Ch. 411..415: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 411-415

Chapter 411: Reiner – Who She is

“I guess you’re right...” Reiner replied, clearly not looking forward to the dinner with the client.

“Good luck with your work and don’t worry about me,” I quickly said to reassure him.

“I’ll pick you up. Same place. Same time,” Reiner said a little sternly.

“Sure. I’ll wait for you,” I replied with a smile.

...

It was an ordinary day at work and our project was making decent progress. A big thanks to Charles and his advice. That reminded me that since running into Reiner that day, I haven’t seen much of Charles. I wondered if he would turn up to the bar sometime soon. Perhaps he was just busy or perhaps that encounter with Reiner created a bigger rift between Charles and I than I had anticipated.

A long sigh escaped my lips when I was forced to admit that I had to have a proper talk with Charles about everything. He didn’t exactly confess to me, but I guess after all that he’s done for me, I owed him a huge thank you along with some apologies. Honestly, I never knew that turning down a guy would be this difficult. That might be because I have never had the unfortunate opportunity to turn down such a great guy.

After leaving the office and a very worried-looking Reiner, I headed to the bar like usual. The traffic was surprisingly light, and I arrived a little ahead of schedule. That being said, I was once again the last person to turn up to work at the bar. Everyone was already there and preparing for the night’s opening. Kat waved to me with a big smile when she saw me walk into the bar.

“Welcome baby girl!” Kat called out loudly.

“Glad to be here...” I replied with a smile.

After getting changed, I started helping Kat with the task at hand. I glanced over at Kat as she stood next to me behind the counter bar. With everything that had been going on with Reiner, I didn’t have that much time to catch up with my dear friend.

“My birthday is coming up,” Kat spoke up with her eyes still on the utensils in front of us.

“Oh, really? When?” I asked.

“This Friday. Will you be coming?” she asked needlessly.

If it was her birthday then of course, I’m going to come by. I better not turn up here empty handed, though.

“Of course! I’ll definitely be here,” I said enthusiastically.

“That’s a promise,” Kat said with a bright smile.

“No more guy troubles?” I asked.

“No guy means no guy troubles. You?” Kat asked.

“Hmm...things are fine now...I guess...” I mumbled a little shyly.

I could feel Kat’s eyes on my face as I looked away; however, she didn’t say anything. Kat just laughed carefreely and patted my back encouragingly. One of these days if Reiner and I ever become a proper couple, I’m going to introduce him to Kat proudly as my boyfriend. I wonder when or if ever that day would come.

Opening time quickly arrived but thankfully the work was manageable. That wasn’t because there were fewer customers or because Jamie’s business was going down in a slump, but it was because Jamie finally hired two more waitresses. Sure, they were not buff guys like Kat has requested but it was better than not getting any new headcount on the staff team at all.

“Thank God, Jamie hired those two new girls,” Kat said as she stood next to me.

Things were going smoothly, and it was halfway through the night. We had enough time to rest a little on the side and chat. This was a rare opportunity to come by, but I hoped that it would become the norm now that we had more waitresses.

“You’re right. This is about the right pace...” I readily agreed.

While we were sharing small talk, a customer turned and waved his hand to get our attention. Kat quickly turned to let me know that she’ll take it before heading over the customer’s table. I watched her back as she walked through the crowd towards the table that needed assistance.

“Excuse me. Are you Natalia?”

A woman’s voice addressing me got my attention and I turned around to come face to face with someone I had never expected to see. The woman dressed in a white dress with a chic hot pink blazer greeted me with a wide smile that displayed her beautiful perfect teeth. Her smile, her skin and her hair were as beautiful as I still remembered it, although I have only seen her once before.

Rachael, why is she here?

“Yes, I’m Natalia,” I replied after recovering from my initial surprise.

“So, you were really here...” Rachael said with a satisfied smile.

I watched her gracefully take the conveniently empty seat opposite from me at the counter bar. Her smile never left her lips as her eyes watched me intently. Something about her told me that she wasn’t here to have a simple and friendly conversation with me over a couple of drinks. Since I was in the middle of work, I didn’t have the time to deal with her or any of her issues either.

“Would you like to order a drink? I can recommend you something if you tell me what you feel like having,” I said before smiling sweetly at her.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked.

“I might be interested in that after you order a drink. I need to help Jamie make some sales for the bar; you know...” I replied before sliding over the drinks menu to her and offering her one of my best smiles.

I’m not Natalia Rosenhall right now. I’m just a bar girl who needs to make sure this bar makes some money so that I can keep my job.

“Hmm...I’ll take whatever cocktail that you would recommend,” Rachael replied without taking any time to think.

“Sure,” I readily replied before shouting my order across to the bartender.

I could feel her eyes on me, and I felt more curious than intimidated. Honestly, I didn’t want to invite any trouble, but I was more than a little curious about what Reiner’s fiancée would want from me. However, this wasn’t the place nor the time for us to be chatting about our personal lives.

Chapter 412: Reiner – A Visit from his Fiancée

“Your order will be here soon. Please enjoy your evening,” I said to her politely.

“Running away?” she asked as her eyes narrowed at me.

She did not just say that to me...

“From what? From you?” I asked before smiling at her.

Me? Running away from her? What a joke...

“I’ve ordered my drink. Are you interested to know who I am now?” she asked.

I guess she doesn’t know that I know who she is. Knowing and caring are two separate things, though.

“I’m not sure why I should be interested but...since you did order a drink...” I said before shrugging my shoulders.

“My name is Rachael,” she stated.

“Hi, Rachael. You already know my name...I’m Natalia,” I said cheerfully as I stuck out a hand towards her across the bar counter.

Her eyes never left my face as she stared at me. In the end, she never shook my hand.

“Natalia...”

I heard Kat’s familiar voice call out my name and turned to see her standing close by with a slightly confused look on her face. It was plain to see that even she knew that something was going down between the two of us.

“I see...you’re busy. Umm...never mind,” Kat mumbled as if she was speaking to herself before she turned on her heels and walked away.

“Is there something that I can help you with, Rachael?” I asked innocently.

I wondered how much Rachael knew about my relationship with Reiner and what she thought about us. Before I found out about that, I’m not going to give anything away.

“I am Knight’s fiancée,” she stated as her eyes stared deeply into mine.

I didn’t know what she was searching for in my eyes, but I was sure that she wouldn’t find what she was looking for. No matter what, I don’t regret, and I don’t’ feel any guilt about the relationship that I have with Reiner.

“I see. It’s a coincidence meeting you here. I work as his personal secretary. He’s never told me about you before...” I replied with a trained smile on my lips.

The way she stared at me told me that she understood the implications behind my words.

“Is that all?” she asked, and I realized that she wasn’t going to play nice about all this.

As for me, I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to handle this.

“Well, that doesn’t exactly depend on me...” I replied as I cocked my head to the side in wonder.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rachael asked as her eyes narrowed sharply at me.

It means exactly like it sounds like...

“You should ask your fiancé about it. That is what it means. Right now, I’m not Knight’s secretary. I’m working another job so if you want to talk to me, you’ll have to wait until I’m done with my work,” I replied, completely unfazed.

“I’ll wait. I have all the time in the world,” she replied.

I nodded with an impressed look on my face before I smiled at her and her determined words.

“Well, that’s good to know,” I said casually before flashing her a smile.

I walked away before she could say anything else to me. For the rest of the night, I’m going to make sure that some other waitress deals with her as a customer so that I wouldn’t have to deal with her. Why did Rachael turn up here to see me? What does she want from me?

My mind wondered how much she knew about Reiner and me while I continued to work throughout the night. I cursed inwardly when I realized that Reiner would be here to pick me up. Should I let him meet Rachael here or was that going to be a bad move? What should I do?

The biggest problem was that I wasn’t sure how Reiner felt about Rachael. Did he love her? They were obviously deeply involved with each other but how far does that really go? If I can just figure that out, then maybe I’ll be able to figure out my next move on how to progress my relationship with Reiner. My eyes wandered back to the attractive girl sitting at the counter bar as my mind conjured up an idea.

What if...

My eyes narrowed as I got lost in my own thoughts. If I play this right then perhaps, I can get her to tell me what her relationship is really like with Reiner. Reiner has been spending a lot of time with me and many of his nights with me as well. I wondered if he seriously had time for another woman on top of his work and me.

“You seem so distracted...” Kat whispered.

I jumped in surprised. She was right. I was distracted by my own thoughts that I hadn’t even realized when she came to stand by my side. I laughed a little at my own foolishness before flashing her a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine. I’m just...tired...” I replied, half truthfully.

“That woman...is she bothering you?” Kat asked as her eyes rested on Rachael who was still sitting at the counter bar.

I already knew how perceptive Kat could be, so I wasn’t completely surprised that she figured out what was going on. However, never in her wildest dreams would she figure out that the woman sitting there is my direct competitor in love and that she was formally Knight’s fiancée.

Customers called out to us, and we had to get back to work. I made a silent promise to myself to get Kat an awesome and tasty cake for her birthday before my mind went straight back to thinking about how to deal with Rachael. They say that we have to search for opportunities even in times of crisis and I was sure that that was meant to apply in these types of situations. I could avoid talking to Rachael but that wouldn’t solve anything in the longer term. It was better for me to face her and talk to her.

Now that I’ve decided to talk to her, I knew exactly what I had to do first. After letting one of my colleagues know that I had to step out for a while, I headed to the staff room at the back of the bar. I just had to make a quick phone call.

Chapter 413: Reiner - Understanding His Love

“Natalia?” Reiner’s familiar voice answered the phone questioningly.

He knew that I was supposed to be working and I usually never called him during my work hours at the bar.

“Yes, it’s me. Umm...Kat’s birthday is coming up so I was thinking of talking about some plans with her after work so...can you pick me up like...half an hour later? I don’t want you to wait, you know...” I said as I tried to sound casual and normal.

“Sure,” Reiner replied without hesitation.

Well, that was easier than I thought. Reiner didn’t ask any questions, and everything seemed to have settled down well without issues.

“Thank you. I’ll give you a call when I’m done, is that ok?” I asked sweetly.

Reiner is supposed to be busy having dinner with a client, so I better keep this phone call short. I didn’t want to disturb him when I knew that he was still working.

“Sure,” he replied in short.

“Ok. I’ll hang up now. Good luck at dinner!” I said cheerfully and supportively.

Reiner hung up without saying anything more and I sighed in relief as I stared at the phone in my hand. Now I had time to talk with Rachael after work. Sorry, Kat, I didn’t mean to use your birthday as an excuse or anything. I also apologize silently to Reiner for not telling him the truth.

...

The bar closing time arrived along with a mix of emotions that I couldn’t quite understand. It was like I had been looking forward to this moment so that I could talk to Rachael, but on the other hand, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. My emotions were a big mess, and I had a hard time understanding what I felt or what I wanted.

“You can head out without me, I have something to do,” I told Kat.

Kat nodded at me and the way that she pursed her lips together tightly into a thin line told me that she was actively refraining from asking me any questions.

All the customers have left the bar already. All except for one.

“Shall we?” I said as I came to stand right next to where Rachael was seated.

“Lead the way,” she replied without hesitation as she stood up from her seat.

I could feel eyes on us as I led the way out of the bar with Rachael following after me. It was a bad idea to talk to her in the bar and I would rather we had a chat outside where I could feel the cool wind on my skin. I was sure that everyone was curious as to who she was and what she wanted with me; however, I also knew that no one would ask me any questions.

After leading the way to a quiet spot, a short distance walk from the bar, I came to a stop and turned to face Rachael. It was time that I finally found out what she really wanted to say to me.

“You wanted to talk to me?” I asked but it wasn’t really a question.

“I’m going to be straight forward about this so that we don’t waste each other’s time. I want you to stay away from Knight,” Rachael stated sternly.

My cocked my head to the side in slight confusion at her words.

“Umm...I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Afterall, I’m working as his personal secretary,” I politely declined with valid reason.

“Then quit your job and go back to wherever you came from,” Rachael spat.

“I can’t do that either. I’ve decided to stay here on this island for the time being,” I replied flatly.

“What makes you think that a girl like you has any kind of future with Knight?” she asked as her eyebrows furrowed together.

This girl is really taking it too far...

“I have no idea what you’re talking about...” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.

Rachael’s eyes widened as her anger seem to take over. Why does she seem so insecure about her relationship with Reiner?

“Are you in love with him?” she asked but it was more of an accusation.

“Are you?” I asked in return.

“Of course, I am. We are engaged!” she replied loudly and confidently.

So, I was right, she is indeed very much in love with him.

“Sorry that I had to ask. I heard that arranged engagements and marriages are sometimes done even when the future bride and groom isn’t in love with each other,” I said with a small smile.

I’ve seen enough of those cases in real life in the Rosenhall family, but I guess she didn’t need to know that.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at me, and it seemed like her body was shaking from anger. Something seemed very off about Rachael and her relationship with Reiner. Something was telling me that their relationship wasn’t a simply romantic one between a man and a woman who were in love with each other. However, that wasn’t enough to put my mind at ease. I needed to hear something to make me believe that Reiner didn’t have any romantic feelings towards her.

“Are you trying to say that Knight isn’t in love with me?” Rachael asked in shock as her eyes widened at me.

“I don’t know...are you sure that he’s in love with you?” I challenged.

Rachael looked at me with round eyes before she looked away and bit her lower lip. That was when I was certain that Rachal thought that she didn’t have Reiner’s love and the reason for that was probably because she really didn’t. I see, so Reiner doesn’t love Rachael either. Maybe that man doesn’t love anyone at all. It came as somewhat of a surprise to me, but I felt more thankful and relieved that Reiner wasn’t in love to the woman that he was engaged to.

“I see...so he doesn’t love you...” I said, without bothering to fake some sympathy towards her.

I had more than enough to worry about myself right now that I didn’t have the heart or the time to spare any sympathy for someone else.

Chapter 414: Reiner - Same Yearning

“I know who you are. You’re Natalia Rosenhall...” Rachel said in a low whisper.

I wondered what my identity had anything to do with any of this, but I was willing to find out.

“You’re right. I am Natalia Rosenhall. I wasn’t trying to hide it or anything...” I confirmed casually.

“Knight left me once and I found out later that he went after you. But he’s back now. He returned to me, and I’ve decided not to let him go a second time,” Rachael said determinedly.

Reiner left this island to find me? I’ve guessed as much but it felt different now that I was hearing about it directly. I wondered when he left this island and why he was searching for me exactly. My guess was that he probably felt guilty about what happened to my mother. Reiner worked for the Rosenhalls for many years even before we came into contact. I knew without a doubt that he gave up many things including his life here just to get close to me.

I looked at Rachael and the determined look and passion in her eyes. I could understand her determination and that was probably because I shared the same determination. Unfortunately, our goals were the same and we wanted the same man. In the end, only one of us would get him. Either that or neither of us would get him.

“I’ll be honest with you. I had no idea about Knight’s relation with me or why he went looking for me at first. If he hasn’t told you anything then I don’t think it’s my place to tell you anything about it. As for whether you can keep him with you or not, that doesn’t really depend on me,” I said calmly.

This doesn’t depend on me at all. If this depended on what I wanted, then Reiner would be with me already. If I’ve learnt anything about Reiner, it is that he’s got a mind of his own and he will do things his own way. He was still engaged to Rachael, and I wondered if he truly intended to marry her with or without love.

“I think the fact that you’re here is making him confused and hesitant,” Rachael said accusingly.

“Do you think his resolve to marry you is that weak?” I asked followed by a small laugh.

“It doesn’t matter...as long as he marries me in the end,” Rachael replied.

“Even if he doesn’t love you? Are you ok with marrying without love?” I asked, more curious than worried.

“If it’s with Knight, I’ll do anything just to be with him. He might not love me at first but I’m sure that one day he will,” Rachael replied, and I could tell that she was troubled about it even if just slightly.

Rachael seemed greener than I first thought, and I wondered what life she had been leading on this island. Perhaps she had never seen firsthand how painful a loveless marriage could be. I smiled a little at her as I thought that she wouldn’t have to worry about that if Reiner marries me instead.

“How did you know him? Knight, I mean...” I asked.

Rachael’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at my question. I continued smiling sweetly at her. She’s not the only one out here to collect information.

“We grew up together...” she replied in short.

“Childhood friends? Must be difficult...” I said with slight regret in my tone.

She looked at me with an unimpressed look and I continued smiling sweetly at her. Being childhood friend could go both ways. Either the two would be deeply in love since a young age and the relationship would blossom as they both got older and of age. The other option was probably one of being eternally locked in a friendzone type of relationship. I doubt the two of them had such a passionate relationship like the one that I shared with Zak.

“I’ve known him for a long time. Someone like you, who doesn’t have a place here on this island, should just quickly pack up and leave,” Rachael said as the air around her darkened.

I’ve just about had it with people telling me that I didn’t have a place here on this island.

“What do you do for a living? Are you...an agent?” I asked as my eyes travelled down her body.

She’s probably an agent. Either that, or she’s an overly fit modern woman.

“I’m an agent. I come from a long-standing family of agents similar to Knight’s family. It is only natural that we would get married,” Rachael stated confidently.

“I see. Well, good luck with that...” I replied lazily.

“You don’t understand what you’re getting yourself into, Natalia. You don’t come from this island, and you don’t have a background like us. You can’t live here, and you can’t always be with Knight the way that I can,” Rachael stated like it was set in stone.

I listened patiently to what she had to say. Partly, she was right. I wasn’t from this island, and I didn’t share Reiner’s background. On top of that, I wasn’t even sure if I fully understood the life that he led. The woman who stood in front of me was an agent while I can’t even walk up a steep flight of stairs without feeling faint. I kept telling myself that I should exercise but I’ve always been a lazy bum. Despite all of that, I have stubbornly decided never to give up on Reiner.

“I guess you’re right,” I admitted frankly.

“Then, you’ll leave?” she asked, and I could see the hope in her eyes.

Sorry to disappoint you but...

“Why should I leave?” I asked while putting on an innocent face.

“He’s told you before, hasn’t he? You should just go back home...” Rachael said sternly.

“Well, I don’t like to do what I’m told,” I replied with a small laugh.

Her eyes narrowed at me as she stared directly into my eyes. This conversation was becoming pointless from my point of view. I didn’t have much to learn about Reiner from her and I had found out more than enough information for me to assess the situation already. All in all, my future course of action doesn’t change. I still have to fight hard to get Reiner on my side. In the end, it will Reiner who decides.

Chapter 415: Reiner - Endless Triangle

“I think the one who doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into is you,” I replied before pursing my lips into a tight line.

A look of confusion immediately transformed Rachael’s beautiful face and I knew that she didn’t understand what I was referring to. There were many things that I didn’t know about Reiner’s life and his past; however, I was sure that there was much more that Rachael didn’t know about my relationship with Reiner. For example...

“How many men have you slept with?” I asked.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock at my abrupt and outrageous question. I was glad that I caught her off guard. It wasn’t like having a high number of lovers was my proudest achievements or anything like that.

“...Excuse me?” she managed to say after recovering from her astonishment.

“Tell me, how many men have you slept with? You know...I don’t actually mean sleep, right?” I asked again.

“That has nothing to do with you,” she replied.

Great, that just means not many if any at all.

“What about Knight? Have you kissed him before? Have you had sex with him before?” I asked slowly as I tried to read her reactions.

This girl is beautiful and quite honest. She is probably beautiful inside and out; however, precisely because of that she would be no match for me in this game of love and lust. Who does she think she is? Does she honestly think that she can compete with me? The real question for me was whether or not I still wanted to play this game with her. I sighed, judging from her reactions, she’s never shared any passionate experiences with Reiner.

I wondered what their relationship is really like. Maybe if I really suck up to Reiner, he’ll tell me a little about it. While Rachael still hesitated on what she wanted to say to me, I reached out a hand and slowly placed it on her shoulder. With a gentle smile, I started patting her shoulder as if to comfort her. Her eyes watched me like a tiger waiting to attack its prey.

“Let’s just say that I know quite a few things about Knight that you don’t know,” I said before winking suggestively at her.

“I’ll show you a few things that you don’t know about us...” Rachael growled as her anger took over.

Before I could react, Rachael had grabbed the wrist of the hand that I had placed on her shoulder and her grip was more than a little too tight. I winced at the pain that shot through my arm from her tight grip on my wrist. Her grip quickly tightened, and the pain felt too real and too intense for me to handle.

“Let go...” I whispered.

Instead of letting me go, her grip tightened as she pulled my hand from her shoulder. I could feel the great difference between our strength as she started twisting my arm. Pain shot through my arm towards my shoulders, and I was truly convinced for a moment that she was about to break my arm off. Never in my life had I imagined that I would have to engage in a physical fight with a pro. This was unlike any of the girly fights that I’ve experienced back in my school days when I was bullied by the other girls. She applied more force and let out a cry of pain. Her eyes seemed to bulge out of her socket as she stared intensely at me.

“Stop!”

A familiar voice rang out and I knew that I was saved.

“Knight...” Rachael whispered in shock as she turned around to see the owner of the voice.

Reiner was by my side in no time at all and his large hand grabbed Rachael’s arm. I had no idea what I would do if Reiner hadn’t shown up at the moment that he did.

“Let her go. Now,” Reiner commanded resolutely.

Rachael was clearly shocked at Reiner’s sudden appearance. I guess the time that I had asked him for ran out. Reiner was here to pick me up just like we had agreed. He probably couldn’t find me at our usual meeting place and started walking around to find me. That was when I realized that my phone was probably put on silent and I probably missed many of his calls while I was busy talking to Rachael.

Rachael finally let go of my wrist. Reiner looked from me to Rachael and then back again as if he was seeking for some type of explanation of the situation that he had just witnessed. Reiner probably didn’t expect to see his fiancée twisting the arm of his lover. Things had just started to get interesting. I stayed silent as I waited for Rachael to explain to her fiancé why she was twisting my arm.

“Natalia, are you ok?” Reiner asked with concern after Rachael had let go of my arm.

I rubbed my arm a little before nodding at Reiner. Thankfully he turned up in time before my arm got snapped off.

“I’m fine...thanks to you,” I replied before smiling sweetly at him.

Reiner brows knitted into a frown, and I could tell that he wasn’t pleased at what he saw. Rachael’s eyes were on us, but she hasn’t said anything yet.

“Knight, I...I can explain,” she said softly.

“I’m listening,” Reiner replied as he pulled me behind him.

“I just...came here to talk to her...” Rachael said in a shaky voice.

“Then why were you twisting her arm?” Reiner demanded to know.

“I...” Rachael began but then stopped.

Reiner let out a loud and frustrated sigh after Rachael couldn’t quite explain why she was hurting me. It was time that I stepped in as the angel to save the day.

“It’s ok, Knight. I’m sure that Rachael didn’t mean it. It was just an accident of sorts...” I mumbled before smiling a little at him.

“Why did you come here?” Reiner asked Rachael.

“I told you. I just wanted to talk to her,” Rachael replied in a small voice.

“About what?” Reiner asked immediately.

“We’re getting married soon, Knight. So, I just thought that it would be better if there are no distractions...” Rachael said as she tried to convince him calmly.