Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary) novel Chapter 2

Natasha couldn't tell if the man hadn't heard her or simply didn't care. He turned and stepped into the elevator without looking back.

By the time Natasha caught up, the doors were already sliding shut. Just before they closed completely, she locked eyes with the man inside.

Her heart skipped a beat.

His deep eyes, dark and seemingly infinite like a star-strewn night, held a subtle hint of tenderness.

At that moment, he looked just like the man who had pulled her from the lake all those years ago.

Could it really be him?

Natasha rushed to press the elevator button, but the rising numbers on the display crushed her hopes without mercy.

The elevator stopped on the 28th floor. That was Matthew's floor.

"Nat, what's wrong?"

Liana had come looking for her after noticing she hadn't left the hotel. She was puzzled when she found Natasha staring blankly at the elevator.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Natasha snapped back to herself and took a deep breath.

Suppressing the turmoil in her chest, she pointed at the elevator. "Liana, did you see the man who just went in?"

Liana thought for a second.

"Yeah! I was in the car and saw Matthew's uncle, Zachary, storming over. I was afraid you'd be bullied, so I ran after him. Why? Did you run into him?"

Natasha didn't answer. She looked stunned. Could that man be Zachary Foster? The new head of Foster Group?

He was known as a ruthless and decisive man who, in just a few years, brought the crumbling company back to the top of the industry.

Even after dating Matt for seven years, she'd barely caught a glimpse of his elusive uncle. Zachary was all about work. He was either buried in the office or overseas negotiating deals.

She'd tried to visit him a few times, but it never worked out.

People said Zachary was Matthew's uncle, but the former was only five years older. The two looked remarkably alike, so much so that strangers often mistook them for brothers.

A chilling possibility arose. What if the man who had rescued her all those years ago was Zachary, not Matthew?

Once that thought entered her mind, it refused to leave. If that were true, everything she'd done over the past seven years would have been a complete joke.

Back in the car, Natasha pulled up the Foster Group's official website on her tablet.

But aside from a brief bio, there wasn't a single photo of Zachary.

She scrolled for a long time before finally finding an image from a gala event.

He was wearing a tailored black suit. His features were sharp and defined, his lips pressed into a thin line. He radiated an aloof, untouchable air.

It was just a blurry side profile, but even that overlapped with the face from that stormy night in her memories.

Outside, the city lights flickered. Their reflections danced across her pale face.

"Liana, do you believe in fate?"

Her voice was hoarse, tinged with confusion. Through the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of Natasha's hollow expression. She opened her mouth to speak but said nothing.

Natasha had mistaken Matthew for the man who saved her for seven years. She had approached him, gotten to know him, and fallen in love with him.

And now, all seemed to turn into a joke.

Natasha sighed. "Liana, drive me to the beach. I need some air."

They sat by the beach for a while before the ocean breeze finally calmed her mind.