The woman who never flinched felt the sky collapse. Panic stripped her of her logic. She followed the kidnappers' demands blindly, walking alone into the trap to deliver the ransom.
Predictably, they planned to kill her too.
I didn't think. I drove into the chaos, disregarding my own life to negotiate, buying just enough time for the police to breach the perimeter.
The kidnappers didn't go easy on me. They beat me within an inch of my life.
When I woke up in the ICU, Natalie and her parents were at my bedside.
Her mother smiled, though her eyes were wet. "Liam, I heard you gave up your career, your future, everything... just for our Wanshin. We've been watching you."
She took my hand. "And now, you've almost died for us. This is a debt we can never repay. We approve. You and Wanshin should be together."
When her mother said those words, Natalie's face went pale.
But she didn't argue. She nodded, accepting her fate.
If Dominic Gilbert hadn't appeared, perhaps I would have continued to delude myself. I might have believed that I had actually chipped away the ice around her heart.
Back at the company, the large LED screen in the lobby was broadcasting highlights from the Wuzhen Internet Conference.
A cluster of colleagues stood beneath it, gossiping.
"Look, it's CEO Henson and Director Gilbert."
"Damn, they look good together. Like a power couple."
The words landed like a fist to my sternum.
Most people in the group thought Natalie and Dominic were a perfect match.
Almost no one knew I was her fiancé.
The camera cut to a new angle.
Natalie and Dominic, standing side by side.
The camera zoomed in.
Dominic Gilbert and Natalie were standing shoulder to shoulder, their bodies almost pressing against each other.
He leaned in, whispering something that made the corners of Natalie's lips curl upward.
A genuine, radiant smile broke across her face.
"Ms. Henson smiled!" a junior employee gasped.
"I've been here three years and I've never seen her smile like that. That's rare."
"Well, it's Director Gilbert. Tall, handsome, loaded. Even an iceberg like Natalie Henson has to melt eventually."
I stared at the high-definition screen. Was this the same woman I knew?
Her aloofness was legendary. Within the corporation, she was untouchable. Even senior executives kept a respectful distance when reporting to her.