Ch. 1..10

A Cue for Love Chapter 1

Vehement Hatred

“Ugh…”

The moment Natalie Nichols woke up, she felt her body hurting as though it was falling apart.

She was stark naked beneath the covers, her pale skin littered with hickeys. There were so many that she could not bear to even look at them.

What’s this?

Suddenly, a memory of a steamy scene from the previous night flashed in front of her eyes.

She had entered the room in a semi-conscious state and was ravished by a stranger for the entire night.

The man had paid no heed to her cries and pleas as he claimed her as his own.

Natalie put on her clothes and got out of the bed with wobbly legs, determined to find the b*stard that took away her virginity.

However, the man was nowhere in sight. The only thing she found was a silver cross earring on the bed.

Was it left by that man?

Natalie pocketed the earring and was preparing to leave the suite when the door was kicked open from the outside.

Thomas Nichols, who was nearly fifty, stormed in, followed by Natalie’s twin sister, Yara.

“Dad, Yara…” Natalie paled instantaneously.

“You didn’t return all night, and we thought that something happened to you. Who knew that you would be fooling around with a man in a hotel!” Thomas pointed his finger at his daughter as he berated loudly.

Yara, on the other hand, whined, “You really went too far this time, Natalie! Dad, Aunt Yvonne, and I almost went crazy looking for you!”

Natalie shook her head vigorously.

“N-No, I didn’t.”

“Have you no shame? See those marks on your neck and limbs? And you still dare to say that you didn’t?”

“I-I was set up by someone, Dad. I also have no idea how this happened.”

Seeing that Natalie was still defending herself, Thomas grabbed the ashtray beside him and threw it toward her.

Thud!

Before she could react, she had another wound on her forehead. Blood began seeping out of it continuously, trickling down her face.

“I have just agreed to your marriage with Mr. Quinn, Natalie, and now look what you’ve done! Now that you’re unchaste, how am I supposed to explain this to him?”

Natalie widened her eyes in disbelief. “Jacob Quinn is nearly sixty, and all three of his previous wives are dead. And yet, you still want me to marry him?”

“What’s wrong with that? You should be honored to be able to marry him.” Thomas held onto Yara’s arm with a look of disappointment. “Fortunately, you and Yara are only similar in looks and not in terms of moral conduct. Your behavior has brought shame to our entire family!”

Yara side-eyed her sister contemptuously. “Don’t forget that she grew up in the countryside, Dad!”

Faced with Thomas’ cold glare and Yara’s indifference, Natalie could not help but exclaim internally.

Look! This is the attitude of my own father and sister!

Not only was Natalie’s forehead bleeding, but so was her heart.

Ten months later, alongside the cries of infants, Natalie successfully gave birth to two children in her apartment on the outskirts of the city.

As Yara scooped up the babies, who were still covered in blood, she glared viciously at her sister lying in bed, weakened by childbirth.

“G-Give them back… to me…” Despite the deathlike pallor of her face, Natalie still tried her best to get up.

“Give them back? Can you provide for them?” Yara taunted.

“I-I am your sister… Your biological sister!” Natalie stared intensely at the girl who looked exactly like her. “Why… Why are you doing this to me?”

“That woman is your mother, not mine! Back then, she chose you and left me to fend for myself in that house full of wolves. Where were you during those years of sufferings?”

Yara’s smile sent shivers down Natalie’s spine.

“The world only needs one person with this face, and that person is me!”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’ll burn you to death!”

Yara poured the gasoline she had prepared beforehand all around the room. She then lit the lighter and threw it on the ground before leaving with the twins.

Within seconds, the fire began to spread rapidly throughout the apartment.

Walking out of the building, Yara looked back at the sea of flames and then glanced at the newborns in her arms.

Ten months ago, she had bumped into Samuel Bowers’ subordinate when she went back to the hotel to destroy all evidence of framing her sister.

Only then did she realize that the man that Natalie slept with that night was not the ruffian she had hired but Samuel himself, a prominent figure in Dellmoor.

Surprised, Yara quickly came to a decision. She was going to trick Samuel into thinking that she was the girl from that night.

After all, she and Natalie were identical twins. As long as her sister disappeared from the face of the earth, no one would know her secret.

As for the twins, they’ll be beneficial in enabling me to get close to Samuel in the future.

“Why are you crying? If you two weren’t Samuel’s children, I would’ve left you there too.” After a short pause, she continued, “However, with your support, it won’t be long before I marry into the Bowers family.”

Unbeknownst to Yara, who was still deeply immersed in her imaginary world, Natalie had used all her strength in escaping through the window before the room was set ablaze.

As she trudged away from the building, she suddenly felt a familiar sharp pain coming from the lower part of her body, followed by soft cries.

So I didn’t just give birth to twins…

With trembling hands, Natalie lifted her third and fourth child.

For them, I’ll endure all hardships.

She gritted her teeth as her eyes glinted with vehement hatred.

“I will take back everything that you’ve stolen someday…”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 2

Encountering A Cutie At The Airport

Five years later, a little boy clad in blue overalls and a plaid shirt was attracting a lot of attention at the main terminal of Dellmoor International Airport.

His wavy hair, exquisite features, and long lashes curled upward like a doll gave everyone the impression that he would be the dream guy of many girls when he grew up.

Just as everyone was curious about his mother’s beauty, a woman with a flat nose, thick lips, and freckles dotted all over her face shouted out to him, “Have you bought the Coke, Sweetheart?”

“Yes, I have, Mommy.”

Hearing this, all the ladies among the crowd dropped their jaws in disbelief. Is it possible for a handsome young boy to have such an unattractive woman as his mother?

Ever since his mother started wearing that hideous hyper-realistic mask, such scenes would happen all the time, so Xavian Nichols was already used to it.

He walked over to Natalie and handed her the fizzy drink before drinking some water obediently.

“Mommy, how long are you planning to wear such an ugly thing?”

“Are you saying that I’m ugly, Sweetheart?”

“Of course not, Mommy. I’m just worried that you’ll feel stuffy wearing it for such a long time.”

I don’t have the right to comment on Mommy’s appearance!

Xavian was the least attractive when compared to his older brother, Clayton, and Natalie.

Hence, he felt that he did not have the right, nor the courage, to comment on her ethereal beauty.

“It’s good that you’re aware of your lack of attractiveness, Sweetheart.”

The passersby were utterly dumbfounded. Is there someone wrong with my beauty standards? The mother is way uglier than her kid!

The corners of Natalie’s lips raised slightly as she observed the familiar yet foreign city through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the airport.

It’s been five whole years. Time to return and settle the score!

Just as Natalie was lost in her thoughts, an adorable little girl bumped into her and stumbled before falling to the ground.

Seeing this, she quickly crouched down and helped the girl up.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

Sophia Bowers’ eyes flickered as she stared intently at Natalie.

She did not make a fuss, but merely uttered, “M-Mommy…”

“You can’t just casually call anyone your mom. She’s my mommy, not yours!” Xavian exclaimed, looking extremely jealous.

Sophia ignored his words and wrapped her arms around Natalie.

Natalie could feel the tightness of her grip, as though she was afraid of losing her.

Xavian’s face was scrunched up with jealousy, but with a pointed look from Natalie, he begrudgingly stood where he was and chugged his water.

“Were you separated from your mommy? Where is she? I’ll take you to her, okay?”

Sophia shook her head vigorously, looking slightly anxious.

Assuming that the girl was feeling insecure, Natalie stroked her cheek. “Trust me, okay? I’ll help you find your mommy.”

The five-year-old girl had never spoken nor made a sound before.

However, she took an immediate liking to Natalie from the moment they met and even managed to utter that word.

For some reason, Sophia felt a strong desire to depend on her.

Hence, she stubbornly continued murmuring to Natalie, “Mom… Mommy…”

Unlike Natalie, who was merely caught off guard by the girl’s actions, Xavian felt a surge of intense jealousy.

Meanwhile, the second son of the Bowers family, Steven, was utterly relieved when he spotted Sophia. If I didn’t manage to find her, Sam would have my head!

Noticing that the girl was with a stranger, he was about to carry her away when he heard her voice for the first time as she babbled, “Mommy…”

Steven could not believe his ears. Crouching down, he placed a hand on Sophia’s shoulder.

“What did you just say? Can you repeat that?”

Seeing that he was here for her, the girl pointed at Natalie. “Mom… Mommy…”

Steven followed the direction of her finger and saw an ordinary-looking face filled with freckles.

What the hell? She’s calling this woman Mommy?

Snapping out of his trance, he inquired, “What did you do to Sophia?”

“You must be her father. Where did you get the nerve to question me?” Still thinking that the girl was feeling insecure, she could not help but remark, “Why aren’t you cherishing such a sweet girl? She must’ve had a hard life for her to address me as her mother.”

Steven was once again dumbfounded. “She addressed you as her mother?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Who else would she address that to? You?”

Steven was rendered speechless by her remark.

It took several confirmations for him to finally dispel his disbelief.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Sophia’s uncle, Steven Bowers. I was so surprised just now because she has suffered from aphasia since childhood and has never spoken to anyone.”

As soon as Natalie heard that, she felt terrible for the girl.

“Can he be trusted, Sophia?”

The little girl nodded.

“Is it true that you have aphasia, Sophia?”

She received another nod in response.

“Since he was looking for you, you should go home with him,” Natalie said as she caressed the little girl’s head.

Without making a fuss, Sophia watched as Natalie walked away with Xavian.

Just as Steven was about to ask the little girl how she was suddenly able to speak, he subconsciously glanced at her and was surprised by what he saw.

Sophia’s eyes were filled with tears as she sobbed silently.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 3

Calling Mommy

Steven took Sophia home.

Ever since they had parted with the unfamiliar woman, the little girl had been sulking.

She was obviously in a bad mood as she even rejected her favorite ice cream, running back to her room with reddened eyes as soon as they reached the house.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Steven had a feeling that his brother was going to beat him to a pulp.

He quietly turned around and looked at the man sitting on the couch.

Samuel was wearing a black shirt and straight-fit pants. His attire perfectly accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs.

Despite his chiseled facial features, the frosty look he gave his brother was chilling to the core.

“Tell me. What did you do to Sophia?”

“For heaven’s sake, Sam. I wouldn’t dare to do anything to her! I’ll praise the heavens for her to spare me instead!”

Even though Steven was the second son of the Bowers family, he felt as if he had been demoted to a nanny ever since Samuel returned with Franklin and Sophia five years ago. As long as one of them got into trouble, he would be the one taking all the blame in the end, no matter whatever reason was behind it.

However, Steven thought it wise to get straight to the point before shouldering the blame.

“Something astonishing happened, Sam. Sophia can speak now.”

Upon hearing this, Samuel’s gaze softened as the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Is it because the treatment method was effective when you took Sophia to see Professor James in Ferropene this time?”

“No, it’s not because of that.” Steven shook his head before continuing, “I was there during the psychological intervention. Professor James merely applied a conventional treatment this time, which was no different from the previous ones.”

“What was the cause of it then?”

“Sophia met a woman around her twenties at the airport today, Sam. She liked her so much that she called her Mommy several times. You should’ve seen her sulky face when they were about to part. Her eyes were flooded with tears that kept dripping down her face!”

Thinking back to the earlier events, Steven still felt that it was all very bizarre.

Although the Bowers family had never publicly announced the twins’ birth mother when Samuel came back with them back then, they were well aware that she was the daughter of the Nichols family, Yara.

Sophia had never uttered a word to her mother, so why was she addressing a total stranger as her mommy?

Like his brother, Samuel was also puzzled. “Tell me about that woman,” he said as he narrowed his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say that she’s ugly. But she had freckles all over her face and was ordinary-looking,” Steven replied as he tried his best to recall her appearance. “Her facial features were very plain. There wasn’t anything distinctive about them.”

“I wasn’t asking about her looks, Steven.”

Steven was rendered speechless.

Samuel then added solemnly, “Since you know the woman is special to Sophia, Steven, why didn’t you send someone to look into her background?”

He had a gut feeling that this ordinary-looking woman would be the key to curing Sophia’s aphasia.

Steven slapped his thigh as soon as he heard his brother’s words.

“Dang it. How could I forget such an important matter? I’ll do it right away.”

In a bedroom on the second floor, Franklin Bowers was sharpening some colored pencils for Sophia.

Due to his status as the eldest grandchild of the Bowers family, he was placed on a higher pedestal compared to his sister. However, this was just an act for outsiders, as he was the perfect embodiment of an overprotective brother.

Taking the colored pencil from Franklin, Sophia drew a woman on the drawing paper.

The woman was slim, with a flat nose bridge, thick lips, and a face dotted with freckles. Oddly enough, the little girl was grinning the entire time she was drawing.

That was not all. She even drew yellow lines around the woman to signify light.

Sophia finished the drawing with a word scribbled on top of the woman’s head that said: Mommy.

“Mommy?” Franklin’s eyes were clouded with confusion.

His sister beamed as she nodded.

“Are you drawing the woman Daddy told us about?” Despite his question, he was still skeptical as she did not look anything like their mother.

Although the twins disliked Yara, they could not deny that she had a pretty face without any blemishes.

Sophia’s smile vanished at the mention of Yara. She shook her head frantically in response.

How could Yara ever compare to the mommy in my drawing?

“If it isn’t her, who else can it be?” queried Franklin.

Sophia longed to tell her brother of her feelings when she met Mommy but found that she could not utter a word.

Robbed once again of her ability to communicate, she felt slightly discouraged.

Nevertheless, she still rolled up the drawing and held it to her chest, treating it like her most prized possession.

Franklin was extremely curious about his sister’s infatuation with the freckled-faced woman. What kind of special charm does this woman have to make Sophia so obsessed with her?

At the same time, Natalie let out a loud sneeze as soon as she tore off the hyper-realistic mask on her face.

“Someone must be thinking of me again.”

At that moment, Xavian, who was scripting codes in front of the computer, glanced at the contents of a mail as he said, “Someone is definitely looking for you, Mommy. He is offering to pay you one hundred million to help him!”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 4

Coroner Instead Of Genius Doctor

In the past three years, a genius female doctor had become world-famous through her usage of her traditional medical knowledge that was passed down for five thousand years in Chanaea to cure countless people with complicated and incurable diseases.

Originally, everyone thought that they could uncover her identity through her appearance. Oddly enough, she donned a different face every time she practiced medicine. Because of that, countless people who wanted to find out her identity could not identify who she was. Even the most influential persons had to send her a mail and wait for an appointment obediently if they wanted her treatment.

Ultimately, it still depended on whether the female genius doctor was willing to save them. The woman was none other than Natalie, who was wearing the hyper-realistic mask.

“Sweetheart, one hundred million is a lot of money. Who’s the one in need of my help? What incurable disease does he want me to cure?”

“Mommy, the person who asked for your help is Julian Todd, the chairman of Prime Real Estate. He had a cerebral hemorrhage suddenly three months ago. Ever since the disease onset, his lower body has been paralyzed, and he also has difficulty speaking because of his damaged nervous system.”

Natalie snorted in response upon hearing Julian’s name.

“I’m not going to help him.”

“Mommy, how can you reply without hesitating when he offered a hundred million?”

“He wants to buy my conscience with just a hundred million? He’s willing to lose his conscience for money over the years, though! A b*stard like him is the one who is afraid of death the most!” A contempt-filled glint flashed across Natalie’s eyes as she threw the hyper-realistic mask on the table.

“Mommy, is that the reason you decided to come back and act as a coroner instead of a genius doctor?”

“Humans are always greedy. Even though doctors are never omnipotent, some people think that they can ask the doctors for the impossible as long as they have money. I’d rather speak for the dead than cure those people.” Natalie did not deny it.

“Mommy, I love your sense of justice!” Xavian’s face was full of admiration for Natalie.

Upon hearing that, Natalie smiled and replied, “Of course. Who doesn’t like me?”

When Xavian looked at Natalie’s face without the hyper-realistic mask, he subconsciously thought about the clingy little girl they met at the airport.

“Mommy, the little girl who clung to you today looks kind of like you…”

“Is that so?”

Inevitably, Natalie recalled her own daughter upon hearing that.

Five years ago, after she gave birth to a pair of twins, the twins were taken away by Yara immediately.

With Yara’s hatred for her, the odds that the babies survived were slim.

Her heart pounded when she thought of it.

Is my daughter around the same age as the cutie I met at the airport today if she is still alive?

The next day at around five in the morning, Natalie was awakened by a phone call.

She answered the phone in a daze, and an older man’s voice could be heard from her phone.

“Natalie, sorry to send you on an errand before you’re officially on duty. A few plastic bags full of body parts of corpses were salvaged from Lucent River this morning. They were there for quite some time, and time is of utmost importance for autopsy. I need you to report for duty immediately.”

“Mr. Jones, send me the location and address. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Shortly afterward, she rubbed her drowsy eyes and got up from the bed after she tucked Xavian into bed.

Then, she wore the hyper-realistic mask that was full of freckles after a quick wash. The beautiful face reflected in the mirror changed into a plain woman’s instantly, with the exception of her glittering eyes.

In less than fifteen minutes, she arrived at the scene.

The scene was blocked by the cordon, and a police officer in his uniform stopped her in her tracks.

“Lady, the road is blocked. No outsider is allowed to enter.”

“I’m Natalie Nichols, the specially-appointed coroner by the Major Crimes Unit of Dellmoor.” Natalie took out an identification card and passed it to the police officer.

After he took a glance at the identification card, his expression immediately changed when he looked at her.

The specially-appointed coroner was not under any of the Major Crimes Unit system or department and only took orders directly from the chief of police. Furthermore, she would not receive any orders from them. Instead, she was the one who would give them orders.

She frowned at him when she realized that he had not returned to his sense.

“Excuse me, can I enter now?”

“Of course. This way, please.” He saluted at Natalie and let her enter.

When she reached the riverbank, she saw a few plastic bags on the ground, and one of them was opened. The plastic bag was full of body parts, and the surrounding was covered in blood splotches.

At that moment, two other coroners in white coats were taking pictures of the plastic bags and were getting ready to return.

The visual impact, coupled with the pungent smell, caused the two coroners to act sluggish. The female coroner even attempted to stop halfway quite a few times.

After further assessment, she understood why Gerald asked for her help urgently.

She rolled up her sleeves and squatted down before she opened the autopsy instrument kit on the ground. “You guys are taking way too long.”

Brandon Hughes and Effie Jones looked at each other.

Effie, terrified by the scene and felt churning in her stomach, got upset when she was lectured by the ugly woman talking to herself in front of her.

“Who do you think you are? Who are you to lecture us on what to do?”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 5

Hold Herself Back

Natalie changed into a white coat and wore a pair of medical rubber gloves, unperturbed by the questions.

“I’m Natalie Nichols, the specially-appointed coroner, and I’m here to report for duty.” With that, she immediately picked up a foul-smelling piece of remains and sized it up without frowning at it. “Unfortunately for you, I do have the authority to tell you what to do. If you don’t like it, hold it in.”

Effie and Brandon were aware that the headquarters had sent an important person, but they never guessed that the important person would be the woman in her twenties in front of them.

They just stared at Natalie incredulously, frozen in place.

Seeing that the two stopped working, Natalie narrowed her eyes. “Why are you staring at me? Is there a clue to solving the case written on my face?”

Although the hyper-realistic mask on Natalie’s face greatly reduced her charisma, her sharp eyes remained intimidating. Subconsciously, the other two did not dare to raise any objections when they felt the calm aura emitted by her.

Within a split second, Effie and Brandon did not get distracted anymore and assisted Natalie in marking the corpses as they took pictures.

After taking the pictures, they loaded the body bags into the car and followed the vehicle back to the police station.

Then, Natalie got out of the car when the car stopped in front of the police station.

She was about to go into the autopsy room with the body bag when she was halted in her tracks by a stranger.

“Ms. Nichols, my employer has been waiting for you for quite some time. Could you please step over to that Bentley for a few words?”

Natalie glanced at the Bentley not far away and sneered. “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before you offer an invitation to people?”

Upon hearing that, Billy Morin was stunned. As Samuel’s subordinate, he had dealt with many kinds of people before, but he had never met an outright discourteous woman like this one.

“Ms. Nichols, my superior is the CEO of Centurion Corporation, Samuel Bowers, and he would like to have a few words with you.”

Samuel Bowers?

Even though Natalie had not worked in Dellmoor for five years, she had heard about Samuel Bowers.

The Bowers family was prominent in Dellmoor and even Chanaea, involved in various industries, including real estate, finance, development of chips, sports, entertainment, and other industries.

The Bowers family may seem low profile, but their involvement in various industries was like the roots of a tree that had long since seeped and spread to all walks of life of Chanaea.

I’ve never crossed paths with Samuel. Why is he suddenly approaching me?

She could not figure out the reason, so she decided not to trouble herself by overthinking. “Pass a message to your boss that I’m busy with an autopsy. I don’t have time to meet him.”

Billy and the two people watching, Brandon and Effie, were stunned upon hearing what she said.

“What? The person who invited you is Samuel Bowers?”

“Boss, it’s fine if you ignore others looking for you, but how can you ignore Samuel?”

Natalie glanced at the two followers behind her as she frowned. “Are those three bags of corpses fully examined? Finish the examination first before you talk about meeting with Samuel!”

Her face was plain under the sunlight, but her eyes exuded an assertive aura.

Brandon and Effie fully comprehended that the autopsy work at that moment was the most urgent matter, so they did not dare to say anything and followed Natalie upstairs to the autopsy room.

Knowing that he had failed his task, Billy went back to the Bentley’s driver seat with a sullen face after looking at Natalie’s determined back.

Inside the Bentley, Samuel’s gaze lifted from the documents in his hands to Billy and asked, “Billy, where’s that woman?”

“I’ve told Natalie that you’ve invited her over for a conversation, but she refused the invitation without any hesitation…” Billy replied without confidence as his voice trailed off.

Without any hesitation? I’m doing it out of sincerity for Sophia, yet I didn’t even get to see her face.

“Did she mention her reason for rejecting my invitation?”

“She said that she was too busy with an autopsy at the moment to meet you.”

After saying that, Billy carefully sized up Samuel through the rearview mirror.

Samuel’s gaze turned dark upon hearing that as he pressed his finger lightly against his lips. Then, he looked at the Major Crimes Unit building and said, “Since she’s busy with the autopsy and does not have time to meet me, I’ll see her after she’s done with the autopsy.”

In all these years, Samuel seemed to be busy with work all day long, leaving his children to Steven’s care, but he had never been negligent toward Franklin and Sophia.

As long as there was a sliver of a chance to cure Sophia’s aphasia, he would never give up.

“Billy, has Natalie’s information been sent over yet?”

“Yes, but it’s just the basic information.” Billy continued, “I’m not sure if it’s related to her career, but her past experiences are all confidential.”

“Can’t our hacker just hack the system?”

“Sir…” Billy closed his eyes and explained honestly, “It can’t be hacked. Not only that, but our system was counter hacked by them, and we lost millions of codes because of it.”

Upon hearing that, a hint of surprise flashed across Samuel’s eyes. The corner of his lips raised in amusement.

“Interesting! It seems like I must meet Natalie as soon as possible.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 6

Natalie and the other two went to the eighth floor of the Major Crimes Unit building.

The eighth floor was shared by coroners and the forensic department. Under the bright ceiling lights, it was colder than other floors, probably because it was closer to the morgue.

Natalie did not spare any time to appreciate the new office. Instead, she swiftly disinfected herself and was ready to bring the two coroners into the autopsy room.

The moment she turned around, she noticed that Effie was standing in front of the window with her eyes fixated on the Bentley that was still there.

“Are you still thinking about Samuel?”

Although Natalie saw through Effie, the latter denied, “N-No. Stop talking nonsense.”

“Only you would know whether I’m talking nonsense or not.” Natalie looked at her with cold eyes and continued, “I won’t interfere with the private lives of my subordinates, but if your emotions affect your duties, I’ll have you pack up your things and leave immediately. I’ll do so even if your grandfather is the chief of the Major Crimes Unit.”

Unwillingly, Effie bit her lips, but she did not retort back.

Before Natalie officially took over her new post, Gerald had already advised Effie to control her temper and learn from the new coroner diligently. If Natalie gave her a D rating at the end of the year, Gerald would never cover up for her and dismiss her as required.

Besides that, she was also afraid that Natalie would complain about her to Gerald. Thinking about that, she gave up on Samuel and concentrated on her work.

In the autopsy room, the bright red-colored blood was neutralized by the green surgical light on top of the dissecting platform.

Natalie began to arrange the corpse’s body parts on the dissecting platform. Then, she stitched the body parts together.

Skillfully, her movements were very professional and sophisticated. Brandon and Effie were shocked by how the surgical suture in her hand moved flawlessly.

While they knew that Natalie must be exceptional for her to be a coroner that was specially appointed, they did not expect that she was that professional.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Can’t she smell the foul stench of the corpse?

Once the corpse was stitched together, they started to examine the damaged tissue, which took them a lot of time.

At night, Yara hurried to the Bowers residence after finishing her shooting sessions for that day.

In name, Yara visited the Bowers residence to see the twins. In reality, her true intention was not to visit the twins but Samuel.

Five years ago, she thought that she could take advantage of the twins and become Samuel’s wife. However, Samuel only recognized the twins as his children and not Yara as their biological mother.

None of the outsiders knew that she was the mother of Franklin and Sophia.

Even within the Bowers family, everyone only thought of her as the mother of the twins, but none of them treated her as the mistress of the Bowers family.

In all those years, Yara treated the twins well with an ulterior motive, hoping that as long she was the mother of the twins, she would be accepted by Samuel eventually.

Nonetheless, five years passed, and she still had not become the mistress of the Bowers family.

“You’re here, Ms. Nichols.” Gavin Ford guided Yara through the entrance.

“Gavin, is Samuel home?”

“Mr. Samuel has yet to return, but Mr. Franklin and Ms. Sophia are at home.” Gavin treated Yara respectfully as the biological mother of the twins. “You haven’t seen them for a long time now, right?”

When Yara heard that Samuel was not at home and the twins were at home, she immediately grimaced.

After all, the twins were not her biological children, yet they kept getting her into trouble. It was fine when Samuel was around, but when he was not around, the twins would leave her aside without talking to her.

Even though she wanted to teach them a lesson, she could not do it because they were the apples of Samuel’s eyes.

She was terrified that if she were to punish them, Samuel would not let her into the Bowers family anymore.

“Ms. Nichols.”

“Yes?” Yara returned to her senses and replied with a smile, “Gavin, I was blaming myself just now for being their mother and not being able to be by their side all the time as they grew up. Even though I miss them a lot, I don’t have the right to be here often.”

Ultimately, Yara was a skillful actress who could play the victim easily.

Thinking that Yara really was blaming herself, Gavin comforted her, “Ms. Nichols, please don’t think too much about it. I’ll bring you to meet them now.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Yara followed Gavin up to the second floor. Then, Gavin knocked on the door of Franklin and Sophia’s room.

“Mr. Franklin and Ms. Sophia, please open the door. Your mommy is here to see you.”

She believed they would ignore her as usual, but a voice could be heard coming from inside the room.

“Mr. Gavin, let her come in alone. Sophia and I want to be alone with her.”

Upon hearing that, Gavin was relieved and said, “Ms. Nichols, there’s always a connection between a mother and her children after all. Your children also miss you a lot.”

Yara forced a smile in reply, but she had a foreboding feeling about it.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 7

Scared Out Of Her Wits

Yara pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She wasn’t fond of the twins. However, she put on a smile in an attempt to get on their good side as she said, “Hello, my dear children. I’m here to see you.”

The twins, who were sitting on a wool rug, felt a chill run down their spine when they heard Yara say that.

Even though Samuel had personally admitted that Yara was their mother, they simply didn’t like her. In fact, it could be said that they hated her.

Franklin rolled his eyes, and a cheeky look flashed in them.

“Can you come over here?” he asked.

Yara had no idea what Franklin had up his sleeve but walked over anyway.

“I have something really important to show you,” he declared.

He tried his best to hide his sly expression, and instead made the most innocent look he could muster.

Seeing that Franklin had lowered his guard toward her, Yara wanted to take the chance to get closer to him. In a gentle tone, she said, “Sure. Let me see what it is.”

Franklin pulled his hand out from behind his back, where there was a small, snow-white snake twined around it.

“This is my pet, Moony,” he explained.

It was as if the snake had understood that Franklin was introducing it. Its amber eyes were fixed on Yara, and it began to flick its tongue excitedly.

The sight of it gave Yara the shock of her life, and she backed up immediately.

“Get it away from me! Hurry up! Don’t come close!” she shrieked.

Franklin gave Moony a few pets, then purposely made his way over to Yara.

“Sophia and I really like this snake. If you’re scared of it, then leave,” he stated.

Sophia couldn’t speak, but she nodded from the side.

Yara stared at the scheming twins, and she was so frustrated she could explode. She seriously wanted to slap them both in the face but held back after considering the consequences.

“I’m your mother! You guys are crossing the line right now,” she warned. Then, she left their room in a fit of rage.

Franklin had a look of exasperation on his face. “She’s useless, really. I can’t believe she was that scared just because of Moony. Daddy must have been blind to take a liking to someone like her.”

Sophia nodded in agreement as she once again thought about the woman she had bumped into in the airport.

She really wished that woman was her mother instead of Yara.

Meanwhile, the clock struck eleven at night.

Samuel had just gotten home, and Gavin informed him that Yara had visited Franklin and Sophia.

“How long did she stay this time?” Samuel asked.

“A bit longer than usual. Around fifteen minutes, I think,” Gavin replied.

“I see. You may go now.”

Samuel unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, revealing his picture-perfect jawline and collarbone.

Six years ago, he had been drugged. Just when it felt like he was about to combust from the heat plaguing his body, he had gone to Yara for an antidote. Unexpectedly, he ended up with Franklin and Sophia.

Back then, he had been entranced by that youthful, seductive body. No matter how she whimpered and begged, he continued to dominate her. However, over the past five years, he hadn’t felt a thing toward Yara despite her being the same person.

He only thought of her as the mother of his children.

Samuel didn’t really care about her right now as he was more concerned about Natalie, who had given him the cold shoulder that morning. As he thought about it, he gave Billy a call.

“How’s Natalie doing, Billy?” he inquired.

“She hasn’t gotten off work yet. Apparently, she’s examining a dismembered corpse. It seems that she’s got a heavy workload,” he reported.

Samuel glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. With a mysterious look in his eyes, he said, “Send her some supper in my name.”

His words left Billy dumbstruck. “Sir, she’s an ungrateful person. Why are you—”

Samuel interrupted him coldly, “Since when did you have the right to lecture me?”

“I didn’t mean that. My apologies,” Billy hurriedly responded.

Samuel hung up, and Billy proceeded to arrange supper for Natalie.

He got up and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window to take a look at the blooming white roses in the courtyard.

He didn’t care how difficult Natalie was to deal with or the price he had to pay. All that mattered to him was persuading her to help in treating Sophia’s aphasia.

He didn’t want his precious daughter to go her whole life without speaking. At the very least, he wanted to hear her call him “Daddy.”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 8

Picking Her Up Personally

Natalie switched off the green light in the autopsy room then took off her mask and goggles before making her way to the office area.

When she was about to sit down and sign the autopsy report, she noticed containers of food stacked up on her desk. “Acapella” was printed on all of the plastic bags.

“What is this, Brandon?” she asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Someone ordered delivery for you, Boss.” He eyed the containers in envy as he continued, “Acapella is the most gourmet restaurant in Dellmoor. Apparently, it’s membership-only, and getting one costs a million. I wonder what kind of person would be powerful enough to get Acapella to deliver food this late at night.”

“For me?” Natalie was even more confused. “Who ordered it?”

Brandon picked up a small card beside the boxes and read it aloud. “It must be hard working so late at night, Ms. Nichols. Regards, Samuel Bowers.”

After reading it, he was completely stunned, and Effie couldn’t make sense of it either.

They couldn’t deny the fact that Natalie was incredibly skilled as a coroner. However, in terms of appearance, she didn’t stand out at all. Her face was the definition of forgettable. They just couldn’t believe that Samuel would have bad enough taste to go after someone like Natalie. However, the boxes of delivery from Acapella forced them to accept that there was some kind of special connection between the two of them.

Brandon summoned up the courage to ask, “Boss, what kind of relationship do you have with Samuel?”

“We don’t know each other,” she insisted.

“You must be kidding, Boss.”

“Believe whatever you want.”

She snatched the card from Brandon’s grip and threw it into the trash. Then, she swept her gaze over the containers in front of her and icily ordered, “Give these to the people working overtime in the forensic department, Brandon. If there’s too much even for them, then give some to the guards too.”

She then took out some crackers from her bag and began munching on them.

Brandon couldn’t comprehend what was going on. “Are you not going to eat this food from Acapella, Boss? Why are you eating crackers instead?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Do you have a problem with that?”

He shook his head frantically. “Not at all. I’ll go distribute these right away.”

Natalie continued to chew the crackers. She didn’t even spare the containers a single glance.

It didn’t matter how luxurious Acapella was. She refused to accept something that she didn’t deserve. However, considering how hard it was to get one’s hands on food like that, she decided it would still be best to share it with others.

Effie didn’t touch the food at all. Instead, she stared at Natalie unblinkingly.

She couldn’t help but feel that there was something about Natalie. Not only was she good at her job, but she also treated bigshots like Gerald and Samuel completely neutrally. She knew where to draw the line. Despite not standing out much, she still managed to get others’ attention without doing anything.

“Can you give me a cracker, Boss?” Effie asked.

Natalie met her gaze and grinned. “Aren’t you going to eat the food Samuel bought?”

“It’s not like I know him. I was just curious about the relationship between you two. Since you said that you don’t know each other, then I obviously have to take your side, Boss.” As someone who had witnessed Natalie’s professionalism and attitude personally, she had already accepted Natalie as her superior.

Natalie found Effie rather interesting and handed her a cracker. “Here you go.”

While eating the tasteless crackers, they couldn’t help but smile as they looked at each other.

Effie abruptly realized that her eyes were simply gorgeous despite her average looks. It was particularly so when she smiled. The aura of her gaze and the cunning look in her eyes became hard to forget.

The following morning, Samuel faced a glass window inside a huge office building, looking down at the flow of cars around the city.

The black shirt he was wearing outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist even more boldly, while his icy, handsome face gave him the aura of a leader.

“I think she might be using the 2G network, Sir,” Billy reported grimly. “Natalie doesn’t know the weight that the Bowers family carries in Dellmoor, and I don’t think she knows how luxurious of a restaurant Acapella is, either. Last night, I witnessed her distributing the food to the guards where she works.”

Samuel’s lips twitched. “That’s not necessarily the case.”

Billy gritted his teeth, then voiced his bold opinion. “If it’s true that Natalie’s aware, then there’s a good chance that she’s just playing hard to get. She’s doing this to get you hooked and make you curious. If she’s that cunning, then she might even use Sophia for her own benefits.”

Samuel glanced around before knocking on the table rhythmically. “I see you have a very active imagination, Billy.”

“Sir—”

“Even our own people can’t get any information about her. Do you still think she’s an ordinary person?” Samuel cut him off. He sat in his office chair with a dark gaze as a barely noticeable grin surfaced on his face. “Her job as a coroner is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.”

Billy finally came to a realization after hearing those words. “I underestimated her, Sir. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Samuel crossed his arms. “Postpone my schedule for tonight. I’m going to pick her up personally.”

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 9

Pulled Into A Hummer

The following afternoon, there was complete silence in the conference room. Everyone was at a loss.

John Williams, the police officer in charge of the case, began collecting the documents scattered on the table. “If there’s nothing else to add, then the meeting is over. For tonight, follow up on the name list of girls that have gone missing recently. We have to confirm her identity.”

Right when everyone was yawning and getting ready to get on with their work, someone in the corner slowly stood up.

“I have a question.”

Natalie had one hand in the pocket of her white coat, and there was an aura of total tranquility around her.

Her colleagues all turned to look at her in surprise and couldn’t help but begin to gossip.

“That’s a new face. I’ve never seen her before. Is she a new coroner?”

“Are all fresh graduates this bold nowadays? Even the older, experienced people here have nothing to add. What could this brat have to say?”

“I’d love to know what exactly she’s got on her mind.”

Effie and Brandon looked at each other and communicated through their expressions. They thought it was absurd that they were treating Natalie as some newbie. They were eager to witness Natalie give them a slap in the face.

Meanwhile, Natalie did not mind what anyone was saying at all. She walked over to John and bent over to pick up some scratch paper from the ground, which had a footprint on it.

“Besides the autopsy report, I also wrote some information down by hand. However, it seems that it’s been treated like trash,” she commented.

Her voice was not overwhelming, but every word she spoke was firm. Furthermore, her gaze was sharp enough to slice through one’s heart.

John felt rather awkward, but he replied, “Hand it over to me. I’ll take a look.”

“Considering you treated it as nothing more than scrap, I’m pretty sure you’ll do the same thing again.” Natalie dusted off the dirt on the paper.

“An autopsy report doesn’t just contain the victim’s time of death and DNA information. I’ve already stitched the corpses of the two female victims back together. Even though their faces are distorted beyond recognition, telltale signs on their body tell me they were married with a good financial situation. They regularly received beauty treatments,” Natalie explained.

“Considering all of this, there are only three people on the name list who are possible candidates. When you take into account the victim’s age, that narrows it down to two—Lisa Moore and Jean Gray. You can get the family members of those two women to come in for a DNA test. The investigation department needs to work harder and find the third missing woman before something bad happens to her,” she continued to stress. “Whoever this criminal is, they make clean cuts. They don’t have a drop of sympathy in them, and they’re a serial killer as well—a typical sociopath. If we don’t hurry and take the chance to get them behind bars, then even more women will be put in danger.”

Natalie steadily placed the document in front of John, who quickly skimmed through it.

He realized that everything she had said was the truth, and it was impressive how she had narrowed down a list of hundreds of people to just two women.

“I didn’t have the time to introduce myself to everyone because of this case, so I’ll do it now. I’m Natalie Nichols, specially-appointed coroner of the Major Crimes Unit. I’m looking forward to working with all of you,” she greeted with a tranquil gaze.

The people in the conference room burst into an uproar.

“I thought the coroner would be some forty-year-old lady, not someone this young.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean we don’t have to search for every single person on the name list?”

“She’s our saving grace!”

Natalie didn’t pay their praise any mind. “That’s all I have to say, so I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope all of you will continue putting in your best effort so that I don’t have to work overtime often.”

An imperceptible smile crept up on her face.

All of her colleagues watched in awe as she left.

She had stunned them to their core.

The fact that she was only in her twenties didn’t matter.

There was nobody in the Major Crimes Unit who could match her level of observance. She had saved everyone many nights of intense investigation.

Meanwhile, in the changing room, Natalie had just taken off her white coat when she received a call from Xavian.

“Are you so busy that you forgot about me, Mommy?” Xavian asked. Despite his grumbling, there was no trace of blame in his tone. Instead, it was just heartwarming. “Nevermind. You can forget me, but don’t forget to get some proper food and rest. I made mushroom soup for you. You can have some when you get back.”

Natalie couldn’t help but blow her phone a kiss as she pictured Xavian cooking for her. “I love you so much, Sweetheart.”

“I love you too, Mommy.”

After telling Natalie a few more things, Xavian hung up the phone reluctantly.

“Boss, I heard you calling someone ‘Sweetheart’ over the phone just now. Was that your boyfriend?” Effie couldn’t hold her curiosity back.

Boyfriend?

Natalie let out a giggle and gave Effie a pat on the shoulder. “You know, Effie, there are quite a number of people who I call ‘Sweetheart.’“

Her words left Effie dumbstruck. She was under the impression that Natalie had a few boy toys aside from Samuel, who had ordered delivery for her.

In the meantime, Natalie made her way downstairs and left the building of the Major Crimes Unit.

However, she had only taken a few steps out when a polished Hummer came to a stop beside her.

The door swung open. Before Natalie could even see who had stepped out, she was pulled into the backseat.

 

A Cue for Love Chapter 10

Check For Yourself

Natalie was forced into the car. Amidst her shock, she was about to swing back in retaliation, but the other party moved faster.

Her arm was firmly locked in place by the man. His searing hot breath grazed right past her ear, and she could feel his lips making brief contact with it.

“Let go of me! What kind of pathetic man are you, having to resort to kidnapping?” Natalie taunted. The more she tried to escape, the tighter his grip grew. The gap between her back and his chest was slowly closing.

His voice was magnetic, and his deep laughter brushed past her ear. “Are you questioning my manhood? Would you like to check for yourself?”

“How am I supposed to do that when you’ve restrained my hands?” Natalie rolled her eyes.

He couldn’t deny that, and let go of her arms.

Within the next second, she spun around and swung her fist toward him. However, he caught it easily. While grabbing onto her fist, he pulled her to his side, and the distance between them once again grew smaller.

“You’ve got quite the attitude,” he commented.

She looked up at him with a fierce gaze.

His features were profound and unsurpassed. They were simply perfect, without any flaws to pick at. His gaze was icy and unfathomable, with eyes deep like an ocean. The mole below his right eye only added to his elegant demeanor.

There was a cheeky smile on his face. Both good and evil intentions were revealed on his cold face. Everything about him was just so mysterious.

Over the past twenty-five years of her life, Natalie had met many attractive men. Despite that, the man in front of her was the pinnacle of perfection.

His gaze flickered as he stared at the dazed Natalie.

“I’ve been intending to invite you out for a meal for a long time, Ms. Nichols. However, you kept rejecting me, so I had no choice but to do this in order for us to meet,” Samuel explained as he let go of her pale fist. “My name is Samuel Bowers.”

The moment Natalie heard that name, she finally came back to her senses.

“So you’re Samuel Bowers?” Natalie backed up and pressed herself as closely as possible to the car door. She clearly had her guard up against him. “I don’t even know you. Are you seriously telling me that you kidnapped me just to have a meal together?”

Samuel had witnessed all kinds of women throughout his life—distinguished ones, flirtatious ones, gentle ones, and even fragile ones. What they all had in common was the fact that they wanted to get with him. However, the woman in front of him was the only one whose clear eyes were full of caution against him.

She was far from a stunner, but he found interest in her clear and logical reasoning.

He wanted to get a better look at her, so he bent over and slowly inched his way over. On the other hand, Natalie was frantically backing up until there was nowhere else to run. There was a needle hidden in her hand, which she had behind her back. If he were to get any closer, she would stab him right in the neck.

Right when Natalie was about to make her move, he suddenly stopped. His hand made its way over to her back and snatched the needle away from her.

“Hey!” she protested.

She hadn’t expected him to be so observant.

“You’re overthinking this, Ms. Nichols. I’m Sophia Bowers’ father. I’m only inviting you out for a meal as thanks for taking care of my daughter at the airport,” he clarified.

Sophia Bowers? Natalie remembered the cute little girl with aphasia from the airport the moment she heard that name.

“You don’t have to thank me. Sophia is a cute girl. Anyone would help her out.” Natalie couldn’t help but smile as she thought about Sophia, and her expression softened. “I wonder how she’s been doing. She’s so obedient that I can’t help but dote on her.”

Samuel stared at her. She had a plain face, but her shimmering gaze fascinated him.

She liked Sophia more than he had initially expected. It wasn’t out of flattery or because she had ulterior motives. Instead, it came from the bottom of her heart.

It made Samuel feel a bit delusional.

Natalie seems to like Sophia even more than Yara does.

At that point in time, the car suddenly made a sharp right turn. The woman instantly lost her balance and crashed into him.

Unfortunately, this led to Natalie’s face being buried right in Samuel’s crotch.

Billy, who was driving the car, said something through the car’s speaker system. “Apologies, Sir. A truck suddenly switched lanes just now, and I couldn’t hit the brakes in time.”

The car’s partition did not lower, and the Hummer continued speeding on the road.

However, in the backseat, Natalie and Samuel were in an incredibly ambiguous position.