Ch. 226..230: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 226-230

Chapter 226: Wedding Vows

Edward took my hand into his and squeezed it. I instinctively squeezed his hand back to comfort and reassure him that I would be by his side.

“I wanted to get our marriage registered the day after we got off the cruise ship...but then I thought that that would just freak you out,” Edward admitted a little shyly.

I found this version of Edward so adorable. It was a stark contrast to his fully confident self who declared boldly that he was sure that I would become his wife. Perhaps now that our wedding is so close, he’s getting cold feet?

“We can get that done whenever you wish...” I replied, before pulling up his hand and kissing it.

“Really?” Edward asked, his green eyes sparkling like a kid that had just gotten his long-awaited Christmas present.

“Really,” I replied firmly.

I closed my eyes in bliss when Edward’s face came in closer, and his lips sealed mine in a sweet and tender kiss. His kiss made me understand his feelings better because I felt the same way. As I shared his kiss, I also shared his feelings of wanting to protect our new relationship.

...

“Master Lucien is here for you, Miss,” Laura whispered excitedly behind me as she fixed my hair.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I returned to the present. I have to focus on the present, after all, today is Edward and my wedding day.

“Natalia...” Lucien said my name as his eyes swept over my body from head to toe taking me in.

“Lucien...” I whispered.

Laura quickly and silently excused herself from the room. I heard the door click close softly at her exit; however, I did not see her leave because my eyes were focused on Lucien. He looked like he had many things that he wanted to say and was deciding on what to actually voice.

“You look enchantingly beautiful...” Lucien complimented me with a smile. His smile was so kind that for a moment my body froze.

“Thank you, Lucien,” I said as I smiled back.

Lucien and I didn’t get a chance to talk before my wedding day arrived. I knew that this wedding must feel like a deep betrayal to Lucien, and I was scared to face him to discuss it. I thought that whatever we said would end up hurting us both and there was no way that I would change my mind. I have chosen to marry Edward and he has chosen to spend his life with me and that was that. It was final.

Perhaps Lucien felt the same way because he never asked to meet with me to discuss this either. I wasn’t sure what Edward said to his brother when he announced our engagement and intent to get married but it had magically worked. When I asked Edward about it, he had refused flat out to tell me and had stayed stubbornly silent on the matter.

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?” Lucien asked in a low voice.

“I’m sure,” I replied, my voice steadier than I thought possible. I was honest though, I was sure.

This was a decision that I made and because I chose this path myself, I was sure that I would not regret it. For once in a very long time, I could choose something for myself by myself.

“I’ll always be here for you,” Lucien said with a smile before touching his warm hand to the side of my cheek softly.

“...Thank you, Lucien,” I said as I felt tears sting my eyes. I blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. When I felt his touch, I felt like I had reverted to the little girl that I was around ten years ago again.

“Let’s go,” Lucien said as he offered me his arm.

I didn’t think I would feel this excited but now that I was about to walk down the aisle, my legs were shaking in fear. It was so nerve wrecking that my hands that were gripping the flower bouquet was beginning to sweat. I took in deep breaths to try to calm myself down as the classical band played the wedding march.

“Come on,” Lucien whispered encouragingly in my ear when he realized that I couldn’t take a step forward.

I looked around at the very few selected guests that were seated and found myself smiling. Very few close friends I had managed to gather during my years in university and some of my close colleagues. Zak was there with an unreadable expression on his face and a very smiley Annie next to him. Some of Edward’s close friends and colleagues and, thankfully, no other Rosenhall family members.

Before I knew it, I had reached the altar where Edward was waiting for me. My heart was beating so fast, and I felt like I could faint at any moment as I watched Lucien hug his brother. The two men whispered some words that I couldn’t catch to each other before Lucien placed my hand in Edward’s.

I bit my lower lip as my eyes darted randomly everywhere in my anxiousness. Edward held and squeezed my hand firmly giving me comfort and strength. The priest started saying things that I presumed were standard for a wedding because for the life of me I was too excited to hear a word that he was saying.

They say that your wedding is supposed to be memorable but to me everything just passed by in a blur as we both said our vows to each other. The next moment, Edward had lifted my vow and held the back of my head. I closed my eyes tight, and I felt his warm lips on mine as he sealed our vow with a kiss. The kiss was ceremonial and unlike his usual kisses that I truly enjoyed; however, his lips were warm and welcoming as always.

However, Edward’s stunning smiling face and beautiful green eyes that I saw when I opened my eyes when our lips parted was enough to take my breath away. He bent down to whisper softy into my ears a secret vow of his own that he wanted to keep a secret between us, and I couldn’t stop my cheeks from burning hot and turning red.

“I love you...so much...” was all that I could whisper back as I smiled shyly at him.

--To be continued...

Preview for next Chapter...

I felt the sea breeze in my hair and on my bare arms. The weather was perfect, and the blue sea water acted as the perfect background for our wedding vow. Everything was perfect and just as I had pictured it and when I opened my eyes, the sight of Edward smiling tenderly at me was utterly perfect.

The clapping and cheers from our guests marked the end of the short ceremony and we were now Man and Wife. I breathed a sigh of relief as I started to relax. I talked to the guests and received their gifts and congratulations.

“How are you holding up?” Edward whispered softly as he held my hand while we stood side-by-side.

I was happy that he worried and cared about me so much, but I was feeling great. With the ceremony over, I was enjoying myself so much more and it was finally feeling like this is my wedding.

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Chapter 227: Mysterious Wedding Present

I felt the sea breeze in my hair and on my bare arms. The weather was perfect, and the blue sea water acted as the perfect background for our wedding vow. Everything was perfect and just as I had pictured it and when I opened my eyes, the sight of Edward smiling tenderly at me was utterly perfect.

The clapping and cheers from our guests marked the end of the short ceremony and we were now Man and Wife. I breathed a sigh of relief as I started to relax. I talked to the guests and received their gifts and congratulations.

“How are you holding up?” Edward whispered softly as he held my hand while we stood side-by-side.

I was happy that he worried and cared about me so much, but I was feeling great. With the ceremony over, I was enjoying myself so much more and it was finally feeling like this is my wedding.

“I’m doing great. Thank you,” I whispered back before squeezing his hand in confirmation.

“That’s great. Oh, be right there!” Edward whispered to me before responding to a call from his friends as they waved him over.

I smiled at Edward to signal that it was alright for him to leave my side. After all, it was time I let him go have some fun with the boys. I watched Edward’s back as he joined his army of friends. He seemed happy and that made me feel very happy as well.

“Finally, alone?” I heard a familiar voice whisper from behind me.

I twirled around in panic to face the owner of the voice.

“Zak...” I whispered half in astonishment and half in delight.

I haven’t had a chance to have a conversation with Zak since the wedding started. I guess we were both finding the right opportunity to catch each other. Glancing behind him, I could see that Zak had someone managed to shake off Annie and that she was nowhere to be seen now.

“It’s a lovely wedding. How to say...it’s very you,” Zak complimented as he smiled his handsome supermodel smile at me.

“Thank you. I’m glad that you could make it,” I replied with a smile.

Zak took my hand and held it in his as he came to stand so close to my side that our bodies were touching.

“If Edward doesn’t treat you well, you just let me know, ok?” Zak said in a teasing voice. However, I could tell from his eyes that held mine intently that he was dead serious.

“Ok...” I said as I nodded obediently.

“Congratulations...on the wedding...and the baby,” Zak said.

I doubt there was something about me that Zak didn’t know. Some way or another, Zak had found out that I was pregnant. I wondered for a split of a second if he knew who the father was and then I wondered no more. Zak definitely knew everything and the fact that he was telling me meant that I didn’t need to explain myself to him...or to anyone.

I smiled at him genuinely and thankfully.

“Thank you, Zak...for everything,” I said, meaning every word.

“Don’t thank me yet. This is for you,” Zak said, and I felt something being pressed into the palm of my hand.

I looked down to see that Zak had placed a small box resembling a jewelry box into my hand.

“A surprise present?” I teased as I smiled at him blissfully.

“Open it when you’re alone,” Zak whispered softly into my ear.

He winked at me playfully and then kissed my forehead. After patting the top of my head lightly a couple of times he turned and left.

I looked down at the small box in my hand before looking back at the direction that Zak had disappeared.

...

“There’re so many presents here for you, Miss Natalia. They’re pouring in non-stop!” Laura exclaimed excited as she and a few other maids marched in with piles of boxes in their arms.

“...I guess having a small and private wedding isn’t good enough to keep things a secret...” I muttered to myself as I turned to inspect the huge and tall pile of present that was just growing in size.

“It’s not a secret anymore, Miss. Now it’s all over the news!” Laura said in her perky voice.

With Lucien’s permission, Laura was allowed to follow me as I moved into Edward’s mansion. It was a great help to have a familiar face here even though all the butlers and maids on Edward’s payroll were friendly and helpful, especially Ralph.

That old man was overjoyed that Edward had chosen this mansion as our place to stay, at least until I gave birth to our baby. I knew that part of the reason that Edward had chosen this place was because it was quite far from the city. He wanted to ensure that I could live my life peacefully until the whole buzz in the media died down.

“Calm down everyone. Please arrange the presents in order of arrival so that we can keep track. Also, I’ve prepared a file where we can help Miss Natalia record the sender and the item,” Ralph said with full authority.

Taking note of the sender and the item sent was very important and only good manners and Ralph knew it. It was standard expectation for Edward and I to send at least a letter of thanks in reply along with a thank you gift of our own.

After a brief discussion, I was able to convince Edward to at least let me take care of this procedure. Edward was under the impression that I couldn’t do anything anymore now that my baby bump was starting to show. I had to remind him desperately that I was just pregnant and not terminally ill which meant that I could still do many things normally.

Returning my attention back to the staff, I felt like they were too excited and going over the top with things, but I couldn’t tell them to back off when I saw how joyful their faces were. I guess this was natural. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence that the master of the house would get married.

--To be continued...

Sneak peak to next Chapter:

The sad part was that I felt obliged and was sort of responsible to sit through and watch as they unwrapped each gift. The biggest burden was to put on an excited look on my face every time the staff unveiled a newly unwrapped gift. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the gift, they were all wonderful and luxurious. Some so luxurious that I wasn’t sure when Edward and I would ever get around to using it...but ok...

After sitting through almost three hours of gift wrapping and watching poor old Ralph recording everything, I’ve had enough for the day. I was tired and I was out of my mind bored.

“I think that’s enough for today. Let’s continued this another day...or you guys can go on ahead without me,” I said as I slowly got up from the sofa that I had been sitting on and stretched.

“We’ll keep going then and I’ll show you the notes of all the presents that were sent. You should go rest, Miss Natalia,” Ralph said with a gentle smile.

“Thank you...” I replied, returning his smile.

Going through the presents made me remember the one and probably most important present that I have yet to open. I headed to my dressing room where I had stored away the small jewelry box that I received from Zak.

It wasn’t a rare occasion that I would receive presents from Zak and jewelry as a present was pretty common. However, a strange feeling in my gut told me that what was inside the jewelry box wasn’t jewelry. I mean, why would I need to wait until I’m alone to open a box containing jewelry?

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Chapter 228: Mayhem

The sad part was that I felt obliged and was sort of responsible to sit through and watch as they unwrapped each gift. The biggest burden was to put on an excited look on my face every time the staff unveiled a newly unwrapped gift. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the gift, they were all wonderful and luxurious. Some so luxurious that I wasn’t sure when Edward and I would ever get around to using it...but ok...

After sitting through almost three hours of gift wrapping and watching poor old Ralph recording everything, I’ve had enough for the day. I was tired and I was out of my mind bored.

“I think that’s enough for today. Let’s continued this another day...or you guys can go on ahead without me,” I said as I slowly got up from the sofa that I had been sitting on and stretched.

“We’ll keep going then and I’ll show you the notes of all the presents that were sent. You should go rest, Miss Natalia,” Ralph said with a gentle smile.

“Thank you...” I replied, returning his smile.

Going through the presents made me remember the one and probably most important present that I have yet to open. I headed to my dressing room where I had stored away the small jewelry box that I received from Zak.

It wasn’t a rare occasion that I would receive presents from Zak and jewelry as a present was pretty common. However, a strange feeling in my gut told me that what was inside the jewelry box wasn’t jewelry. I mean, why would I need to wait until I’m alone to open a box containing jewelry?

I should quickly get this over with before Edward comes back from work. I felt a little guilty hiding something from my husband, but my curiosity was really taking over. Plus, if the content in the box required Edward to know then I would tell him.

I entered my dressing room and quickly found that small jewelry box that Zak had given me the day of my wedding. I sat down on the sofa and stared at the small box in my hand. I noticed that my hands were shaking and I felt anxious.

I think the last time I felt this nervous opening a box was when Lucien handed me that small safe that contained the black envelop from my father. My hands were sweaty, and I cursed myself for my irrational emotions.

I closed my eyes tight and quickly opened the box. Taking in a deep breath, I opened my eyes.

Well, this is a little bit of a letdown...

I blinked rapidly in surprise as I stared at the only content in the box: a small piece of white paper with Zak’s very familiar handwriting scrawled on it.

‘The Truth’ read the paper followed by a date that was approximately a month from now.

What...the hell?

...

“You need to stop watching these things and letting it get to your head,” Edward warned seriously as he turned off the television without a care.

“I know what they’re saying is not true but...” I mutter softly.

“Remember, we are the ones who manipulate the media and not the other way around,” Edward reminded me casually as he plopped down on the sofa next to me.

“I know...” I said in resignation. There was no point in explaining to him how emotionally draining it was to see the press try their best to dissect my family line and speculate about how I managed to “hook the other Rosenhall brother” after my mother had hooked one.

“We’ll let them run wild for a bit and then we’ll find some hot celebrity dating or cheating on each other news to cover it up. It’s not a big deal so don’t stress, it’s bad for the baby,” Edward said as he pulled me into his embrace.

“The Golddigger Duo” was the standard phrase that people used to refer to my mother and I nowadays on social media. We were becoming more famous than we ever dreamt we could be. I hated all this hatred aimed at me, but I couldn’t take the criticism raised against my mother.

My marriage to Edward seemed to have reminded the world once again of the union between my mother and Lucien. What had happened back then has repeated itself with twice as much intensity and on a much more widespread scale thanks to modern day technology and social media.

I could understand where they were coming from though. How often is it that your mother gets to marry a billionaire and then you get to marry his billionaire brother, I thought as I rolled my eyes before shutting them. I knew the backlashes would be severe, but I never thought that it would be this detrimental.

After that conversation with Edward, I have been staying away from any source of news and media including my phone, the television, the computer, and other sources of internet connectivity. This was because the not-so-positive news of our wedding was going viral everywhere.

The only times that I watched the television was when Lucien and Edward were forced to host press conferences to address the growing concern of the public and their investors. I have seen personal affairs of CEOs impacting their company’s stock price before but have never imagined that one day I would be involved in the fall of our company’s stock price.

I could only imagine how much Lucien would curse when he was told that he had to appear on television to answer questions regarding his stepdaughter’s marriage to his brother. I watched him answer ridiculous questions about my relationship with Edward as if it had anything to do with company’s business.

Although I tried my best to prevent these things from getting to my head, I found it difficult. Soon, I was finding it hard to sleep at night. I would always wake up in the middle of the night as if I was waking from a nightmare. Edward would always be there to comfort me and lure me back to sleep. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without Edward by my side.

--To be continued...

Sneak peak to next Chapter...

Life went by as smoothly as it could be with paparazzi buzzing around trying to get a glimpse of you and your husband together. There was news if we were together and there were gossip if we weren’t seen together such as when Edward would go out on public events without me by his side. No matter what we did, the press and those random people had something to say about it.

I couldn’t leave the mansion to go anywhere without an army of bodyguards with me for the first two weeks after the news of our wedding leaked out. Edward considered moving me even further out from the city to get us further away from the reach of the paparazzi, but I had refused. The reason was simple, we did nothing wrong so why the earth did we have to run and hide?

I appreciated Edward’s presence by my side for the whole of the first week when he also decided to work from home to keep me company. I wasn’t sure if things had died down on the third week onwards or I had simply gotten used to all the unwanted attention.

“Natalia, why are you frowning again?” Edward asked as he pulled me into a warm hug.

I hugged him back as I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat and it felt so comforting to know that he was here with me. I had gotten used to relying on Edward and living together seemed to be working well for both of us.

“I was just wondering when all of this will die down,” I replied honestly with a sigh.

Chapter 229: D-Day

Life went by as smoothly as it could be with paparazzi buzzing around trying to get a glimpse of you and your husband together. There was news if we were together and there were gossip if we weren’t seen together such as when Edward would go out on public events without me by his side. No matter what we did, the press and those random people had something to say about it.

I couldn’t leave the mansion to go anywhere without an army of bodyguards with me for the first two weeks after the news of our wedding leaked out. Edward considered moving me even further out from the city to get us further away from the reach of the paparazzi, but I had refused. The reason was simple, we did nothing wrong so why the earth did we have to run and hide?

I appreciated Edward’s presence by my side for the whole of the first week when he also decided to work from home to keep me company. I wasn’t sure if things had died down on the third week onwards or I had simply gotten used to all the unwanted attention.

“Natalia, why are you frowning again?” Edward asked as he pulled me into a warm hug.

I hugged him back as I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat and it felt so comforting to know that he was here with me. I had gotten used to relying on Edward and living together seemed to be working well for both of us.

“I was just wondering when all of this will die down,” I replied honestly with a sigh.

“I know you want to go out. You’ll be able to do that soon, I promise. Until then, stay cheerful and take care of yourself for me and for our baby, ok?” Edward said encouragingly before kissing my forehead.

“I know...thank you for being here with me, Edward,” I replied as I got on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

I didn’t miss Edward’s subtle choice of words when he referred to the baby as ‘our baby’. Just as we had agreed that day on the cruise, this baby was now mine and Edward’s and everything Edward did or said was truly aligned with that belief.

Without me realizing it, time had ticked by, and the date mentioned in Zak’s note to me was fast approaching. At first, I was fixated on the date and waited for it by counting down the days; however, with many hectic things going on, I was too busy just surviving and taking care of my body and mind for the baby’s sake. When I realized it, the date mentioned was finally arriving tomorrow.

Since I couldn’t make out the significance of Zak’s note and since it didn’t seem to have any worrying contents, I had not discussed it with Edward. I decided to adopt the ‘wait and see’ approach because it wouldn’t make sense if I overreacted to everything. With all the unwanted attention from the media, I haven’t seen Zak since my wedding let alone left the house since then.

I enjoyed dinner with Edward, and we watched a late night movie together before heading to bed. I had to admit that spending time with Edward helped keep my mind off things and I completely forgot about the fact that the date that Zak had written was tomorrow.

That was the reason why I couldn’t quite understand the huge ruckus that ran through the entire mansion the next morning...

...

I woke up to the sound of screaming, cheering, and loud chatters. I knew something was off immediately because the staff were normally quiet especially in the early mornings when they knew that I was still in bed. This sudden change in the atmosphere in the mansion was felt immediately by Edward and me. Edward bolted upright into a sitting position in bed, and I could tell that he was beyond annoyed.

I watched as Edward rubbed his eyes which were still red from sleep in such an adorable way. His face, however, showed that he was in a bad mood and hated what he was hearing.

“What the hell is going on...and so early in the morning!?” Edward yelled as he grunted and swung his legs off the bed.

“Edward...” I called his name softly.

“You stay here...I’m going to go outside and see what on earth is going on,” Edward grumbled.

He was already heading out the bedroom door before I could say anything.

I was glad that Edward did not sleep completely naked last night, or he would have walked out of the bedroom in that state without a second thought. He was probably too sleepy to realize that even now, he was topless.

I sat up in bed and stretched. I thought about what activities I could do to keep boredom at bay while I’m still stuck in the mansion while I waited for Edward to return to bed. The voices and sounds outside had subsided somewhat but in its place, Edward’s mobile phone was vibrating non-stop in our bedroom.

Whoever that was calling was very persistent. The phone rang multiple times and the person dialed Edward’s number non-stop, trying to get in contact with him. I knew it was bad manners to look at who was calling but...there’s supposed to be no secret between husband and wife so...

I glanced over at the mobile screen where I saw Lucien’s name. Why was Lucien calling so early in the morning? Why was he so persistent in reaching Edward?

I hesitated as a sense of dread filled me. Something...bad must have happened for him to be calling so early in the morning. I connected the line and started to put the phone next to my ear when...

“Stop! Don’t take that!” Edward shouted as he burst through the bedroom door, slamming the door hard against the wall as he opened it.

I froze in shock at the panic expression on Edward’s face. What is going on?

--To be continued...

Sneak peak of the next Chapter...

“Edward? Why? Is everything ok?” I fired my questions in shock.

“Natalia, is that you?” I heard Lucien’s voice through the phone that was close to my ear.

“Yes...it’s me,” I replied softly.

Lucien’s tone of voice confirmed that something very serious had happened.

“Is Edward there with you?” Lucien asked, his tone dead serious.

“Yes...he’s right here,” I replied.

“Give me that, Natalia,” Edward said as he impatiently took his phone from my hand.

I watched in confusion as Edward pressed the phone to his ear and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His brows were knitted together as he frowned and paced around the room. I couldn’t hear what Lucien said on the other end of the line, but I could hear Edward’s side of the conversation loud and clear.

Chapter 230: Versions of Justice

“Edward? Why? Is everything ok?” I fired my questions in shock.

“Natalia, is that you?” I heard Lucien’s voice through the phone that was close to my ear.

“Yes...it’s me,” I replied softly.

Lucien’s tone of voice confirmed that something very serious had happened.

“Is Edward there with you?” Lucien asked, his tone dead serious.

“Yes...he’s right here,” I replied.

“Give me that, Natalia,” Edward said as he impatiently took his phone from my hand.

I watched in confusion as Edward pressed the phone to his ear and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His brows were knitted together as he frowned and paced around the room. I couldn’t hear what Lucien said on the other end of the line, but I could hear Edward’s side of the conversation loud and clear.

“Yeah...of course I’ve seen it,”

“No...Natalia hasn’t,”

“I don’t know...”

“And you thought me marrying Natalia was a big deal...”

“Why don’t you just worry about the business side...and I’ll deal with the rest,”

The conversation between the brothers were over much faster than I had anticipated. However, it was clear that whatever issue at hand was far from over.

“Umm...Edward, what is going on?” I asked, clearly confused and worried.

“Come here and sit down,” Edward said as he sat down on the sofa and patted the spot right next to him.

I walked over and sat down next to him as he had instructed as I waited to hear his explanation. Was something wrong with the business?

“Don’t faint, ok?” Edward said and I could tell that he was half playful but also half serious.

“Ok...” I replied as I nodded my head up and down.

“Zak has his mother on trial as a suspect for instigating the murder of Rosia Rosenhall, your mother,” Edward stated slowly and clearly.

Zak got his mother on trial? Zak succeeded in bringing Madame Francesca to court because she instigated my mother’s murder...

She was arrested for instigating my mother’s murder?! Madame Francesca ordered my mother to be killed?

“What? Madame Francesca ordered for my mother to be killed?!” I shouted as I stood up rapidly from the sofa.

“Well, to be exact she ordered for Lucien to be killed...” Edward corrected in a grave voice.

“Oh...but my mother...died instead...” I said slowly in understanding as the pieces of the puzzle all came together.

So, this was what Zak wanted to show me. This was just as Zak had written on that piece of paper...this was ‘The Truth’.

My mother died because of his mother...

“Damn that Zak...he really did know everything. Even the last piece of the puzzle that I couldn’t figure out...” Edward said in amazement.

How long has Zak known I wondered.

“How long do you think Zak has known about this?” I asked in a strained whisper. I had lost the strength in my legs and plopped back down on the sofa.

I felt a migraine coming on and I also felt like I wanted to cry myself to sleep to escape it. I rubbed my temple with my hand.

“Long enough for him to collect enough proof to take his own mother to court. That’s for sure,” Edward said with conviction.

“Why would she do it? Why would Madame Francesca want to get rid of Lucien?” I asked.

I didn’t understand it. Those two appeared to be on reasonably good terms. While Edward and Madame Francesca were openly hostile towards each other, Lucien showed great respect for her. Madame Francesca had always supported Lucien to take over as the next Elder. All of this just didn’t make sense at all.

“You’re probably thinking that it’s weird for her to want to get rid of Lucien because those two seem to be friendly with each other. The truth is, the extreme opposite was true around ten years ago,” Edward started explaining.

“What do you mean?” I asked suspiciously.

“I mean exactly as it sounds. They hated each other and perhaps they still do. However, what’s for sure is that they’ve gotten better at acting like they love each other and have been working towards similar business goals,” Edward said with a sigh. It was clear that he didn’t want to talk about this.

“So, they’ve been faking it all this time?” I pressed further.

“Exactly. It was Francesca’s idea and decision to start illegal human experimentation for business gains. Back then Lucien and your father were against it and wanted to expose the truth to the world. Some way or another, Francesca found out and decided to silence them both. She succeeded in your father’s case but failed in Lucien’s...” Edward began to explain.

“Francesca killed my father as well...” I gasped in shock as I realized this.

Edward just nodded; his eyes fixed to an invisible spot on the carpet.

“If Zak is right then that must have been how it all played out. Lucien and I have been trying to right the wrongs from the past but in different ways,” Edward stated matter-of-factly.

“How so?” I questioned.

“Lucien’s been trying to change the business from the inside by working his ass off and trying his best to downplay Francesca’s influence. As Lucien succeeds in leading the company, he can lead it ethically and how it’s supposed to be led,” Edward explained.

I couldn’t believe how I never realized this. I also didn’t know why Lucien didn’t just come out and tell me in simple terms.

“What about you?” I asked, prompting for Edward to continue.

“Most of my philanthropic projects are helping poor towns abroad that were exploited by the company for human experimentation,” Edward said flatly.

“What?! They used poor people abroad?” I exclaimed in shock.

“Correct. Although some trials were done in that lab that I took you to, mass scale experiments were conducted in poor towns abroad where the company could easily pay people to participate. Of course, the ethicality of the procedure is very questionable,” Edward continued to explain.

I didn’t want to believe what I was hearing. This story was just too sad and unfortunate for everyone that was involved. These brothers spending their lives cleaning up and atoning for the wrongs committed by the family’s company and their sister. While Zak dedicated his life to bring his own mother to justice.

--To be continued...

Next Chapter preview:

“I’m...sorry,” I said before I started crying.

“Stay strong, Natalia...” Edward whispered into my ear as he tried to comfort me.

I felt his strong arms around me, and I buried my face into his chest as I continued crying. So many people got hurt. I cried for the people who suffered because of the medical trials. I cried for Lucien, Edward, and Zak. I cried for my parents who had passed away. Then, I just cried some more for myself.

After a while of sobbing in Edward’s arm as he stroked my back comfortingly, I slowly stopped crying.

“Where is Zak right now?” I asked in between my sobs.

“In a press conference. He’s on live TV. You want to watch?” Edward replied, his warm hand stroking the top of my head before wiping away my tears with his fingertips.

I nodded. I didn’t want to be kept in the dark, I wanted to see what was going on. I wanted to see Zak...

“Your eyes are all puffy. Blow your nose, Natalia...” Edward said while handing me a tissue.

“Thanks...” I whispered.