Ch. 161..170
A Cue for Love Chapter 161
Take Off Your Clothes
Samuel stood all dressed in a dashing black shirt. The only thing odd about him was his handsome face that scrunched up into an anxious expression.
His dark eyes fixated on the woman before him, his chest still heaving violently as a result of rushing there.
Natalie took in his frantic appearance and instantly felt on edge.
She defensively asked, “Are you here to criticize me? Well, you can vent your anger on me however way you want, but please don’t punish Sophia and Franklin anymore…”
Samuel’s heart softened at her words.
His arm raised immediately.
Meanwhile, Natalie became hyper-alert of Samuel’s strength and agility; She knew that she would not be able to escape his attack if he intended to punch her.
Her eyes fell shut, readying herself to face the music. Yet, to her surprise, there was no pain. Instead, an unexpected force circled her waist and pulled her body forward into a warm embrace.
“Silly, who says I’m going to hit you? I could never do that to you,” Samuel murmured under his breath.
Natalie could feel a tug on her heartstrings at that moment.
Now that she finally had time to think about what happened earlier, she began worrying about the possible consequences Kenneth would enforce upon her for taking his great-grandchildren away.
On top of that, she knew that he had always been a ruthless man.
Thus, Natalie felt it would be tricky for her to resolve things if the Bowers family decided to take action against her for meddling in their affairs.
Her mind was in utter chaos.
She had pictured all kinds of thorny issues that would await her. However, she did not expect to get a hug from Samuel.
It felt as though a huge weight got lifted off her shoulders at that very moment. Yet, at the same time, she was afraid of getting too greedy.
Can Samuel truly be mine?
Natalie was rooted to the spot. She tried to push Samuel away, only to realize that his arms had tightened around her and had no intention of letting go.
“Daddy, why are you here?” Franklin’s voice rang out all of a sudden and broke the silence.
He had noticed some movement from outside the door earlier and came over to inspect the situation. Even so, his hand remained in a hold with Xavian’s.
Natalie immediately remembered she was in the presence of three kids.
As if caught red-handed, she hurriedly broke out of Samuel’s embrace.
The sudden withdrawal of her soft body from Samuel’s arms caused him to stiffen. Following this, his cold gaze shot ahead to stare at his son, who rudely interrupted his hug.
At that, Franklin flinched while his head shrunk into the collar of his shirt like a turtle.
Hmph! I may be five, but I can tell that you like Natalie too, Daddy. Forget it because I won’t let you have her!
“I’m here to pick up your mess now that you rocked the boat and ditched,” said Samuel.
Franklin stuck his tongue out while saying, “You have to because you’re my daddy. Besides, I didn’t cause trouble today. It was Great-grandpa’s fault. He would rather listen to that evil woman than me, his own great-grandson.”
While Natalie did not invite Samuel in, he boldly took the liberty of welcoming himself into her home.
Her living room, which was quite spacious initially, immediately became crowded with the addition of Samuel’s presence.
Seeing that Franklin still had the strength to talk back, Samuel surmised that Natalie had already treated him with some ointment.
His concerned gaze then shifted toward Natalie, who instantly tensed with discomfort.
Her nervous voice asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Samuel clenched his jaw before answering, “I need to ask you something in private.”
Natalie was not surprised at all. She understood that it was necessary to resolve the conflict between her and the Bowers family, even if Samuel was the one she had to face.
Hence, she nodded. “Sure.”
Just when Samuel was about to make his move to Natalie’s bedroom for their private conversation, the three kids bolted over and grabbed him out of the blue.
Franklin and Xavian each held a side of Samuel’s shirt while still holding on to each other’s hands.
Seated on the ground was a teary-eyed Sophia, who also reached out to hug Samuel’s leg while shaking her head vigorously.
“You-” Words failed Samuel as he stared at the three children.
“Please don’t give Natalie a hard time,” begged Franklin.
“I won’t let you off the hook if you bully my mommy,” Xavian claimed.
Unable to utter a complete sentence, Sophia just cried. Big teardrops rolled down her cheeks and onto her shirt in a pitiful manner.
Upon that sight, Samuel’s brows twisted into a deep frown.
He ordered in a low voice, “Let go.”
To his surprise, none of the kids obeyed him.
It was then that Natalie let out a loud sigh. “Guys, please relax and let go of him. He’s just going to talk to me. Besides, he wouldn’t dare hurt me in your presence, even if he wanted to.”
After hearing her explanation, the three compliantly let go of Samuel.
While Samuel was not surprised by his kid’s fondness for Natalie, he was still in awe by how deeply attached they were to her.
Seconds passed before he and Natalie proceeded into her bedroom for their discussion.
Once they shut the door, Samuel’s face turned expressionless as he ordered, “Take off your clothes.”
A Cue for Love Chapter 162
Tit For Tat
Natalie’s heart skipped a beat.
Just as she continued to stay rooted on the ground, Samuel pulled her toward him.
Before she could struggle out of his grip, her shirt was unbuttoned one by one by him, revealing her snow-white skin and stimulating Samuel’s senses.
His deep, dark eyes looked at her with burning desire as his fingers continued their work at unbuttoning her shirt.
Natalie’s mind went blank for a moment before she snapped, “Samuel, you p*nk!”
“Yes,” the man answered in a deep tone of voice.
She thought that he was going to force himself on her. However, she was then flipped over, her back facing him.
Samuel lightly stroked the wounds on her back.
One appeared to be a faint line while the other bruised badly.
This should be the one caused by the blow which Gavin said Grandpa used all his might.
His fingers felt rough and warm against her back, and Natalie could not help but shiver at his touch.
Trying to suppress his emotions, Samuel spoke in a hoarse voice. “Franklin is my grandpa’s great-grandson. He would never truly hurt Franklin. What were you thinking? Trying to be a heroine?”
Bare-chested, she was pressed firmly against the cold, hard wall.
Turning red with embarrassment at the thought of the humiliating position she was in as Samuel examined her wounds, Natalie scolded angrily, “You could have told me that you wanted to examine the wounds and not rip off my clothes.”
His burning gaze swept across her back, and he finally forced himself to calm down after a while. “No girl would act the way you do now. If I hadn’t gotten your shirt out of the way, you would have continued to not tend to your wounds.”
“Still, you can’t do this to me!” Natalie protested.
He moved in closer and muttered with his lips pressed against her ear, “I don’t do this to anyone else; I only do this to you.”
In the end, he let go of her, but she remained shirtless.
He kicked the shirt away and put her down on the bed with her face down so that he could apply medication to the wounds on her back.
Natalie did not want to be controlled by Samuel, so she said stubbornly, “Samuel, I can do it myself.”
“How? You have no eyes on your back.” Upon ending his sentence, he took the ointment that Natalie had made, smeared it over her wounds, and rubbed it into her skin.
He knew that she had high tolerance of pain, but his heart still ached for her.
While Samuel was concentrating on applying the ointment, Natalie started to feel uncomfortable.
Wherever his finger touched felt warm and cold at the same time. She felt as if there were a million ants nibbling on her skin.
Meanwhile, Samuel was in no better condition than her as the sight of her bare back gradually filled him with burning desire.
As seconds ticked by, their breaths turned heavier, and things were on the brink of losing control.
After a while, he broke the silence. “Done.”
“Thank you.” Natalie heaved a sigh of relief, forgetting the current position they were in.
As she turned around to face Samuel, she was quickly pinned down on the bed. Unbeknown to her, he was on the verge of losing his mind, his eyes darkening with lust.
“Samuel, you…” She stared him in disbelief.
“You want to thank me, huh?” he said lowly. “How will you repay me for my kindness?”
“You were the one who volunteered to help me apply the ointment. I didn’t ask you to do it.” She felt her face getting warmer by the second. “Let me go… The kids are still waiting for us outside.”
Samuel wanted to kiss the moving lips in front of him, but he knew that both of them did not have the time for that at the moment. Eventually, he suppressed the urge and let go of her.
Besides, since Natalie was wounded, he was also concerned about her current condition.
If it was not for the wounds, he would have kissed her then and there.
Soon, Natalie found herself a new shirt and thought that Samuel might want to discuss the matters that happened in the evening. However, he did not.
She could not keep it any longer and asked, “Samuel, no matter who is in the wrong, I believe your grandpa would ask for an explanation.”
“There’s nothing to explain to him.” He squeezed her chin lightly. “He wants justice, and I naturally protect the ones I want to protect. If he weren’t my grandpa, I would have sought revenge.”
A Cue for Love Chapter 163
A Plan To Destroy Her
Samuel’s voice was as cold as ice.
A murderous glint was seen in his eyes, and every word sounded like the chant of a devil.
At that instant, Natalie wondered if she was imagining things because she started to think that she was indeed the love of Samuel’s life.
“Xavian and the rest must be worrying about me. I’ll head out first.” She turned away and escaped from the room.
Samuel stared at her retreating figure meaningfully.
She is still trying to escape from me, but I’ll never let her go.
The three children paced nervously around the living room when Natalie opened the door. At the sight of her, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Seeing their response brought a smile to her lips.
After that, Natalie and the three children sat together in the living room as she read them a storybook.
The three children were exceptionally intelligent and loved reading challenging books for their age.
Despite that, they paid full attention when Natalie started telling the story of The Little Mermaid.
Meanwhile, Samuel leaned against the wall as he took in the scene.
Under the yellow lights in the living room, Natalie smilingly read the ending of the story aloud, telling the children how the mermaid turned into bubbles for the sake of the prince.
Although it was seemingly a heart-warming moment, Samuel could feel a hint of sadness in her voice.
She was right in front of him, but he felt as though she had never truly belonged to him.
In Sky Bar, Yara sat at a table, drowning her sorrows.
There was always a trail of women trying to get into Samuel’s good books. However, Yara thought that being the fake birth mother of Franklin and Sophia and lying about what happened that night would guarantee her to get to stay by his side sooner or later.
But that ugly Natalie ruins my plan! Although I’m confident that I’m prettier than the one that has passed away five years ago, Samuel and the fraternal twins like her instead. That’s why she is a big threat to me.
“Yara, are you in a bad mood?” Charlie’s wife, Mandy Gomez asked.
“Yes.” Yara nodded.
Mandy lit a cigarette for herself as she said, “I guess we’re all the same. I don’t understand what my father-in-law is thinking. He’d rather leave all of the Watsons family’s assets to an outsider rather than anyone else in the family!”
“What?” Yara exclaimed in shock. “Why would he do that?”
“Why wouldn’t he? That old man would rather give his assets to Natalie and not a single cent to Charlie and me.” Mandy gritted her teeth. “Yes, we’re not as precious as his eldest grandson. However, blood is thicker than water. Shouldn’t we be considered more important than an outsider?”
Although Yara was drunk, she heard a name clearly.
Natalie? It’s her again? Yvonne said that Natalie and Shawn had a thing. It might be true after all.
Yara had long regarded Natalie as a thorn in the flesh and wanted to eliminate the latter, but it seemed like she did not need to dirty her own hands to achieve her goal.
“Mandy, you’re married into the Watsons family for so many years. Old Mr. Watsons shouldn’t have treated you like that,” Yara said.
“It’s a pity that I can’t kill her. It’s stated in the will that if she passes away, whatever that’s supposed to be given to her will be donated to charity.” Mandy felt even more upset upon speaking of that matter.
“Old Mr. Watsons is still alive, so the will won’t work.” Resting her head on her hand, Yara smiled sinisterly. “If she dies before the old man does, the problem is solved. Am I right?”
When Mandy heard Yara’s suggestion, her eyes twinkled in excitement.
Why didn’t I think of that before? It’s still a considerably huge amount even though it’s still lesser than Shawn’s.
“Yara, you’re so smart and pretty,” Mandy complimented.
“Oh, Mandy. You’re exaggerating.” Yara took a sip of alcohol and grinned. “It’s an idea that suddenly popped into my mind. I’m not sure if it would really help you.”
“You’re too humble.” Mandy pinched Yara’s cheek lightly. “I’m so jealous of your looks. No wonder Samuel is so mesmerized by you.”
“You’re joking.”
“Why are you still being so secretive? Didn’t you give birth to that fraternal twin for him?” Mandy teased.
Yara continued drinking and smiled in response without saying a word. Deep down in her heart, she was counting down to the day when Natalie would die.
A Cue for Love Chapter 164
You Can Continue Rejecting Me
That night, Franklin and Sophia stayed over at the Nichols residence.
Franklin slept with Xavian in the latter’s bedroom since it was spacious enough. Meanwhile, Sophia spent the night in Clayton’s room as he was still away for work.
Natalie initially assumed that Samuel would not stay, but, much to her surprise, he got Billy to fetch his documents and some change of clothes over.
She pointed out. “You’ll have to sleep on the couch since we don’t have any more rooms.”
Billy felt sorry for Samuel and tried to step in. “Ms. Nichols, that’s a little harsh—”
However, Samuel cut him off. “It’s her call.”
Knowing how much Samuel doted on Natalie, Billy silently placed the former’s clothes on the couch and left.
Natalie went back to her room after washing up.
She tried to close the door but realized that the lock was too rusty to click in place.
Since there were three children in the house, she felt confident that Samuel would not do anything out of line, so she turned off the bedside lamp and went to bed.
Yet, in the middle of the night, Natalie felt something warm embracing during her sleep.
After her mother’s death, she had not fallen asleep in anyone’s arms.
Cold breezes blew throughout the night, so the sudden embrace was warm and comfortable.
Natalie enjoyed it so much that she flipped over to wrap her arms and legs around the person that hugged her.
“Stay still… I wanna hug you,” she mumbled in her sleep.
Samuel instantly tensed up as he had never thought that she would take the initiative to hug him.
He kept still. However, his Adam’s apple bobbed up down as desire ignited in him from the sudden intimacy.
The woman snored lightly with her lips parted and her eyelashes fluttering, looking pure like an angel.
The sight of her resting so serenely warmed Samuel’s heart.
However, he could not control his stiffening bodily reaction, no matter how hard he tried.
At the same time, Natalie felt something hardening near her thigh. The odd feeling abruptly poked against her flesh and woke her.
Once her eyes opened to the sight of her limbs entwined around Samuel, she nearly screamed out in shock. Before she could, the latter quickly sealed her mouth with his lips.
Samuel muffled her screams to avoid waking the children. Yet, just as his lips touched hers, the desire that he suppressed earlier intensified.
He began to kiss her passionately, turning her screams into abashed whimpers and moans.
A long while passed before he finally let go of her.
Panting, she protested, “H-How could you do that to me?”
“Well, I can’t let you wake up the kids,” Samuel’s husky voice shamelessly justified, as if he was doing it for her sake.
Natalie bit her lips. “If you hadn’t climbed into my bed, I wouldn’t have…”
“The couch is too hard.” Samuel gingerly took her into his arms and resumed, “I’m not used to it. Besides, I wanted to sleep with you.”
He’s the head of the Bowers family, who is super influential in the country. How can a professional man like him behave so shamelessly in front of me?
Conflicted emotions swirled in Natalie’s heart at that moment. She worried about getting too comfortable with his embrace, kisses, and overbearing possession of her.
Getting too comfortable meant her emotions would overpower all sense of logic in her.
She was afraid but did not know how to get him out of her life.
After a moment of silence, Natalie spoke up. “Quit pestering me, Samuel.”
“Don’t worry. You can continue rejecting me while I work for what I want.” Samuel chuckled lightly. “I promise that I won’t do anything out of line without your consent.”
Natalie bit her lips once more.
How can I still reject him after being held in his arms like that?
A Cue for Love Chapter 165
The Choice Is Yours
With her back facing Samuel, Natalie felt her heart pounding hard.
She huffed but immediately got grasped by the waist.
Samuel’s husky tone went on. “Even though I’ll patiently wait for your consent, I can’t make any promises on holding myself back if you keep doing things that tease me.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You’d better not, or else you know what’s coming.” Samuel then tightened his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her hair. “Get some rest, now. Goodnight.”
Natalie closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep in that position.
She thought she would be too flustered to sleep, but surprisingly, she snoozed soundly through the night.
When she woke up the next day, Samuel was already gone.
Rubbing her eyes, she walked out of the room and heard someone making coffee in the kitchen.
“Morning, Sweetheart…” She mumbled as she walked into the kitchen half awake.
Samuel smirked to himself. “Morning.”
Upon hearing his voice, Natalie’s eyes rounded as she hurriedly snapped, “You? I thought Xavian was the one in the kitchen. The ‘Sweetheart’ I’m referring to is him, not you.”
“I didn’t ask.”
Blushing, Natalie knew that she could not outsmart him and that she was already lucky enough as he did not take advantage of her.
“Where are the kids? Why don’t I see any of them?”
Samuel poured the boiling water into the coffee pot, then brewed a cup of black coffee while explaining, “I’ve completed the transfer procedures for Xavian’s new kindergarten, so I got Billy to send all three of them there.”
“What about you?” Natalie glanced at the clock on the wall. Isn’t he supposed to be at work by now?
“Waiting for you.”
“Me?” She did not understand.
“I’ll go to work after I help you change the dressing on your wound.”
The thought of how he had changed her dressing the day before sent a chill down her spine. Thus, she wasted no time refusing. “That’s okay. I’ll do it myself.”
Samuel sipped on his coffee while smirking at her. “You can either take off your top, or I’ll do it for you. The choice is yours.”
Him? No way! It’ll be too embarrassing for me to stay still as he strips me. Not to mention, he ripped off two buttons from my shirt the last time he took off my top!
Knowing that she could not go against him, Natalie relented, “I’ll take the shirt off myself.”
Natalie returned to her room and removed her shirt, revealing the bruises down her back from Kenneth’s caning.
Something’s wrong with this picture. Kenneth aggressively caned me, yet his grandson is tending to my injury? How twisted can my life be?
Samuel began to switch out Natalie’s dressings.
After the previous experience, Samuel was afraid that he would suffer from getting blue balls again, so he dressed her wound quickly this time around.
The two remained silent, but their hearts were beating wildly.
Later, Samuel headed off to work while Natalie departed toward the Major Crimes Unit.
In addition to solving the cases, Natalie was also busy treating Yana.
She needed to obtain two scarcely rare ingredients for the latter’s medicine; The first was a trumpet vine flower that she had asked Yandel to help track down.
Meanwhile, she was struggling to locate the second ingredient — a dragonblood fruit.
As its name suggested, the fruit was a vivid shade of scarlet and as rare as a dragon’s blood.
“Yandel, keep looking for more information on the dragonblood fruit,” Natalie instructed. “I promised Hans that I would do everything in my power to obtain it.”
“Yes, Boss.”
After hanging up the phone, Natalie left the Major Crimes Unit building to hail a taxi.
It was not long before a taxi driver with a black cap pulled up in front of her.
She rarely saw a taxi driver wearing a cap inside a car, so she could not help but stare.
Despite her odd looks, the driver asked, “Where to?”
Natalie then told him her home address before getting into the taxi and checking an email from Yandel and Ross.
However, her vision became blurry, and her head felt heavy as time went by.
Chapter 165 The Choice Is Yours
With her back facing Samuel, Natalie felt her heart pounding hard.
She huffed but immediately got grasped by the waist.
Samuel’s husky tone went on. “Even though I’ll patiently wait for your consent, I can’t make any promises on holding myself back if you keep doing things that tease me.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You’d better not, or else you know what’s coming.” Samuel then tightened his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her hair. “Get some rest, now. Goodnight.”
Natalie closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep in that position.
She thought she would be too flustered to sleep, but surprisingly, she snoozed soundly through the night.
When she woke up the next day, Samuel was already gone.
Rubbing her eyes, she walked out of the room and heard someone making coffee in the kitchen.
“Morning, Sweetheart…” She mumbled as she walked into the kitchen half awake.
Samuel smirked to himself. “Morning.”
Upon hearing his voice, Natalie’s eyes rounded as she hurriedly snapped, “You? I thought Xavian was the one in the kitchen. The ‘Sweetheart’ I’m referring to is him, not you.”
“I didn’t ask.”
Blushing, Natalie knew that she could not outsmart him and that she was already lucky enough as he did not take advantage of her.
“Where are the kids? Why don’t I see any of them?”
Samuel poured the boiling water into the coffee pot, then brewed a cup of black coffee while explaining, “I’ve completed the transfer procedures for Xavian’s new kindergarten, so I got Billy to send all three of them there.”
“What about you?” Natalie glanced at the clock on the wall. Isn’t he supposed to be at work by now?
“Waiting for you.”
“Me?” She did not understand.
“I’ll go to work after I help you change the dressing on your wound.”
The thought of how he had changed her dressing the day before sent a chill down her spine. Thus, she wasted no time refusing. “That’s okay. I’ll do it myself.”
Samuel sipped on his coffee while smirking at her. “You can either take off your top, or I’ll do it for you. The choice is yours.”
Him? No way! It’ll be too embarrassing for me to stay still as he strips me. Not to mention, he ripped off two buttons from my shirt the last time he took off my top!
Knowing that she could not go against him, Natalie relented, “I’ll take the shirt off myself.”
Natalie returned to her room and removed her shirt, revealing the bruises down her back from Kenneth’s caning.
Something’s wrong with this picture. Kenneth aggressively caned me, yet his grandson is tending to my injury? How twisted can my life be?
Samuel began to switch out Natalie’s dressings.
After the previous experience, Samuel was afraid that he would suffer from getting blue balls again, so he dressed her wound quickly this time around.
The two remained silent, but their hearts were beating wildly.
Later, Samuel headed off to work while Natalie departed toward the Major Crimes Unit.
In addition to solving the cases, Natalie was also busy treating Yana.
She needed to obtain two scarcely rare ingredients for the latter’s medicine; The first was a trumpet vine flower that she had asked Yandel to help track down.
Meanwhile, she was struggling to locate the second ingredient — a dragonblood fruit.
As its name suggested, the fruit was a vivid shade of scarlet and as rare as a dragon’s blood.
“Yandel, keep looking for more information on the dragonblood fruit,” Natalie instructed. “I promised Hans that I would do everything in my power to obtain it.”
“Yes, Boss.”
After hanging up the phone, Natalie left the Major Crimes Unit building to hail a taxi.
It was not long before a taxi driver with a black cap pulled up in front of her.
She rarely saw a taxi driver wearing a cap inside a car, so she could not help but stare.
Despite her odd looks, the driver asked, “Where to?”
Natalie then told him her home address before getting into the taxi and checking an email from Yandel and Ross.
However, her vision became blurry, and her head felt heavy as time went by.
A Cue for Love Chapter 166
An Ambush
How could this be?
Propping herself up, Natalie looked at the driver and immediately determined that something was wrong with the taxi.
Who’s behind this?
She tried her best to keep a low profile over the years, but it seemed to have failed as someone was now targeting her.
“Give up, you ugly b*tch. There is no way you can’t fight this potent drug with your willpower.”
Natalie secretly felt around on her calf and popped a white pill into her mouth before losing consciousness.
With a thud, she blacked out on the backseat.
The man in the driver’s seat waited for her to become unconscious before taking off his cap, revealing a thuggish appearance.
He then made a call and said, “Madam, everything is going according to plan. The woman has passed out like a log now. I’ll make sure to erase all traces of her from this world. Don’t forget the reward you promised us because we want not a penny less than the agreed amount. Now, sit back and relax, Madam. I’ll make sure everything goes off without a hitch.”
The man glanced at the rear-view mirror and began to study Natalie’s appearance.
He initially thought that Mandy wanted him to abduct a beautiful girl, so he even planned to have some fun with his friends before carrying out his task, but to his disappointment, the freckles on her face disgusted him.
Hence, he decided to skip the fun and proceed with getting rid of Natalie.
The fake taxi drove down to the west riverbank in Dellmoor.
As soon as it reached the designated shoreline, the car stopped.
The driver opened the backseat door, allowing two other men to grab Natalie and toss her onto the damp, moldy ground like a sandbag.
“Should we tie her up?” one of the men suggested.
“Why? It’s a waste of effort.” The driver lit a cigarette and put it between his lips. “This woman will still be too weak to fight back by the time she comes round. We can throw her into the river later. Even if the water wakes her up, I doubt she will have the strength to swim back here.”
“That’s true,” the other men agreed in unison.
As his cigarette burned out, the driver threw its butt on the ground and stomped it out with his cheap pleather shoes.
He ordered, “Alright. Let’s finish our job. Also, remember to record a video of me throwing this woman into the river, so we can use it as proof when collecting our reward money.”
“Okay.”
The driver then patted Natalie on the cheeks, but the latter remained unconscious and did not respond.
There was an amused chuckle in his voice as he said to himself, “It seems that this drug works really well. I’ll have to buy more next time.”
After confirming Natalie was unconscious, the driver grabbed her arms and flung her into the river.
Water splashed out mightily from the river.
Natalie’s body sank under the water right away.
Even so, the men did not leave; They patiently stood by the river as they knew it would not take long for an adult to drown.
“That ugly woman should be dead by now.” Seeing that they had completed the task, the driver waved at his accomplices. “Alright. Let’s clean up the car and everything. We’ll flee this place after collecting the money.”
“Alright!” The men shared a satisfied look before getting into two separate cars and leaving the scene.
Little did they know that tiny air bubbles had gradually emerged on the surface of the river.
Meanwhile, Xavian was struck dumb upon seeing the red alert from a program on his computer.
How can this be? The GPS shows that Mommy went all the way from her workplace to a riverbank! What’s worse is that her last known location is actually in the river!
A Cue for Love Chapter 167
The Odds Are Against Her
Xavian felt his hands and feet go cold as the alert on his computer went off.
To increase the accuracy of Natalie’s GPS tracker, he had installed a location identification system on her phone and bracelet. As he received no feedback from both systems now, it was very likely that the devices had broken down after sinking into the water.
Why did Mommy jump into a river all of a sudden?
His brows scrunched into a deep V as he could not get through to Natalie’s phone.
No! Something must have happened to Mommy! I’m the only one who knows that Mommy has fallen into the river, so I must find a way to save her…
Anxiety overwhelmed the boy as he thought to himself, It’s nighttime and high tide now. The place where Mommy fell into has strong currents, so there is a possibility that she’s…
Xavian’s fists clenched as he mentally comforted himself again and again. No! No! Mommy will be okay. Nothing will happen to her.
Meanwhile, Samuel and Steven were conversing about Natalie at Centurion Corporation.
“I hear that Natalie has recently driven Grandpa up the wall,” Steven said after taking a sip of his coffee.
He felt impressed as very few people had the guts to do so.
“So?” Samuel stated while flipping through a document.
Steven initially wanted to know what Samuel thought about the entire situation. However, the latter’s unbothered reply caught him by surprise.
He asked, “What are you going to do about Grandpa?”
“I’m not opposed to letting Grandpa discipline Franklin, but he shouldn’t have used such violent measures, and he had no right to lay a finger on Natalie.” Samuel finally looked up from his documents. His sharp gaze focused on Steven as he added, “Out of respect for Grandpa, I don’t wish to dwell on this matter any longer.”
Steven became baffled.
Although both of them rarely agreed with Kenneth’s decisions, they generally obeyed him for the sake of keeping peace within their family. Now, it seemed that things had changed.
Feeling curious, Steven spoke once more. “Sam, what’s so good about that woman of yours?”
“Everything about her is perfect.” Samuel glared at his brother and resumed indifferently, “Don’t ever ask such stupid questions again.”
A sigh then slipped from Steven’s lips as he shook his head and sipped on his coffee.
I used to think that Samuel would never fall in love, and even if he did, he would fall for the most stunning woman that has ever walked this earth. Man, I never would have guessed that Samuel would fall for an unattractively freckled, single mother of two.
Just then, Billy approached the men with a worried look.
He reported, “Sir, Xavian Nichols is here to see you. He broke through our firewall to announce his visit as the receptionist refused to let him in earlier.”
Steven choked on a mouthful of tea. What the hell? Did this kid actually hack into our systems here at Centurion Corporation out of anger?
“Billy, please bring Xavian over,” Samuel instructed.
“Yes, Sir.”
Samuel was surprised by Xavian’s hacking skills, but he was more interested in the reason for the latter’s sudden arrival.
Although Xavian is the same age as Franklin and Sophia, he is much more mature. The fact that he’s so eager to see me now means that something urgent must’ve happened to Natalie.
Sometime later, Billy guided Xavian into the CEO’s office.
The boy bit his lips nervously. It was evident from his reddened eyes that something had happened.
However, he had been holding back his tears and forcing himself to calm down as he wanted to save his mother.
Samuel walked up to the boy. “What’s the matter, Xavian?”
“Mr. Bowers, only you can save my mommy now.” Xavian turned on the laptop he brought along and showed Samuel the screen. He then explained, “My mommy’s GPS signal disappeared in that river half an hour ago. I tried contacting her in various ways but couldn’t reach her. I think she has fallen into the river. Please! I need you to save my mommy…”
At this, Samuel’s calm demeanor faltered as a panicked ache broke out in his chest.
He muttered, “Are you saying… that your mommy disappeared inside the river?”
A Cue for Love Chapter 168
Please Do Not Die
Xavian nodded and stared at Samuel with determination. “I purposely made this GPS device for Mommy, so it shouldn’t have any problem.”
Worried that Samuel might not believe his words, he added, “Mommy is definitely in danger! She won’t throw that device into the sea for no reason. So I think the only explanation is that she fell into the sea and the GPS device is damaged by the water.”
Samuel’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing that.
Natalie was still fine a few days ago. But now, she could be in grave danger.
An unprecedented sense of fear filled Samuel’s heart. He turned to Billy and said with a deep voice, “Regardless of where she is right now, I need to find her. Dispatch all the Bowers family’s yachts to search for Natalie now! I want to know where she is right now!”
“Yes, sir! I will inform them right away,” Billy replied.
Steven’s heart sank as he stared at his brother’s gloomy face.
Although he did not care about Natalie’s safety, he could not help but feel anxious and worried after seeing how obsessed Samuel was toward Natalie.
Everything would be fine if Natalie is safe. But what if she’s not? What if the worst thing happens? Would Samuel go mad?
Yara grasped the opportunity to keep Kenneth company and get on his good side after the old man fell sick because of Natalie. She took care of him and played chess with him during their free time. When Kenneth’s assistant informed Kenneth about Samuel’s arrangements to search for Natalie, Yara was also there.
“Samuel is crazy!” Kenneth yelled, slamming the table furiously. The cup on the table fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“Grandpa, please calm down!” Yara immediately grabbed Kenneth’s arm and said, “You fell sick because of Natalie two days ago. Please don’t get sick again because of this matter.”
“How do I stay calm? That woman merely fell into the river by accident. Does he need to go this far just to search for her?”
“Grandpa, that woman holds a special place in Samuel’s heart. I guess he did that because he is too worried about her…”
Kenneth touched his mustache and let out a cold chuckle. “He is too worried about her? What nonsense! In fact, it’s good that she fell into the river. It would be even better if she drowns!” Upon finishing his sentence, he coughed badly.
“Grandpa, please take care!” Yara lowered her head as her lips curved to form a cold smile.
She was quite surprised by Mandy’s capability. I thought she was going to take some time to complete this task, but now it seems she has already completed it perfectly. With Natalie out of the picture, I’m sure I would be able to marry Samuel in the future.
“Yara, since you have medical skills, it is such a waste for you to be an actress. Would you like me to set up a hospital for you?” asked Kenneth.
“I… I don’t think I’m that capable…” Yara shook her head sheepishly. “I only know how to treat common diseases.”
“No, you are way better than that! I would’ve died if it weren’t because of you. You are too humble. Don’t worry. I will build a hospital under your name soon,” Kenneth shook his hand and said.
Yara merely smiled awkwardly, as she knew nothing about medicine.
In the meantime, the riverbank was still brightly lit under the dark night sky.
More than ten yachts were searching along the riverbank, and there were more coming from various directions to join the search.
Standing on one of the yachts, Samuel glanced around at the surface of the river. That woman is so smart and cunning. I don’t think she will die that easily.
However, as gusts of wind blew on the surface of the water, only the lifebuoys could be seen bobbing around in the river. There was no sign of Natalie.
Samuel tightened his grip on the railing and muttered, “Natalie, don’t you dare die on me…”
He then paused for a moment and said with sadness in his eyes, “Please don’t die, Natalie!”
A Cue for Love Chapter 169
Accept The Fact
Xavian, who was too worried about Natalie, insisted on joining Samuel on the yacht.
The young boy became drowsy when it was around two o’clock in the morning. He struggled to stay awake.
“Xavian, you should go home and get some rest. I’ll have Billy send you home,” Samuel said.
Xavian widened his eyes and said stubbornly, “I don’t want to go home. I want to search for Mommy with you. I will not rest before I find Mommy.”
Even with Samuel’s help, Xavian was still anxious about his mother’s disappearance. After all, Natalie was everything to him and Clayton. If anything happened to Natalie, they would become orphans.
He was scared and worried, but he had to try his best to remain calm and strong.
“You should go home and sleep,” Samuel repeated.
Agitated, Xavian began throwing a tantrum. “I told you I don’t want to sleep! I don’t want to become an orphan! I want my mommy! I’m willing to do anything as long as she comes home safely! I promise I’ll listen to her and be a good boy.”
He had done his best to stay strong all this while. However, he could no longer hold back his tears at that moment. Huge beads of tears streamed down his cheeks. He wiped them away, but the tears kept on coming.
Samuel bent down to look into Xavian’s eyes. “Why are you crying? Do you think your mom is dead?”
“No! Mommy is still alive!” Xavian clenched his fists and replied without hesitation.
“Yes, your mom is definitely alive.” Samuel patted Xavian’s head and added, “Your mom is only missing, and I promise you that I will find her at all costs.”
That was a promise he made to both Xavian and himself. There was no way he would let anything happen to Natalie.
Back then, Natalie was nothing more than an attractive lady to him. However, as time passed, he finally realized that she was everything to him.
Therefore, he had to find Natalie no matter what.
Xavian sniffled and grabbed Samuel’s arm. “Thank you, Mr. Bowers. I will never forget what you did to save Mommy.”
“Go on home.”
After being persuaded by Samuel, Xavian followed Billy home.
Samuel, on the other hand, remained on the yacht and watched the search and rescue team as they did their job.
The staff took turns to rest, but Samuel stayed awake all the time. He did not eat much, and he seldom slept. To keep himself awake, he smoked a lot.
Two days had passed, and there was still no trace of Natalie. Her chance of survival continued to decrease.
Steven was shocked when he came to the search and rescue site to visit Samuel one day. His brother, the emotionless tyrant of the business industry, became a disheveled, tired, and sorrowful-looking man after only two days.
“Sam, you must get some rest!” That was the first time Steven spoke to his brother in a commanding tone.
“No, I can’t.”
“Why can’t you get some rest? You have arranged all the Bowers family’s yachts to search for Natalie. It has been forty-eight hours, yet there isn’t any news. That woman is dead, Sam! Your men didn’t dare to tell you the truth, so I’ll be the one to tell you. She is dead, and you have to accept the fact!” Aching to see Samuel in such a sorry state, Steven raised his voice.
A Cue for Love Chapter 170
Beat Steven Up
Steven was very agitated as he spoke, and when Samuel heard the former mention that Natalie was dead, he completely lost his cool. The anger he had been suppressing rushed out like a tide.
Narrowing his eyes, he swung his fist at Steven and screamed, “What did you just say?! Natalie’s not dead! She’s just missing, and she’ll return soon!”
Steven licked the wound at the corner of his lips and laughed out loud. “Who are you trying to fool, Sam?”
As soon as Steven finished his sentence, Samuel landed another punch on his face, causing him to stagger backward.
Steven grimaced in pain and said, “You can lie to others, and you can make me shut up. But would you be able to deceive yourself? She drowned somewhere under the water. You might not even be able to find her body.”
Samuel clenched his fists and was ready to punch Steven again, but moments later, he calmed down. “You can say whatever you want, but don’t get in my way.”
Then, he turned to Billy and said, “Escort him out of here and let the others know to never allow him back on site.”
Steven was shocked but not surprised.
I’m his brother. How could he treat me like this? He’s crazy! He’s gone crazy because of a woman!
Steven’s words hardly affected Samuel. The latter continued having faith that Natalie would return.
Meanwhile, back at the Nichols residence, Xavian’s eyes were already swollen from all the crying.
He was not able to be of much help at the search and rescue site since he was too young. Hence, he could only spend most of the time waiting at home for any news about his mother.
I hate that I’m only five years old… Why am I not strong enough to protect Mommy?
He felt scared and helpless.
Even though Samuel had assured him that everything would be all right, he was still terrified of losing Natalie.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Ding Dong!
Xavian was in a terrible mood, but he still dragged his feet over to answer the door.
“Who is it?” he asked. As soon as he opened the door, he froze as if he was rooted to the floor.
The woman at the door was wearing a yellow sweatshirt, and her hair was woven into braids. Although she dressed like she was from a rural area, her face was smooth and her skin was fair.
Her eyes were shining with a smile as she said, “I’m back, Sweetheart.”
The woman was, without a doubt, Natalie.
Surprised and overjoyed, Xavian threw himself into Natalie’s arms and burst into tears.
He wept and said, “Mommy, you’re back! You scared me to death! I was so worried about you! I thought something bad happened to you! I thought Clayton and I are going to become orphans!”
Natalie knew how much her beloved sons were dependent on her. Her heart was filled with warmth but at the same time guilt as she watched Xavian bawl his eyes out.
“You didn’t tell Clayton anything, did you?” asked Natalie.
“Not yet. I’m already worried sick. I bet he’d go crazy if he knows, so I didn’t tell him anything,” Xavian said through sobs.
“Good.” Natalie heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she carried Xavian into the room and wiped the tears and snot on his face with a tissue.
Xavian hiccupped and asked, “Mommy, why did the GPS device I set up for you malfunction? Did you really fall into the water?”
“Yes, I was thrown into the river by someone and almost died,” Natalie answered.
A cold light flashed across her eyes when she thought of the people who tried to harm her.
She went on, “Fortunately, the heavens took pity on me. After falling into the water, I managed to grab and hold onto something in the river. Then, I was soon rescued by a fishing boat.”