Chapter 12
Jonas glanced sideways at Natalie, who was crouched next to him with her wide eyes fixed nervously on the outside. She looked like a spooked linle puppy, ears perked, her entire body wound tight with tension.
He shifted his position, sitting up straighter, his legs planted firmly on the ground. Leaning forward, elbows propped on his knees, he rested his chin lazily on the back of his hand. His voice dripped with mockery as he drawled. “What is this–yoga practice?”
Startled by his words, Natalie suddenly realized how far forward she’d been leaning, precariously close to toppling over.
She pushed herself back quickly, resettling into a more stable crouch. When Jonas didn’t follow up with more jabs, she dropped her head, trying to shrink into herself and become invisible
Even though her mind was swirling with unease, she didn’t dare ask him anything. Experience had taught her that if she voiced her concerns, not only would she get no reassurance, but she’d likely become the target of more of his biting ridicule.
After a few moments, her peripheral vision caught Myla returning from the SUV’s trunk, carrying supplies. Natalie instinctively shuffled a bit closer in that direction, seeking a sense of security,
Myla’s bright eyes crash.
still gleamed with the adrenaline of recent action. It finally clicked for her why Jonas had told her to slow down after the car
Without hesitation, Myla plopped herself down by the fire, completely at ease. She unzipped her hag and began dumping its contents onto the ground–milk cartons, energy drinks, bread, compressed biscuits, cigarettes, and various other odds and ends.
“Boss,” Myla called, tossing an energy drink toward Jonas
He raised a languid hand, catching the bottle with effortless precision before tossing it onto the mat beside him. Another quick grabs intercepted a pack of compressed biscuits Myla had just thrown his way. His gaze wandered, almost absentmindedly, landing on Natalie, who was crouched near Myla
on a rock, hugging her knees. But apparently, the position wasn’t very comfortable because she shifted, rising slightly in
She had perched herself on a rock squat instead.
Her head tilted to one side, and her large, glistening eyes locked onto Myla, filled with childlike curiosity and expectation. She looked like a kitten waiting to be fed–utterly harmless, utterly dependent.
Myla picked up a pack of compressed biscuits, intending to hand it to Natalie, but paused mid–turn when she caught those trusting, doe–eyed stares. Myla instantly set the biscuits down and instead grabbed the lone raisin herad and a carton of milk, holding them our to Natalie.
A soft snort sliced through the quiet moment.
Natalie jolted upright, her back snapping straight as she whipped her head around toward the sound.
Jonas was unscrewing the cap from his water bottle, his movements slow and deliberate. Tilting his head back, he took a long drink, his Adam’s apple moving in a hypnotic rhythm with each swallow.
The dim firelight cast flickering shadows on his chiseled features, amplifying his air of unrestrained, lethal allure.
But just as Natalie’s gaze lingered on him, the spell was broken by his cold, cutting voice. “What are you, a peacock doing a mating dance?” he said after putting down the bottle.
The words were cryptic, harsh, and seemingly out of nowhere, but Myla understood instantly. Jonas was referring to the raisin bread. She had a notorious sweet tooth, while Jonas had zero tolerance for anything sugary. That particular bread had beco set aside just for herself
But Myla couldn’t bring herself to let Natalie gnaw on dry, flavorless biscuits when it was clear the girl had probably never experienced real hardship.
Of course, the boss doesn’t have a shred of sympathy for women. It’s no wonder he doesn’t get me. Myla thought, brushing her nose with a faint
smirk.
She quickly tore open a bag of compressed biscuits, took a bite, and muttered through her mouthful, “Just changing it up a bit.”
Natalie, utterly clueless, glanced between the biscuit in Myla’s hand and the one Jonas was holding
Finally, her gaze dropped to the untouched raisin bread in her own hands. The realization hit her like a flash of lightning. Wait… is this moody Tyrant jealous?
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Chapter 12
It seemed entirely possible to Natalie. In his eyes, I’m nothing but an outsider. Ms. Carr gave me the only bread, and someone as petty as be stewing over it
him must
The thought made her stomach twist with nervous energy. Without overthinking it, Natalie sprang to her feet, strade over to Jonas, and crouched down in front of him. She extended the unopened bread toward him like a peace offering, her posture almost reverent.
The moment Natalie moved, Jonas noticed. He thought, Didn’t she just look like she’d rather eat dirt than come near me? She was practically crawling toward Myla earlier, like I wouldn’t notice.
“And now she’s back, sticking to me like glue! This linle spy isn’t even trying to sell the act properly!
He couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her, though. Just as he picked up his biscuit, the bread appeared in his line of sight.
Jonas didn’t move, his sharp gaze trailing from the soft loaf cradled in her delicate hand to her slender, flawless arm. It lingered for a moment before sliding up to her beautiful neck, and finally to her face, glowing faintly under the warm firelight
Natalie had been on edge. Feeling his scrutiny, she immediately plastered on a smile, though it was so stiff and forced that it might as well have been drawn with chalk.
Jonas narrowed his eyes in disdain and looked away, his disinterest practically palpable.
Natalie held the bread aloft, her arm trembling slightly from the effort. Jonas neither accepted nor refused, leaving her no choice but to wait. Her wide, pleading eyes were locked on him. “Please take the bread. It’s for you” she said softly.
He remained silent, his indifference like a wall.
Her arm began to shake more noticeably, the dull ache in her shoulder from the earlier car crash flaring up again..
Finally, with a dejected sigh, she lowered her head and mumbled, “If you don’t want it, dur’s fine…“
She started to pull her hand back when Jonas’s voice sliced through the quiet. Using my things to butter me up? Clever
Natalie froze, her body stiffening. An idea flickered in her mind, and her eyes darted quickly before she bowed her head again. With nimble fingers, she tore open the bread’s packaging and held it out once more. “Do you want it now?”
Jonas, seated with his legs casually spread on the mut, towered over Natalie, who looked so small crouched in front of him.
Her pretty face was rated upward, her dor eyes wide and imploring. She reminded him of a stray puppy begging its owner for attention, utterly pitiful yet endearingly persistent.
“Natalie’s laying it on thick, he mused, suspicion flickering in his mind. ‘She’s definitely tr something. Let’s see what her next move is.
With an air of reluctant charity, he reached out and took the bread. He glanced at the bread–its sweetness practically radiated from it, far from appetizing. Still, he took a small bite, chewing with obvious disinterest,
His eyes drifted back to Natalie, waiting silently. He thought she was up p to something, and he was more than willing to let her play her hand.
Natalie noticed Jonas’s gaze on her and instinctively lifted the corners of her soft, rosy lips. Her eyes curved slightly, radiating an aura of innocence and purity that seemed to light up her entire face.
So this is what she looks like when she genuinely smales, Jonas thought, his mind pausing on the image. “Innocent, sweet, and utterly harmless. Is she trying to pull some kind of honey trap on me?
He leaned back slightly, waiting for whatever follow–up move she had in mind. But to his surprise, Natalie suddenly stood up, her small frame practically springing into motion
Take your time and enjoy it,” she said lightly, and with that she turned and walked back to Myla’s side, crouching down again without a backward glance
Jonas was momentarily speechless. What the hell! Was she trying to make a point, or is this some NPC–style side quest she thinks she’s fulfilling?”
Meanwhile, Natalie’s mood had shifted entirely once she returned to Myla.
Her little gesture toward Jonas wasn’t just on a whim. It was a calculated test. Natalie’s godmother’s older son had a similarly prickly personality- quick with biting remarks and impossible to please.
Bui Natalie had witnessed more than once how that same boy would beat the living daylights out of anyone who dared badmouth her behind her back. Heneath his sharp tongue was a heart far softer than he’d ever admit.
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Chapter 12
“This guy might be unpleasant, she mused, glancing briefly back at Jonas, but at least he didn’t throw the bread on the ground or chuck it at my face. He’s not that difficult
The small experiment had eased her anxiety just a bit. ‘If I can stay out of his way and avoid causing any trouble, maybe—just maybe he’ll actually take me to the Northern District!
But that brief glimmer of hope was fleeting. As soon as her mind wandered back to her family, a heavy cloud serded over her again. 1 disappeared without a word. Grandpa and my godmother’s family must be frantic.
“Especially her son… He’s always been so protective of me since we were little. Even when I scraped my knee, he’d rush to help, as if it were the end of the world. If he knows I’m missing.
Her chest tightened painfully. With his health already so fragile, he’s going to be heartbroken‘
Natalie’s throat felt tight, her emotions threatening to spill over, but she forced herself to focus. She turned to Myla with a soft, hesitant voice. “Ms. Carr, how many days will it take for us to reach the Northem Diarice?”
The question lingered in the air as Natalie’s hear raced with unease. She couldn’t help but silently pray that the journey wouldn’t be too long.
No matter how hard she tried to win over Jonas with gestures of goodwill, his mercurial temperament and tendency to see her ass infiltrator left her on edge. She couldn’t shake the fear that if the trip stretched on, something could go wrong.
some kind of
AD
