Chapter <b>27 </b>


    20 vouchers


    Dn muttered under his breath, ‘Seriously? Is she his wife or something, and that he just called


    her over?


    ‘He had said she was just a business partner. But now? Damn!‘


    Curling his lip, Dn decided to pretend he hadn’t seen anything. Honestly, he was getting more and more eager to see the day Alexei’s face got pped hard.


    Meanwhile, Natasha dropped Sadie off at her ce, and had barely arrived back at her apartment when Alexei’s video call came through.


    Alexei was wearing a ck robe, his broad chest partly exposed. His ck hair was slightly mussed, like he’d just been pulled out of bed, softening some of his usual cold sharpness.


    “Isn’t it the middle of the night over there?” Natasha asked, puzzled.


    Alexei was studying her through the camera. Since she’d been to a bar, Natasha was wearing a red, fitted mini dress.


    The dress showed off her fair corbones and long legs–slim yet with just the right curves, her waist small enough to fit one hand.


    Now, when Natasha leaned in toward the phone, her features were magnified–blond hair, porcin skin, arched brows, and red lips, like a little temptress straight out of a dream.


    Alexei thought sourly, ‘Howe she never dressed like this when I was around?‘


    Alexeipletely forgot that back then, they were basically homebodies and wouldn’t bother dressing up at home.


    Of course, with her looks, Natasha could pull off both the bare–faced kind of beauty and the morous kind.


    Alexei’s momentary distraction passed. He said, “Sit back a little. Let me see your arm.”


    In the video Dn had sent, Alexei saw a guy swing a bottle at her from behind, and Natasha blocked it for the woman next to her. After that, she’d lowered her head and clutched her arm.


    Still confused, Natasha stepped back. ‘What’s with him, going crazy in the middle of the night?


    ‘Asking to see a girl’s arm like that–does he not realize how creepy that sounded?‘


    But then Natasha nced down at the scratch on her upper arm and suddenly understood. Her first instinct was to check her clothes and jewelry. “Did you put a tracker on me?”


    ‘Otherwise, how would he know I was hurt?‘ Natasha wondered.


    <b>4:31 </b><b>pm </b>PS


    Alexei actually gave it some thought. “Not impossible.”


    Natasha crossed her arms in an X over her chest. “I refuse. Personal privacy, OK?”


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    “Ms. rk put on quite the show tonight,” Alexei said. “Some nosy person sent me a video.”


    Then his gaze darkened as he looked at the cut. “I leave for one day and you already get hurt like this, Natasha. Impressive.”


    “Maybe start by ming the person who attacked me, thanks,” Natasha replied, looking innocent. “It’s not like I wanted to run into some lunatic.”


    Thinking of those men at the bar, Alexei narrowed his eyes. ‘Letting Natasha drink with them–are they tired of living?‘


    From afar, Alexei flexed his fingers, resisting the urge to touch her wound.


    “All right,” Alexei said gently, his voice carrying a hint of coaxing that felt strangely intimate in the deep of night. “How about I get payback for my wife?”


    Covering the phone camera to hide her flushed face, Natasha scolded softly, “Alexei, stop calling me that.”


    His tone is light and teasing,‘ Natasha thought.


    Alexei’s lips curved. “Just giving you a preview of what it’s like to be Mrs. Turner.”


    Noticing her injured arm resting against the couch, he reminded her. “Don’t press on it. Take care of it before you go to bed.”


    Okay, fine,” Natasha said. “I’ll take a shower and put some ointment on.”


    ‘No need,” Alexei replied. “I’ve already called a doctor for you.”


    Natasha said, “That’s really not necessary. It’s not serious. I can just wrap it myself. By the time the doctores, I’ll be half–asleep.” <fnff05> Chapters first released on FιndNovel</fnff05>


    Alexei seemed to type a quick message to someone, then looked back at her. “She’s already there. Co open the door”


    He actually arranged it while I was still at the bar, calcting the timing so the doctor would arrive just right? Natasha thought.


    Surprised, Natasha went to the door and found a pleasant–looking unfamiliar woman standing there. “Ms. rk? Hello, I’m Arabe.”


    Natasha had half expected Dn to show up instead. With mixed feelings, she invited Arabe


    inside.


    Voucher


    Arabe was extremely professional. She not only bandaged the cut on Natasha’s arm but also checked the other bruises on her body.


    Before leaving, Arabe left some medicine and scar cream, along with neatly written instructions on sticky notes ced where Natasha could easily see them.


    Alexei had the video call on the whole time, watching over the process.


    In her twenty–three years, Natasha had been through all kinds of injuries–even the time her father whipped her into the hospital–yet she’d never been treated with such care.


    Not that she minded. In fact, it felt kind of nice. Natasha mumbled into the phone, “Alexei, you’re corrupting me.”


    Alexei chuckled. “If it’s that easy to win you over, then my job’s going to be a breeze.”


    When Arabe heard Alexei’s surprisingly gentle voice through the phone, her arm gave the slightest twitch as she packed up the medical kit, suddenly speeding up her movements.


    “Arabe, why don’t you just crash here for the night?” Natasha asked when Arabe said goodbye.


    It waste, and it didn’t feel safe for a woman to be out alone.


    Plus, Arabe had onlye out in the middle of the night because of her–she was even in loungewear–so Natasha felt a little bad.


    Arabe looked slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected the woman who’d caught Alexei’s eye to be this genuinely kind.


    After so many years as a private doctor, Arabe had seen her fair share of arrogant rich people.


    They didn’t care if it was pouring rain at midnight–your safety wasn’t their problem.


    Arabe smiled and shook her head. “That’s all right. Mr. Turner arranged a driver for me.”


    Then Natasha walked her to the elevator. Once the doors closed, taking that intimidating man on the other end of her phone with them, Arabe let out a deep breath.


    Arabe thought, ‘God, treating a patient under Alexei’s gaze is nerve–wracking,


    “Thank goodness Ms. rk isn’t the delicate type, or Alexei’s re alone could’ve killed me a


    hundred times


    Still, remembering the shadowed expression she’d glimpsed on his face during the call, Arabe shook her head. “Those guys from the bar are done for.


    ‘Honestly, anyone who could hurt a beauty like that deserved what wasing!


    4:31 pm PAA


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    Natasha slept soundly that night. But for others, the night had been anything but calm.


    The next morning, she got a message from Ramona that sounded oddly cautious, almost testing. [Ms. rk, have you run into anyely?]


    [No, why?] Natasha replied, confused.


    Ramona: [No reason. I just wanted to tell you Matthew won’t be bothering you anymore. The Hill family is sending him overseas.]


    Sending him overseas was basically exile. Without the Hill family’s power and endless allowance, someone as used to luxury as Matthew could only imagine the kind of life that awaited him abroad.


    More importantly, being cut off from the center of power was a death sentence.


    Zayden didn’t have many years left. If Matthew wasn’t by his side now to win favor, no one would even remember him in a few years.


    Ramona’s gaze shifted to another younger cousin, and she gave him a faint smile. Thest remaining male heir of the third generation shivered,