Reiner carried me up to a clearing on the side of the hill and there was an impressive cave of hanging rocks behind us. I don’t think I’ve been in a cave like this before and I found everything interesting. Apart from the mysterious cave, the view of the sandy beach, the sea and the horizon that lay beyond took my breath away.
“You get excited quite easily,” Reiner said like this whole thing didn’t interest him much.
“I do?” I asked as I turned to smile at him.
“You’re probably getting easier to please too…” Reiner said observantly.
“Isn’t that good news for you?” I teased playfully.
“Maybe…” he mumbled in reply before his eyes returned to the horizon.
My eyes followed his towards the horizon where the setting sun had dyed the sky in a mix of blue, purple, pink, and orange. It was such an enchanting sight that I couldn’t help but sigh at the beauty and serenity of the view in front of me. The settle sun was reflected in the sea water and the effect looked very magical in my point of view.
“This view and I guess everything about this place are so romantic…” I said in appreciation before I reached for Reiner’s large hand and held it.
Slowly, I leaned my head on his arm as we continued to watch the setting sun together. I don’t remember the last time that I felt this peaceful both in my heart and in my mind.
“You think so too?” Reiner asked.
Reiner pulled me gently in front of me him so that he could wrap his arms around me protectively from behind. I leaned back instinctively against his warmer and much larger frame as I enjoyed his presence and closeness.
“Of course. This date is only getting better and better. Thank you so much, R…” I whispered tenderly to him.
“I guess we’re at the right place at least…” Reiner muttered softly as if he was talking to himself.
However, since we were standing right next to each other, I had no trouble hearing him. I wondered what he meant by that for a moment but when I was about to ask about it, Reiner continued speaking. This time it was clear that his words were addressed to me.
“I thought about putting this off for another day but…” Reiner said, sounding quite hesitant.
“Hmm?” I made a confused and questioning sound that reflected my true feelings.
Once again, Reiner was talking about something that I didn’t know or understand. What is he going on and on about? Was his mind elsewhere again?
I looked up at his face in confusion as I cocked my head slightly to the side to see what he was going to do or say next. My eyes blinked innocently and for some reason, I was holding my breath although I had no idea what I was anticipating or waiting for.
“Natalia…” he called my name softly, but his tone was serious.
“Yes?” I responded as my body stiffened a little in his arms.
Slowly, Reiner turned me around in his arms so that I was facing him. I looked up at his face to see him staring down at me with a very serious look on his face. His large hands held my shoulders softly yet firmly. Everything told me that what he was about to say must be very important and the way he was acting was starting to make me feel extremely nervous for no reason at all.
“Listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once,” Reiner said as he looked down and stared deeply into my eyes.
His beautiful blue eyes captivated and captured mine. Compared to the setting sun, his blue eyes were like snowflakes in the freezing winter. The magnificence and the determination in his eyes made me forget all about the setting sun.
“Aha…ok…” I murmured as I continued to stare deeply into his eyes.
“Let’s get married,” Reiner said bluntly as his hands tightened slightly around my shoulders.
“…huh?” I squeaked in such a soft and small voice that I could barely hear my own voice.
What did he just say?!
…
“I just thought that I should let you know so that you won’t be too surprised if, you know, she goes missing and never returns,” King said in a completely detached way.
First it was her mother who died in Lucien’s place and now someone was willing to pay an exorbitant price to erase Natalia. Based on what King had said about the client being an old one that he seemed to know well, Reiner didn’t have to make a wild guess to figure out that whoever requested to have Natalia erased was the exact same person as the one who wished for Lucien to die back then. Of course, Natalia’s mother took the hit instead and the one who pulled the trigger was none other than himself.
“I’m not asking you to take care of this mission, so you don’t need to worry. After all, I’m not that heartless. I’m just following protocol and I hope that you’ll understand that,” King stated matter-of-factly.
Reiner could hardly hear his father’s words as his mind raced to figure out what to do. His objective was clear, he had to save Natalia no matter what. However, it wasn’t going to be easy this time around. King is always professional about how he ran his business. He didn’t just prioritize money, but he also prioritized professionalism and dignity.
“Natalia is employed by our company. As per the protocol, she should receive our protection,” Reiner quickly argued.
Trying the protocol approach to get some protection for Natalia was the first thing that he could think of. It wasn’t unusual for some employees to receive protection which meant that they could not be targeted as targets for murders and assassinations.
“She’s not an agent and neither is she listed in the list of people we are liable to protect. She’s just a secretary…even if she happens to be yours. She can easily be replaced at a cost much less than the profit that we will earn from this simple but over-priced mission,” King said.
–To be continued…