Ch. 531..535: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 531-535

Chapter 531: Reiner - Endless Guilt

It was clear that Reiner was their favorite and not me and I had gotten very used to that fact. It didn’t bother me at all, but I did find it funny and always entertaining to watch Reiner play with the children. Whenever work got busy for Reiner or whenever he returned from a trip away to the main island, the children were always super excited to see him.

“Look at this, Knight...” A boy waved a handmade figure of clay at Reiner.

“Did you make this? It looks cool!” Reiner complimented as he bent down to get a closer look at what the boy was holding.

It was amazing how a little reaction of interest from Reiner brought so much joy to the boy’s facial features. The boy couldn’t stop beaming proudly up at Reiner as he explained what his inspiration behind the figure was.

At times, I couldn’t help but wonder if Reiner was really happy living with me on this random island with the children as a way to be with me while I worked hard on the mission that I had chosen for myself. I didn’t have it in me to bring it up and ask him, though. Honesty, I was scared of his answer. If he told me that he wasn’t really happy and was just sucking it up for my sake, what would I do then? Would I just pack up our bags and fly back to the main island and forget everything about this place?

The more I thought about it, the more scared I got of facing this issue head on. It made me feel so guilty whenever I thought that I may not be prioritizing our relationship as much as Reiner had. I knew without a doubt that Reiner’s life was more of a struggle now that he was working remotely from this island. There were issues of time differences and other challenges with working online. He also had to fly back and forth quite often at times.

Sometimes, I felt like I didn’t understand Reiner and what he truly wanted to pursue in his life. Did he even like the work that he was doing for King? Would he be happy once he takes over the company from King just like he’s supposed to in a few years’ time?

“Natalia...Natalia...”

“...Yes? Sorry...” I murmured when I realized that Reiner had been calling my name.

How long had he been calling my name while I was spacing out and lost in my own thoughts?

Reiner came to stand next to me after distancing himself from the crowd of enthusiastic children. His face came close to mine as he peered into my face with a look of concern.

“Are you ok? You’re not participating much in the event and your face looks sort of pale...” Reiner voiced his worry as his eyes scanned my face.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine...I was just thinking about some random things...” I replied vaguely.

“Can you leave things to Kat or the other staff? Let’s head home...” Reiner suggested.

“Sure...let’s head home...” I replied softly.

I didn’t have much of a role in putting together this event anyways. My team was capable enough of handling everything and I was assured that everything would go well because Kat was heading the whole thing.

...

My eyes were on the bathroom door as I sat on the bed while I waited for Reiner to be done with his shower. After thinking things through on and off for a while, I figured that I needed to decide on what I wanted to do with this orphanage project of mine. Do I want this to be just a project that I do for King until we can find a permanent team to take over? Either we hire or I build the team up for him and after that Reiner and I can return back to our normal lives again.

The other alternative was a lot more extreme...

The door opened and Reiner walked out from the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was damp, and my heart skipped a beat at how attractive he looked at that moment. I didn’t think that there would be a day when the sight of his semi-naked body wouldn’t have that effect on me, at least, not anytime soon.

“Sleepy?” Reiner asked as he sat next to me on the bed.

“Not really...” I replied.

“What’s on your mind? There’s something on your mind, isn’t there?” Reiner asked knowingly.

He probably saw me spacing out for a long time during the event from earlier. There was no point denying it at this point. His blue eyes stared at my face, and I knew that I couldn’t lie to him.

“I was wondering if you’re happy living here with me...” I replied honestly.

My words clearly caught Reiner by surprise. He stared at me for a moment in silence.

“Do you think I’m not happy?” Reiner asked in return.

“I’m not sure. I just...think that I’ve made things harder for you because I decided to help the orphanage out here on this island. You have to work harder at your job, there’s some time difference, you have to work remotely and so many other things...” I said regretfully.

Now that I’ve started talking about it, it was like a floodgate had been opened and all my emotions started to pour out non-stop. The guilt I felt at my own selfish decisions and actions filled me and made me feel unworthy of the relationship that we share.

“Is that what’s been eating at you?” Reiner asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I looked down at my lap in shame. It was a hard topic for me to talk about. I felt Reiner’s soft kiss on my temple before he began stroking my back to comfort me. Without knowing it, I had started to sob and cry.

“Don’t cry, Natalia. You should have told me earlier if this was troubling you,” Reiner whispered tenderly before he smiled at me.

Chapter 532: Reiner – My Bold Decision

“I just...didn’t know how to bring it up. I feel so bad...so guilty...” I confessed honestly.

“There’s nothing for you to feel bad about. You’re over thinking things, Natalia. I’ve very happy living here with you. I’ll be happy wherever as long as we’re together,” Reiner said comfortingly.

“But things are so hard on you. You have to work so much harder...” I whimpered in between my sobs.

“That’s true but I’m willing to work a little harder so we don’t have to live apart. I know you’re working hard too and you’re trying your best,” Reiner said calmly as his large hand continued stroking my back.

“I’m sorry...” I apologized again because I didn’t know what else to say.

Even if he told me that he was happy and fine with being here, I still felt responsible for the additional hardship that I put him through.

“We’ll make it through this as well as everything else. So, please stop crying, Natalia,” Reiner whispered lovingly before he placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

Now that we were talking about this, my mind immediately went to the future. What does Reiner want for our future? What do I even want?

“I was thinking a little about the future...” I began before I wondered how I was going to put this for him.

“What about the future?” he prompted.

“Well, you know...what happens after we’re done sorting out this orphanage business...” I replied.

“And what have you decided?” Reiner asked curiously.

“I’m not sure but I figured that I shouldn’t decide on my own...so...” I said before smiling at him.

He’s my husband so unlike how I entered into this project, I’m going to ask him for his thoughts on the issue properly this time around. Yes, I have learnt my lesson.

Reiner’s reaction was very different from what I had expected. He looked at me with a blank look before he frowned and shook his head slightly at me.

“You’ve come this far, and we’ve come this far. Tell me what you really want to do, Natalia,” Reiner said sternly.

“I’m not sure...” I murmured.

“Really? I think you already know what you want to do, right?” Reiner said before he smiled at me knowingly.

Sometimes, I get this feeling that Reiner knew me better than I knew or understood myself. Maybe he was right. Maybe I already knew but I was just too much of a coward to face it and voice it.

“R...” I called his name softly as I tried my best to hold back my tears.

“Yes?” Reiner responded.

“I think...I want to take over the management of all orphanages permanently...if possible...” I stated my wish.

Reiner stared at me with round eyes. I could tell that he was surprised, and honestly, I was also surprised too.

“I might not be ready to do that right now but sometime in the future, when I’m ready, I want to run the orphanages and fund it...” I stated what I wanted in a shaky voice.

I was sure that that was what I wanted. However, it felt more like a dream than a goal. It was my responsibility to make my dream more realistic, and then, I could fully call it my goal.

“Fund it?” Reiner asked.

“Yeah...” I replied with a small nod of my head.

“You mean with the money that Lucien gave you?” Reiner asked as he seemed to connect the dots.

“Yeah...that money,” I confessed softly.

Lucien did tell me to use the money how I wanted, right?

From the moment that I accepted the money from him, I never thought of using the money for myself. His fortune is massive, too massive for me to even think of spending it all. However, if I were to spend it on a good cause to help the children in need, then it might be worth it. Now that I have voiced it, I realized how passionate I was about this cause. I’m going to talk to Lucien about this later on after I get Reiner’s permission and thoughts.

“Do you...think that I’m crazy?” I asked softly.

Reiner seemed stunned into silence, and he hasn’t said anything yet. He probably thinks that I’m insane and my idea is crazy. I sighed softly but I wasn’t willing to give up on this dream just yet.

“Not at all. I think that it’s a wonderful idea for a very noble cause, Natalia,” Reiner replied as he placed his large hand on the top of my head.

His blue eyes came closer to my face. He smiled charmingly at me as he stared deeply into my eyes. His smile was so warm and genuine that it reached his eyes and made it seem to sparkle so captivatingly.

“Really?” I asked in disbelief.

“Of course. If that is what you want to do, then I’ll support you. Let’s make it work for us,” Reiner said encouragingly.

My lips broke into a broad smile at his words as relief flooded my body and replaced the guilt that I had been harboring. I turned in his arms and threw my arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug as I started giggling happily.

“Thank you, R! I love you so much...I can’t even describe how happy I feel...” I cried out happily.

Reiner’s body shook a little as he started laughing. His large hand continued to stroke my back comfortingly. The warmth of his embrace and the generosity of his words filled me with so much joy.

“It’s too early to celebrate. This is going to be very difficult for you to achieve...” Reiner warned solemnly.

“I know but I still want to give it a shot. I might be able to do it now but over the years, I think that I’ll finally get there...somehow...” I replied.

“Somehow...?” Reiner muttered as he shook his head.

“We can figure it out as we go along, right?” I suggested brightly.

“I guess...” Reiner replied softly before he smiled adoringly at me.

I placed my lips firmly against his as I kissed him lovingly. His soft and warm lips made me feel even better.

“Let’s be together always,” I stated my wish with all my heart.

Chapter 533: Reiner – A Wonderful Father

“Of course,” Reiner replied without hesitation as his arms tightened a little around my body.

“After we settle things here, let’s head back home. I know that we can’t keep on living like this, so we’ll have to find a way to operate this orphanage remotely. Once we figure that out, we can operate the other orphanages remotely too just like this one,” I proposed the idea that I had thought of before.

“We’ll need strong team members and managers in place to do that. It’ll take time but it’s not impossible...” Reiner replied encouragingly.

“Thank you...you’re such a wonderful husband. One day, I’m going to be less selfish and less stubborn, I promise,” I declared passionately.

“Don’t worry about me and just focus on getting your act together, Natalia,” Reiner said with a hint of warning in his voice.

Despite his tone, I could feel how supportive he was. It had always been that way. Reiner always wanted what was best for me and had always looked out for me in his own way. I couldn’t have asked for a more caring partner to share my life with.

“I think that you’ll make a wonderful father,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

Reiner body stiffened evidently when I brought up this sensitive topic.

“And you got that from watching me play with a couple of kids for a few days? Isn’t that a little bit of a small sample of data points?” Reiner retorted.

“Not at all. I’ve been collecting data on this for far longer than you realize...” I replied, half teasingly.

He takes care of me so well too and I’m not even a kid. Reiner is kind, caring, compassionate, considerate, and the list of his positive attributes goes on and on. The fact that he works so hard to put me before himself was enough proof that he would probably be an outstanding father.

If only, he wanted to have children...

“I already told you that I’m fine with having children as long as you want to,” Reiner stated plainly.

“But you never said that you would want to have children,” I replied smoothly.

Reiner just nodded without saying anything more.

“It’s ok. I’ve already decided to give you a few years to change your mind,” I replied casually.

“What does that mean?” Reiner asked, clearly confused.

“Let’s build our own family. What about having our first child in two to three years’ time? Is that enough time for you to mentally prepare yourself?” I suggested brightly.

“Maybe...” Reiner replied softly before he placed another tender kiss on my forehead.

I stared deeply into his eyes before I crushed my lips against his boldly. Happiness never felt so simple...

...

A few days after that discussion with Reiner, we spent some time planning out what exactly needed to happen to bring my dream closer to reality. This was my first time ever creating a work plan that was more for the medium and longer term. Reiner was a big help as always and somehow, we managed to put together a plan that we thought would be good enough for us to convince King.

Just like I had decided on that day, I gave Lucien a call. My heart was beating so hard in my chest that I thought that I might faint from the pressure as I waited for the line to connect.

“Natalia...” Lucien’s voice spoke through the phone.

“Lucien...” I whispered.

“It’s not usual for you to call me first,” Lucien commented with a slight hint of disapproval in this voice.

Right, maybe I should call him a little more often from now on. I made a mental note of that before gathering my courage for what I needed to say next. Although I had planned my words already, when the time came, my lips shook from nervousness.

“I’m sorry...” I managed to say.

“That’s not what you wanted to tell me when you called, is it?” Lucien asked as he urged me to get to the point.

“About the money that you gave me...I think...I’ve finally figured out what I want to do with it,” I finally managed to say.

“Really? Tell me about it,” Lucien said with frank interest.

“I’ve been helping King manage an orphanage that he runs after there were some issues with the old management team. I took over from them and started managing it instead. King has other orphanages too that need help so I was thinking that I would like to work to support the children in need,” I explained while trying to remain calm.

“I see. Interesting. So, you want to get into philanthropic work to support orphans?” Lucien asked to make sure that he understood me correctly.

“Yes, that is correct. I think that it would be a good use of my time and your money,” I replied firmly.

“It’s not my money anymore. It’s your money now so as I said before, you can do whatever you wish with it,” Lucien replied without pause.

“I know that, but I want to know if you think that it’s a good idea...” I protested.

“Of course, it’s a good idea. Helping other people who are less fortunate than you will always be a beautiful thing, Natalia. I wished I could do more philanthropic work myself. Maybe you can talk more about it with Edward,” Lucien said approvingly.

Right, Edward does a lot of philanthropic work although the scale of his works is just on a completely different level than what I had in mind for my humble beginnings. Edward ran multiple foundations funded by his own wealth and by the wealth of others that believe in the same cause. I wouldn’t dare think of going anywhere near Edward’s level and scale.

“I don’t think I’m aiming for anything as grand but maybe I’ll talk to him about it,” I replied.

“Good. Let me know how it goes. I’m waiting to see what great things you’re going to do,” Lucien said supportively.

“Thank you. I feel slightly pressured,” I admitted honestly.

“You should be. That’s the only way you can really push yourself forward,” Lucien replied firmly.

“Thank you, Lucien...” I thanked him as I closed my eyes in relief.

“Don’t be a stranger and give Edward a call,” Lucien repeated his advice again before hanging up.

Chapter 534: Reiner – The End of It All

A week later, Reiner and I decided to go back home for a short visit with our main objective to discuss our plan with King. To my utmost surprise our meeting with King went by very smoothly. It gave me a feeling that King was satisfied with whatever outcome and his mind wasn’t on this issue at all. I thought back then that it must have been because the orphanage wasn’t truly part of the money-making part of the company’s business.

Regardless of the cause, I was thrilled that King agreed to our proposal. He told us that he was happy that someone from the family wanted to take care of it.

“I wish you good luck because this isn’t an easy job. Plus, I agree on quickly trying to find a way for you to manage things remotely. I can’t have Knight absent from this island for much longer than this,” King told us passionlessly.

A few days later, I found out that King’s reaction to our proposal wasn’t the only shocking thing that was waiting for us back home.

...

**A few days later**

After enjoying a few restful days with Reiner back at home, our peace was disturbed early in the morning. I sat at my usual spot at the dining table while I sniffed at the delicious smell of the breakfast that Reiner was cooking. Returning home had been a blessing for us. For one, Reiner had less work, and I could take a break from my daily tasks and meetings at the orphanage. Although we were not on leave from work, we had more time to relax in each other’s company.

“Do you want some coffee?” Reiner asked as he placed a large plate of breakfast in front of me.

Judging by how much food he had prepared for me; I doubt that I would have room for anything else besides plain water.

“Just water would be great,” I replied with a smile.

Reiner’s homecooked food looked, smelled, and tasted great as always. Being back here did make me feel happier and more restful; however, there was always a sense of worry at the back of my mind. I couldn’t stop worrying about how things were progressing back at the orphanage.

“Eat up, Natalia. Stop frowning and stop worrying about the orphanage. That place isn’t going to burn down simply because you’re not there for a while,” Reiner joked as he sat down opposite from me.

“I know that...it’s just hard not to worry...” I replied with a smile.

“Worrying isn’t going to help. Just get Nick or Kat to give you call to tell you how things are over there,” Reiner suggested helpfully.

“Yeah, I’ll do that...” I replied in agreement.

Suddenly, something on the news caught my attention. Although we didn’t focus our attention on the television, we had it on so that we could passively catch up on some news of what was going on in the world. I never expected to hear news about the Rosenhalls and so early in the morning like this.

“Did they mention the Rosenhalls just now?” I asked as I strained my ear to hear better.

“I think they did...” Reiner replied before he placed down his fork.

“Shit...” I swore softly before jumping up from my seat.

I almost ran to the sofa to get a closer look at what was being reported on the screen. Reiner followed close behind me. Unlike me, he was probably less interested in the news but more worried about me. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me that the news being reported wasn’t a good one.

My eyes focused on the television screen as I stood right in front of the large screen with my brows knitted together in a knot. The attractive brunette reporting on the news had a solemn and serious look on her face as she reported on the latest development of a Rosenhall lawsuit.

“Francesca Rosenhall or as commonly known simply as Madame Francesca is being called in by the court as a suspect for many crimes including embezzlement and murder,” the woman reported.

The scene on the screen quickly switched from her to a recording of Madame Francesca dressed head to toe in black being escorted out of her car and into the court building while countless reporters struggled against her bodyguards and other security team members. The scene was so chaotic and loud that I had no idea what the people were saying. Madame Francesca walked with a dignified air and did not spare the reporters a glance.

I covered my mouth with both hands to stop myself from screaming in shock. My head started to throb from stress and suddenly my eyes stung. Although Zak had told me that this day would come eventually and he even told me to watch the news, I wasn’t mentally prepared for this at all. This was the right thing. We were doing the right thing. I told myself that in my head time and time again as I continued watching the news segment covering the court case.

In the end, Zak had stuck to his words of bringing his own mother down. Who would have thought that the person who would expose her crimes to the world would be none other than her own son. She must have felt so shocked and so heartbroken, considering how much she loves Zak. I felt tears pooling in my eyes and it wasn’t because I sympathized with her.

So many emotions filled me up inside and created an ugly mix of feelings. It just hurt.

“Natalia...” Reiner whispered my name.

I could feel his presence close behind me before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against his large and solid frame. A tear rolled down my cheek, but I didn’t turn away from the television screen. I didn’t want to, but I knew that I had to watch everything unfold until the very end. This seemed to be just the start of the court case against her which meant that there was so much more to come until the end of the case where the judges will judge her and punish her.

Chapter 535: Reiner - Retirement

Reiner supported me literally by supporting my body and comforting it. Everything just hurt my heart. The Rosenhall family is probably in a mess right now. Even if this court case was about Madame Francesca, there was no way that the family and their business wasn’t impacted when such a prominent and well-respected family member got suspected for so many serious crimes.

Lucien, Edward, and Zak...just how are they holding up?

“Maybe you should stop watching this,” Reiner suggested softly.

“No...please let me watch this...” I replied resolutely.

There was nothing that I could do to help Lucien and Edward. There was nothing that I could say to support or comfort Zak. The least that I could do was to face the truth head on...and move on...

“It’s all good now, Natalia. This is how things are supposed to be...” Reiner murmured close to my ear before he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“I know...I just don’t know how to feel about all this...” I replied truthfully.

It felt painful. So painful...

Despite all the pain and struggles, this scandal truly brought Reiner and I even closer together than before. We watched the trial and all the news covering it together until the very end. It took almost two years, but in the end, Madame Francesca was sentence to a punishment that was fair and well suited for all the crimes that she had committed.

Just like that, it was really over.

...

**Two Years Later**

“Enjoy your holiday. Don’t worry about things here. We’ll definitely manage,” I told Queen with a smile.

Queen, dressed in a long dress with bright flowery patterns, smiled back at me and I have to say that I haven’t seen her this happy for a long time. King stood next to her in casual clothes, and he smiled at me too.

“Of course, you two can handle anything now. Finally, we can retire happily and go on holiday without any worry,” Queen replied with a laugh.

“Don’t over do it...” Reiner warned solemnly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Queen replied so carefreely that I laughed at her reaction.

“We’ll be off now. Call me if anything urgent happens,” King said emotionlessly.

“Have a good trip!” I cried out happily as I waved them off.

Today marked the one-month mark of King and Queen’s retirement from the management of the company. Queen was ecstatic about this getaway with King that she had been planning for around two months in advance to celebrate their official retirement. It was hard to believe that the two of them were retiring, given how active they both were and how energetic. Queen was openly excited, but King seemed as cold and passive as always.

Despite his outwardly expressionless demeanor, I was sure that King was happy to finally retire and hand over the management of the company to his only son, Reiner. The same day that King officially retired was also the day that Reiner officially succeeded him as the new CEO of the company. Even though, I knew that this day was coming, I still had very mixed feelings about Reiner taking over.

Frankly, I was worried. He was already very busy before he took over so I just couldn’t imagine how busy he would be once he became the formal head of the company and inherited everything from King. It wasn’t like I had any doubt in my husband’s ability to manage the company and the business. If anything, I would say that no one was as ready as Reiner was to take over. For the past few years, he worked very hard and had learnt so much from King.

King was very strict on grooming his son and Reiner was probably groomed from the moment that he was born to take over this position. That was probably why Reiner seemed so relaxed about it all while I was the only one going mad from panic and worry. Things were quite busy due to this big management change, but everything seemed to have settled down well in the span of the past one month.

Reiner took my hand into his as we watch King and Queen drive away in their car. To our surprise, they didn’t even tell us where they were headed. Queen just told me that she’ll show me some cool photos of their trip when they return and that was that.

“I wonder where they’re headed off to...” I said curiously.

“Who knows...” Reiner replied before tugging on my hand.

He led me back into the mansion and I followed obediently.

Reiner wasn’t the only one who had sorted out his career. I also managed to create a place in this world for myself over the past years through sheer hard work with a little of Reiner’s support. Maybe a little more than a little of his support.

After pushing hard and travelling back and forth between the orphanages and the mansion for almost a year, we managed to find a way to manage and run the orphanages remotely from the mansion with the help of many new and talented team managers and members. Currently, I am helping King run five orphanages in three different locations and we are on track to expand even further.

Unlike before, the orphanages are now funded half by King’s money and half by my money. King had graciously placed his trust in me to manage all the orphanages and I was more than honored to do so. The result of my first ever project with Reiner had kicked in less than six months after the completion of the project. The survival of agents on team-based missions improved significantly and that meant that fewer and fewer children lost their parent during missions.

The higher success and survival rate lowered the number of orphans; however, it did nothing to lower the number of children impacted by the missions of the various wars and conflict that still broke out regularly over the globe. That meant that we focused a lot more on rehabilitating orphans from war zones. It was a more challenging task, but I found it so rewarding to be creating so much impact and positive change to the lives of these children.