Chapter 101
Natalie stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. He said it so casually, as if ordering her back to be his maid was the most natural thing in the world.
“Seriously? What does it matter to me whether you eat or not? I’ve already had my dinner.”
With that, Natalie started to walk away.
Sebastian’s cool voice followed her. “Natalie, get back here and cook for me. I want pork ribs and root vegetable stew. If I don’t get it tonight, the company you work for will be bankrupt by morning.”
Natalie took a deep breath. Damn it. The bastard had finally found a way to threaten her.
Even in this new life, with a signed divorce agreement, she still couldn’t escape Sebastian.
“You just wait,” she snapped, storming upstairs to change into something more comfortable while her mind raced, searching for a way out.
It wasn’t the right time for a direct confrontation with Sebastian. His fate was best left in Joanna Scott’s hands; for now, Natalie would just play the part he’d assigned her. It was only one meal. It’s not like she hadn’t cooked for him before.
She returned to the room she used to live in, finding everything exactly as she had left it. This was the first time she’d been back since her rebirth, yet she felt no lingering attachment. When your heart is dead, you can truly let go of anything.
She found some comfortable clothes in the closet and changed, swapping her shoes for a pair of flats.
She sent a quick text to her grandfather.
[Grandpa, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’ll be back soon.]
Mr. Sanders Sr. replied almost instantly: [Did that brat Sebastian bully you again?]
Natalie: [He can’t bully me anymore, Grandpa. Don’t worry, I’ll protect myself.]
Wayne Sanders: [Call me if you need anything.]
Natalie: [I will! You’ll be the first person I call.]
Smiling, Natalie slipped her phone into her pocket, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs. She ignored Sebastian completely and went straight to the kitchen. He never liked having strangers in the house, so it had usually been just the two of them—or more often, just her, alone.
She knew this place like the back of her hand.
After finding pork ribs and some root vegetables in the fridge, she prepped everything, put the stew on to simmer, and cooked some rice for him.
Sebastian sat on the sofa, pretending to read through some documents, but his eyes occasionally drifted toward the kitchen. Under the warm lights, the sight of her busy figure brought him a strange sense of peace.
Forty minutes later, she had prepared a full meal.
Seeing that dinner was ready, Sebastian got up and walked to the table.
Natalie crouched down to get some glasses from a low cabinet. As she reached for them, her hand slipped
and her to the in special mug f floor and shattered. The image of
her smiling face, printed on the
ceramic, broke into a dozen pieces.
A sharp, unexpected pain lanced through her heart. She had specially ordered
them as a matching set for couples-one for her, one for Sebastian.
He walked over at the sound of the crash and saw the broken mug with Natalie’s picture on it.
“What’s this?” The source of thɪs content is.net
Sebastian bent down for a closer look, then opened the cabinet and pulled out the other mug, a perfect match to the one she’d dropped. This one had his photo on
it.
He froze, then looked up at Natalie.
She kept her eyes downcast, staring at the fragments on the floor. Her voice was flat. “I had those made
three days after we got marrie et
matching set. I guess it knew we were getting divorced, so it decided to break on its own.”
“Perfect,” she added under her breath.
Natalie gathered the shards and threw them into the trash can.
Sebastian had never seen these mugs before. He couldn’t believe she had done something like that. Hearing her say it was “perfect” made his expression darken. “Natalie, a mug with so much
meaning shatters, and you say it’s
perfect?”
She didn’t answer, simply found two other glasses and made a couple of cups of
tea. She was thirsty.
Besides, she wouldn’t have to stay here tonight. Joanna would be here soon.