Chapter 41
Chapter 41 A New Face
He remembered how, even in the middle of surgery, Natalie had murmured Jensen’s name over and over again. The thought made his chest blaze with fury, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Natalie noticed the shift immediately and rushed to explain. “That’s not what I meant. I-”
“Enough,” Baron interrupted. “Whatever you meant to say, whatever you think you’re feeling-let it go. If you want to fully recover, it’ll take a long time. Rest and surgery. I’ve already contacted Witch Doctor. Once your body’s stable, he’ll perform the skin grafts. Your face might not look the same afterward. But if you want it to, Witch Doctor might be able to restore it.”
Natalie paused.
She raised a hand instinctively, trying to touch her face-but she stopped halfway and let it drop again.
Her skin couldn’t handle the pressure. Even a light touch could cause damage.
What is she now, really?
A monster? A child would cry just looking at her.
If she’d survived, it was only because of Baron.
She owed him her life.
But since the fire hadn’t killed her, she wasn’t going to let what Sharon and Jensen did slide.
The old Natalie was gone. Whether her face could be restored or not didn’t matter anymore.
“Baron, I want a new face.”
Before she turned eighteen, she was the misidentified daughter of the Summers family. After that, she was the gilded canary Jensen kept under lock and key.
Even though she never relied on Jensen for support-and even sacrificed everything for him-in the public eye, she was always someone he protected.
Then the fire at twenty-three severed her from Jensen forever-and left scars she couldn’t erase.
From now on, she would belong to no one but herself.
Baron saw the determination in her eyes and finally relaxed a little.
“Skin grafts and facial reconstruction are painful. The process is long and grueling. Are you sure about this, Natalie?”
“I’m sure. Thank you, Baron. I know you didn’t save me to hear me say that, but right now it’s all I have to offer. Witch Doctor never helps anyone without a price. You can contact him for me, but I’ll negotiate with him myself.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ.net
Natalie knew the rules Witch Doctor lived by.
Baron’s tone was calm. “We’ll deal with that later. First, focus on healing for the next month. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Okay.”
1/3
Natalie nodded.
“Close your eyes and rest. That’s what you need right now. If the pain becomes unbearable, tell me. I’ll have someone bring you pain relief sticks.”
She shook her head.
“No. I want to remember this pain. Every single moment of it.”
She bit down on her lip. Her eyes were steely. But when she looked at Baron again, there was a flicker of warmth in them.
“Baron, I made you something to thank you. It might be the last piece I ever design.”
He froze.
He remembered her mentioning a gift last time they’d met-but he had assumed it was just something she’d said in passing. Now it turned out she hadn’t been bluffing…
“What did you make me?”
A strange anticipation bloomed in his chest-mixed with a flicker of joy he didn’t quite know how to place.
A gift?
It had been years since anyone had given him one.
This was different from the things he demanded from others.
This was something Natalie had created herself-just for him.
Baron leaned in close. His gaze was so clear, so focused, that Natalie felt like she was staring into the eyes of a child.
She couldn’t help but smile a little, even though it hurt. There was a warmth in her chest she couldn’t explain.
“I designed a pair of cufflinks for you. They’re with an old craftsman I’ve worked with for years. By now, they should be finished. I’ll give you the number-you can just say I sent you.”
She wished she could see what those cufflinks looked like on him.
She would never draw again.
But thankfully, she’d completed the sketches before the fire and had the craftsman start on them.
She used to worry she’d never have the chance to give them to him. But now, seeing him here, she knew a pair of cufflinks couldn’t possibly repay him for saving her life-but she still wanted him to have them.
Baron’s eyes lit up.
“You designed them just for me?”
“Yes!”
She nodded, and he couldn’t stop the slight lift of his lips. Even the tiny mole at the corner of his eye seemed to burn a deeper red.
2/3
“Give me the phone number and the address. I’ll go pick them up myself.”
He sounded eager now.
To Natalie, he really did seem like a child again.
She couldn’t move. She needed time to recover. She couldn’t show her face yet. And she definitely couldn’t let the world know she was alive.
But Baron could go.
“All right. Just tell them you’re my client. I have a senior partner in Murica. She receives all my deliveries. The package should include the design sheet and an order form with my signature and watermark. Baron… for now, I want to stay hidden.”
3/3