Chapter 164 Falling Out Part I

Chapter 164 Falling Out Part I
Natalie POV

My phone buzzed again on the marble bar top beside me. Lucas. The fifth call in the past hour, maybe the twentieth since this afternoon. I squinted at the screen through my hangover haze, the upscale lounge spinning slightly around me.

"Ugh." I pressed my palm against my throbbing temple. The celebration had gotten way out of hand. I'd drunk until sunrise, then crashed until evening. But could anyone blame me? After weeks of orchestrating this elaborate scheme with Ashley and Carmen, yesterday's report from my lawyer was everything I'd hoped for. Carmen had successfully captured both Ashley and Lily. The elimination orders had been given.

Victory called for champagne. Lots of champagne.

I'd deliberately chosen the Starling Club for my celebration, not just for the private rooms and flowing alcohol, but for the perfect alibi. While Carmen carried out the final phase, I'd be surrounded by witnesses, singing badly and drinking heavily.

The phone buzzed again. This time I answered.

"What?" My voice came out as a croak.

"Where the hell have you been?" Lucas's voice cut through my skull like a blade. "I've been calling you for hours."

"I was... celebrating." I struggled to sit up straight, my low-cut dress riding up my thighs. "Isn't that what we should be doing? Mission accomplished and all that?"

"Get to my hotel. Now." The line went dead.

This wasn't the voice of a man calling to share good news. I fumbled for my coat, not bothering to change out of the bodycon dress I'd worn for last night's festivities.

Thirty minutes later, I was standing outside Lucas's hotel room door. "Now, what were you trying to tell me?" I demanded the moment he opened the door.

Lucas's face was thunderous. He grabbed my arm, pulling me inside and slamming the door. Papers were scattered across the desk and floor, and the television droned with some mindless program neither of us was watching.

"Carmen screwed up. Both girls got away."

"What do you mean, got away?" I staggered slightly, still fighting the alcohol in my system. "The lawyer said—"

"Your lawyer was wrong. Or lying. Or maybe you were too drunk to understand what he actually told you." Lucas paced like a caged animal. "Carmen didn't kill them. They're both in the hospital."

My mouth fell open. "But that's... that's not what was supposed to happen."

"No shit, Natalie." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "But here's the real problem: I got word from Noah. Ashley's paternity test came back negative."

The alcohol seemed to clear from my head instantly. "Negative? I communicated with the person in charge personally. I went in and changed the data myself. How could there be an error?"

"And apparently you screwed it up!" Lucas whirled to face me. "How do you mess up something that simple? You had one job! Make sure that test showed Ashley was Sarah's daughter!"

"I know what I did," I snapped back, my own temper flaring. "I'm not an amateur."

"Maybe you changed the wrong data, whatsoever." Lucas's hands clenched into fists. "And get this. Sarah's real daughter has been found."

That stopped me cold. "Found? By who?"

"How should I know? Michael didn't share details with Noah. But it means our window is closing fast."

I sank into the hotel room's armchair. "We can still salvage this. If Sarah has her real daughter now, that gives us a new target. Someone she actually cares about."

"Salvage?" Lucas exploded. "Sarah already brought Ashley into her home. She was emotionally invested. With just a little more pressure, we could have completely destroyed her family from the inside. Now, Ashley's useless to us, and Sarah's guard will be up."

"My plan was solid," I shot back, rising unsteadily to my feet. "If your Carmen hadn't bungled the execution—"

"My Carmen?" Lucas's voice rose to a roar. "You're blaming me? Carmen had both kids in her hands, ready to finish the job, and somehow they still escaped. That's on her, not my planning."

"Oh, please." I laughed bitterly. "You found some washed-up convict with a grudge and thought that was sufficient for this kind of operation? She couldn't handle two little girls."

"Watch your mouth, Natalie."

"Why? Because I'm pointing out the obvious?" The alcohol was making me reckless, but I couldn't stop myself. "Speaking of obvious, I did some digging into your background, Lucas. Very interesting what I found."

His face went pale. "What are you talking about?"

"Sarah's biological father? Really?" I circled him slowly, enjoying the way his jaw tightened. "And this whole vendetta because you think Sarah killed your son? From what I can tell, your boy died in a car accident. Tragic, sure, but hardly Sarah's fault. He donated his kidney to your daughter before he died. Seems like the decent thing to do."

"Don't you dare—"

"What? Mention your precious dead son? The one whose death you've twisted into some grand conspiracy?"

Lucas lunged at me with a snarl of rage. I tried to dodge, but my reflexes were still slow from the alcohol. His hands caught my shoulders, and we went down hard onto the carpet.

"Get off me!" I struggled beneath his weight, my coat torn away in the scuffle.

Lucas pinned my wrists, his eyes wild with fury and a predatory hunger. His gaze traveled down my exposed collarbone to the revealing neckline of my dress.

"What do you think you're doing?" I tried to keep the fear out of my voice.

"You know what? I'm curious." His words came out rough and low. "This body you've been saving for Michael all these years... I wonder if it's worth the hype."

"You're disgusting." I bucked against his grip, but he was stronger than his lean frame suggested.

"Am I? You've thrown yourself at him for years, haven't you? Tell me, Natalie, what makes you think you're so special?"

I opened my mouth to scream, but he clamped a hand over it. Panic flooded my system, cutting through the alcohol haze like ice water.

Then the television, which had been murmuring quietly in the background, suddenly blared with urgent breaking news music.

"This is Channel 7 News with a breaking story. Pinnacle Industries CEO Mr. Johnson and his wife have announced they are filing for divorce..."