Ch. 256..260: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 256-260

Chapter 256: My Birthday

I hoped that the children wouldn’t grow up too fast so that we could slowly enjoy and savor these wonderful moments together. I patted their heads in turns as I thanked them for the presents that they had prepared.

I glanced over at Edward who was watching this loving scene unfolding with a warm and tender smile on his face. I was sure that Edward had helped all the children pick out their presents for me and, once again, I was so thankful to Edward. He has done so much for me and our children.

“Thank you so much everyone for the presents!” I thanked my children with a large smile on my face.

Edward came up to hug me lovingly from behind before kissing my temple softly. I took his hands into mine and leaned into his warmth.

“Time for bed, kids,” Edward said in a mockingly stern voice.

I glanced at the clock on the wall and found that it was much later than I thought it was. It was already almost an hour past the kid’s bedtime. Edward was right, it was ‘time for bed’ for the kids.

“It’s late. Time for bed indeed!” I said in agreement as I smiled down at the children.

“I don’t want to sleep yet!” Ryder said, clearly disappointed.

“Hmm...why don’t you help me clean up a bit first then? Is that ok?” I suggested to Ryder. Having him help me out for another ten minutes or so won’t hurt and hopefully by then he would’ve calmed down for bed.

“OK! Yay!” Ryder cried out in joy as he ran off.

A young maid quickly popped her head into the room with a smile signaling that she would go after and look after Ryder. I nodded knowingly in response.

“Well then, it’s bedtime for you two,” Edward said, bending down the hug the twins.

“Ok...” the twins replied obediently in unison.

I hate to admit it, but Edward has so much more authority over the children than I do. The twins are never this obedient when they are alone with me, and Ryder could get so wild. However, all three of them seem to behave super well when Edward was around.

I watched as Edward carried the two children up in his arms and headed upstairs to their bedroom. He turned to wink at me, and I smiled back. Putting the kids to bed became an easy task when Edward was around, thankfully, he was rarely away from home nowadays.

I went into the kitchen to check up on Laura and her cleaning. It was late and I preferred to help her so that she could retire for the night earlier. While I was helping Laura organize the dishes up on the shelf, Ryder came running in to the kitchen while yelling loudly.

“Mummy!” Ryder called me excitedly.

I put down the towel that I had been drying my hand with and turned to greet him. Ryder seemed out of breath like he had ran here like his life depended on it. In his hand was what looked like a cake box.

“What is it honey?” I asked curiously.

“Papa’s friend came to deliver a cake. Here,” Ryder said, shoving the box of cake into my hands.

“Papa’s friend?” I asked in confusion.

Which of Edward’s friend would deliver a cake on my birthday and this late in the night? I watched as Ryder rain off somewhere again. Ryder has too much energy for me to handle and that young maid was clearly too lenient on the boy, not that I could fully blame her.

“Ryder...you should be in bed. Go to bed now! Laura...take him to bed,” I said, putting on my most authoritative mother voice as I called after him.

Laura went after Ryder, and I watched as she put an arm around Ryder’s shoulders and gently led Ryder away towards the stairs. Ryder followed hesitantly, glancing backwards to take a look at me. I waved to him and blew him a good night kiss and I wished him good night.

I put the cake box on the table and turned away to continue my pending task but then my curiosity began take to take over. Who could the cake be from? I decided to take a peek at the cake, and I thought that I should at least put the cake away properly in the fridge. I carefully untied the rosy-pink ribbon of the cake box and opened the lid.

The message on the cake was simple but it wasn’t the message that caught my attention.

‘Happy Birthday Natalia’

I would recognize that handwriting anywhere and this cake, this blue berry cheesecake...only one person I knew could make it. I quickly placed the cake back on the table before I would drop it in my mix of panic and shock.

I was sprinting out the front door as fast I could before I knew what exactly I was doing or where I was going. I didn’t know where I needed to go but I just knew that I would somehow be able to find...him.

Ignoring the shocked looks of some maids that I ran past before exiting the house, I continued sprinting out into the garden. Where is he? Is he even still here?

Why didn’t I notice it earlier? Why didn’t I come after him faster? What if I miss him this time...would I get a chance to see him ever again?

“R! R! R!” I shouted at the top of my lungs as I ran around in the garden until I reached the front gate.

“What is wrong, Madame?” a middle-aged security guard who was in charge of guarding the gate during night duty asked with concern.

The guard looked up and down at my outfit of a very wrinkled dress, an apron and lack of any footwear. I was in so much of a hurry that I didn’t even bother to wear shoes when I left the house.

“I...Did you see a tall man around here?” I asked, trying my luck. Although I knew that he would have figured out how to slip in and out of here undetected.

--To be continued...

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Chapter 257: Reunion

“No, Madame. Is he a friend of yours that got lost? Should I help you search for him?” the guard offered with genuine concern.

“No! It’s ok...I...I have to go...” I said in a hurry before sprinting away.

I can’t waste any more time. Where could Reiner be?

I stopped in my tracks when a thought suddenly hit me.

The tree.

Without any more thought, I started sprinting to that old tree where I had spent time with him around when we first met. I was breathless by the time that I arrived. Then my heart almost stopped as I spotted a silhouette of a tall man deep in the dimly lit garden.

“R! Please wait! R!” I shouted so loud that I was shocked at how loud I could be.

I ran towards him as fast as I could, ignoring the tall grass and dry leaves scratching at my feet and ankles. There was no way he couldn’t hear me at this distant.

Although the man did not make an attempt to walk away, he did not turn to face me. I ran up to him and hugged him tightly from behind. I knew for certain from the first moment that I touched him that after all these years of being apart, I had finally come in contact with Reiner once again.

“Sorry Madame, but I think you’ve got the wrong person,” the man replied stiffly.

How could I be wrong when he smells just the same as I have always remembered?

No...I didn’t make a mistake. I would never make a mistake on this...

Although he told me that I made a mistake, he did not shake off my embrace. I hugged him tighter as I felt tears sting my eyes. I felt so relief that he was...still alive. That was all I needed. I just needed to know that he was ok...

“...My apologies. You just look so much like someone that I long to see. I promised myself that if I ever had a chance to see him again, I would tell him that I forgave him for everything so long ago. That I never held anything against him, that it wasn’t his fault...that it was all an ill-fated mistake...and that I’m so thankful for everything he’s done for me...and the last gift he’s given me...” I said as all the bottled-up feelings inside of me spilled out all at once.

I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment and rehearsed what I wanted to say to him to myself. However, now that it was finally happening, I couldn’t remember what I wanted or needed to say at all. I just wanted him to live a happy life...a life free of any guilt. I wanted this man to be free.

I was no fool. I knew that we couldn’t go back to what we were and even if we could, I would never choose to do it at the expense of abandoning my loving husband and children. However, for just this once, I wanted to be the old selfish and childishly passionate Natalia...

“...Madame...” the man whispered.

It hurts, he won’t even say my name. However, he did slowly turn around to face me after untangling my arms from around his torso.

The moonlight and the garden lighting provided barely enough light for me to make out his face. However, it wasn’t necessary. I didn’t care what he looked like right now after all these years or if he could see my tear-streaked face. I could remember his face as if I had just seen him an hour ago...

Finally, he’s standing in front of me again and I can reach him. This time, hopefully, my feelings will reach him too...

“I’ll take care of him...” I stated firmly as I stood up as tall as I could and looked into his blue eyes.

I saw a look I couldn’t quite place cross Reiner’s expression and I knew that he understood who I was referring to. Our son.

“I was young, and I was in love, so I made that selfish decision on my own. Do you think...that he would forgive me?” I asked earnestly. Would Reiner forgive me?

Reiner was silent and suddenly it was all silent around us. The sound of the night wind howling softly was all that I could hear. That and the sound of my heart beating in my chest.

“...of course, he would, Madame,” Reiner said as a small smile formed on his lips.

“Natalia...” I said my own name desperately as I grabbed one of his very large hands with both of my own.

“Just once...please...call me Natalia,” I begged as big drops of tears rolled down both my cheeks.

I bit my lip anxiously as time continued to flow between us. Our eyes locked as I silently pleaded for him to fulfill another of my selfish requests. Reiner’s face remained an emotionless mask as if he was a sculpture made of stone.

“...Natalia,” Reiner finally said.

His other large hand patted the top of my head softly as he said my name. I didn’t know if it was my own imagination of not, but I thought his voice and the way he said my name was exactly the same as all those years ago.

Without another word, Reiner let go of my hand and turned to leave.

I watched his back silently as he walked further and further away from me. I didn’t chase after him because I knew that it would be useless. I had said all that I wanted and needed to say. I wouldn’t run after him even if I wanted to and, to be honest, I didn’t want to.

Edward, I’m making the right choice...this is my ‘true north’ choice.

“Thank you for the cake!” I called after him, but he never turned around.

I knew that I probably won’t ever see him again, but I would never forget him or the memories that we shared and that was more than enough for me. If I ever needed a reminder of him, all I had to do was look at our son’s cheerful face. Afterall, that was the only piece of Reiner that I could keep to myself...

Chapter 258: Spotlight

“I’m sure they’ll enjoy it. I don’t know why you’re so worried and stressed out about this,” Zak spoke to me through the phone. He sounded so amused about all this, but I felt anxious and uncertain.

“I don’t know. It’ll be their first time so...” I replied hesitantly.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll be there to help you if anything happens but honestly, nothing will happen, Natalia. You’re just over thinking things...” Zak assured me calmly.

I could picture his overly confident face as he said those words. After the matter with his mother had settled down, Zak did what was the most responsible thing to do which was to support Lucien fix the family business together. It was amazing to look back and see how much those two have achieved together. The company was set on the right course and was able to maintain its leadership position in the industry.

As expected, Lucien was elected to be the next Elder after the scandal involving Francesca’s crimes were exposed to the public. Since Lucien did not have any children apart from me, he did not have an heir to take over. Naturally, that was where Zak came in as sort of a hero who exposed his mother’s crimes. Now all the attention and pressure are on Zak to take over after Lucien.

I was sure that this wasn’t what Zak completely wanted but he was satisfied enough with it to play along...at least for now. The best thing was that Zak could focus on his career in film and fashion more than before and he had many accomplishments over the years to show for it.

“Ok. I trust you so...we’ll be seeing you later then,” I said with defeat.

Zak was right. I can’t keep putting this off forever. I took a deep breath to strengthen my resolve.

...

“Thank you...” I said politely as a bodyguard in a black suit opened the door to the limousine and offered a hand to help me out of the car.

For this special occasion, I had chosen a bright red fully sequined long dress with a V-neck and a thigh-high slit as my outfit with matching ruby and diamond earrings and choker. The makeup artist obviously chose a ruby red shade of lipstick for me to match with the outfit. I had to say I looked fiercely sexy.

Edward commented that he hated the look when I sent him a selfie of myself before he added that he hated it because he couldn’t be here with me. I sent him a selfie of me blowing him a kiss as I wished him luck with his work.

Usually, one of my biggest worries at these red-carpet events would be tripping over my own high heels and falling on my face. However, this time, my biggest worries were these little angels.

After successfully, getting out of the car, I bent down towards the door and helped out the pair of twins. Devon was dressed in a smart suit for kids and Roseline in a pink puffy dress. They looked like real-life angels walking this planet. Next, came Ryder who could get out and help himself. Thank goodness for that. I was so proud of my little man.

The camera flashes were blinding as countless cameramen surrounded us to take photos of the children and me. I smiled brightly and proudly as I held the hands of the twins and Ryder stood next to my side for a group photo.

Yes, after years, Natalia the famous Gold Diggers has decided to make a public appearance on the red-carpet with her army of children. I smiled confidently, plastering my most perfect smile on my lips as I looked directly into the cameras. I gave them all enough time to capture the photos they had longed for.

After years of living in partial hiding from the media in an attempt to keep the lives of my children as private as possible, I have decided that the children were old enough to embrace another part of their lives. Although my life has changed as I focused on my career and was now very well removed from the Rosenhall main family, thanks to Edward, the children must learn to embrace that fact that they are still Rosenhalls.

We didn’t do anything wrong, I repeated to myself. Therefore, we didn’t need to live in hiding or in fear. One day, my children will find out how to take advantage of their social standing. It was difficult being a Rosenhall and I hoped that my children could live as Rosenhalls in name only now that our family was pretty much disconnected from the main family branch.

With encouragement from Edward and Zak, I was finally convinced enough to introduce my children formally to the public spotlight and Zak’s movie premiere today seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“Wave to the camera, my dears,” I said cheerfully as I instructed my children to act friendly and wave.

The three of them waved and smiled happily at the camera. I was sure that there would be multiple articles and social media posts saying negative things about us but there would also be good things, hopefully. Regardless, I had decided that I will have to live with it.

“Glad you could make it!” Zak said happily as he came to stand by my side.

The bodyguards did their job well of keeping the cameramen at bay and letting Zak through. We took photos togethers and the children were very excited to see Zak.

“How are my awesome trio doing?” Zak asked enthusiastically as he bent down to hug the children.

“I miss you, Zak,” Roseline said in a sweet voice as she hugged Zak tightly.

The other children followed and also hugged Zak tightly. Yup, Zak was definitely on their favorites list.

After what seemed like an eternity of getting our photos taken, Zak and I answered some questions and excused ourselves so that we could all enter the event.

“The kids seem to be doing well. I think they’re having fun,” Zak whispered to me once we were inside.

Chapter 259: Does She Know?

The children really did seem like they were having fun. They chatted up the many celebrities like it was nothing and also enjoyed walking around. Edward, who was extra worried because he couldn’t be here in person, had sent a pretty large army of bodyguards to guard me and his children. To be honest, I felt like they were more like over-paid babysitters instead. This event already had plenty of security and Zak never turned up to these events without an army of bodyguards of his own.

“Yes, thanks to you and congratulations on another movie!” I said happily as I smiled at Zak.

“Thank you, Madame,” Zak said teasingly as he took my hand in his and squeezed it.

After Madame Francesca was arrested and things had quiet down somewhat, Zak and Annie finally got married. I had hoped, not for my own sake but for Zak’s sake, that perhaps the engagement would be called off because of the scandal around his mother but that clearly was not the case. Annie, I found out later, was persistent and adamant about marrying Zak.

She refused to marry anyone else besides him and so the engagement was maintained, and they got married soon after. Unlike Zak, I didn’t have the mental capacity in me to turn up to his wedding like he did for mine. Instead, I called him to congratulate him in my own way and apologized for not being able to make it to his wedding. He didn’t say it out loud, but I was sure that he got my message.

Looking back on it, I guess it wasn’t because I wasn’t over Zak. I was as over him as I could possibly be in this life even if that meant that he will always have a special place in my heart. The main reason was because I couldn’t bring myself to show support for Zak entering into a loveless marriage as if it were a plain business contract, which by the way, was what his marriage was.

I never truly understood at the time that the marriage was even worse than a loveless one. That was because, Annie was one-sidedly so in love with Zak...

After a whole lot of convincing from Zak, I decided to meet him for dinner. After much debate, we decided that it would probably be best for Zak to come over to my house for dinner. Edward was surprisingly open to the idea and was considerate enough to give us personal space to dine alone, excusing himself for business for the evening.

“You know, you have to get over it, Natalia. You’re married and all...” Zak said casually as he swirled wine in his glass.

“Get over what? That you’ll be locked up in a loveless marriage?” I asked incredulously. I found all of this so ridiculous. How could Zak say that to me with a straight face like his life meant nothing?!

“I’m completely fine with it if you ask me,” Zak said without a care, and I found his attitude towards this the saddest part of all.

“How can you say this without a care? What about Annie?” I asked desperately.

“Nothing comes for free, Natalia. I’m a Rosenhall, we don’t get to choose who we marry. It’s that simple. Annie wants to marry me. So, it’s all good for her,” Zak said emotionlessly before sipping his wine.

“Does she know that you don’t love her?” I asked, trying to make my point.

“Yes, I told her,” Zak replied with a shrug like it wasn’t his business and that he was just talking about someone else.

“Does she know that you probably won’t ever fall in love with her...like...ever?” I asked, skeptically.

“I don’t know. I never told her,” Zak replied, sounding bored. Clearly my point wasn’t getting across or if it did, he didn’t care about it.

“Let me rephrase this, do you think your marriage to Annie will be successful?” I asked as I stared at Zak’s handsome face.

“In terms of business, definitely. That’s all we should care about, right?” Zak replied with another shrug.

“What about personally?” I challenged.

“Why are you asking something that you already know? I’m here to see you because I want to see you. I’m not here to talk about Annie...” Zak replied, clearly annoyed.

“...just answer my question,” I said firmly.

Zak probably doesn’t know that it would hurt me more than anything to see him enter into a loveless marriage when I was married to a man that I loved. I wasn’t sure if my marriage would have a happy ending or if it would last and I didn’t dare hope, but at least, Edward and I love each other for a start. I worried about Annie; she’s going to get so hurt by this. She, of all people, doesn’t deserve this.

“Personally, it’s going to be a full-fledge disaster for Annie and a nagging annoyance for me. I have no interest in her as a person. This marriage is a business deal on paper only,” Zak stated emotionlessly.

Zak’s golden eyes, blond hair and angelic face did not resemble his mother at all. However, the way he was talking now, reminded me that he was indeed Madame Francesca’s only son, Zak Rosenhall.

“Does she know that?” I asked, once more.

“It’s not my job to tell her. It’s her lawyer’s and her father’s job,” Zak said, as he rolled his eyes at me.

“So, you haven’t told her...” I surmised.

“What do you want, Natalia? Should I get her to sign an agreement not to come within a ten meters radius to me? Just so we can be clear that we’re not going to develop any type of relationship?” Zak suggested, half serious and half sarcastically.

“That’s not what I meant. I can’t believe I’m saying this...Zak, I would prefer if you can develop a real husband and wife relationship with Annie if you’ve decided to marry her,” I said honestly.

There, I’ve said it. It’s time...Zak needs to move on, just like I have.

It was like time froze. I watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Zak slowly removed the wine glass from his beautiful lips and put in down on the table between us with a loud thud. For someone with impeccable manners like Zak, this action showed that he was boiling with anger inside. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes temporarily as I steadied myself for what was to come.

“Natalia...” Zak said my name and I opened my eyes to see him looking straight at me with a stern face.

“...yes,’ I replied before biting my lower lip. I clenched both my hands together under the table so that Zak couldn’t see how anxious I felt, although, nothing I did could fool Zak.

Chapter 260: Lucky

“Do you know why I consider myself to be very lucky?” Zak asked, his eyes dead serious.

I knew that whatever made him lucky was not related to the Rosenhall family or any materialistic things that he had.

“No...” I replied in short. The atmosphere did not allow for senseless guessing.

“I found, at a very young age, the girl of my dreams. I watched that girl grow up to be the woman of my dreams, my lover and then the love of my life,” Zak said with a smile, his serious eyes never leaving my face.

I didn’t have to guess who he was referring to. I opened my mouth a little before I realized that I didn’t have anything to say, so I closed it.

“I believe that not everyone will ever find or meet the love of their lives. Since I met you, I consider myself to be extremely lucky. Because I had a chance to love you, no matter how short the time we could be together, I consider myself extremely lucky,” Zak continued explaining seriously.

“Zak...” I whispered his name as I felt tears sting my eyes. I’m about to cry...

“It doesn’t bother me if there is someone else in your heart or if you have decided to spend your life with someone else. However, asking me to stop loving you and forming a relationship with someone else is really just crossing the line, don’t you think?” Zak said, his golden eyes narrowing at me.

Zak...he’s so hurt. My words hurted him...

“I...” I said softly; however, I couldn’t properly apologize. No apology would be enough to heal the hurt that I’ve caused Zak with my inconsiderate words.

“I’m not angry. I just wanted you to know that I can’t have a normal marriage with Annie or with anyone else. I know that you mean well but I’m not willing to change the feelings that I have for you. I love you, Natalia. I don’t love anyone else,” Zak said, and his words were absolute.

“Ok...please forget all that I’ve said today,” I said in a weak voice.

“Don’t worry too much about me. I’m happier than you think I am. Oh...and please don’t forget a single word that I’ve said today,” Zak said as he slowly got up from his seat.

“Ok. Thank you...” I managed to say as I kept my eyes down, staring at an invisible spot on the table.

“You don’t have to show me out,” Zak said gently.

I just nodded in reply. I heard Zak leave and the sound of the door closing behind him.

Then, the sound of my own sobbing was all that I could hear.

...

After arriving back home from the red-carpet event, I took the children to bed immediately with the help from Laura. It was already quite late, and I was scared that the children would be tired from their first public event. They seemed overly excited during the event which might make them feel exhausted afterwards once the adrenaline had died down.

“Goodnight my sweethearts. Sweet dreams. I love you, ok?” I said as I tuck them into bed and kiss their forehead as I wished them goodnight.

“Goodnight...” the kids whispered back.

Laura volunteered to watch over the children until they fell asleep as she turned off the lights. I nodded and smiled at her in thanks. I was feeling quite tired myself and the high heels that I wore sort of killed my toes. I haven’t worn heels that high for a while now, I guess.

I left the room and closed the door quietly behind me when suddenly, I was grabbed by the waist. I large hand covered my mouth preventing my screams from escaping my lips.

“Shhh...” my assailant whispered into my ear, signally for me to remain silent.

I slowly nodded my head. His body pressed closer to me from behind and he began running his hand slowly up my thigh. I looked down to see his hand running up my naked thigh along the thigh-high slit of my red dress before disappearing under the red fabric covering my most feminine part.

I moaned a little against the hand that still covered my mouth when I felt his fingertips pulling my thongs to the side before touching the cleft in between my legs. Slowly, his skillful fingers began massaging my sensitive clit, sending waves of pleasure throughout my body.

“Mhhhmm...” I moaned against his hand as his seductive touches started to turn me on.

Slowly, the hand covering my mouth relaxed and let go. I gasped for air before biting my lower lip to prevent myself from letting out any lewd sounds.

“Edward...” I whispered my husband’s name.

I leaned back against his hard and tall frame as I felt my legs feel weak from pleasure. His exploring fingers continued to massage my sensitive nub in circular motions. I couldn’t believe that he would touch me so openly in the hallway like this, plus we were right in front of the children’s bedroom.

“You look so sexy in this red dress that I couldn’t stop myself...” Edward whispered sexily into my ear as his other hand began groping and massaging my breast.

“Please...let’s continue this...later” I said in between my labored breathing.

“Why?” Edward asked as he chuckled evilly into my ear.

He knew quite well why. We were standing right outside our children’s bedroom, not to mention that Laura was still inside.

“The children might...wake up...” I whispered as I begged him desperately with my eyes to stop.

“Hmm...then you better keep quiet,” Edward teased before biting my earlobe.

“No...” I whimpered.

His fingers began rubbing my clit harder and faster now. It felt so amazing that I didn’t have the strength to resist his advances as I felt my body get hotter. My wetness flooded my entrance, leaking out of my hole and onto his fingers.

“You’re already so wet, Natalia. Should we go all the way right here?” Edward suggested seductively.

His hand squeezed my breast harder while his other hand pinched on my clit and rolled it in between his fingertips. I wanted to scream out with pleasure and had to bite down hard on my lower lip to prevent myself from making any sounds.

“Please...let’s continued...this in bed...” I begged softly.

“Fine,” Edward replied bluntly.

His hands withdrew from my pussy and my breasts as he ceased his attack. I wondered why he was behaving this way tonight.

Without another word, Edward grabbed my wrist and pulled me after him as he quickly marched to our bedroom. He yanked me through our bedroom door and quickly locked it behind us. I was still confused, when he pulled me towards him and started kissing me deeply.

He bit my lower lip before plunging his hot tongue into the depths of my mouth. I moaned softly as our tongues danced wildly together, making our kiss hot and wet.

“Stick out your tongue,” Edward commanded.