Chapter 2 Who Sent You Here

The following day, Natalie reached Crestmont Hotel earlier than Isaac had asked.

She reached the dining floor. Voices and laughter drifted from the private dining room before she even stepped inside. She had barely cracked the door open when she caught them talking about her.

"Isaac really has people everywhere, doesn't he? He even used his connections in Alyden to get Hannah back into the country through that special program for top talent."

"Now that Hannah's finally back, what are you waiting for, Isaac? Isn't it time you divorced Natalie?"

Isaac spoke as if the subject didn't matter much to him. "Hannah came back because she wants to build her career. She's different from Natalie. Natalie is fine staying home and taking care of everything. I don't want Hannah giving all that up just to become someone's wife and deal with a family."

Someone laughed. "Come on. You've been married to Natalie for three years. You seriously haven't grown even a little attached to her?"

Isaac scoffed. "Would you fall for someone just because she cooks and takes care of your house?"

That sent the whole room into another round of laughter.

Natalie let out a bitter smile. So that was how he saw her.

She'd spent four years loving Isaac from afar and another three as his wife, yet after all that time, he still saw her as nothing more than a housekeeper.

She couldn't believe how long she'd refused to see the truth.

Natalie stayed by the door and quietly started recording everything on her phone. She waited until the conversation inside began to settle before stopping the recording and putting her phone away. Then she opened the door and walked in with a cold expression.

The laughter died immediately. Everyone at the table turned toward her.

Natalie wasn't wearing the modest and refined clothes they were used to seeing on her. Instead, she had chosen a fitted black dress that showed off her waist.

For years, she'd dressed conservatively because she thought that was how Isaac's wife was supposed to look. It hadn't stopped his friends from laughing at her behind her back and calling her boring and old-fashioned.

None of that mattered today. She was here to talk about ending their marriage, and she was done dressing according to everyone else's expectations.

Natalie was young and beautiful. Without those overly mature clothes hiding her, she carried the effortless charm of a wealthy young woman who had never needed anyone's approval.

More than a few people openly admired her. Isaac noticed their attention almost at once, and a faint frown crossed his face. He clearly didn't like the way they were looking at her.

Natalie couldn't have cared less. She didn't even look in Isaac's direction before walking to an empty seat nearby and sitting down.

Isaac watched her with a frown.

Natalie usually made a point of sitting next to him. If someone else had taken the seat, she would even ask them to move. So why had she gone off and sat somewhere else without saying anything today?

He was about to call out to her when Hannah spoke from the seat beside him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Reynolds. I think I took your seat. I'll move."

Isaac reached over and stopped her. "Don't. Why should you have to move? We're all here for you today."

He looked toward Natalie again, but she still didn't spare him a glance. His irritation grew, and he reached up to loosen his tie.

She had never acted like this before. Natalie was usually careful about how she behaved around his friends, and she had never put him in an awkward position in front of them. So what was her problem today?

Richard Weston sat close by and held out a glass of wine to Natalie. "Mrs. Reynolds, you're finally here. Come on, have a drink with us."

Natalie didn't take it. "No, thanks. I can't drink. I'm allergic to alcohol."

Hannah looked at her with mild surprise. "Really? I remember Isaac telling me you once finished an entire bottle just to close a business deal." Her voice remained soft. "So why not have one now? Or do you just not want to share a drink with Mr. Weston?"

Natalie furrowed her brows. The last time she'd drunk for a Reynolds Group project, she'd ended up in the emergency room with a perforated stomach. Yet Isaac had apparently mentioned it to Hannah as though it had been nothing more than some amusing story.

The thought made her sick.

Natalie opened her mouth to answer, but Isaac spoke first. "If you're not going to drink, I can always give your project to someone else."

Natalie had spent three months working on that project, and her team had finally brought it close to completion. Now he was threatening to take it away simply because she wouldn't drink.

She couldn't let everyone's hard work go to waste. Natalie tightened her lips, took the glass from Richard, and emptied it in one shot. Then she set it down. "There. Is that good enough for you?"

Hannah's eyes briefly gave away her satisfaction, though it disappeared almost immediately.

Richard saw an opening and held up another glass. "Well, you've already had one. One more won't hurt, right, Mrs. Reynolds?"

Isaac looked at Natalie without a trace of sympathy and made no attempt to step in. In his eyes, this was nothing more than another tantrum, and he blamed himself for letting her get away with too much for too long.

If he didn't put her in her place now, she would keep forgetting that everything she had, including the respect people showed her, was because of him.

"I'm done. I'm not drinking another glass!" Natalie said firmly.

Richard picked up another glass and shoved it toward her mouth. "You don't get to decide that, Mrs. Reynolds!"

Natalie caught his wrist before he could force the wine on her, then tipped the entire glass straight into his face.

She looked at him as wine dripped down his face and gave him a cold, mocking smile. "Who the hell do you think you are? You really think you can force me to drink?"

Without waiting for an answer, Natalie grabbed her purse, turned around, and walked out.

Isaac started to get up, but Hannah suddenly let out a weak whimper.

"Isaac, I don't feel so good. I'm getting dizzy," Hannah said softly.

Isaac immediately put an arm around her to steady her. "Did you drink too much? Come on. I'll take you home."

While Isaac helped her stand, Hannah glanced over at Richard and gave him a meaningful look.

Richard understood immediately and gave her a small nod. He waited until they left the room before getting up and slipping out after them.

Natalie went into the restroom and splashed cold water over her face, hoping it would help. It didn't. Her skin still felt unbearably hot, and everything around her seemed to sway.

Something wasn't right.

She hurried toward the exit while taking out her phone, intending to call a friend for help.

She didn't even get the chance to make the call. Richard caught her by the wrist near the doorway. "Hold on, Mrs. Reynolds. You really thought you could throw wine in my face and just walk away without apologizing?"

"Get your hands off me!" Natalie twisted against his grip, but her phone slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.

She struggled harder, and Richard only squeezed her arm tighter. His expression turned ugly as he snapped, "You should feel honored that I'd even sleep with someone as ordinary as you. Mr. Reynolds already agreed that you'd keep me company tonight. Show me a good time, and the deal is Miss Mills'. Though you're not in charge of the project, Reynolds Group is going to make a fortune from it. I'm sure Mr. Reynolds will make it worth your while!"

Natalie went completely cold.

She had never imagined Isaac would go this far. He had actually offered her to another man just so Hannah could secure a project.

Natalie gathered what little strength she had left, bent down, and bit Richard's arm as hard as she could. She didn't stop until the taste of blood filled her mouth.

"You bitch!" Richard shouted as he lifted his hand to hit her.

Natalie reacted before he could. She drove her foot hard between his legs. Richard screamed in pain and crumpled to the floor.

Natalie didn't look back. She ran straight into the nearest elevator and slammed the button for the top floor. Then she kept pressing the button to close the doors until they finally slid together and shut him out.

Once the elevator started moving, Natalie leaned one hand against the wall for support. Her fingers wouldn't stop shaking.

The rush that had kept her moving began to wear off, and whatever was in the alcohol hit her even harder. Her vision blurred until she could barely focus on what was in front of her.

When the doors opened, Natalie stumbled into the hallway. At that point, she only cared about finding somewhere Richard couldn't reach her.

She soon noticed a door that hadn't been shut all the way. The room beyond it was dark, and that was enough for her. She slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind her.

Natalie moved carefully through the darkness. She remembered that hotel rooms usually had a landline near the bed, and she hoped she could use it to call for help.

When she got to the bed, she reached out and searched blindly with one hand. Her fingertips suddenly touched something unusually warm.

Natalie jerked her hand back. Someone was in the room.

Panic shot through her, and she immediately turned toward the door.

She barely moved before a large hand wrapped around her waist and dragged her backward.

Natalie landed on the bed as darkness clouded her vision. A hand closed around her throat, and a man's cold voice came through the darkness. "Who sent you here?"