"Nat, what are you saying? I..."
"Now that Briena is no longer a daughter of the Ford family, you calculated who among us would be more profitable for you, didn’t you?" Natalie asked. "And then you chose me—a woman who can work her ass off and is capable enough to bring even a bankrupt company back to glory. Over a movie star, who would simply dominate you with her success, you chose a woman who can help you grow your business while she works and you take all the credit as the CEO. Do you think the same tactic will work on me again?"
Ivan was stunned to hear it but quickly composed himself. "No, you’re taking it the wrong way, Nat," he said, his voice and expression full of sadness, as if he had been unfairly accused. "When I came to you, all I had in my mind was that I truly like you. Even after being with Briena, I never stopped thinking about you. I regret letting my anger overshadow me and cloud my true feelings for you."
"Mr. Brown, all you did was find another opportunity, thinking that now, since Sephina Ford won’t give me anything, I am nobody and might seek support. You calculated my losses on my behalf already, but I must say—you truly don’t know me. I don’t need you or any other man to stand in my life. This generosity you’re showing me, thinking I’m some damsel in distress and you can use this opportunity to be a hero—I must say, you lost your chance long ago. Rather, you never stood a chance."
Ivan felt panicked to see her strong front against him. He had thought she would show her anger, but that he could convince her. However, she was truly not easy to persuade. For some time now, he had been constantly thinking about her and missing her. He kept remembering their days together when she had been his strongest support, and now, without her, he felt empty.
He had truly underestimated her presence in his life. He was wrong to take her and her feelings for granted, thinking she loved him so much that she would never leave him—but he was wrong.
"Natalie, you’re taking it the wrong way. I want to be with you because I truly love you. I genuinely want to marry you and have a family with you."
"Are you even worthy to think this way?" A deep and dignified voice cut through the room as a man entered the office.
Both of them turned to look at him—Victor.
Victor walked straight to Natalie, circled his arms around her waist affectionately, and pulled her closer. His face moved close to hers as he looked into her eyes and spoke, "My love, it hurts me to see some idiot proposing to marry you when someone perfect like me is already here by your side. Does he still not know his place?"
Ivan watched how close the two were and realized he had never been this close to her before. She could be close to her husband—but Victor? She wasn’t even resisting. This looked wrong.
He suppressed his displeasure and said, "Nat, if you’re keeping up with these people because you need them for your company, then you don’t have to. I can support your company and protect you from all the bad rumors about you. You don’t have to go through all this."
"And what made you think she needs support from an idiot?" another man entered the office.
Ivan looked at the handsome silver-haired man, his aura even more impressive than that of Victor.
Ivan was taken aback. Victor had called her ’My Love’, and now this man was calling her ’sweetheart’—and Natalie looked entirely unbothered, as if she was used to it. It made him question if she belonged to these two men as well. And who was this silver-haired man? With a gun in hand, he looked even more frightening.
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