CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: I WILL COME BACK

As Zane Thorne left, Phoebe Quinn couldn’t help but give Natalie Vaughn a thumbs-up.

"Nina, you’re fierce!"

Natalie Vaughn furrowed her eyebrows and couldn’t help but complain.

"What kind of dog man are you a fan of, biting people right off the bat?"

Phoebe handed her the ginger brown sugar tea and shrugged, disagreeing with her.

"I heard everything, didn’t I? Clearly, you wanted God Thorne to coax you. Besides..."

Phoebe suddenly leaned closer to Natalie, scrutinizing her closely.

"Why do I feel like you enjoyed it?"

Natalie: ...

"How did I enjoy it?"

Phoebe squinted her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"I wonder who told me on the mountain that kissing God Thorne was intoxicating."

Natalie: ...

"And, look, you’re blushing like crazy."

Natalie put down the spoon, raised her hand to touch her face. Facing Phoebe’s teasing, she couldn’t muster a retort.

After finishing the bowl of soup, they both headed to the yard. Several barbecue grills were fired up, and the table was packed with grilled food.

As soon as Natalie arrived, the guys from the club surrounded her with a seat saved on the side, evidently for Zane.

Jay Sterling shouted enthusiastically.

"Sis-in-law, you were awesome just now!"

He had never seen a girl so calm in front of a group of men, and proposing such a thrill-seeking game—absolutely commendable! He was in complete admiration.

Deserve the person Mr. Thorne has his eyes on!

"Sis-in-law, do you also race? Are you really good?"

Natalie shook her head.

"I actually don’t race."

Zane, who had changed clothes, heard this and gave Natalie a meaningful look.

Not only does she not know racing, but she can’t even handle a regular car.

Jay was dumbfounded.

Can’t race?

Dared to bet against someone without racing skills? And in such a thrilling, life-risking way? He thought Natalie was bluffing earlier!

Jay gawked at Natalie incredulously, as if she were some sort of anomaly.

Seeing his reaction, Natalie suddenly realized how reckless her behavior earlier must have appeared to others.

No wonder Zane was so furious.

With a smile forming on her lips, Natalie teased Jay.

"I was just betting with him for fun."

Jay opened his mouth, glanced at Zane, then back at Natalie. The commotion didn’t seem like a mere playful bet; what if Mr. Thorne hadn’t stopped it, would she have really gone through with it?

"Sis-in-law, you’re something else!"

In the end, that’s all Jay could say.

Because of Natalie’s actions and her laid-back nature, she quickly earned the respect of the club’s guys; they kept calling her sis-in-law, making it impossible for the smile on Natalie’s face to fade.

Natalie chatted happily, her stomachache easing, and boldly reached for the spicy pepper-laden skewers.

Before she could grab them, Zane pushed the plate away.

Natalie frowned, puzzled at Zane, who merely glanced at her before handing her another plate of meat.

"Eat these."

Natalie lowered her eyes to the bland skewers.

"..."

Barbecue without spice, what’s the point?

Natalie pursed her lips, pushing Zane’s hand away, and stood to retrieve the plate he had moved out of reach. To her surprise, with everyone watching, Zane hooked his arm around her waist, pinning her down onto the chair.

"What are you doing?"

Even though Natalie was annoyed, she kept her voice low, preserving Zane’s dignity in front of everyone.

Zane raised his eyes to look at her, exuding a lazy, unruly aura.

"If you’re hurting, stop messing around."

His glance at her stomach was profound, as if wondering how this girl could be so inattentive to her own health.

Natalie hadn’t felt much pain before, but Zane’s glance refocused her attention on her stomach, and once she noticed, she couldn’t ignore the discomfort.

Now, Natalie was itching to curse Zane out.

She simply moved to sit next to Phoebe, ignoring this irksome man.

Besides the barbecue, the club’s auntie also made porridge, which Natalie sipped intermittently. Watching the guys from the club messing around, Natalie suddenly thought of Damian Quinn.

The brief conversation between Damian and Zane at the police station that day was something Natalie couldn’t shake off. It was rare to see Zane with such a serious demeanor, and she couldn’t fathom what could be causing such distress to someone like him.

Except for his sudden retirement five years ago.

With one hand on her stomach and the other idly stirring the porridge, Natalie spoke.

"Yana."

"Hmm?"

The corner of Phoebe’s eyes still crinkled from laughter, clearly still excited.

"Has your brother been home lately?"

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"How did you know?"

Her brother did come home a few days ago.

Natalie didn’t mention encountering Damian at the police station, she just asked.

"Can you help set up a meeting with your brother? I have something to ask him."

Phoebe shifted her full attention to Natalie, looking at her with suspicion.

"What do you want with my brother, a detective?"

Natalie wrapped her arm around Phoebe’s and gave it a shake.

"Please, help me set up a meeting at a time that suits both of you."

Since she hadn’t interacted much with Damian, she needed Phoebe’s assistance in arranging it.

Phoebe could never refuse Natalie, and besides, she hadn’t chatted properly with Damian in a while, so she agreed.

By the time they were heading back, it was already midnight.

Lately, Natalie has been busy decorating the apartment James Vaughn bought for her. Located in the CBD with a nice Rivermark view, it’s a small duplex — perfect for her to live alone.

Although she hasn’t fully moved in yet, she’s left plenty of her belongings there, enough for a few nights’ stay.

So, Natalie asked Zane to drop her off there.

Being a new residential area, there weren’t many residents yet, making the surroundings very quiet.

Zane glanced around, furrowing his brow.

"You’re living here alone?"

"Yeah, the view here is pretty nice."

She planned to open her own studio after graduation. Over the years, she found fashion design more liberating than business management.

She hasn’t been drawing well for a while now, and moving here was an attempt to regain her groove.

The area is great, but with so few residents, there are safety concerns for a girl living alone.

Zane asked a few more questions, making Natalie chuckle.

"The security and property management here are top-notch; there’s nothing to worry about."

Zane lifted his eyes for a deep look at her, saying no more.

Instead, Natalie playfully punched the air.

"Besides, I’m a karate expert."

Zane chuckled, taking a cigarette out and placing it in his mouth.

"I’ll be going abroad for a while."

Natalie was stunned, looking at his eyes, suddenly having a thought.

"Where to?"

Zane, not looking at Natalie, lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply; the smoke ring lingered in the night.

Then, he spoke what Natalie had guessed.

"Altara."

Natalie’s eyes flickered, flooded with questions, blocking her chest.

She chose not to ask further.

After finishing the cigarette, Zane finally turned to look at Natalie, his eyes deep and dark in the night.

"I’ll be back."

Natalie was stunned.

She understood what Zane meant.

He would return before they registered their marriage.