Natalie Wheeler was shocked. Her head leaned back and slammed against the wall with a bang. Her mind started buzzing.
Jasper Milton did not back away. Instead, he followed her movement swiftly and pushed his lips against hers forcefully. The fierce male aura rushed into her body and burned.
Natalie tried to push Jasper away.
The harder she tried, the more she could not move. He was like a raging storm, threatening to break her into pieces.
Natalie bit his tongue hastily.
An intense pain rushed to his senses, and his mind snapped back to reality immediately.
His reddened eyes were locked on Natalie and his face was livid.
What was wrong with him?
How could he force a kiss on her?
Obviously, she was not Stella Grace!!!
He was annoyed by his impulsiveness. He punched the wall hard and said gloomily, “Get out.”
Natalie wiped the blood on the corner of her mouth and turned around. She strode out swiftly and rushed to the living room.
Eli saw Natalie’s ghastly face, so she stepped forward worriedly and squatted down in front of Natalie, “Natalie, are you okay?”
Natalie’s body was shivering. She did not know if she was irritated by Jasper or if she was terrified of him, or… if it was the grievance and annoyance caused by her unwillingness.
“I’m fine, Eli. Anyway, please don’t link me up with Jasper anymore in the future. I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore for the rest of my life,” Natalie said in a low voice, her eyes brimming with crystal mist.
“Okay, I’m sorry, I understand,” Eli apologized.
She regretted it now. She should not have told Jasper that Natalie was Stella. In the end, not only did she fail to make Jasper give the love and protection that Stella so deserved, she even perpetuated the hurt that Stella felt from his bullying. Jasper did not trust Natalie at all, let alone her.
“I’m not going to let Jasper bully you ever again. I will make sure that he stays out of your life forever,” Eli promised.
Fortunately, Jasper did not step into the living room until the ship arrived on the island.
Otherwise, she would feel suffocated, stressful and awkward.
Stephen had sent two cars to pick them up. They got off the boat, and Natalie, Eli, and Allen got into the same car.
Ten minutes later, they reached Stephen’s villa.
Stephen’s villa was very grand. The premises were surrounded by high walls and electric iron fences. There was also an observatory tower and two security guards.
“Wow, can a painter become this rich?” Eli asked Natalie in confusion.
“Stephen’s family ran a jewelry business, but Stephen preferred painting. After inheriting the family business, he gave the company to his daughter. He still has quite a few family properties,” Allen explained.
Natalie nodded, “I see. It’s indeed in line with the strange old man’s style.”
“Stephen used to have a son. However, his son drowned when he was playing on the island. Now he only has two daughters left, so his family properties were divided equally. Stephen doesn’t really care about these things. He is only interested in painting,” Allen continued.
“Ah Eli, perhaps you should mock at his paintings more, that way you might have some unexpected gains,” Natalie suggested.
“Huh?” Eli scratched her head, “I’ll try my best. Oh, there seems to be a lot of people inside.”
Natalie also saw that the villa was crowded. She felt uneasy, “Are they also guests or islanders? It seems that they don’t live here.”
“Let me introduce you to them.” Allen walked into the villa and smiled at Stephen, “Stephen, this is my girlfriend Natalie, and this is her friend, Eli.”
Allen gave a brief introduction.
There were seven people sitting in the living room: Stephen, Stephen’s eldest daughter, his eldest son-in-law, and his grandchildren. Stephen’s second daughter, his second daughter’s friend, and his second daughter’s friend’s boyfriend were also there. At that moment, Stephen’s housekeeper and Jasper came into the living room.
When Stephen saw Jasper, he walked over to him happily and stretched his hand out. “Director Milton, you are indeed prophetic. You said that you would be able to sell the painting for more than 15 million dollars at the auction. As expected, the painting was sold at 16 million dollars.”
Natalie and Eli looked at each other.
During the auction, they remembered Jasper saying that a win or loss was uncertain until the very end. Now they finally understood the hidden meaning.
Frederick thought that he had got ‘The Dreamy Girl”. In fact, he had just done a favor for Jasper.
Jasper had already contacted Stephen ahead of time.
So, did they still stand a chance to win Stephen over?
“Sir, it’s time to take your meal,” A woman in a maid outfit walked in and said respectfully.
Natalie was shocked to see her. She blurted out, “Hale.”
The servant looked at Natalie suspiciously, “Do you know me?”
Natalie knew that she had made a gaffe and she immediately explained, “We saw each other in the mall before. Have you forgotten?”
Jasper narrowed her eyes, pursed his lips, and looked at Hale Summer. His eyes were as dark as ink, deep and bottomless.
Hale smiled slightly, “Oh yes, I remember. Last time, you paid for me and I told you my name. I’m sorry, you didn’t leave your phone number, so I couldn’t pay you back. I’ll return the money to you in the room later.”
“That’s not necessary. It wasn’t much,” Natalie replied.
“Oh, so you two do know each other. The earth is really small. Shall we eat now that everyone is here? I have an announcement to make after the meal,” Stephen said in a good mood.
Hale nodded and smiled at Natalie, “Please come with me.”
Natalie was puzzled when Hale turned around and left.
Didn’t Hale see Jasper? Or was she ready to run away?
She walked behind Hale for five minutes.
All of a sudden, Hale turned around abruptly. She grabbed Natalie’s neck and her eyes became gloomy. She asked, “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before. No one knows my real name except for Jasper and my direct supervisor.”
Natalie was choking, and she could barely breathe, let alone speak. She looked at her kindly and frowned.
Hale realized that she had exerted too much strength. She loosened her grip, but her hands were still around Natalie’s neck.
“Hale, I am Stella. I had plastic surgery. We saw each other in Tavers Village before. Do you remember? Timmy attacked the State Mayor Cher with your help. I found out that there was a basement under your room and you tied me to the table in the basement,” Natalie told her the details.
Hale was very shocked. Only she, Stella, and Jasper knew about all these. She let go of Natalie’s neck, “Why have you become like this?”
“It’s a long story. But please don’t let Jasper know that I’m Stella,” Natalie asked.
“Why? Did you undergo plastic surgery just to avoid Jasper?” Hale asked suspiciously.
“I have my reasons. Also, Jasper once suspected you because you and he were the only two who survived. By the way, did you know that Bettany is back? The spy must be either you or Bettany, so it would be better if you make it clear. If you are able to prove that Bettany is the spy, you don’t have to be a fugitive anymore,” Natalie suggested.
Hale’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Did you say that Bettany is alive?”
“I’ve said enough. I don’t want to get involved in your business anymore,” Natalie said. She then walked towards the living room.
Jasper hid in the dark and looked at Natalie’s disappearing back. He clenched his fists tightly…