MasukChapter Forty-Four: DuncanThe file landed on the desk with a quiet thud.Duncan stared at it.He had been staring at the same documents for nearly an hour, but nothing seemed to make sense anymore.Everything was slipping, Natasha had changed. Sebastian had entered her life.And now there was another problem.Marriage.Again.He had heard about it that morning. Natasha and Sebastian were getting married. The news had reached him through someone he trusted, which made it even worse.Duncan leaned back in his chair."So it's happening."His assistant stood quietly across the room."Apparently."Duncan dismissed him with a gesture. When the door closed, he reached for his phone. He stared at Natasha's contact for several seconds.Then he called.No answer.He tried again.Nothing.His jaw tightened.A third attempt.Still nothing.He threw the phone onto the desk. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Natasha was supposed to remain trapped in the situation he'd created. The divorc
Chapter Forty-Three.NatashaBy the time we reached the apartment, I was still thinking about the dinner.Not the food.Not the teasing.Not even the fact that both families had been watching us like we were some sort of fascinating experiment.It was Sebastian's answer.We've decided to get married.He had said it so firmly.So naturally.As though the decision had already been made long before we sat at that table.I walked into the living room and dropped my handbag on the sofa.Sebastian closed the door behind us.For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.Then I turned around."You really said it."He loosened his tie."Yes.""You didn't even hesitate.""I didn't have a reason to."I stared at him."You know you just changed everything, right?"He looked at me."Did I?""Sebastian.""What?""You just told our families we're getting married.""I know.""And you're acting like we just agreed on what to have for breakfast."His lips twitched."Breakfast is more complicated."I stared a
Chapter Forty-Two.NatashalI woke up the next morning with a strange feeling.Not happiness exactly.Something quieter.Something that had settled somewhere deep inside me and refused to leave. I stared at the ceiling for several seconds before remembering the previous night.Dinner.The laughter.Sebastian admitting that he liked it. And the way he'd looked at me when I told him I liked simply being with him. I covered my face with both hands."What are you doing, Natasha?" I was talking to myself again. That wasn't a good sign. I finally got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. By the time I finished getting ready, I had convinced myself that I was overthinking everything.It had been one dinner.One good evening.That was all.Except when I walked into the kitchen, Sebastian was already there. And somehow, seeing him made the apartment feel different. He stood by the counter, reading something on his tablet while drinking his coffee.He glanced at me."Good morning.""Mornin
Chapter forty one.Natasha.The restaurant was quiet and elegant, tucked away from the busiest part of the city. It wasn't overly formal, which immediately made me relax.As we settled into our seats, I looked around."This is nice.""I thought you'd prefer somewhere quiet.""You remembered?""Apparently, I'm becoming thoughtful."I laughed."Don't let it get to your head."Dinner passed more easily than either of us expected. We talked about everything except work. We argued over which dessert to order. I insisted on chocolate cake. Sebastian wanted cheesecake.Eventually, we ordered both."You know," I said, laughing as I watched him take another bite of cheesecake, "for someone who pretends to be disciplined, you're doing very well.""I changed my mind.""About what?""I've decided I like being irresponsible occasionally."I smiled."See? I'm improving your life already.""Debatable.""You came out for dinner on a weekday.""I did.""You ate dessert.""Yes.""You smiled at least f
Chapter FortyNatashaThe following morning began more quietly than I expected.For the first time in weeks, I woke before my alarm, and for several minutes, I simply lay there staring at the ceiling. Yesterday's meeting with Duncan kept returning to my mind—the way he had refused to sign the divorce papers, the strange fear that had crossed his face, and the phone calls he had ignored while sitting across from me.Something about it still bothered me.Not because Duncan had refused to cooperate. I had already learned that expecting anything reasonable from him was a waste of energy. What unsettled me was how different he had seemed. Duncan had always been confident, sometimes to the point of arrogance. He had never been the kind of man who allowed anyone to see him afraid.Yet yesterday, I had seen fear in his eyes, I rolled onto my side and sighed. Perhaps I was thinking too much about it, That had become a habit lately.I pushed the covers aside and headed toward the bathroom, dete
Chapter Thirty-Nine.DuncanDuncan remained inside his car long after Natasha had disappeared from his view. His hands rested tightly against the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the building where she had gone.She had changed.That was the only explanation he could give himself.The Natasha he had known before would have hesitated. She would have questioned herself, second-guessed her decisions, and eventually allowed him to convince her that everything could still be fixed.But the woman who had sat across from him that afternoon had been different.Calm.Confident.Almost unfamiliar.She had looked at him without the slightest trace of the fear he remembered.And that unsettled him more than anything else, Duncan reached for his phone and stared at the screen.Three missed calls.All from the same number.He knew exactly who was calling.He had deliberately ignored the calls during his meeting with Natasha, but he knew he couldn't avoid them forever.His jaw tight
Chapter FourNatashaIt had been a week, A whole week of doing nothing but thinking… and yet, I was still stuck in the same place. MarriageThe only condition standing between me and the company. I let out a quiet sigh as I stared out the window, my fingers resting lightly against the glass, I hat
Chapter ThreeNatashaI had been away from my family for a long time. My parents had been against my marriage to Duncan from the very beginning. But because of my constant pleading and the business advantages the marriage would bring, they had eventually agreed. Back then, I believed marrying him w
Chapter TwoNatashaThe first thing I did after being discharged from the hospital was file for divorce. There was no reason in delaying this marriage any longer. Duncan had never truly wanted it in the first place. The marriage had only been a transaction between our two families.Although I had b
Chapter OneNatasha The beeping of the machine close to me jolted my senses back to reality as I slowly opened my eyes. Above me was a bright white ceiling, the light reflecting off the polished walls of the room. The air carried the sharp, sterile scent of disinfectant mixed with medicine. To my







