Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 152 Natalia's face turned a pallid shade of fury. She spun on her heel, intent on leaving.

"I'll check out sother hotels." Hamilton's eyes narrowed slightly as he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" she yelled.

A dangerous gleam sparked in Hamilton's eyes. "You're that opposed to sharing a room with me?" Natalia's expression soured. "Hamilton, considering what's between us, do you really think it's appropriate to share a room?" Hamilton scoffed. "Doesn't bother me." "Well, it bothers me!" With that, Natalia wrenched her arm free and stormed off.

Hamilton, unphased, caught up with her and steered her into the elevator.

Inside the elevator, surrounded by strangers, Natalia ceased her struggle, but her lips were pressed into a tight line.

Every nerve in her body screamed in resistance to the ambiguity that clouded her relationship with Hamilton. However, this man was relentlessly unwilling to let her go.

Once out of the elevator, Hamilton pulled her swiftly into the room.

No sooner had they crossed the threshold than he pinned her against the door.

His overwhelming presence pressed down on her.

Just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, a sudden ring from his phone sliced through the silence of the room.

The unexpected sound was stark in the quiet space.

Hamilton paused, and at that moment, Natalia's high heel ccrashing down on his foot without mercy. Hamilton let out a muffled grunt.

She pushed him away and left the room in haste.

Hamilton watched her retreating figure with a grimace.

He pulled out his phone and answered the call with a growl.

"This better be a matter of life or death, Alden, or you're a dead man." There was a pause before Alden spoke. "Bro, I've found something." Hamilton's eyes narrowed as he lit a cigarette.

"Spill it." Alden hesitated. "Before Ms. Jenkins was kidnapped, Eveleen had made contact with Orpheus." Hamilton's movements froze momentarily.

His eyes narrowed, and after what seemed an eternity, he slowly put away his lighter.

"Are you certain? Did you find clear evidence?" Alden fell silent for a moment.

He finally managed to reply. "A surveillance camera caught a figure from a distance. It's not crystal clear, but the build... it's likely Eveleen." Hamilton's expression turned thunderous.

A surge of anger rose within him but was quickly suppressed.

He took a drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaling before responding. "Without solid proof, don't make accusations. Anything else?" Alden felt a pang of discomfort.

He knew Hamilton always shielded Eveleen. Past issues aside, this time, it was different; Natalia's life had been at risk.

"Bro, even without hard evidence, Eveleen is a suspect! And with suspicion comes the duty to not ignore it.

And the timing? Just when Ms. Jenkins needed you, an incident happens, and right after you leave her, Orpheus makes his move. Don't you find that too coincidental?" Hamilton's face was a mask of ice, his perfect features etched with cold.

"So, what are you implying? Alden, Eveleen is a public figure; she wouldn't gamble with her career and her face!" Alden was left speechless.

He found the situation suspicious, and he refused to believe his brother didn't feel the same.

But that was just it - you can't wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Even he was disheartened, not to mention Natalia.

"Bro, if you don't deal with Eveleen, you'll never win back Ms. Jenkins." Hamilton stood in the dark room, the flickering ember of his cigarette betraying his unrest.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Alden, the only way to resolve this is to find Orpheus. Do you really think a blurry snapshot is enough to pin anything on her? Do you think she'll confess? And even if she does, what then? Is she not allowed to have dealings with our brother? Does it have to be a conspiracy?" Alden was rendered speechless by the barrage of questions.

Without concrete evidence, it all amounted to nothing.

"But, shouldn't we at least ask?" "Ask what? If she orchestrated the kidnapping? Or if she deliberately used the threat of disfigurement to distract me?" Alden suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

These questions, even if asked, would likely not yield any satisfactory answers.

"Keep looking into Orpheus' whereabouts. As for this, let's pretend we know nothing." Hamilton hung up after his final word.

After leaving Hamilton's room, Natalia immediately exited the hotel.

She hailed a cab and headed straight for the next hotel on her list.

However, as the receptionist had warned earlier, due to the International Expo, all nearby hotels were fully booked.

Natalia tried several more, each with the sresult.

Standing on the curb, her expression darkened.

Her phone buzzed incessantly with messages.

She glanced at the screen; they were all from Hamilton.

[Where are you?] [Callback.] [The room's a suite. I won't touch you.]] [Natalia, answer the phone!] After reading Hamilton's texts, Natalia stashed her phone away.

Just as she was about to call another cab to continue her search, her phone rang again.

It was Ryan Holzer.

"Ryan?" "Natalia, can you take a business trip soon?" Ryan's voice was filled with warmth.

"When and where?" Natalia asked.

"Boria City. The International Expo's opening ceremony is tomorrow night. If you're coming, you should get here by tomorrow morning. There's prep work to do." Natalia bit her lip. "Ryan, I'm already in Boria City." Ryan paused, and then his voice brightened with surprise.

"You're in Boria City? When did you arrive? Why didn't you letknow ahead of time?" Natalia let out a chuckle. "Just got into town today, here on business." "So, where are you staying? I can swing by and drop off the documents." Her voice carried a tinge of defeat, "Haven't found a place yet." Ryan paused, then burst into laughter. "Hotels all booked up, huh? Where are you? I'll cget you." Natalia rattled off a location and hung up the phone.

Hamilton had been in a foul mood ever since he left the hotel lobby.

Not a single reply cfrom Natalia to any of the messages he sent.

Furrowing his brow, he switched to a burner phone to call her.

As soon as she picked up, Hamilton didn't waste a moment, "Where are you?"

Natalia's voice was cool. "Mr. Fowler, no need to worry; I'll be on tfor the meeting with the partners tomorrow."

"I'm asking where you are!" Hamilton was already angry, but he kept his composure, "Natalia, you're here for work, not not to mess around. And do you think to messlay you're here for you think Linda booked just one room for fun? All the nearby hotels are full. Where do you plan to go?" Natalia was firm. "That's none of your concern." With that, she hung up.

When Hamilton tried calling back, she didn't pick up.

He scoffed coldly and tossed his phone aside.

Natalia hadn't been gone long, and there weren't many places she could have gone to just a few local hotels.

He got in his car and set out directly to those places.

Half an hour later, he finally spotted Natalia's figure on the sidewalk.

But before he could approach, a car pulled up in front of her.

Ryan stepped out, handing her a cup of steaming coffee.

Natalia smiled, accepting it.

They exchanged a few words, and suddenly, Ryan reached out, playfully ruffling her hair.

Hamilton's expression darkened in an instant.