Alexei pinched Natasha’s cheek with a half–smile. “I don’t have that many marriage prospects”


    ‘So, it’s because I’m his chosen partner? That didn’t seem so bad, she thought. ‘Rtionships built on mutual benefit and duty felt more stable than those relying on emotions.


    Natasha lowered hershes and nestled against him. She savored his warmth. Just let me be weak for a little while, she thought.


    Natasha was still dazed when Alexei carried her to the bathroom. He kept holding her, one arm around her waist, the other touching her rain–soaked hair. “What? Want me to do it for you?” he


    teased.


    Finally, Natasha pushed him away. She just stared at him with wet hazel eyes, saying nothing.


    “Fine. I owe you,” Alexei sighed. He pinched her cheek again and turned to leave. Momentster, he returned with clean clothes. His knowledge of her room came from her month–long recovery


    there<i>. </i>


    Seeing the underwear under the nightgown finally snapped Natasha back to reality. Her cheeks burned. “Why did you grab these?”


    Alexei looked away, his tone deliberately flippant. “Prefer wearing nothing? I don’t mind.” He said it casually, but the blush on his ears betrayed his unease.


    Natasha poked his chest, easily pushing him out. “Get out.”


    Outside, Alexei’s demeanor shifted instantly. The gentle, teasing mask he wore for Natasha vanished, reced by his usual coldness.


    He made a call. “Is the rk family pursuing the Eastside Tech Park project? Pull them. Give it to their arch–rival, Hawthorne Tech.”


    A teasing voice replied, “The rks pissed you off? Rumor is they’re banking on this project to pivot. Thomas chased it for years”


    Poor at managing the household, unworthy of any important role,” Alexei stated coldly. “Also, keep them upied. They’re too idle Idle enough to bully the woman he cared about.


    He thought, “The Natasha I handle with such care–these people keep slinging all sorts of thh at her. This time is nothing more than a small warning?


    For Alexei, they were only family if Natasha acknowledged them Otlierwise, their actions deserved death a hundred times over Suppressing his fury, he headed to the kitchen to make hot cocoa,


    173


    4:34 pm PS


    <b>20 </b>vouchers


    Lucas couldn’t find Natasha. Her phone was off. Sitting in his car in a bad mood, he got a call from Olivia.


    Watching the screen sh, annoyance red in him for the first time. Lucas didn’t want to answer, but she persisted relentlessly.


    Finally, he picked up, rubbing his temples. “Olivia, what is it?”


    Panicked sobs came through. “Roderick, it’s thundering. I’m scared. Where are you?”


    Hearing that name, Lucas froze. A drowning sensation overwhelmed him. He finally understood Natasha’s stress all those years. A life weighed them down. Olivia was having a rpse.


    Lucas met Thomas at the rks. Seeing no one with him, Thomas frowned. “Natasha didn’te back with you?”


    “She was gone when I arrived,” said Lucas.


    Thomas was silent for a while. “She hasn’t been home for a long time. I thought she’d at leaste back today,” he said.


    Lucas’s face twisted with scorn. “Why? To see her boyfriend cozying up to another woman?” Thomas had no defense, his guilt evident.


    Seeing his difort, Lucas sneered inwardly, ‘See? Everyone knows what hurts, yet they find excuses to ignore her pain. And me, I am also an aplice.’


    “Olivia’s upstairs,” Thomas finally said. “Go check on her.”


    Lucas gave a coldugh and climbed the stairs heavily. Standing outside Olivia’s door, the image of Natasha alone in the rainy cemetery filled his mind.


    He suddenly had an urge to turn around right then, find Natasha, say sorry, and wish her a happy birthday, Reputation and obligation–they were all burdens.


    But just as the thought crossed his mind, the door opened. Olivia rushed into his arms like a frightened puppy. “Roderick! I miss you so much.” As if bound by something, Lucas couldn’t leave.


    Smiling, Olivia led him to the bedside. “Roderick, will you help me sleep?”


    She touched the red marks on her neck, looking troubled. “Natasha got mad at me again. How can I make up with her? Let’s get married quickly.”


    Her eyes shone. “Then I can move out. If I’m gone, Natasha wille home.” She sounded utterly sincere, all for Natasha’s sake.


    Lucas couldn’t tell her Roderick was gone forever. The man who loved her died in that ident at


    4:34 pm <b>P </b>


    sea. Every thought choked him. He sighed softly. “Let me treat these marks first.”


    120 vouchers


    “Roderick, you’re so sweet. I’m not scared now that you’re here. Will you stay with me forever?” She touched his face intimately, fully believing he was her lover.


    Lucas awkwardly pulled back but replied firmly. “Yeah. I’ll always be with you.”


    Since Roderick died saving him, Olivia became his inescapable responsibility. Roderick had been his friend–gentle, cheerful. Even Natasha, who shed with Olivia, liked him.


    That’s why they went sailing together. Back then, Olivia and Roderick were a lovely couple, together before he and Natasha. They were deeply in love, nning marriage.


    Roderick loved extreme sports. That’s how he stayed calm during the storm, saving Olivia and others. He drowned while pulling Lucas to safety.


    Learning of Roderick’s death shattered Olivia. She attempted suicide multiple times. After jumping into the sea, her memory fractured. She mistook Lucas, the first person she saw, for Roderick.


    Lucas wanted to exin and get a doctor for her. But the rks said Olivia couldn’t handle any shock, and the treatment had to be done gradually.


    Also, if people found out about her mental issues, it would ruin her dancing career.


    They wanted Lucas to y Roderick’s role during her rpses. Lucas’s father, Emmanuel, also said their family couldn’t afford to have an ungrateful person.


    Natasha could defy Olivia and risk her reputation because she had nothing to lose. Olivia was the rk family’s shining star, and Thomas would inherit most of their wealth.


    But Lucas was the Wrights‘ sole heir. Any scandal was uneptable. Besides, Natasha was the one who suggested the sea trip, and Roderick died saving Lucas. Both of them owed Olivia. <fn977e> Official source is find?novel</fn977e>


    Of course, Emmanuel had his consideration. Recing his future daughter–inw in this way would be more beneficial for the Wright family. Natasha’s reputation paled next to Olivia’s.


    And clearly, in the rk family, the adopted daughter mattered more than the true one. Who else would ask their biological daughter’s fiancé to pretend to be their adopted daughter’s boyfriend?


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