath and waited silently for him to leave.
Slowly, she turned around–only to freeze in shock, her next breath stuttering in her chest.
The room wasn’t empty. There were people inside, and they seemed to be doing some pretty illegal things.
The entire room was dead silent.
The people sitting around the round table had their heads turned to her as one. Natalie stood rooted in place. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but her legs refused to move.
Forcing calm, she pretended not to see anything and reached behind her for the door handle.
However, she was too slow. A rough hand seized her by the back of her neck and flung her toward the table.
When Natalie finally staggered back to her feet and caught her balance, she came face–to–face with a bloodied man on his
knees, his teeth smashed out.
Chapter 35
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Chapter 35
