Ch. 36..40: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 36-40

Chapter 36: First Meet

The cruise weekend is now finally over and I have settled back at home. Peace and quiet without Angela in my life. It’s been a few days since the cruise and my life with Lucien has been surprisingly normal. He did not talk about our intimate encounter in the bath and has not touched me in that way again since then. A part of me was relieved but I was also worried and confused about our relationship right now.

“Master Lucien wants to see you in his study, Miss Natalia,” a senior maid who serves Lucien was at my door to deliver Lucien’s message.

“I’ll be right there. Thank you,” I replied with a smile. I wonder what he wants to talk about. With a sense of apprehension, I headed to see Lucien in his study.

“Lucien, I’m here. I heard you wanted to see me?” I greeted him with a smile. Me motioned for me to sit in the sofa opposite him and I did.

“Yes. I have something quite important to discuss with you today,” Lucien started to explain in a gentle voice. He soothes me every time he uses that voice.

“Actually, I heard from Edward that there might be a stalker stalking you and that you were feeling anxious about it. Well, regardless of whether there is actually a stalker or not, you have grown up to be a very beautiful lady. This is probably the right time that you started having a bodyguard of your own,” Lucien continue to explain to me. His gentle face now had a look of seriousness and concern. I knew that he was being very serious and considerate about all this.

“A bodyguard? Do I really need a bodyguard? I’ve never been attacked or anything,” I voiced out my confusion at the situation. Having a bodyguard of my own seemed a bit extreme. I do know that Lucien, Edward and many other family members have bodyguards of their own. Some were really 24/7 while some only accompanied the family members on special occasions such as public events. Lucien has an army of bodyguards when he goes out to public events but only very few discreetly around him in his daily life. That’s right, when my mother was alive, she had a small team of bodyguards that Lucien arranged for her too.

“Let’s be clear. I’m not placing a bodyguard on you because I believe you are in danger or that you may be attacked. It’s just better to be safe than sorry. Do it for me, Natalia. I don’t see any harm, so allow me to hire a bodyguard for you for my own peace of mind. Ok?” Lucien tried his hardest to win my consent. I guess I have to give in if he insists. He was right though, what harm could there be in having a body guard? Except, would my secrets be safe from Lucien if I had a bodyguard?

“Ok. If you put it that way then...” I reluctantly agreed. I don’t think I have much choice in the matter. Lucien might hire someone to tail me in secret if I refuse to have a bodyguard outright.

“Good then. Now that’s settled. Time to meet your new bodyguard,” Lucien said with a beaming smile of self-satisfaction. His smile is so beautiful and his green eyes gorgeous as always.

“Come in,” Lucien ordered and the door of his study opened suddenly. My eyes were immediately on the now opened door.

A very tall man dressed in the family’s highest-ranking butler attire walked in. He was very tall, even taller than Lucien and Zak, his build also much bigger. The most striking thing about him must be his bright red hair contrasting with his strikingly clear blue eyes. His stern and serious expression did nothing to hide how handsome his face is. Wow, this man is going to be my bodyguard? He seems young for his position as one of the highest-ranking butlers; he looked around 30. I’ve never seen him before; he must be from the main house.

“Natalia, this is Reiner. From this moment on, until he is relieved of his duties, he will be your personal bodyguard and butler. Apart from safeguarding you, he will also serve you to ensure that your life is comfortable. Reiner, this is Natalia,” Lucien introduced us to each other.

I turned to face Reiner and was immediately overwhelmed by his height and the difference in our body size. I stood barely at his chest height and had to look up to meet his eyes. What do I do now? Do I curtsy or offer him my hand for a kiss?

Reiner walked up to me before getting down on one knee and taking my hand in his, placing the back of my hand against his lips. He kissed the back of my hand gently and although I knew this was just well-manned pleasantries, I felt a hot spark of electricity race up my arm from the contact point of his kiss.

“My name is Reiner. You can call me Reiner or any name that you wish. I am here to serve as your bodyguard and butler. I am happy and honored to finally meet you,” Reiner stated in his deep and formal voice.

“Umm...same for me. I mean, I’m also happy to meet you,” I stuttered a bit as I answered him.

Letting go of my hand, Reiner stood back up.

“I have work to do. Natalia, why don’t you show Reiner around and spend some time with him to get better acquainted. Have a good day both of you,” Lucien signaled that we both should leave his study.

“Ok. Thank you, Lucien. I’ll see you later. Have a nice day and don’t overstress at work,” I replied cheerfully before leaving the room with Reiner.

Lucien watched as the two of them left his study. Reiner seems to be very professional and trustworthy, Lucien thought to himself. Reiner has military training and used to be a professional bodyguard before joining to serve as a butler slash bodyguard for the main house a few years ago. He has gone on many high-profile missions to guard top members of the family including some of the elders but this is his first time being dedicated to serve one person. It’s close to a miracle that Edward was able to arrange for a high-ranking butler in high demand like Reiner to be Natalia’s exclusive bodyguard...

...

Reiner and I are standing outside of Lucien’s study now and I am getting extremely nervous now that we’re alone. Will I ever get used to having him around me 24/7? Where do I take him now and what should I say?

“Umm...where would you like me to show you around?” I asked timidly without looking at him.

“There’s no need to go out of your way to show me around. Please proceed with your day normally as if I’m not here,” Reiner replied without any emotions.

“...Right. Umm...maybe for now we should head to the lab? I have some work to do with Edward. Do you know Edward?” I asked in a quiet voice, still unable to meet his eyes. His presence is truly intimidating and his tall and large build is not helping.

“I’ll drive you,” He replied.

Just like that we were on the way to the lab with Reiner at the wheel. He has not spoken a word to me since we got in the car. I chose to sit next to him in the front passenger seat instead of sitting on the back seat like I should. I just didn’t want to treat him like a driver; although he fully expected me to and voiced his concern. In the end, I was somehow able to get my way and could remain next to him in the passenger seat. I always prefer to have a friendlier relationship with employees working close with me including some close maids and now Reiner as well. I’ve been told many times that this is inappropriate for my standing as a family member but I guess as long as Lucien was ok with it, I can still sort of get my way.

However, judging my Reiner’s cold and stiff attitude, it’s going to take a long while for us to get on friendlier terms. This silence is so awkward; I need to find some topic to get the conversation going.

My phone vibrated on my lap. Oh, I text message?

 

Chapter 37: My Bodyguard

“You with Reiner? I chose him to guard you. He will keep you safe from any random men. See you at the lab.” Edward. So, this is what he had planned all along? Using Reiner to keep tabs on me when I’m not with him. What a heavy price to pay for my lies.

“Yes,” I replied to his text simply.

Now back to Reiner. What should I talk about?

“Reiner, your full butler uniform is a little bit much. Starting tomorrow can you dress perhaps a bit more casually to blend in better?” I suggested. Afterall, it’s not like I want the whole world to know that I have a butler shadowing me everywhere.

“Sure, I’ll wear a suit starting tomorrow, Miss Natalia” He replied, acknowledging my words as his command.

“I mean, it doesn’t need to be a suit every day. You can adjust your outfit to sort of match what we’ll be doing based on my schedule. Oh, and please just call me Natalia,” I told him as I turned to look at his face for the first time since we left Lucien’s study. His serious face as he watched the road is quite attractive...

“As you wish,” Reiner replied shortly.

That was the end of that. In the end, we didn’t exchange any more words between us the whole ride to the lab.

...

**A week before**

A very tall man with a large build, bright red hair and piecing blue eyes stood in the middle of Edward’s office.

“Good to see you again, Reiner,” Edward greeted the tall figure standing straight in the middle of his office.

“Yo, Sir Edward...How’s the girl?” Reiner turned around to greet Edward mockingly.

“That ‘girl’ would be ‘Miss Natalia’ if not ‘Lady Natalia’ now for you,” Edward corrected the man jokingly.

“That scrawny girl is all grown up now huh? I haven’t seen her for ten years,” Reiner said wistfully as he thought of the first time that he met Natalia, before she was adopted into the Rosenhall family as Lucien’s daughter.

“So, what do you have to tell me? You schemed to position me as her bodyguard and called me over here for something, right?” Reiner asked, getting straight to the point.

“Natalia has at least one lover. I want you to keep an eye on her and figure out who he is,” Edward started to explain.

“You mean including yourself?” Reiner asked rhetorically.

Edward’s mood darkened immediately. Reiner and his intuition are scary.

“Guess I hit the bull’s eye. You were pretty obsessed with her after that incident,” Reiner said while grinning at Edward.

“I want you to keep her safe. Natalia has come of age and I honestly don’t know what plans the elders have for her or what harm lies in her way,” Edward continued to explain.

“What do you plan to do with her? You’re not just using her as a bed warmer like all those other women of yours, right?” Reiner asked with genuine curiosity. Edward is famous for his numerous affairs that were some times even featured in tabloids.

“I want to marry her,” Edward stated bluntly.

“...What? Are you out of your mind?” Reiner replied in shock.

“I can keep her safe way better than Lucien ever can. Lucien will forever be tied to the business and this family. He is the CEO now, and in the future, he’s going to become one of the elders for sure. If Natalia stays with him, she will be stuck in this rotten family forever, Edward explained his logic.

“I have the least tie to the business and this family. I have a well-established business and life outside of this mess. I can remove Natalia from this fucked-up life for good and you are going to help me achieve that.”

“I owe it to Natalia’s father to protect her; I don’t owe you anything though. I’ll do things my way and have a little bit of fun while I’m at it,” Reiner stated bluntly.

“Don’t you dare touch her, Reiner,” Edward threatened in a low voice.

“I won’t...unless she asks...” Reiner replied mockingly as he headed for the door. As far as he was concerned, this conversation was over.

Edward’s plan is crazy but I could see his point. I guess I have to see for myself which life would be better for Natalia: A life with Edward or a life with Lucien. Or perhaps, a life with neither of them.

Edward watched as Reiner strode out of his office, his footsteps silent. He knew Reiner was dangerous business but he believed in Reiner’s loyalty. If there was someone who would put Natalia first, it would be Reiner. The downside is Reiner is crazy hard to control and predict. This could be harder than he initially thought.

...

We arrived at the lab and Reiner opened the car door and took my hand to help me out of the car. He is pampering me so much, although, I guess he is just acting his part as my butler.

We were headed to Edward’s office so I decided to brief him a bit on our schedule today.

“Edward and I will be attending a gala dinner hosted by one of our research partners. It’s a public event to announce a new technology that we have co-developed,” I explained the main event for this evening.

“I will gladly accompany you, Miss Natalia,” Reiner stated.

“Umm...please call me Natalia. Ok?” I asked him again. Miss Natalia is way too formal. Gosh, if I was married, he would probably call me Madame.

“...Only if you call me by a nickname when we are alone. Then I’ll address you as Natalia when we are alone.” Reiner said, surprising me that he was negotiating with me.

“What is your nickname?” I asked. This idea is intriguing.

“That is up to what you want to call me,” He replied without any emotion in his voice.

“Reiner...hmm...a nickname? What about ‘R’? I’ll call you ‘R’. It’s cute yet cool, right? Like a codename,” I suggested with a shy smile.

“Sure, Natalia,” He replied. Deal done. Finally, he called me purely by my first name when we are alone.

“Let’s go, R,” I replied with a cheeky smile as we proceeded to walk to Edward’s office. Maybe we are one step closing to becoming friends.

 

Chapter 38: Evening Gala Date

“My date looks stunning!” Edward exclaimed as he eyed me from head to toe.

Since we had to attend a gala dinner tonight with our business partners, I had to get dress in formal evening attire. Annoyingly, Edward was the one who picked out this dress for me and had a stylish do my makeup and hair to perfection. I personally felt that this is a bit over the top for a work-related gala dinner. The last time I was this dolled-up was when I went to a movie premiere for one of the movies that Zak sponsored. The dress I had on was a rosy pink long dress with a very high slit running up my left thigh all the way to almost my hips. Gold pin-point high heels and my favorite timeless black caviar clutch bag completed the ensemble. My hair was put up in a stylish bun by the stylish along with rose-gold tone make-up. I have to say I looked quite attractive in the mirror.

Both Edward and R were in their tuxedoes. This event is probably bigger and more important than I thought at first. R drove us in Edward’s Bentley while I sat together with Edward at the back. I have to admit that I was less nervous about meeting the client and the whole event than I was about the potential of me tripping over in the golden pin-point heels that Edward had undoubtedly chosen.

“The client that we’re meeting today and the co-host of this event is the CEO of one of our lab’s major partners. His company is responsible for the production of many of our new products based on the research completed at the lab. He’s a bit of a womanizer. So, watch yourself,” Edward warned me teasingly as he ran his hand up my leg where the fabric of my dress parted.

I immediately slapped his hand away which resulted in Edward laughing uncontrollably.

“More so than you?” I teased back. I couldn’t imagine a man being more of a womanizer than Edward. I’ve seen my fair share of gossip columns of his various affairs with celebrities in the tabloids. Those articles rivaled other articles covering him on his philanthropic projects. Edward is truly an enigma.

“Perhaps a little less than me...” he said unfazed and flashed me a smile taking my hand in his. His hands are so warm. I wondered what would happen between us if Edward found out about my recent developments with Lucien...and vice versa. These two brothers that seem to be in a love-hate relationship with each other are giving me a real headache.

On top of that, I’ve been having a weird repeated nightmare lately ever since Edward took me to that cottage by the lake. Perhaps the dream and the event are not even related. This whole thing could be driven by my own stress and anxiety. I’ve been trying not to think about the dream so much and trying to focus more on the reality when I am awake.

...

We arrived at the venue which was at a famous 5-star hotel. No surprise there. R opened the door for us and Edward took my hand to help me out of the car. I succeeded in stepping out of the car without falling on my face while still able to flash a few smiles to the crowd of cameramen. Achievement of the day right here. I was very conscious of Edward holding my hand in front of the press. I pulled my hand away after he successfully helped me out of the car. There could be big and unwanted news if we, niece and uncle, were photographed with our fingers laced together as if we were a couple, which we are not.

A group of bodyguards escorted us as representatives from various news agency swarmed in trying to get as close to Edward as possible to ask him questions. The flashes from the cameras were blinding and I was getting quite annoyed and sick of the attention. Edward was smiling and keeping up his perfect public appearance. R pulled me away from Edward and used his big body to shield me from the crowd as he led me away while the other bodyguards continued to guard Edward by keeping enough space between him and the press. It was a mess and I was thankful to R for leading me inside safely and without much hassle.

“Thank you for getting me out of there,” I thanked R when we were finally inside the conference hall.

“No problem,” He replied curtly.

What should I do now? Should I go to my seat and wait for Edward or should I go and socialize with other people to try to build up relationship and connections. I’m not a big fan of socializing but work is work.

“I’m going to go greet some guests over there,” I informed R and he nodded before following behind me. I guess he really will be stuck to me 24/7.

I met a couple of professors and researchers that I already knew from past introductions and seminars that I’ve attended. I managed to introduce myself to many new people in the field as well as some high-profile investors. I guess I wasn’t doing too bad for myself, although, I have to admit that I was doing so well because of Edward’s connections and reputation. People immediately became friendly and trusting when I mentioned that I was his niece and is now working for him.

It was time for the official presentation to start and everyone was headed to their seat. R led me to my designated seat where I met up with Edward as we sat next to each other for the presentation. Edward was invited to give a few opening remarks to kick-off the session. Edward’s speech captured the audience and gave them hope and inspiration for the future of technology and medical research. The round of applaud at the end of his speech was proof enough that he was amazing. Edward’s public persona was flawless. Flawlessly smart, charming, empathetic and captivating. I guess very few people know how different his real personality is.

I didn’t end up meeting the “womanizer” CEO. Perhaps that was because Edward kept him quite occupied with some talks. This made be a bit relieved. I guess Edward has his own ways of protecting me and I have to thank Edward for that.

...

Finally, the presentation came to an end. Edward was being swept away by the crowd of guests and the press once again.

“Come this way,” R whispered in my ear as he took my wrist in his hand before pulling me away from the crowd.

“Are we going home? What about Edward?” I asked. Edward was still stuck in the middle of the crowd. It doesn’t look like he’ll be able to free himself from them anytime soon. Poor Edward.

“Please follow me,” R instructed as he continued to drag me by the arm. Noticing that I was struggling to keep up with his long strides, he slowed his pace to match mine.

To my surprise, instead of heading home, we took the elevator from the lobby up to one of the top floors of the hotel. When the elevator opened, R dragged me along before we entered a luxurious hotel suite.

“Please rest here until Edward is done with his business. I will take you home later. I have already informed Lucien so there is no need for you to worry,” R explained as he led me to a sitting room and gestured for me to sit down on the sofa.

I flopped down on the soft sofa and immediately took off my high heels. My feet and legs needed the rest and my mind needed to wind down from the stress of meeting so many people. My feet are killing me, wearing brand new high heels to an event was such a bad idea. Some parts of my feet were scrubbed raw by the leather straps, I looked down at my feet to see that they were bleeding slightly.

“Let’s clean and bandage them up,” R said softly as he crouched down in front of me on one knee, taking my foot into his large and warm hands. Amazingly, he already had a first aid kit next to him, ready to take care of my wound.

“Wait! I can do it myself...” I protested, slightly embarrassed at his touch.

“You did your job for this evening, now let me do mine,” R brushed my protest aside and started to tend to my wound. His touch was gentle and he finished taking care of the wounds on my feet professionally in no time.

“Thank you, R...” I murmured my thanks.

“You’re welcomed, Natalia...” He replied as our eyes met. Wow, these long auburn lashes framing his bright blue eyes are hard to look away from, I thought as I stared, lost in those eyes.

“Finally! I managed to escape. Set up dinner please so I can finally dine with my girl,” Edward’s loud entrance into the room broke the spell.

“Right away, Sir Edward,” R replied professionally and exited the room.

“We’re having dinner here?” I asked, a bit confused.

“Yes, to celebrate the success of this event. To be frank, I got Reiner to arrange all this in advance because I wanted to celebrate alone with you...and also because I knew I would be drained from the event. Or would you rather go to my place?” Edward explained while turning to give me a wicked smile. He obviously knows that I don’t want to go over to his place. Come to think of it, I actually don’t know where Edward lives. Unlike his siblings, Edward does not live in a mansion in the family compound. Zak’s mother no longer lives in her mansion either so it’s just Zak alone in his mansion. Due to her health issues, she had to move out of the city to a place with fresher air.

Chapter 39: Argument & Proposal

Dinner came to an end. I have to say that the dinner was perfect in every way. The food was delicious, and Edward was good company. Reiner stood at a respectable distance away from us throughout the whole dinner. I glanced at him a few times over the course of dinner, but he acted all cold and professional. I guess I should go home now before it got any later.

“Edward, thank you for today. I think I should go home now,” I started to excuse myself.

“What’s the hurry? I still have a couple of things to talk to you about,” Edward replied with a depressed look on his face.

“With all due respect, Sir Edward. Miss Natalia should head home now. It is getting late,” Reiner said as he came to stand by my side.

“20 minutes. Step outside for 20 minutes. I have some things to discuss alone with Natalia,” Edward half asked and half commanded Reiner to step outside. Reiner looked at me to seek my thought on the matter.

I have somethings to ask Edward as well in private. I gave Reiner a small nod signaling that I would like him to leave us alone. Without another word, Reiner walked out of the room.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked Edward coming straight to the point. I have a few things I wanted to ask him as well.

“Nothing, really. I just miss you...” Edward teased me with his sugar-coated words again. He was beside my seat in no time and successfully pulled me up from my seat before leading me to the sofa.

“Don’t sweet talk me. You may not have anything you want to discuss with me but I do have a few things I want to ask you,” I said as I turned to face him on the sofa. His face is too close for comfort, his green eyes looking straight into mine.

“5 minutes. I’ll answer all your questions in 5 minutes. In return, you’ll let me fuck you for the remaining 15 minutes,” Edward replied before leaning in to kiss my lips. My body reacted to his kiss instantly as my heart beat faster and I felt my face becoming flushed. I broke off the kiss, conscious that Edward was a man of his word and the countdown of my precious 5 minutes had already started.

“Why did you convince Lucien to place a bodyguard on me 24/7?” I started interrogating him.

“Because a random man assaulted you and left a bite mark on your shoulder,” he replied casually by repeating the lie I told him back to me.

“What if I told you that I wasn’t assaulted? Will you remove my bodyguard?” I asked him.

“If you weren’t assaulted then it can only mean two things. One, you lied to me. Two, you willingly let some man bite your shoulder. Whichever it is, I have more than enough reason to keep Reiner as your bodyguard. To make sure that you can never lie to me again or to find out who you willingly allowed to bite your shoulder,” Edward replied with surprising calm.

What should I do? If Reiner guards me, he will come to learn about my secrets in no time and if he learns of them then so will Lucien and probably Edward as well. Lucien and Edward must not find out about my relationship with Zak. Lucien must not find out that I slept with Edward and vice versa. I need to convince Edward and Lucien to remove my bodyguard...but how?

“What will make Lucien remove my bodyguard?” I asked Edward. I have to solve this one step at a time.

“hmm...me telling him that you no longer need one might work?” Edward replied with a smile after some thought. Shit.

“So...what do I need to do to make you tell Lucien to remove my bodyguard?” I pressed Edward further for answers.

“My girl is so smart. Finally, you’re starting to get this. As I told you before, if you keep me entertained and in a good mood, things will start going your way,” Edward answered as his fingers grabbed my chin gently before he leaned in to place a slow and soft kiss on my lips. His kiss was warm and teasing but my mind was elsewhere as it tried to figure out my next move.

“You’re evil...” I spat at him. He’s playing games with me and the more I struggle the more I get tangled up in his webs. Edward just shrugged without a care in the world.

“What will you do if Lucien finds out about us?” I asked. I’m running out of options and ideas. I have to try using this against him. Of course, the last thing I want is for Lucien to find out that I’ve been sleeping with his brother but if hypothetically it could remove my bodyguard, it was worth using as an excuse.

“I’ll marry you,” Edward replied casually without a thought.

“What?!” I exclaimed in shock. His response is the furthest thing from what I was expecting.

Edward turned to me and placed a warm hand on the side of my face. His emerald green eyes looked deep into my own.

“I’ll marry you. If Lucien finds out all I have to tell him is that I’ll take full responsibility by marrying you. He’ll probably be furious but there is no reason for him to refuse our union. You and I are not really related. I’m not your real uncle and you’re not my real niece. Everyone knows this for a fact. Our marriage would cause some uproar in the press for a while but gossip dies down fast,” Edward began to explain in a detached voice.

“I don’t want to marry you!” I retorted loudly. I almost screamed at him.

“Who do you want to marry? Lucien? You’re worried about marrying your uncle but you’re fine marrying your father?” Edward retorted back mockingly.

“I...” I couldn’t think of anything to say back to him. This is so frustrating, and I feel like crying or just blacking out around now would also work out fine as well.

“Think about it logically, Natalia. I’m actually a fine choice for a husband. I’m as wealthy as Lucien is, if not slightly more. I’m famous with valuable global connections in and outside our company’s business. Most importantly, I’m quite independent from the main house. I would say marrying me would be much better than being used by the elders as a pawn to strengthen business ties. You’ve seen it often enough in our family. Most of your cousins have already been married off for the sake of the business or are engaged to do so in the near future. When will it be your turn?” Edward continued to explain slowly. His facts are accurate and I cannot disagree.

--To be continued...

Chapter 40: Breakdown

“But I don’t love you!” I yelled, quite surprised at the strained sound in my voice. If this is his idea of a marriage proposal, it was far from what I had in mind. I was getting sick of this. Having my dire situation rubbed directly in my face was also not helping. Of course, I knew I could be married off anytime. It is even happening to Zak now as we speak.

Edward just laughed softly in response to my outburst. If my words hurt him, he did not show it.

“That’s too bad for you. I like you just fine,” Edward replied smoothly before kissing my lips once more.

“Enough talk. I believe your 5 minutes has ended. My 15 minutes starts now,” Edward stated before grabbing my body and roughly pulling me on top of his lap.

I struggled and screamed. The last thing I want is for him to embrace me right now. Edward held me to him roughly as he peeled my strapless dress from my breasts. One hand toyed with my breasts roughly as his other arm held me still on his lap. He kissed my mouth wildly to stifle my screams. Thrusting his hot tongue into my mouth rapidly as he sucked my tongue. I moaned my protests into his mouth.

...

Reiner stood stiff as a statue in front of the door he just walked out of. He could clearly hear Natalia’s scream of anger and frustration. Things are probably going to get a bit violent between those two if it hasn’t started already.

I guess I don’t have to worry about Natalia’s safety. No matter what Edward says or does, he would never truly hurt Natalia. I’m more worried about Edward’s safety. He can definitely come across as an evil and manipulative creature, I would not be surprised if Natalia wants to kill him right about now.

At the same time, he could hear loud thumping sounds of objects hitting the floor and crashing sounds as things inside the room are clearly being thrown around. He knows that Edward does not resort to serious violence, so this must be Natalia throwing a tantrum.

...

I bit his lips as he came in for another kiss. I don’t think I hurt him badly but he was surprised enough to relax his hold on my half-naked body. I used that opportunity to slip off his lap and grabbed my shoes that were lying on the floor nearby to throw at him.

“You will stop playing games with me. Leave me and my fucked-up life alone!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. Apologies to other guests who may be on this same floor.

I grabbed whatever I could find and threw it in Edward’s direction. I just wanted to destroy everything in my sight. Even though I knew deep down that this would not solve any of my problems, I let my emotions get the better of me. I swore so much at him that I don’t even remember what I said or if it made any sense at all.

“Natalia! Stop!” Edward called out to me as he grabbed my waist and we both fell on the floor with him on top of my backside.

I tried desperately to get loose by kicking my legs and wriggling my body from out under him. Edward overpowered my struggles easily and pinned my wrists to the floor in front of me with one hand. I screamed in frustration and started sobbing. My life wasn’t all roses before but please can I just have my old life back, please.

“Natalia...please stop,” Edward said to me, a silent plead in his voice. He still kept me pinned down to the floor under his weight.

“Give me my life back...” I managed to say in between sobs that were wrecking my body. I stop struggling entirely and cried my eyes out instead. I felt like a mess because I was a mess.

Edward stroked my hair and back to comfort me as he kissed my forehead, my ears and my cheeks softly. So ironic that the man who drove me mad was also the one comforting me and calming me down.

“Natalia...I’m sorry,” Edward whispered in my ear after I’ve calmed down somewhat. I heard his answer all in his apology. I’m sorry for not being able to remove your bodyguard. No matter what happens, Edward has decided to stand firm in his decision.

Edward got off me silently and carried me in his arms as he walked me to the one of the suite’s bedroom. He placed me gently onto the bed and tucked me in. I turned away from him immediately. I didn’t want to see him right now.

“Lucien. Natalia has to sleep over at the hotel tonight. She’s a bit sick. Don’t worry, Reiner and I will be here to take care of her...I’ll send her back home tomorrow. Sorry about this,” Edward spoke to Lucien calmly on the phone.

“Natalia has to sleep here. Prepare some clothes for her,” Edward ordered through the phone. That was probably Reiner on the end of the line.

Edward’s voice is getting softer and softer, and he seemed further and further away as I cried myself to sleep. Dear troubles, I will deal with you when I wake up tomorrow.