Chapter 64
"I came for you," Drogen said, his voice calm, yet there was an unmistakable weight in his words.
Natasha tilted her chin up defiantly, trying to ignore the way her heart betrayed her by skipping a beat. "You told me to leave remember?" she shot back, her voice sharper than she intended.
"And I came to find you, didn't I?" Drogen replied, as though that solved everything.
Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, her chest tightening with a mix of frustration and a strange kind of excitement. He came for her. The thought made her pulse quicken, but she wasn't about to let him off so easily. "Where's… where's the guy from earlier?" she asked, glancing around the club, suddenly realizing the man she had been dancing with was nowhere in sight.
Drogen shrugged nonchalantly, his face devoid of guilt. "Oh, him? I hung him up on a pole on the rooftop. He's probably screaming for help right about now." He said, looking away and glancing at the ceiling, as if he knew what he did.
Her jaw dropped. "You did what?!"
Drogen's gaze turned to her, utterly unfazed by her reaction. "He touched what he wasn't supposed to. He's lucky I didn't do worse. If he'd gone any further, I would've been the last face he saw before being escorted to the underworld."
Natasha frowned, completely bewildered. "What do you mean? He didn't do anything!"
Drogen's gaze locked onto hers, and for a moment, the intensity behind his eyes made her throat dry. "You, Nat. He touched you."
Before Natasha could process that, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close—so close she could feel the warmth radiating off him despite his cold demeanor. His voice dropped lower, almost possessive. "As long as you're my girlfriend, I won't let any other man lay their filthy hands on you."
Natasha's breath caught in her throat. Girlfriend? Did he just say that? She was pretty sure her brain short-circuited for a moment.
Her heart raced wildly, and a small, familiar flutter of excitement mixed with her anger. But then reality hit. Wait a minute. This is the same man who told me to leave just hours ago!
She placed her hands firmly against his chest, pushing at him, though he barely budged. "Oh, so you push me away when you feel like it and now you decide to come back, and I'm supposed to just… what? Be grateful?" Her voice shook with a mix of emotions—anger, frustration, and something she refused to name.
Drogen didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned closer, brushing his lips against her ear. "I'm sorry."
Natasha froze as he trailed a slow, deliberate kiss down the side of her neck. A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it, her skin tingling where he touched. He's doing this on purpose, she realized, gritting her teeth.
He knew exactly what he was doing, and he was enjoying how much it affected her. Not today, Drogen.
"Stop it," she said, pushing again, though her hands felt weak. Her heart raced wildly, her mind spinning. She wasn't just angry—she was furious. Excited he came for her, sure, but still angry enough to want to give him a taste of his own medicine.
"Are you angry?" he teased, his voice laced with a small, almost mischievous smile.
Natasha glanced up at him, startled to see a hint of warmth finally returning to his previously cold eyes. Relief flooded her chest, though she refused to show it. Don't fall for it, Nat!
"Of course I'm angry!" she huffed, her tone firm even as her cheeks burned. "You're not the only one who gets to have moods, you know."
Before he could respond, a sharp, dramatic voice cut through the tension.
"Natasha! Who's this?"
Natasha's head snapped toward Gracie, who stood there with her arms crossed, her expression one of mock authority. She even added a disapproving frown for extra effect.
Natasha's lips twitched, fighting back a smile as she and Gracie exchanged a knowing glance. Instantly, they were on the same page, in that brief moment, they silently agreed to mess with Drogen.
"Oh, um… this is my boss. Mr. Lee," Natasha said smoothly, gesturing toward Drogen as though he were nothing special.
Gracie gave a sharp nod, keeping up her act. "Your boss, huh? Well, I need to take my niece shopping for something urgent, so I'll have to ask you to leave us alone."
Drogen blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Your niece?" he repeated slowly, his frown deepening as if he was having a hard time understanding. Natasha never mentioned having an aunt, so where did this woman come from.
Gracie didn't give him a chance to ask questions or protest"Yes. Now excuse us," she said firmly, grabbing Natasha's hand and pulling her away.
Once they were out of the club and safely down the street, both of them collapsed into laughter.
"Did you see his face?" Gracie howled, clutching her stomach. "He actually believed it!"
Natasha laughed so hard her sides hurt. "I can't believe he fell for that! You were so convincing."
Gracie tossed her hair back dramatically. "What can I say? I'm a woman of many talents."
They reached Gracie's sleek black car and entered, once Inside the car, Natasha slouched back in her seat, letting out a deep sigh. "So what now? I still have to go back to his place."
Gracie raised an eyebrow. "Why? Don't give him the satisfaction. I'll book you a hotel for the night. Or better yet, go stay with your mom. Make him suffer a little."
Natasha chuckled, though her smile faltered slightly as she stared out the window. Would he even care if I didn't come back?
Gracie must have noticed her shift in mood because she suddenly poked her arm. "Nat, quit overthinking. That man? He's got it bad for you."
Natasha snorted, shaking her head. "He's impossible."
Gracie smirked knowingly. "And yet, here you are, letting him live rent-free in your head."
Natasha opened her mouth to retort, but the only sound that came out was a defeated laugh.
She looked out the window silently as the car sped off into the night. It didn't take long before they arrived at a nearby hotel. Gracie booked one room for Natasha, and afterward, they headed to a mall to shop for some clothes and other essentials.
"Don't— I repeat, don't give in so easily. Make him want you, Nat. Make him beg you to come back," Gracie said firmly.
"But he already apologized," Natasha replied, looking completely clueless. If she was being honest, her anger had already faded. She wasn't mad at him anymore. In fact, she was beginning to miss him.