her fear

Nathan’s P.O.V. (Continued)

She gulped hard before looking back at me.

“Ms. Williams entered our store first and was browsing when Ms. Winters entered. Everything was…. Was okay at first, but things started heating up when Ms. Winters demanded that Ms. Williams to give up on a dress that Ms. Williams was about to purchase. When…. When Ms. Williams politely declined, Ms. Winters started yelling at her, calling her names, an… and started accusing her f… for seducing me… men.”

“It’s not like that, Nathan. She is lying.” Nancy shouted, but I sensed panic in her voice.

I glared at her, making her cower immediately.

I took a few deep breaths and looked at Cynthia, who still had a grim expression on her face.

“Ms. Williams, I.” She raised her hand to stop me as her eyes were now glued on Nancy.

“Ms. Winters. I don’t remember meeting you personally at any time. I wonder from where your accusation of seducing men came. We don’t even have any acquaintances in common.”

I pursed my lips into a thin line, looking at Nancy with anger and resentment.

I understood very well what she targeted at Cynthia and it really made me ashamed in front of Cynthia.

I could see that Nancy wanted to burst out again, but she controlled herself.

Cynthia moved towards me, her face calm, but the coldness in her eyes stabbed my heart.

“I need a favor from you, Mr. Lombart.” She asked me politely but didn’t mask the coldness.

I just gave a curt nod, feeling anxious.

If it were to my wife, she would have asked me to punish Nancy for disrespecting her.

I wondered what Ms. Williams wanted to do to avenge herself.

“I want the footage of this whole situation to submit to the police. I am going to sue Ms. Winters for slandering me and sabotaging my reputation in the public, given the fact that we both are strangers to each other.” She demanded coldly.

“You can’t do that, Nathan. This will ruin me completely.” Nancy screamed in panic.

“Shut up.” I roared at her immediately.

She was startled by my outburst. She looked at me with a painful gaze filled with tears.

I completely ignored her and took a deep breath before looking back at Cynthia Williams.

“I would like to invite you into my office for a cup of coffee, Ms. Williams.” I was polite on my invitation, but I couldn’t hide the stiffness.

Her gaze was still cold, but the way her jaw clenched immediately, it was clear that she was disappointed by my invitation.

She looked between me and Nancy a few times.

“Chris, please escort Ms. Winters out of the mall, and inform the security not to let her enter again. Not today, not in the future.” I instructed Chris but kept looking at Cynthia.

She was pissed but had good control over her emotions.

“What? You can’t do that to me, Nathan. I am your girlfriend. How can you do this to me?” She continued yelling but my temper shot to the sky when she mentioned the word "girlfriend."

“Mind your language, Ms. Winters. Chris throws her out. She is banned from entering any of our premises until I settle everything with my lawyer.”

Her audacity to call her my girlfriend?

Did she think I forgot what she did to my wife?

She was playing the same game but for what reason?

At the same time, four security guards entered the store.

“Nathan…. Nathan. Don’t this to me. You can’t do this to me.” She started yelling in panic again when she saw those guards.

In panic, she reached for the nearest racks of clothes and thrashed them towards us.

“Ms. Williams,” Winnie screamed in panic, and without thinking once, I launched myself at Cynthia.

I embraced her, shielding her from the approaching racks.

I winced in pain when the sharp edge of the rack hit the upper center of my back hard.

Cynthia trembled hard in my embrace. Her breath was ragged.

She was scared.

I dragged her away from the chaos, still holding tightly in my embrace. She clutched my suit jacket hard in fear.

“It’s okay. You are safe.” I comforted her, remembering the past of the investigation mentioned her accident. She still had the trauma of that accident.

She couldn’t stop shaking. Nancy continued screaming while the guards dragged her out.

"Nathan.... don't do this to me. She is not your Cynthia."

I zoned out everything that Nancy screamed and concentrated on the woman in my embrace.

“Winnie.” I called the salesgirl hurriedly.

“Y… yes, Mr. Lombart?” She immediately asked in panic.

“Bring Mr. Williams’ belongings to my office.” I instructed her while scooping her into my embrace in bridal style.

“And call a doctor too.” I instructed the store manager while storming out of the store.

Cynthia had clutched my suit jacket and shirt tightly while shivering hard.

“Cynthia. Everything is okay.” I comforted her, but the softness of her body made my heart skip beats in a row.

I knew this softness. I had hugged this body so many times.

There is no way that I could forget this touch.

She was still a stranger because of her face and whatever Chris found on her, but how could I describe this familiarity of her body?

I tightened my grip on her body when she whimpered and trembled again.

She whispered something incoherent, which I couldn't understand but it sounded more like a plea.

What exactly happened to her?

My urge to make her feel safe reached its peak.

“You are safe.” I continued saying soothing words, but my own voice trembled. The people around us stared at us with different expressions, but my concentration was on Cynthia.

Winnie was right behind me with Cynthia’s belongings.

We entered my personal elevator and Winnie scanned a card. I guess Chris gave that to her.

Her hands were also trembling, but my whole concentration was on Cynthia.

“You are safe. You are safe.”

It seemed that Cynthia wasn’t listening to my words. She was in a trance.

“Everything is okay, princess. You are safe.” I continued blurting out soothing words, holding her tightly, afraid of whatever was coming to us.

I exited on my floor and ran straight to my office. Cynthia was now slumped into my embrace, and her breathing started calming down.

She was still conscious, and this was the only relief for me.

I put down on the couch, but she didn't let go of me.

"I am not going anywhere, princess. I am here." I comforted her again, stroking her head gently, my face close to her.