Chapter 5

A sharp pain tore across Natalie's scalp.

Only then did she realize that these were Irene's fans.

But Natalie was the wife, and Irene was the mistress. Yet somehow, to them, Natalie was the one at fault.

Besides, she had paid for everything today with her own card. Lester had nothing to do with it.

Fighting through the pain, Natalie forced herself to speak, attempting to reason with them. "I didn't spend a single dollar of Lester's money. Let me go. You're committing a crime, you know?"

The young lady in front of her smirked. "Still lying. Girls, let's help Reenie teach this shameless woman a lesson!"

The moment those words fell, they surged forward and began hitting Natalie. Fists, feet, and elbows struck her from every direction, each of them using all their strength.

Natalie was completely outnumbered. Faced with so many people, she had no way to fight back and could only endure the beating.

She had parked in a relatively secluded area, and no one else passed by.

With no one around to stop them, the fans grew bolder, hurling insults as they continued their assault.

"You old woman. How dare you compete with Reenie for a man? We'll make sure you remember this."

"Best actress, huh? I bet you climbed your way up through your skills in bed. Mr. Garrison must've been blind back then. Good thing Reenie saved him."

Natalie could feel her hair being ripped out in handfuls, and the pain throughout her body was so intense it felt as though her organs had shifted.

"What are you ladies doing?"

The blows landing on her stopped immediately.

Natalie struggled to open her eyes and saw several security guards running toward her. At that point, she could no longer hold on and lost consciousness.

…

When she woke up again, Natalie was already in the hospital.

Lester, whom she hadn't seen for half a month, was sitting by the bed, holding her hand.

When he saw that she was awake, he asked with concern, "Nat, how are you feeling? Better?"

Natalie pulled her hand back and looked out the window. "Have the people who hit me been caught? I want to sue them."

Seeing the woman on the hospital bed, covered in injuries, a trace of distress appeared in Lester's eyes.

"The mall security called the police on the spot. Those people are already being held at the station. I—"

Before he could finish speaking, the door to the ward was pushed open.

Irene walked in and naturally hooked her arm through Lester's. "Oh? Les, I didn't know Natalie was awake."

With that, she turned toward Natalie and uttered apologetically, "Natalie, I'm really sorry my fans caused you trouble. They were just trying to help me. They thought you were standing in the way of my happiness with Les, so they lost their temper and went after you."

Though Irene apologized, the smugness in her eyes and the mockery in her words revealed her true feelings. She clearly took pleasure in seeing Natalie beaten.

Anger rose in Natalie's chest. If she hadn't desperately protected her face, she might've been disfigured already.

As an actress, if her face were ruined, her career would be over.

"Irene, since you can't keep your fans in check, I'll do it for you. I won't let things slide. I'm suing them," Natalie said.

Irene immediately defended her fans. "Natalie, I've already apologized to you. Why are you still pressing the issue? I won't let you harm my fans!"

Her eyes reddened as she looked up at Lester, tears welling. "Les, I'm your girlfriend, and Natalie is your ex-wife. Who are you siding with?"

Lester saw her tearful eyes and immediately pulled her into his arms. "Obviously, I'm on your side, Rene. Don't worry. I'll get your fans out of there."

Natalie's mind went black. She stared at him, disbelief written across her face. "Lester, are you seriously siding with your mistress? Those people almost ruined my face!"

Irene frowned and shot back, "Natalie, I've treated you with nothing but respect, but that doesn't give you the right to smear me. I only got together with Lester after your divorce. I've never been his mistress."

Natalie found it ridiculous. As the saying went, it took two to tango. If Irene had genuinely kept her distance before the divorce, Lester would never have pursued her so persistently for two months, given his pride.

It was clear that Irene wanted Lester's support and standing, yet she refused to be branded as nothing more than a mistress.

Lester reached out and gently stroked Irene's hair, then looked back at Natalie, his tone firm.

"But you're not disfigured, are you? How much compensation do you want? Name a price."