Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Natalie paused mid–search, her fingers hovering over the cluttered surface of her desk. She was pretending to look for something, but the hesitation hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Brian narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Without saying a word, he picked up his laptop and came up behind her, sliding it into her suitcase.

Natalie clenched her teeth and stood up to face him, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m broke, Brian. Dead broke. But I love gadgets, okay? I couldn’t bring myself to part with it. That’s all.”

“That’s your explanation?” Brian stared at her intently, almost unblinking.

“I gave you enough to cover four years of college, Natalie. Ten million dollars would buy you a new laptop.”

“Ten million?” Natalie blinked in surprise.

Brian locked eyes with her unreadable expression, then fell silent. It was clear from her reaction that she had no idea about the ten million dollars he had given to send her abroad. Even as the Howard family faced financial ruin, he had managed to scrape together the sum for her.

Only Samuel knew the real reason behind it.

After a few seconds of silence, Brian said nonchalantly. “It’s nothing.”

His gaze, however, returned to the laptop. It was the same one he had given Natalie years ago, which she had adorned with stickers of her favorite things and had clung to as if it were a treasure.

Despite her apparent resentment towards him, she had cherished a mere trinket he had given her for five whole years.

When she had burst into the room earlier, the first thing she had checked was that laptop.

“Daddy… why are you guys fighting?” The standoff was broken by the small and sleepy voice of Nate, who sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and looking bewildered.

“We’re not fighting,” Brian said quickly, moving to pick up his son and speaking in a soothing tone. “We’re just talking about some stuff.”

Nate looked back and forth between them a couple of times. Natalie managed a small smile at him. “We’re not fighting.”

Relieved, Nate yawned and patted his little belly. “I’m hungry.”

“Let’s go home for dinner,” Brian said. Then, turning slightly, he glanced at Natalie and added, “You should join us too.”

Leaving Natalie alone here posed too much of a risk trouble had a way of finding her.

Chapter 51

Going back to the Howard family? Instinctively. Natalie tried to deflect. “No need, take Nate home. I’ll just grab his clothes from the balcony.”

She had barely taken a few steps away when Brian’s hand clamped down on her arm.

“Natalie! Remember, you owe me. Your life is mine!” he said fiercely.

After a brief silence, Natalie turned back with a smile, meeting his angry gaze with a gentle reply. “All that talk about settling debts was just a joke, Mr. Howard. Don’t take it seriously. In a few days, I’ll find a way to come up with a hundred million for you.”

She wouldn’t even splurge on a car for herself, yet she talked about repaying a hundred million? Brian fixed her with a steely gaze and asked softly, “How do you plan to make that money?”

Natalie thought about the incident with Madelyn in Brian’s office earlier that afternoon and let out a light laugh. “Mr. Howard, no need to look down on me. It’s just a financial transaction, that’s all. And who’s to say other men can’t outdo you? Maybe they can offer me more.”

Brian’s hold on her intensified, nearing a bone–crushing strength, as he wrestled to contain his rising fury. “You are aware that Gavin is in a relationship, aren’t you?” he questioned.

Natalie grew even more disdainful. “Aren’t you also in one?”