Night settled deeper over the manor, quiet and unhurried.
Natalia entered the dining room carrying a carefully balanced meal she had prepared herself.
The light fragrance of mushroom soup mingled with lean meat and brightly colored vegetables, the clean scent spreading through the room.
Christopher was already seated at the head of the table. He had changed into dark gray silk loungewear, the relaxed fabric lending him a languid elegance that softened the severity he carried during the day.
His eyes lifted and came to rest on her.
"Aside from the cleaning staff who arrive on schedule, this place is usually occupied by only James and me," he said, his low voice carrying easily through the spacious dining room. "That makes you more of a guest than an employee. Sit and eat with me."
Natalia did not decline. She took the seat across from him without hesitation.
Lifting her utensils, she ate quietly, calmly noting Christopher's movements from across the table.
Every motion of his was measured and refined, his dining manners polished to perfection, the kind of elegance that seemed bred into him rather than learned.
"I was told there was a minor unpleasant incident involving you and Mr. Douglas at the garden entrance this evening," Christopher said, setting his cutlery aside and dabbing his mouth with a silk napkin.
Natalia caught the intent beneath the question at once. This was not small talk.
She looked up, her face calm and unruffled. "I would not call it unpleasant," she said evenly. "I merely returned the favor."
A trace of interest surfaced in Christopher's eyes, faint but unmistakable. "Oh? He chose another woman over you, yet you appear to have walked away without a hint of grievance."
Natalia's lips curved slightly, her expression carrying a quiet indifference. "Mr. Evans, I just made the decision to abandon him. Once something no longer holds value to me, I do not keep it."
Her words were plain, stripped of bitterness or complaint.
"Are women from the countryside always this direct and strong-willed?" Christopher studied her with an assessing gaze, as though trying to look past her words and into what lay underneath.
Natalia met his eyes without evasion, her gaze steady and clear. "In small places, life is simple," she said calmly. "When someone treats me well, I return it in kind. But if someone tries to push me around, I do not stay silent. If you want to survive, you need a few rules of your own."
Her answer left no gaps, fitting neatly with the image of a resilient woman shaped by a small town.
The rest of the meal passed in quiet restraint, an undercurrent of tension lingering between them.
Just as Natalia moved to rise and clear the table, Christopher stopped her. "Wait."
He reached into his pocket, took out an exclusive card, and slid it across the table toward her. "Go and choose some appropriate clothing for yourself."
Natalia lifted an eyebrow slightly. "That will not be necessary, Mr. Evans. I brought my own clothes."
Christopher's eyes drifted over her plain T-shirt, his brow tightening almost imperceptibly. "You are my nutritionist. Dressing you in staff attire would be unsuitable. As for your personal wardrobe—"
He paused briefly before adding, "I prefer better-quality fabrics."
A faint crease appeared between Natalia's brows.
So that was the issue. In his eyes, her clothes simply did not measure up.
She did not argue. Extending her hand, she accepted the card and said evenly, "Thank you, Mr. Evans."
Back in her room, Natalia locked the door and immediately opened her encrypted laptop.
The familiar group chat interface appeared on the screen, the name Task Force Prime displayed clearly at the top.
She sent a brief message. "I am inside Evans Manor. The operation has begun. All operatives remain on standby and do not approach the manor to avoid drawing attention."
The moment her message went through, the group chat erupted with activity.
Carson responded first. "That is unreal. You got yourself inside in a single day?"
Vernon Moore followed immediately after. "That is insane. Nicely done."
Nadine Davis joined in soon after. "Congrats on the divorce. And welcome back to the organization. Oh, and one more thing. Is Christopher really as outrageously handsome as the rumors claim?"
Natalia stared at Nadine's openly starstruck message, and without warning, Christopher's face surfaced in her thoughts.
Her fingers hovered for a brief moment, then moved as she typed, "Not exaggerated."
Once the reply was sent, she closed the laptop, rose from the bed, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Later that night, Natalia got up to get a glass of water. As she passed by the study, muted voices drifted out through the door.
She slowed to a stop.
The voices belonged to Christopher and James.
"Still nothing on the renowned doctor Lia?" James sounded tense, urgency threading through his words. "We have exhausted every channel. It is as if she disappeared entirely. There is no trace of her anywhere."
Natalia's pupils tightened instantly.
The so-called renowned doctor Lia was nothing more than another identity she wore.
Natalia remained frozen, barely breathing, as Christopher's low, weary voice carried through the door. "Keep looking. Whatever it costs, she must be found."
She slipped back to her room without a sound, her pulse racing far too fast to ignore.
Returning to her desk, Natalia dropped into the chair and brought the computer to life, her slender fingers flying as she entered a dense sequence of code to access a hidden trading platform.
This site existed for elite assassins and intelligence brokers operating in the shadows.
She typed her alias into the search field. Lia.
The screen refreshed instantly, and a pinned bounty notice surfaced at the top. "All information regarding Lia, including contact details and past movements. Compensation negotiable."
The post carried no name or traceable signature.
Natalia's eyes narrowed as she registered the timestamp. It had gone up a month earlier.
The date aligned perfectly with the night the top-secret encrypted file vanished from the organization.
A bold and unsettling possibility began to take shape in her mind.
Christopher's damaged legs might not have been the result of a simple car accident.
It was far more likely he had been injured that night while attempting to breach the organization to steal the file, triggering the defense system she herself had designed.
