Chapter 196

Rita’s golden curls bounced as she gave a nervous smile. “Just doing my job, ma’am. No need for thanks.”

She liked Ms. Clarkson, not just for her heavenly beauty, but also for her kindness. Never once had she raised her voice at them, and she was always grateful for their services.

“Alright, enough.” Callum dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Go prepare something for Ms. Clarkson to eat. She’s injured her feet and won’t be heading out.”

Natalia protested, “Cal, I didn’t hurt myself. They’re just a bit swollen.”

“Do not underestimate this. Stay in tonight, as I say,” Callum ordered, then turned to Rita. “What are you still doing here?”

Rita quickly left, carrying the first aid kit.

Once Rita had closed the door, Callum scooped Natalia into his arms and gently laid her on the bed.

“My darling, you look so beautiful today.” His brown eyes burned as he looked at her. He had known her since childhood, lost her for fifteen years, found her again, and cared for her for the past five years.

She was his everything.

He leaned down to kiss her forehead, which made Natalia squirm. “Callum…you’re acting differently today.” She was a bit scared.

“Buttercup, you’re my fiancée. I love you, and you’re mine for life. I want to be with you tonight, is that okay?” Callum held her gaze.

His words left Natalia’s head spinning. He wanted to be with her, and she was his fiancée. It was normal for them to be together. He had taken such good care of her for the last five years. It was so good that she felt she had never experienced a past without him, but she was not ready for this step yet.

“Callum… I’m not ready yet.” She looked up at him with dewy eyes.

But Callum couldn’t hold back any longer. He kissed her cheek. “Natalia, you don’t need to be ready.

You were mine twenty years ago. I’ve waited so long for you. Just give yourself to me, and I’ll be with you for the rest of your life.”

Without waiting for her response, he kissed her lips. For the first time in thirty–five years, he felt such deep affection for a woman. He had always kept himself pure. He wanted to give all his love to Natalia.

Natalia stiffened, the unfamiliar scent around her was like a needle piercing her heart. She wanted to push him away. However, she remembered that he had saved her from the sea and had taken care of her for five years. She was his fiancée, so she had no right to push him away. She closed her eyes, trying to endure the kiss, but her heart ached, and she felt a voice screaming inside, “Push him away, Nat, push him away.”

She opened her eyes suddenly, looking at the handsome face close up with a unfamiliar scent. Tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Callum, lost in the passion of the kiss, suddenly tasted salt. He opened his eyes to see Natalia’s face streaked with tears. His body jolted, and he immediately pulled away. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Natalia. I lost control. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

He quickly tucked Natalia into bed and fled the room.

As he left the room, he ran into Henry, who had been waiting outside. Henry happily approached him.

“Callum, I finally figured out why Ms. Clarkson looked so familiar. She looks just like someone from my family.”

Callum’s face changed, he’d thought Henry wouldn’t care about such things, but he was wrong. Henry was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice Callum’s reaction. “Ms. Clarkson looks just like my father’s secretary, Lena. What’s going on?”

Callum nodded. “You’re right, she does resemble Lena. I’ll take her to meet Lena when I get the chance.”

Henry didn’t think much of Callum’s calm reaction. “Alright, I’ll go ask Lena if she’s ever lost a daughter.”

Callum frowned. After Henry left, Callum re-entered the room. He saw Natalia staring out the window, lost in thought. He gently walked over to her. “Buttercup, do you want to find your mother?”

Natalia turned to look at him and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll take you to meet someone. Her name is Lena.” He knew that one day Natalia would want to meet her real mother.

“She could be my mother?” Natalia asked.

Callum nodded.

“Really? Can I meet her?” Natalia hesitated, looking at Callum. “Cal, can I meet her?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Callum sighed. “You might be her daughter, and I’ve known this for a while.”

Natalia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Callum, you knew all along? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me about my past? Do you know other things about me?”

Callum looked at her demanding questions and sighed, “Buttercup, I didn’t want you to get hurt, please believe me. Regardless of what I’ve kept from you…”

Natalia turned pale; she was shocked. Cal had known about her past all along. But why didn’t he tell her?

“Natalia, if you want, I can take you to meet Lena right now. As for your biological father, I think Lena should be the one to tell you.”

After hearing Callum’s words, Natalia looked out at the night sky outside the castle and hesitated before nodding. “Cal, take me to my mother. I want to ask her why she abandoned me. As for my father, I thought Kyler’s my father?” All she wanted was to find her mother.

“Okay.” Callum didn’t want to say more. He picked Natalia up again and headed for the door.

Natalia was startled because tshe didn’t expect they were going now. As they left, they ran into Henry, who was still here. Callum frowned. Stepping forward, he looked at Henry. “What are you doing still standing there, come on.”

Henry snapped back to reality and quickly followed, playfully punching Callum on the back. “You, my friend, are just too much. Why wouldn’t you tell me what you knew earlier? You left me there wracking my brains! I almost couldn’t remember!”

Callum was holding Natalia, and his facial expression was serious. “Because it’s often best not to make everything too clear. Sometimes, it’s better to just let things be.”

“Let things be?” Henry repeated. His face mirrored his confusion. What on earth did that mean?