Ch5: He wanted to shelter her

"Those people... They killed her... And took my dad and brother away. They will kill them too!" Natalie replied as she trembled.

It was then that Ivan began understanding the whole thing. "You mean..." He stopped talking midway and pulled her into his arms. Saying it out loud hurt him too.

He could not resist it anymore. He did not want to see her like that. And it hurt him too to understand all that had happened to her!

"Can you let me go now?" The girl asked after some time. "I have to be there for them..." She wanted to go and find her family at all costs.

But the man said nothing, which worried her. What if he completely refused to let her go?

After all, he was not someone she knew. She even thought that she was crazy to tell him all that.

Who said that he was not the enemy just because he had said it? Maybe he was pretending so that he could get what he wanted!

"Sir?" She called, her voice so hoarse. She wanted to hear him say something.

Ivan felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. He had only just met her, but he felt an overwhelming urge to shelter her and keep her safe.

"Where is your mom's body now?" He asked. He knew that the question was harsh, but he wanted to understand the situation better so that he could help her.

Natalie shook her head. "I do not know... They took her with them!"

Ivan took in a deep breath, holding her tightly. He just wanted to hug her like that, and he almost forgot that she was the first person, a grown up, that he had ever hugged like that.

"The person after you... Do you know him?" He asked. And she shook her head continuously. She did not have any idea whoever he was!

There was silence between them for a few more seconds. Then he rubbed her back gently. "I want you to be strong for now, Natalie. Can you do that?" He asked.

Natalie hesitated for some seconds before she nodded. "But..."

"I know it is hard, but you need to trust me. I can't risk your safety by taking you out there. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and make sure your family is okay," he said, hoping to reassure her.

Natalie wanted to say something, but he shook his head at her. "I will find where they are, and make sure that they are fine. I will also find your mom's body... Can you trust me in this?"

Natalie looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Please Sir, you have to help me. I do not know what to do," she pleaded.

Even though she felt like she wanted to find them herself, she knew that she still needed someone to help her. Maybe this man would?

Ivan felt a pang of guilt. He knew he could not just leave her there alone, but he also could not risk her safety by taking her out there. He had to find a way to keep her safe while also making sure her family was okay.

"I promise you, Natalie, I will do everything I can to help you. But you have to trust me and stay here for now. It is not safe out there," he said, hoping to convince her.

Natalie nodded, tears still streaming down her face. "Okay Sir, I will stay here. But please, please find out if my family is okay," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ivan nodded, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He knew that he could not just let her go, but he also knew that he could not leave her in distress.

"I will do everything I can, Natalie. I promise," he said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Natalie looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, sir. You are a good man," she said, her voice trembling.

Ivan felt a rush of warmth in his chest. He had never been called a good man before, but he knew that he was doing the right thing.

As far as he could remember, he was always the bad one. He was always the inhuman one.

And he only managed to live well because he was powerful, because no one could match up with him.

Other women would crawl up at him, trying to praise him. But he knew all along that they did that because of the things that he had, because of his power.

However, that sounded very different when it came from her. It felt real, not forced, and genuine. And he could not help but hug her even tighter.

He loved her warmth and her scent. And he almost did not want to let go.

It was only when she patted his back that he came to his senses. And he released her immediately.

'Ivan! Are you okay? She wants your help for now!' he could not help but admonish himself.

"I will be back soon, Natalie. In the meantime, try to get some rest," he said, standing up and heading towards the door.

Natalie nodded, wiping away her tears. "Okay Sir, I will try," she said, watching as he closed the door behind him.

She could feel loneliness crawl into her heart once again. When he left, she felt like her heart was hollow.

She wished she was able to call him back, but she just could not. She had to wait and see if he could help her.

Ivan walked out of the room, his mind racing. He knew that he had to find out if Natalie's family was okay, but he also knew that he could not just take her out there. No! Not when he was not sure of what was happening!

He had to come up with a plan that would keep her safe while also making sure her family was okay.

And first, he had to find out exactly what had happened, what the enemy wanted from the girl's family and where they had taken her mom's body.

He took out his phone and called his assistant. "Trevor, find out what happened to the Shine family of City B and report back as soon as possible."