Lahat ng Kabanata ng Opening My Eyes to Reality: Kabanata 301 - Kabanata 310

Rowan froze briefly before saying, "It's my fault. I failed her."That stopped Shane cold. He'd expected at least an excuse and certainly not a blunt, unhesitating blame-taking. Plus, it didn't sound like lip service and more like an apology that came from deep within the chest.That left Shane at a loss. "Mr. Mattel, Natalie's had it rough. I may not be much, but if anyone hurts her, I won't just sit back and do nothing."He paused, then added, "Since you two broke up, I won't pry into the past. But please have some self-awareness and stay out of her life.""Alright," Rowan replied with a frown.Even after hanging up the phone with Shane, he wasn't in the mood to get back to work. Waving off the employee waiting in his office to report their work, he rubbed his temples, frowning.Landon felt a pang just by looking at him. "Mr. Mattel, the orphanage called. When would you like to visit and handle the adoption papers with Ms. Sutton?"Leaning back in his chair, Rowan gave off a d

Natalie blinked at the man standing at the door, utterly confused.She was in Musbane. Why would Rowan be here?It had to be the hangover messing with her head and giving her hallucinations. So, she decided to go back to sleep.Without a word, she laid back down, turned her back on the figure, and closed her eyes to sleep as if nothing had happened.Noticing her reaction, Rowan frowned slightly. He figured she was still upset and might not want to see him at all.After a pause, he quietly said, "I know you don't want to see me, but I made you breakfast. Eat it while it's warm. I'll wait outside."Well, the hallucination was talking now.Natalie's eyes snapped open in alert, and she realized she hadn't been seeing a hallucination at all. Rowan was really here.She immediately sat upright with surprise written all over her face. "What are you doing here in Musbane?""Eat your breakfast, and then we'll talk," he said, still standing there in perfectly clean, smooth clothes.Fran

Natalie rubbed at her temple, already feeling a headache coming on."You're unbelievable," Shane continued. "How could you not tell us you're married? Do we mean nothing to you? You're always getting mad when we bring this up."If you don't give us a reasonable explanation, we're ignoring you forever."How was she supposed to explain? She didn't know where to start, either.Natalie turned back to lean against the railing. "It's a contract marriage and not what you're thinking. Plus, we'll be divorced soon, and that's why I didn't say anything."That didn't sound like an actual excuse, so Shane wasn't buying it. "Yeah, right. And who the hell carries their marriage certificate around?"A normal person certainly wouldn't bring their marriage certificate around. But for someone like Rowan, who never played by the rules, it seemed usual. Nothing weird he did surprised her anymore."He's insane," Natalie muttered."He looks perfectly sane to me. Guess looks can really be deceiving,"

Hostility from the men rolled toward Natalie in waves, but they clearly weren't here to kill her.She was forced into the car, and Hubert confiscated her bag. "Apologies, Ms. Sutton."Night had fallen completely by then. After driving for 40 minutes, Natalie watched as the sedan began climbing a mountain road, passed through massive gates, and continued for several more minutes before coming to a stop.A sprawling, opulent estate entered her sight and stole her breath. She could hardly find the right words for it.Hubert opened her door with a formal gesture and invited her out, "This way, Ms. Sutton. The old man has been expecting you."Uniformed maids lined the path on either side. As she stepped onto a plush red carpet, they greeted her in unison, "Welcome, Ms. Sutton."She'd never seen such a display, but she could guess the owner's exceptional status.In the estate, the interior was even more lavish than she'd imagined. Hubert led her into the main hall, where an elderly ma

Natalie had her back to the newcomer, but the voice…She quickly turned around, and when her gaze fell on his face, her eyes flew wide. "You?"The young man feigned surprise before sliding into the seat beside her with easy familiarity. "We meet again, Ms. Sutton. I just didn't expect it to be here."Her mind spun. How could Aaron be here? Was he… Gregory's grandson?Everyone knew that Gregory only had two sons. One was dead for years, and the younger son was the most mysterious figure among all of the Mattels. Even much of the extended family had never seen him.If Rowan was the younger son, Aaron could only be the late elder son's child.Natalie's face paled as she instinctively glanced at Rowan. He'd met Aaron before, and at that time, it was clear he didn't know Aaron. So what was going on now?Rowan's cold eyes scanned Aaron, and there was a faint, unmistakable trace of killing intent in his dark gaze. He sat ramrod straight before a corner of his mouth curled in a sneer.