Chapter 2 She Never Spent A Single Cent

Dean continued, "Since you're not into sports cars, Mr. Hughes is willing to offer an extra thirty million as compensation…"

"No, that won't be necessary," Natalie cut him off.

Dean froze for a moment, bewildered. "What? You're not satisfied?"

Without a word, Natalie retrieved a cardholder from her bag and slid it across the table.

"This contains all the bank cards Connor gave me. I haven't touched them. Please return them to him. As for the money and properties…" She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "I don't need them."

Dean, always composed, responded smoothly, "You can rest assured—the legal paperwork has been fully notarized by Mr. Hughes' attorney. There are no hidden conditions. Given Mr. Hughes' integrity, he would never take the money back. You can accept it without concern…"

Even Connor's assistant had assumed she was just another woman driven by greed.

"The access code to Tranquil Villa is 0921." Natalie rose from her seat, clearly uninterested in prolonging the conversation. "I'll have my belongings out by 8 PM tonight. You're welcome to inspect the place then."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Dean hesitated briefly before contacting the banks where the accounts were opened.

"She never used these?"

When the confirmation came from the other end, Dean was taken aback.

This was the same woman who, three years ago, had spent the night with Connor after he had been inebriated—the one who had supposedly sold herself for five million?

After a brief pause, Dean gathered the documents and made his way to the office.

Standing before Connor's desk, he relayed Natalie's exact words.

Connor halted his work, his sharp eyes narrowing as they landed on the cardholder before him. "She never spent a single cent?"

Dean nodded. "I checked with multiple banks. Not only were the funds untouched, but there's also an extra three million in the accounts."

Connor's expression darkened slightly.

Sensing the shift in mood, Dean added cautiously, "As for Tranquil Villa, Ms. Simpson has asked me to collect its keys tonight at 8 PM."

Connor remained silent for a moment before casually returning to his paperwork, as if the matter held no significance.

"Handle it."

Leaving Tranquil Villa behind, Natalie returned to her modest rented apartment.

She had never deluded herself into believing she belonged in Tranquil Villa. Over the past three years, she had kept her apartment maintained, so moving back in was effortless.

Now, in the six months remaining in her life, she could part ways with everything on her own terms.

The night passed quietly.

At dawn, Natalie rose early. Unlike Tranquil Villa, her apartment was much farther from Hughes Group, where she worked. Skipping breakfast, she rushed out, barely making it on time.

As she settled in, her eyes lingered on the resignation letter already drafted on her screen. Her cursor hovered over the "submit" button, hesitation creeping in.

"Hey, did you hear? A big shot is coming today. I caught the director putting on makeup when I brought her coffee!"

Natalie backspaced the last line of her letter, considering a better way to phrase it.

"Holy crap! The director, who never lets anyone get close to her, is actually making an effort for this guy? She's ignored that Bailey heir for ages, and now she's dressing up for someone else? Who is he?"

"I heard he has strong ties with the director. The Bailey family's been harassing her over that contract, so this guy's here to shut them down."

"A knight in shining armor, huh? Wow. Imagine having the power to scare off the Baileys like that!"

Seated nearby, Kaitlin Marsh scoffed, casting a dismissive glance at the gossiping colleagues.

"You seriously don't know?" She smirked. "It's all over high society. The only man who could make our director fall for him is..."