Free At Last, Untouchable Now

Ella! The woman Lucas never truly let go of. Why would she show up with Lucas in the company? Natalie's first instinct told her to slip away unnoticed. Before she could move, Lucas' gaze found her. The sight of her trying so hard to avoid him unsettled him, and the question slipped from his lips before he could stop it. "Why are you at the company?" Caught off guard, Natalie froze, then faced him reluctantly. His expression tightened, his eyes narrowing as if silently accusing her of something. She almost laughed at the sight. Did he really believe she'd stoop so low as to follow him around? What sort of woman did he imagine her to be? Natalie let out a chilly laugh before answering, "Because I'm still an employee here." The sight of Natalie made Ella's smile falter for just a moment. Quick to regain her composure, she flashed a practiced smile and said, "Luke, you and Natalie should talk things through. I'll head to the office on my own." Lucas reached out, catching her wrist before she could take a step. "No need for that. You're my special consultant now." Special consultant? The words cut into Natalie, and a heavy disappointment swept over her. So that explained why Lucas had gone back on his promise. He'd once promised her that landing the west suburb project would earn her a promotion to consultant. She remembered how many late nights she'd spent on research and how many drinks she'd had to secure the project. But when she finally delivered the good news, Lucas barely looked up before telling her the role had already gone to someone else. Although the disappointment stung at the time, Natalie convinced herself he was simply putting the company's interests first. She realized now how foolish she had been from the very start. It was clear as day how much Ella meant to Lucas, enough for him to break his rules. Standing off to the side and watching how well the two fit together, Natalie couldn't help but feel like she had been lost in a fantasy all these years. She decided to tell Lucas about her resignation, but before she could speak, he spat impatiently, "You signed the divorce agreement. There's no undoing it." With a faint scowl, Lucas fixed his gaze on Natalie, displeasure flickering across his features, convinced she was having second thoughts and had come just to stir up more trouble. He believed she had finally changed, but it became obvious this was only another one of her tricks. That realization only fueled Lucas' contempt and disregard for her. Natalie, hand curled into a fist at her side, stared at his cold expression. Her eyes bounced between Lucas and Ella as she replied, "Don't worry—I won't get in the way of you and Miss Wheeler." "What kind of nonsense is that?" At the mention of Ella, Lucas' eyes turned cold, and his voice grew sharp. "That isn't how it is between Luke and me. You're misunderstanding everything," Ella said gently, her tone laced with innocence. Had Natalie not been in the middle of it all, she might have believed Ella's soft-spoken act. "There's no use explaining yourself, Ella. Someone who lives for scheming always assumes the worst." Lucas stepped in front of Ella, glaring at Natalie as if she were nothing more than an adversary. Despite feeling nothing but disappointment toward Lucas, witnessing this scene still left Natalie hurting inside. He was so attentive to another woman, yet his wife didn't even deserve an explanation from him. What a cruel joke life could play. "Step aside! Ella and I actually have things to do, unlike you, who spends her time nursing old grudges." When it came down to it, Lucas doubted Natalie had anything worthwhile to say at all. With him showing nothing but cold indifference, Natalie drew in a steady breath, and the calm she wore faded into something much stormier. She didn't move a muscle. Instead, she held her ground, which only made Lucas grow even more impatient. Before he could snap at her, Jeffrey walked over. Catching sight of Natalie standing before Lucas and Ella, Jeffrey paused, surprise flickering across his face for an instant before he slipped back into his usual professionalism. "Ma'am, did you already speak with Mr. Thorpe about leaving the company?" Carrying a freshly printed resignation letter, he handed the document toward Lucas. "Resignation?" For a heartbeat, uncertainty clouded Lucas' features as he stared at Natalie, clearly not expecting her to go this far. The idea that she would use her resignation to halt the divorce crossed his mind. "So, what are you up to now? Planning to walk out and then run to my grandmother for sympathy?" With eyes narrowed, Lucas studied her, searching for some hidden agenda. If she lost her job, he doubted she would even get by. "I don't stoop to the levels you imagine," Natalie replied, locking eyes with him, her words firm and stripped of any trace of her old deference. Lucas felt stung by her reply, irritation bubbling up with no clear reason. "You better stand by your decision." He grabbed the pen from Jeffrey and scrawled his signature on the page, not a hint of hesitation in his movements. "Just don't come crawling back." "No need to worry about that." Natalie took the document from his hand before turning away, her steps light, as if she carried no weight from the years spent here. Without a word, Lucas narrowed his eyes and watched her go. She was nothing like the woman she'd been before last night. In the past, she might have pleaded for another chance. Now, she left without looking back. "Luke, are you alright?" Ella asked in concern when she saw his stormy expression. Her gentle question snapped Lucas out of the haze in his head, dragging him back to the present. Everything about Natalie was supposed to be in the past now. Their ties had been cut, and her problems no longer concerned him. Meanwhile, Natalie stepped out of the company building, feeling as if a heavy shroud had finally been lifted. The sunlight poured over her, bright and warm, sweeping away the shadows that had been clinging to her. She drew in a deep breath, silently promising herself that she would never let anyone make her small again. There had been a time when she'd loved so deeply that she lost sight of her own worth, but not anymore. Just then, her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts. Natalie pulled out her phone, and the caller ID made her heart flutter unexpectedly. It was a call from Ruby White, her closest friend and roommate back in school, but after she married Lucas, the bond had thinned to holiday greetings and little else. Swallowing her nerves, Natalie answered. A familiar voice came through, saying, "Natty, I'm in trouble! I need your help right now!" Ruby's panicked voice made Natalie's brows crease, worry flashing across her eyes. "What happened?" "I accepted a restoration job for a Jonathan Moss painting. But the damage is worse than I thought. No one at the studio—or anywhere else I've asked—can repair it. It wouldn't be so terrifying if it were any other client. But this guy's business is tied up with my family, and if I mess this up, my dad will lose it. He'll probably freeze my credit card, and my whole studio could go under." Ruby sounded on the verge of tears. "I know you stopped working on commissions after you got married, but I'm desperate. You're my last hope. Can you help me this once?" Silence filled the line. Ruby remembered how Natalie had once walked away from her flourishing career for Lucas, and her hope began to dim. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't put you in this position. I'll figure something else out..." "I'll handle it."