Chapter 17 You Can’t Die
The woman thought her plan had worked. She quickly attempted to sneak out of the cold storage.
She barely spun around when Natalie grabbed a firm hold of her ponytail.
The next second, someone waiting outside slammed the heavy freezer door shut with a loud bang
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“Hey! I’m not out yet!” The woman shouted, pressing her body against the door and pounding with both fists. But silence answered her cries–no one was there anymore.
“While your phone still has signal, Natalie said coolly, “you’d better call your boss and ask her to let us out. Otherwise, we’re both going to freeze to death in here
Skye l’arham was stunned, not quite catching the insult buried in the words. “Wait, you knew I was trying to trap you? Then why did you still come with me?”
Natalie gave the girl a once–over, taking in her frail figure. “Ever heard the phrase ‘cut off the head and the body dies?
Her father had drilled that into her since she was a kid. Whether in business or life, don’t waste time fighting foot soldiers. Take out the king, and the rest will crumble.
She hadn’t inherited her dad’s full business sense, but she’d picked up enough.
With no other options, Skye pulled out her phone and called Lily.
“You and Natalie are locked in the cold storage? Oh no, what a shame,” Lily said with a fake gasp. “I’m out right now. Not sure 171 have time to come save you.”
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“Not sure or don’t want to?” Skye snapped. “Lily, if we stay here, we’re going to die!”
“Geez, Skye, don’t be so dramatic, I didn’t ask you to walk into that cold storage. Whether you make it out or not, I guess it’s up to your luck.”
The line went dead.
Skye tried to call again–only to find she’d been blocked.
One thought flashed through her mind: What goes around, comes around.
She broke down crying. I don’t want to diel”
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A strong emotional reaction would make your body lose heat faster, Natalie said calmly. “You’ll die even sooner.”
That was enough to shut Skye up immediately.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Natalie. “I tried to hurt you, and you’re still worried about me. Natalie, you’re a good person.
Natalie remained silent,
She lowered the fist she’d been ready to swing.
Truthfully, she’d just been planning to knock Skye out so she’d stop crying.
Sniffling, Skye muttered, “Lily’s out to get you. She probably cleared everyone else out of the building. By the time anyone finds us, we’ll be a pair of human popsicles.
“You think the crematorium charges extra for that? I bet it takes longer to burn two frozen pops than it does regular bodies.
Natalie started regretting ever wishing Skye would stop crying. Her mouth was even worse.
“Don’t worry,” Natalie said flatly. “You won’t turn into a popsicle.
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Chapter 17 You Can’t Die
Just as the words left her mouth, the door creaked open.
Natalie froze at the sight of Jonathan standing in the doorway.
Before she followed Skye in, she’d sensed something was off and had texted Nelson just in case.
If he wasn’t the one at the cold storage, he’d at least realize something was wrong.
But she hadn’t expected it to be Jonathan who showed up.
“What are you doing here?” She asked.
“Came to meet Nelson for drinks,” he replied casually, his expression cold and unreadable.
“Oh, she mumbled, disappointment creeping through her chest.
Of course he didn’t come for her. She was just a stand–in, nothing more.
“Let’s go, popsicle,” she said, pretending not to care as she called out to Skye and was ready to leave the place.
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Skye scrambled to follow, but her foot slid on the frosty floor, and she tumbled forward, slamming into the open door.
Her arm smacked the door–and it slammed shut again with a thud.
All three of them were speechless.
Occasionally when words fail, all you can do is laugh.
But right now, Skye’s laugh looked worse than her cry. “I swear I didn’t mean tol Do you guys believe me?”
Natalie took a deep breath. Now she understood why Lily had decided to ditch this sidekick.
She was hopelessly dumb..
The temperature dropped fast, and the phone signal vanished.
Natalie could only pray that someone would figure out where they were.
She was zoning out when something warm dropped over her shoulders–a coat, still radiating heat.
It smelled faintly like sandalwood. Jonathan’s scent.
“You gave me your coat. What about you?” She asked, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt without thinking.
“If you die,” he said coolly, “it’ll be a nightmare dealing with the divorce paperwork.”
Her fingers, which grabbed on his sleeves, loosened at his words.
For a second, she’d thought he was worried about her. But no–he was worried about the legal hassle.
Jonathan’s dark eyes flashed with pain when he saw her let go.
That hadn’t been what he wanted to say.
But he also knew she’d never accept his concern unless he masked it with indifference.
She’d once told him that every act of care from him made her stomach turn.
A delicate figure sat beside him, small and silent. Half the coat slipped off her shoulders and onto him.
He turned his head and met her eyes–clear and innocent.
Was he imagining it? He spotted some hint of hurt in her eyes.
“If you die,” she whispered, “I’ll be stuck married to you forever.”
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Chapter 17 You Can’t Die
They said nothing else after that. They just sat there, side by side, trying to stay warm.
The couple couldn’t see the truth–but Skye could.
Despite their bickering, it was obvious they cared about each other.
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Meanwhile, she was the awkward third wheel. She had no one to huddle with, so she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered alone.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Natalie was shivering uncontrollably, each breath a stab of icy pain in her lungs.
Just as she felt she couldn’t last another minute, the door opened.
Nelson stepped in and saw Jonathan and Natalie curled up together. The coat was nearly all wrapped around her.
The moment she stepped outside, Natalie felt like her soul returned to her body.
Skye, on the other hand, was practically frozen solid. A doctor, which was brought by Nelson, was given her emergency
‘treatment
Nelson noticed how thinly dressed Jonathan was and quickly tossed a blanket over his shoulders.
He’d gotten Natalie’s text and knew something was off.
But once he realized this was Jonathan’s moment to play the hero, he stepped aside.
When he touched Jonathan’s arm, he was shocked by how hot his skin was. His buddy probably had a fever.
Jonathan seemed like his normal self and showed no signs of illness.
“You’ve got a fever, boss. Let me drive you to the hospital.”
Tm fine.”
Jonathan looked as steady and composed as ever. You’d never know he was burning up.
Half an hour in the heated room and a cup of hot tea later, Natalie started to recover,
Her phone, finally back in service, began ringing nonstop–Jacques was calling her again and again.
“Mr. West,” she said, turning to Nelson. I’d like the afternoon off”
His secretary was worth billions, and her husband–technically–was worth ten times that. Who was he to say no?
He was about to nod when Jonathan glanced over–and saw Jacques’s name on the screen.
She want time off to go see him?
“You don’t have to bend the rules for her just because of who she’s married to,” Jonathan said coolly. “At West Group, she’s just the CEO’s assistant. Not my wife.”
Nelson grumbled inwardly.
What? I purposely bent the rules for her. Boss, you basically spent a fortune just planting her in my office so she could experience the real world. You didn’t open the backdoor–you turned it into a freeway.
But he clearly understood the message.
No time off for Natalie.
“Can’t do. It’s the company policy–no time off during the probationary period.”
He turned her down.
Chapter 17 You Can’t Die
Usually, when Natalie protested, Jonathan would go to great lengths to support her. This was common knowledge.
Other women cried, screamed, or threatened to leave. Men usually hated it. But Jonathan? He acted like it was love
But this time, Natalie didn’t argue. She just nodded quietly.
“Well then, what if I hit someone at work? Would that break company policy?”
