Natalie eyed the white T-shirt and jeans Laney was wearing and pursed her lips.
“How about we go shopping? I heard from a colleague that there’s a clothing shop in the mall that’s on sale right now.”
“Why? I have enough clothes already.” Laney was a casual girl. She thought that her outfit was fine. If she ran into some thugs, it’d be easy for her to deal with them in comfy clothes.
After hesitating slightly, Natalie linked her arm in Laney’s arm and smiled.
“Let’s buy some dresses. My treat. Although you look great, your clothes are too neutral. You should try dressing up some more.
You have such a beautiful face. Don’t waste it.”
Natalie’s bright eyes observed Laney’s facial features. Laney was pretty. She had innocent yet sharp eyes, which made her look beautiful.
Laney opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t find the words to protest. In the past, when she trained in the
organization, she had always been boyish. Now that she thought about it, Laney realized that she had never really experienced what normal girls went through-things like shopping and dressing up.
“Fine. Let’s check the store out,” Laney relented with a helpless smile.
But before the two of them could step inside the shopping mall, they were stopped by a man.
“Natalie Quinn?” he asked. The man was well-dressed, and there was a bodyguard standing behind him.
When the man’s eyes landed on Natalie’s face, he smiled inexplicably. Natalie couldn’t help but frown subconsciously.
The man looked extremely arrogant in her eyes.
She didn’t even know who he was, but at a glance, she knew she didn’t like him. Natalie eyed the well-dressed man warily. “And you are…?’ Ritchie Klein walked over and introduced himself.
“lm Sebastian’s older brother, Ritchie. Would you like to have dinner with me so we can catch up, as a family?”
Natalie hesitated. Sebastian hadn’t told her much about the Klein family. She only knew that they didn’t get along well with him.
Otherwise, she knew nothing about them. Ritchie was being polite enough, but there was something about the arrogance in his eyes that was off-putting to Natalie.
“I’m sorry, but I have prior commitments tonight. I’m going shopping with my friend.” Natalie forced a smile and refused him politely. Ritchie’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Casually tinkering with the ring on his thumb, he said in a low voice, “We’re family now. Won’t you make time for me?” Natalie lowered her head. She didn’t want to offend him, which would only bring trouble to Sebastian.
Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “Fine.”
“Im coming with you,” Laney immediately said, staring at Ritchie on high alert. But Ritchie raised his hand to stop her.
In his eyes; Laney was just a stupid woman who didn’t know her place. Snorting with disdain, he glanced at Laney indifferently and said, “I’m afraid it’s none of your business.”
Natalie looked at Laney and shook her head subtly. “You should go back. I’ll see you tomorrow at work, Lane.”
Laney looked at Ritchie again hesitantly before finally nodding.Nonetheless, she planned to secretly follow Natalie in case something bad happened to her.
A bodyguard opened the car door. After waiting for Natalie to get into the car, Ritchie got in and sat next to her Jonot looked out the window uneasily. She could feel Ritchie’s intense gaze burning a hole on the back of her head.
Just to be safe, Natalie secretly texted Sebastian, telling him that Ritchie had come to her. Minutes had passed and her phone still didn’t buzz. Perhaps Sebastian was busy.
Natalie put away her cell phone and sat up straight. She was used to this. After all, Sebastian was probably busy unloading goods in the convenience store. Ritchie’s eyes wandered over Natalie’s body and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
“Are you texting Sebastian? My dear sister-in-law, there’s no need to be nervous. It’s just a simple meal between family members.”
Natalie looked up at Ritchie. Only then did she realize that there was some resemblance between him and Sebastian.
“No. I was just wondering if my friend has got home safely,” Natalie said with a gentle yet alienating smile.
As though he didn’t believe her, Ritchie snorted and stopped talking. The car stopped at a restaurant famous for its black truffle dishes in Seacisco. The waiter at the door greeted Ritchie with a respectful smile.
“Mr. Klein.”
It wasn’t until then that Natalie realized that the Klein family might be more powerful than she had thought. Perhaps they were even at the top of the power pyramid in Seacisco. The restaurant manager personally came to introduce the new menu to Ritchie.
And it seemed like Ritchie was used to this kind of treatment. After entering the private room, he simply asked the staff to leave them alone. He didn’t pretend to be polite anymore when it was just him and Natalie left in the room.
With his long legs crossed, Ritchie looked at Natalie with no holds barred.
The car was dimly lit earlier, so only now did Ritchie get a clear look at Natalie.
She wasn’t as beautiful as a fairy, but her skin was smooth and flawless. Overall, she looked clean and comfortable, but there was a certain tenacity in her eyes, which was likely to arouse a man’s desire to conquer her.
Ritchie had seen countless beautiful women in his lifetime, but he usually didn’t bother to waste time on them. The Klein’s family was so rich and powerful that women tended to pounce at any chance to be with him. Natalie wasn’t his type, but she was Sebastian’s wife, which was enough to pique Ritchie’s interest in her.
Natalie felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.
After pouring a cup of tea for Natalie, Ritchie handed the overflowing cup to her then refilled his own cup.
“How’s life with Sebastian? We haven’t given him any money since he cut ties with the Klein family.”
After taking a sip of the tea, Natalie replied curtly, “We both have jobs. Although our salaries aren’t that big, it’s enough to support us.”
Natalie wasn’t used to opening up to strangers. Her humoring Ritchie now was solely for Sebastian’s sake. Ritchie looked at Natalie’s clothes up and down. Although he was smiling, he sneered with such disdain.
‘It looks like you’re not living a good life. Your clothes and shoes are cheap. In a word, you look very poor.”
‘This is Sebastian’s and my life. It has nothing to do with you.”
Natalie’s eyes grew cold as anger brewed within her. With a pitiful sight, Ritchie’s arrogant eyes wandered to Natalie’s chest.
“You’re so beautiful and talented. It’s unfortunate that you ended up with a poor guy like Sebastian. Why don’t you divorce him?
Then I’ll keep you as my mistress and make sure you live a rich life.”
In the blink of an eye, Natalie had poured the cup of tea on Ritchie’s face. Ritchie’s expression immediately darkened. He raised his hand to wipe the tea on his face.
Fortunately, the tea wasn’t piping hot. His eyes flashed with rage and he looked at Natalie aggressively. Taken aback by his fierce gaze, Natalie stepped back abruptly, but she stood her ground.
“If you just want to talk nonsense with me, I’m leaving.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Natalie turned around to leave. Ritchie grabbed her wrist and rushed to lock the door to the private room.
Then he pressed her against the wall as easily as though she were a ragdoll. With an evil smile on his face, his eyes flashed dangerously even as tea dripped from his hair. He lowered his head, bringing his face closer to Natalie’s, admiring her seemingly calm demeanor.
“It would’ve been so much better if I could persuade you, but since you don’t know how to behave yourself, I’m going to have to use more than just words.”
Natalie’s eyes widened with fear when she realized what he wanted to do. She struggled to break free from his grip and wanted to run out of the private room. But the man was obviously much stronger than Natalie.
Seeing her struggle, Ritchie grabbed her hand, which was reaching for the door knob desperately. He grabbed her other hand and easily raised her arms above her head.
“I’m calling the police!” Natalie gritted her teeth. She felt ashamed and angry, and her eyes showed it. .
“So what? They can’t touch the Klein family. Didn’t you know that, my dear sister-in-law?” Ritchie’s eyes suddenly turned red with desire. His impulsive actions excited him.
How would Sebastian react when he found out that his woman was defiled by his brother? Ritchie felt desire surge within his body as he pressed his body against Natalie’s. Unable to wait any longer, he ripped Natalie’s shirt open, sending her buttons flying into the air.
“If Sebastian finds out that I’ve had sex with you, do you think he will still want you?”
Using all her strength, Natalie tried to break free from his grip. Her hair was in a mess. In a sobbing voice, she shouted, “If Sebastian finds out, he’ll never let you go!”
Without any hesitation, Ritchie sneered coldly.
“Sebastian is a loser. Even if he finds out about our little fiasco, what can he do? Maybe he’ll even give you to me as a plaything.”
“Let me go! Ritchie! Get your dirty hands off of me!”
However, her efforts were futile. She kicked and screamed, shouting for help Helpless tears welled up in her eyes. She regretted agreeing to go with Ritchie. How could she have been so stupid?
Then again, how could she have known that this Klein brother would be like this?
“This restaurant is my property. Even if someone hears you, they won’t come to help you,” Ritchie said with obvious delight as he watched her struggle. Then, he lowered his head and started kissing her on the neck, panting breathlessly.
“If no one’s willing to help me, then I’ll have to help myself!”
Suddenly, Natalie bit Ritchie’s ear-hard.
“Fuck!” Ritchie felt as though Natalie was about to tear his ear off, so he instinctively retreated a few steps back.
“Fuck off, you bastard!”
When he was caught off guard, Natalie kicked his shin. She initially wanted to kick him in the balls, but he was too far away for her to reach it.
“If you dare touch me again, I will take you with me to hell!” The ferocity in her voice scared even Ritchie.
Then, Natalie ran to the table quickly to retrieve her phone, but Ritchie acted faster than her.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Ritchie grabbed her phone and smashed it against the floor. In the blink of an eye, Natalie’s phone screen shattered into countless pieces.
Natalie had no choice but to step back as the man approached. Just then, the door of the private room was violently kicked open.