Chapter 20

~Lucien~

The second I left work, I drove straight home. I didn’t even stop to check messages or take calls. I wanted to surprise Natalie with the bags I had bought for her.

I could already picture her face when she saw them. Ten of the most expensive pieces Alexa had. All wrapped. All perfect. I had spent more than I cared to admit, but if it made her happy, it would be worth it.

When I reached the gates of the mansion, I looked up at her window. Surprisingly, the curtains were down and the windows were shut. It was strange, she never closed her windows at this time. I told myself not to think too much of it, maybe she slept early.

As I walked inside, I could see Alex already waiting. The bags I had ordered were already arranged neatly in the living room, each one in a glossy box with ribbons.

“Perfect,” I said. Then I turned to the maid beside me. “Has Natalie come down today?”

She shook her head quickly. “No, sir. She has not left her room at all.”

I frowned, that was so unlike her. “Not even to eat?”

“No, sir.”

My frown deepened, wasn't she taking the matter too far now?

“Is she trying to starve herself now?”

I didn’t waste more time. I walked up the stairs to get her out of the room myself. As I reached the door, I knocked but she didn't answer. “Natalie, open the door.”

But there was no answer. I tried again, knocking louder. But there was still nothing.

Suddenly, a thought hit me. What if she had fainted?

“Alex!” I called him from down the hall. “Get someone to break this door open. Now.”

“Yes sir,” his voice echoed.

It wasn't long before a man arrived and quickly started his work. When the door swung open, I stepped inside, half worried and half ready to yell at her. But the room was empty.

I stayed frozen to the spot, my thoughts running wild. My eyes swept the bed, the wardrobe, the bathroom door. There was no trace of her, nothing.

She was gone.

“Where is she?” I said under my breath.

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and dialed her number. It rang, she picked up, but she didn’t say a word, just unusual silence, then the line went dead.

My jaw clenched at her attitude. I called again, but she didn't even pick up this time. Angrily, I walked back out into the hallway, my voice sharp. “Everyone downstairs. Now.”

The staff gathered in the main room. I stood in front of them, my hands in my pockets but my eyes cold. “Which one of you let her out?” I asked.

No one spoke. They kept their heads low. There was no way she got out on her own. I stepped closer to the group. “I’m going to ask one more time. Who opened that door?”

“Fine,” I said flatly. “You all want to protect her? Then you can all pay for it.” I gave orders for punishments. A few of them tried to speak up, but I cut them off.

“You’re here to work, not to lie to me. If she can walk out of this house without anyone noticing, then none of you are doing your jobs.”

After that, I went to the fireplace and sat there. As I stared at the crackling fires, I was reminded of the fire that swallowed up my own family. The memory was forever etched in my brain. I didn’t move for hours. I just sat there, waiting. By the time the clock struck nine, I heard the front door creak open. I stood as I heard her walk in.

She didn’t look surprised to see me waiting, but she didn’t look scared either.

“Where were you?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, she kept walking, her chin high, her eyes fixed anywhere but on me. “Natalie,” I said again, my voice low. “I asked you a question.”

She finally looked at me. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp. “Why do you care?”

I took a step toward her. “Because you’re my wife. And because I don’t like you disappearing without telling me.”

She didn’t reply.

I forced myself to breathe evenly. I didn’t want to make this worse. It was better to just bury the hatchet now. “I have something for you,” I said. I motioned to the living room, where the bags were still lined up neatly.

She followed my gaze, then looked back at me with disbelief. “What is that supposed to be?” she asked.

“A gift,” I said. “Ten of them. The best money can buy.”

Her jaw tightened as she stared at me in disgust and something else I couldn't really decipher. “You think you can buy me?”

“That’s not what I…”

“You think I’ll forget everything if you give me expensive things?” she cut in. “You think I’ll let you off just because you spent money?”

My own voice rose. “I was trying to make you happy.”

“Well, you failed,” she snapped. “I don’t want your bribes, Lucien. Keep them.”

The air between us went heavy. I could feel the heat in her words, but I could also see the way her hands shook slightly. I wanted to ask her where she had gone. I wanted to demand to know who she was with. But I knew if I pushed her now, she’d only shut me out even more,so I stayed silent.

She turned and walked toward the stairs, her head held high. When she reached her room, she didn’t slam the door. She just closed it quietly, and that quiet felt worse than anything she could have shouted at me. I stood there, looking at the untouched bags I had spent a fortune buying. I had thought I was being smart. That I could soften her. Instead, I had just reminded her of how much she hated me.