Chapter 8

Natalie’s foot burned with an agonizing pain as she started to sink.

The elderly lady, Emma Spencer, was gasping for air. Her leg had seized up from a sharp sting on the bottom of her foot, and being in deep water, the situation could have turned dire without Natalie’s help.

As Emma looked on with increasing concern, Natalie vanished beneath the water’s surface. “Miss, are you okay? You must get out of there right away!” she called out.

Despite the searing pain, Natalie managed to push herself back to the surface, her heart pounding.

Emma noticed the blood in the water and the stains on Natalie’s clothes. Her eyes filled with dread as she realized someone had tampered with the pool.

“Miss,” Emma tried to reach out, but she was too weak to move.

Natalie’s energy was ebbing. She fought to get out but ended up collapsing next to Emma. The world spun, and something in the water seemed to leach her strength away.

“Ma’am, there’s something in the water. It’s draining our strength,” Natalie said, her clothes soaked, her foot bleeding profusely. The wound on her foot was gruesome.

Emma looked at Natalie’s wound, which was worse than her own, and felt her own strength ebbing away. “It’s okay. My bodyguard will be here any moment. Thank you for saving me. Without you, I would have died here today.”

Emma’s voice was weak, and as Natalie tried to respond, her consciousness faded.

“Mrs. Spencer, are you okay?” The bodyguard rushed over, panic in his voice.

Emma pointed to Natalie. “Quick, take her to the hospital. She’s badly hurt.”

The bodyguard hesitated. “Mrs. Spencer, let me take you there first.”

“Don’t argue. She saved me. Get her to the hospital now,” Emma said, her tone firm.

The bodyguard didn’t delay and carried Natalie to the hospital. As they disappeared from sight, Emma also lost consciousness.

Jennifer, who got there late and didn’t know what had happened, ran to Emma when she saw her lying there. She quickly jumped into the water, got soaked, then got out, picked up Emma, and shouted, “Help! Someone has fallen into the water.”

Just then, Emma’s grandson, Murray Spencer, arrived to collect her and, hearing the call for help, hurried over. “Grandma, grandma,” he called out.

Murray was handsome, rivaling the looks of any woman, but with a masculine grace that was not at all overly delicate. Tall and slender, he carried an effortless, stylish presence.

Jennifer gazed at the good-looking man before her, her eyes widening. Compared to the distant figure of Easton, someone like Murray was more in line with what she considered ideal in life.

“Sir, you should hurry and take her to the hospital,” Jennifer urged.

Murray glanced at Jennifer, his expression grateful. “Thank you for saving my grandmother. Here’s my business card. Contact me tomorrow.”

Jennifer took the card, feigning worry as she looked at Emma. “Sir, it was just a small act of kindness on my part. You should hurry and take her to the hospital.”

“Thanks, and keep in touch,” Murray said, frowning at the blood on the ground. It was odd for his grandmother, who was an adept swimmer, to have an accident. He carried his grandmother and left, with the bodyguard leading the way.

Jennifer glanced at the business card, a sinister yet victorious grin spreading across her face. Having accompanied Easton to the banquet venue, she was a bit late, but the outcome was just as she wished. ‘Natalie, just wait. I will definitely crush you completely,’ she silently vowed.

The following day, Natalie awoke to find James by her side. Upon seeing her eyes open, the strain on his good-looking face eased. “You had us worried,” he said. “If you hadn’t come to, we’d be planning your funeral.”

Natalie asked in surprise, “James, are you saying I almost died?”