Rejected by the husband, claimed by the Ruthless Brother

Natalie’s breathing caught as soon as he looked up at her.

No... It wasn't Jullian. His eyes weren't this dark, and his hair wasn't black.

A shiver ran down Natalie's spine as soon as he looked at her.

What was worse... She could hardly make up the expression on his face, but she already felt so scared.

For a moment, he didn’t even look at her face.

His gaze went directly to the twins... Maybe if she had seen his face, she would have seen the look of surprise that ran through his eyes.

Then he looked at her.

And Natalie felt her entire body tense instinctively, and her legs unconsciously moved backwards.

He took one slow step toward her, then another.

The sound of his polished shoes against the pavement echoed loudly in the silence.

Natalie backed away immediately.

“Stay back,” she warned weakly, though her trembling voice ruined any intimidation.

The man stopped.

Close enough now for her to see his face clearly beneath the dim streetlights.

Handsome... No beautiful.

Jullian was one of the most handsome people Natalie knew, but compared to this man in front of her, he was less than ordinary.

But just like the other men around her, his face was expressionless.

Natalie frowned slightly.

She had seen him before.

But where?

The man slid one gloved hand into his pocket casually.

Her pulse quickened.

“What do you want?” she asked carefully.

The man’s gaze lowered briefly toward the twins again.

Something unreadable flickered through his eyes before disappearing completely.

Then he finally answered.

“You.”

Natalie’s face paled.

Fear exploded inside her chest.

Natalie swallowed hard.

Her body screamed in pain, exhaustion clawing at her limbs, but adrenaline forced her to stay standing.

“Who are you?” she whispered. The man didn't answer. He just stared at her.

Natalie’s fingers tightened protectively around the twins.

“What do you want from me?” she asked again, panic slipping into her voice now.

The handsome scoffed, a smirk spreading across his lips. “You’re coming with me.”

Natalie’s heart nearly stopped. She shook her head, moving backwards. “No.”

But his face remained calm... “It wasn’t a request.”

As soon as he said that, the men who stood behind her took a step forward, as though reassuring her that she had nowhere to run.

Fear surged violently through her chest.

She ignored the obvious message and tried to escape. Her body moved before her brain could catch up.

She turned abruptly, but pain shot through her abdomen immediately, nearly making her collapse. Strong hands grabbed her before she hit the ground.

Natalie gasped sharply, panic exploding inside her. “Don’t touch me!” she cried out desperately.

One of the guards reached for the baby carrier instinctively.

Natalie jerked away violently.

“No!” she screamed. “Don’t touch my children!”

The entire street fell silent.

Even the guards paused, they looked up to their boss for the next move.

The cold handsome man stepped forward slowly.

Close enough that Natalie could smell his cologne now... His dark, expensive, and dangerous perfume.

She looked up at him with visible fear.

And Lucien spoke quietly.

“You’ll die if you stay out here tonight.”

Natalie’s lips trembled.

Maybe he was right.

But going with him felt worse somehow.

“I’d rather die,” she whispered.

The man smirked and then leaned down to whisper in her ears... "That can be arranged later." And then he snapped his fingers. "But not with the twins."

What did he...

Before Natalie knew what was going on, she felt something pressing on her nose and mouth from behind, and she couldn't even struggle... The last thing she saw was his handsome face staring at her before her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious.

...

Lucian looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms. He caught her before her body hit the ground.

She was finally in his arms.

He gave an order for the twins to be taken into the car before carrying Natalie.

Lucian couldn't help but stare at her face. He had gone to the hospital to see her only to be informed that she had insisted on leaving. It was only by luck he saw her.

Judging from her situation, he was certain that his idiotic brother... Her husband had gotten the divorce that he wanted... So maybe they could be used for something greater.

A flicker passed through his eyes as he stared at the twins.

Jullian could leave his wife after she just gave birth... Yet he was the cruel one.

...

Natalie winced, turning on the bed. It took a few seconds but she finally opened her eyes, one after the other.

As soon as she did, her lips bent downwards to form a frown.

This... She wasn't at the hospital. She was already used to the white walls, ceiling, and smell of that place after staying for two days.

And... This wasn't her bedroom back in her husband's... Wait, ex-husband's home either.

It was way smaller than this. Julian had moved her to the room on the ground floor a few months ago with the excuse that her belly would be too big to climb the stairs and it would be dangerous.

She had thought then that he cared about her, but thinking about it now... He only wanted space so he could be with his mistress.

This wasn't her room back at her father's house either.

Natalie suddenly sat up and looked around.

Where was she?

"Where am I?" She asked no one in particular as she stared at the huge bedroom, her heart slamming hard against her chest.

Slowly, memories of last night came back to her.

"What the hell..." Natalie exclaimed, standing up from the bed. Then she realized something...

Her children.

Her eyes widened and she ran to the door.

"Hey! Where are my children? Hey! Get me out of here! Give me back my children!" She yelled, hitting the door mercilessly.

"Ma'am, can you please stop that?" A voice suddenly said from behind Natalie, and she turned around quickly.