Chapter 129

Natalie and Luna had been shopping for forty minutes, and she picked up some local specialties to send back to Valerie. Valerie loved waffles, which were delicious. She liked snacking on them while watching TV at night. Natalie checked the expiry dates and they were all fine, so she bought more and mailed them directly from the store.

“Natalie,” Murray entered the store in casual clothes, smiling warmly at her.

Natalie smiled, “Let’s go. You’ve been here for a bit. You must know some great places to eat. Let’s have pizza.”

Luna didn’t like pizza. “Ms. Shawn, I’m going to skip it. You all go ahead. I can’t handle pizza,” she refused to be the third wheel. Moreover, if it turned out Jennifer was responsible for Murray’s incident, now that Jennifer knew Natalie saved Murray, she surely wouldn’t let Natalie off easily. Luna had to prepare in advance. Natalie had told her about her plan earlier.

“Luna, go find something you like to eat. After dinner, we’ll go for a walk.”

Luna nodded coolly. “Okay.”

Murray watched Luna leave. He found Luna always so aloof and that she wasn’t one for small talk. “Has Luna always been this reserved?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, she’s been like this since she was a child, but she’s very capable,” Natalie praised with a bright smile.

Murray could tell that Luna was not only cool and composed but also very skilled. She was both graceful and talented. He smiled knowingly, “Natalie, the people around you are quite remarkable.”

Natalie smiled but remained silent. She had grown up in a remarkable family. By her side were her trusted companions Luna, Carl, Elsa, and Charles. They were all orphans. Carl was the first orphan she encountered. She let him choose his own name. He said, “Ms. Shawn, thank you for allowing me to study with you. I’ll be Carl,” He was grateful for this meeting.

Later on, there was Luna, and then Charles and Elsa, whose names were all chosen by themselves. They were sent to an orphanage at birth, unaware of their family names. They randomly picked names for themselves. Elsa and Charles were younger, currently studying abroad, and would graduate next year. Each of them was exceptionally talented and now stood out as a leader among their peers.

Natalie wasn’t raised in solitude. She also had people she loved. She never understood why her past self held onto the little love from the Simpson family so tightly. Having another chance at life, she still couldn’t understand it.

“Natalie, what’s wrong?” Murray called out to her, noticing she was lost in thought.

Natalie snapped back, giving him a bright smile. Under the light her smile was like the morning sun, vibrant, and to Murray, it seemed as splendid as the clouds at dawn or a blaze of fire.

To Easton, who was not far away, her smile was just as bright and warm. With that smile, it seemed she had let go of many burdens. Easton’s heart was in turmoil, yet he couldn’t grasp the fleeting feeling that never settled. He watched Natalie walk away with Murray, the two of them talking and laughing. Murray was great at chatting, and they seemed to have a lot in common. They chatted happily all the way. Ever since Natalie decided to get a divorce, Easton could frequently see the lively side of her.

However, Easton was like a lion lurking in the shadows from a young age. He was sinister and fierce. Seeing the radiant Natalie, he suddenly felt he was no match for her.

Easton looked at Xavier behind him and said, “Let’s go.”

Xavier patted her empty stomach and smiled, asking, “Mr. Garcia, are we going for dinner now?”

Easton glanced at the two figures ahead and responded softly, “Yeah.”

Xavier understood. They were going to run into Natalie. He thought, ‘Why didn’t you cherish her when she showed interest? Now you know how nice she is and don’t want to divorce her?‘

Murray took Natalie to a nice restaurant. As soon as you walked in, there was a strong aroma of pizza.

Natalie chuckled. “After dinner, you’ll leave with the scent of pizza clinging to you.”

Murray actually really liked eating pizza. After a fast drive, he’d always take his friends for pizza and beer. It was their thing.

“I’ve been here before. It’s quite good. I booked a private room, so the smell isn’t as strong,” Murray had his hands in his pockets, exuding a carefree charm that caught the attention of the nearby young women.

“He’s so handsome, like a movie star!” A girl loudly shrieked.

Murray winked at her and then put his arm around Natalie’s shoulders, letting the girls know he was taken. The girl looked disappointed, waved, and sat back down to continue eating.

Natalie always found the world outside quite interesting. These girls seemed so wonderful, openly expressing their admiration when they liked someone, with kindness shining in their eyes. She really should go out more often.

When they got to the private room on the second floor and sat down, Murray poured Natalie a glass of water. Natalie picked up the cup and sipped gracefully. Then she said, “Murray, if Jennifer really did cause your problems, she’ll send someone to retaliate against me tonight. If things get dangerous, find a way to escape and don’t worry about me.”

Murray paused while pouring water, his usually bright eyes deepening. “What do you mean by that? I will never leave you behind.”

Natalie said with a hint of worry, “I’m afraid you’ll hold me back...”

Murray’s hand trembled slightly. It turned out he was overthinking and not worthy to protect her.

Natalie saw his face look unpleasant and couldn’t help but chuckle. “But I have a plan B,” Natalie shared her plan with him.

After listening, Murray’s hands shook even more. He wondered if there really were such malicious women in the world. He had indeed underestimated how malicious Jennifer could be.

Afterward, the two happily enjoyed their meal without any incidents.

Yet once they stepped outside, a fragrant breeze greeted them.

Natalie didn’t even have a chance to warn Murray before he fell softly to the ground.

Natalie called out, “Murray, how are you?”

Murray looked at her weakly. He tried to get up twice but couldn’t. “Natalie, my legs feel weak.”

At that moment, four men came out from the room across the hall. As they got closer, it was clear they were wearing silicone masks. One of them walked up to Murray and Natalie and gave him a hard kick.

“You little punk, you managed to escape last time. But tonight, there’s no getting away for you two,” the man laughed arrogantly.

Murray asked angrily, “Did Jennifer send you?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t know her. Someone paid us well to deal with you two. Now, come with me.”

Murray’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the masks on their faces. They were from Storm Alliance. He turned to Natalie and said, “Natalie, they’re from Storm Alliance. Run!”