During Cheryl's stay in the hospital, everyone was well aware of how much Damian doted on her and spoiled her to bits.
Yet, not a single person came to visit Natalie as she stayed alone by herself.
An intern thought that Natalie was single and brazenly asked her for her contact number one day. By sheer coincidence, Damian happened to witness it when he asked.
He glared at the two of them and didn't say another word. However, the look in his eyes was frighteningly frigid.
That night, Natalie saw the fireworks show that Damian set up for Cheryl.
The bright fireworks display lit up the entire night sky, and everyone in the hospital couldn't help but come out to admire the show.
Natalie stood under the fireworks, admiring the display of beauty that bloomed, though it wasn't for her.
The fireworks were fleeting, just like her happiness.
After that, she realized that the intern who had been attending to her previously had disappeared. She never saw him again, even until the day she was discharged from the hospital.
On the day Natalie was discharged, Cheryl insisted on bringing her back with them.
"Let's just bring Natalie back with us, Dam. It's going to be very inconvenient for her to get a cab on her own."
Damian just glared at her and said in a hostile manner, "Don't be too kind to her, Cheryl. People are only going to step all over you if you keep doing that.
"Also, she's an expert at seducing other men into doing her bidding, too. There are plenty of men queueing up to bring her home."
Natalie didn't say a word but still got into their car anyway.
Halfway home, Damian suddenly got a work call. He said that he had to attend an important networking lunch that he'd been putting off for far too long.
When Cheryl heard that, she immediately begged him to bring her and Natalie along as well because she wanted to see what these networking events were like. Also, she claimed that she was bored to death after staying at the hospital for days.
Damian didn't reject her suggestion, so the three of them ended up attending the networking lunch together. When everyone saw him entering the venue holding Cheryl's hand, they naturally assumed that she was his wife instead of Natalie.
The businessmen's eyes immediately shifted to her.
"And who may this be, Mr. Abbott?"
Damian barely glanced at Natalie before answering coldly, "Her? She's our nanny, here to take care of Cheryl."
Natalie felt her heart shudder, but she didn't fight back.
Some of the businessmen tried talking to her and offering her drinks, and Damian just coldly beckoned Natalie toward them.
"Go ahead and keep them entertained. You're not here for leisure. But don't worry. You'll get paid for this as well."
Natalie smiled and immediately accepted the drinks from the businessmen, finishing glass after glass of alcohol.
When the crowd realized that Damian didn't seem the least bit interested in her, they began coming over to her and pouring out more and more drinks for her, urging her to finish every drop. Meanwhile, Natalie didn't refuse any of their requests either.
Somewhere along the way, one of the middle-aged businessmen began groping Natalie in secret. She pushed him off a few times, but he got even more brazen and draped an arm right around her waist in public.
Damian watched everything from a dark corner. His gaze was dark and thunderous.
After her umpteenth glass of alcohol, Natalie felt dizzy and nauseated and could barely even walk in a straight line.
She excused herself to the washroom to freshen up. When she came back out, she saw the middle-aged businessman from earlier taking slow, sure steps toward her.
At once, her guard went up as she had a bad feeling about this. She hurriedly backed away from him, but he was quicker as he grabbed her and covered her nose and mouth with a towel soaked in a solution.
Natalie felt her body becoming heavier and heavier. Her blood seemed to begin boiling at that instant as well, and she struggled hard as she was dragged away into a secluded corner.
Just before she was forcefully dragged into a room, she used the last of her strength to kick the man in the balls. Then, she took advantage of the moment he loosened his grip in pain and shoved the man off her body before staggering out toward the door.
She found a random room to hide in, feeling her body heat up quickly as the drug began taking effect. She knew then that the drug from earlier must have been an aphrodisiac, and she was now suffering from it.
In her haze, she saw the room door being pushed open as a tall man walked into her field of vision.
She couldn't see his face clearly because of the backlight and assumed that he was just a waiter. So, she hurriedly rushed toward him and grabbed him by the arm, crying, "Quick, get me a man!"
The "waiter's" voice was cold and indifferent.
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
Natalie bit down on her lip, forcing herself to stay sober.
"I… I can't die… Please, you have to help me…"
The man laughed coldly again and said, "Why are you asking me to look for a man for you when I'm already standing right here?"
The voice was very familiar to her, and Natalie suddenly sobered up a lot more after recognizing him. She forced her eyes wide open and saw that it was Damian. Then, she pushed him off with whatever strength she had left in her body.
"You… You won't do… I can't…"
Damian's face turned dark and thunderous again. He rushed up to her in fury and grabbed her by the neck, choking her hard.
"Why won't I do? Weren't you the one who said that you'd never leave me as long as I was rich? I'm rich now! So, why won't I do?"
Natalie was stunned for a while. Tears began falling from her eyes a short while later. Her voice shook as she said, "Because… Because you're Damian… Because you're my Damian…"
Her words were like a tidal wave, making Damian completely lose his control as he forced her back against the wall and kissed her deeply.
