Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton)




Hamilton felt a pang in his heart as he listened to her words.

He looked down at the woman in his arms, her fragile state a stark contrast to the forceful figure who had cornered him just a few days ago.

Their child was a wound in her heart that hadn't healed to this day.

Seeing her like this, Hamilton couldn't help but fear how furious she might become if

she ever discovered the truth. Yet, having reached this point, he felt he had no

choice but to keep her in the dark a little longer.

He sighed, intending to comfort her, when suddenly the elevator doors slid open.

Alden stood outside, momentarily taken aback by the scene before him. However, his eyes quickly brightened, and he swiftly turned away.

Natalia stiffened, attempting to extricate herself from Hamilton's embrace, but his firm grip on her shoulder pulled her back.

"Wait for the next one," he told Alden, who coughed lightly in agreement.

Once they were in the office, Natalia's emotions had settled. Hamilton went to make her a hot chocolate, which she took to the window.

"I'm sorry for earlier," she said, "I saw Killian's daughter at Stafford Pharmaceuticals and it made me think of our child, how beautiful and lovely she would have been. I just needed to talk to someone, I didn't mean to lose control like that. I'll be more careful in the future."

Hamilton looked at her, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. After a moment, he softly said, "Natalia, you don't have to hold back with me."

He knew all too well the pain she was enduring.

Natalia attempted a smile. "I'm just worried Mr. Fowler might think I'm too emotional to work with."

Hamilton chuckled internally. As if he would dare refuse her. If he even hinted at backing out, she would undoubtedly have another man lined up in no time. Hamilton felt utterly defeated by this woman.

He gently took her wrist, saying softly, "Even if you were to set fire to Mr. Henkel's office, I'd still have no choice but to work with you."

Natalia glanced at him and withdrew her hand. Hamilton laughed.

"What? Ms. Jenkins can hug me, but I can't even touch your hand?"

Natalia ignored his playful jab, her emotions finally calming. Since she was there,

she decided to discuss staffing for the Fowler Group with Hamilton.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

Alden peeked in cautiously, "Can I come in?"

Hamilton's expression darkened slightly.

"Come in," he said, though it was clear the question was a bit too late.

Alden entered, looking from one to the other. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Cut to the chase," Hamilton pressed.

Alden grinned, "Well, about Spencer's company that we're dealing with, everything's negotiable except for one..."

Hamilton took the documents Alden handed him, his gaze freezing on one particular detail.

Natalia, noticing his expression, asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Hamilton handed her the documents. "Spencer's in touch with Mason."

In their home market, Spencer and his ally Caspian had left them with slim pickings. Deals that were almost closed had been snatched away by the duo. As Natalia had mentioned, expanding overseas seemed their only viable option. But now Mason had emerged as a new challenge.

Natalia was taken aback, then said, "Have you found anything wrong with Mason over the years?"

Hamilton shook his head. "Mason's background is squeaky clean, and there's nothing off about the Joyner family either. Caspian mentioned seeing Mason around his house when they were kids. Honestly, Mason's practically a saint in Boria City."

Natalia frowned, "I'll contact Ronin."

Hamilton's mood soured. "You've been in touch with Ronin all these years?"

Natalia shot him a look. "What's so surprising? I've kept in touch with not just Ronin but Ryan too."

Hamilton was exasperated but held back his comments. After all, he had said things he shouldn't have. If she had moved on in these years, he had no right to object.

Ronin sounded thrilled to hear from Natalia. "You finally remembered me?"

Natalia laughed, "I'm back in town. Let's catch up over dinner."

At this, Hamilton's face darkened further, but Natalia ignored him and continued her conversation with Ronin.

"How's Ron Group doing? Any chance for collaboration?"

Ronin's tone turned gloomy. "Don't get me started. My old man decided to partner with Spencer of all things, despite the Fowler family's troubles. The board is in an uproar. What was he thinking?"

"Did President Joyner give any reason?"

"Just some old ties with Westley, saying he couldn't let the Fowler family fall apart. Mason, the eternal good guy," Ronin scoffed.

"Could it be that President Joyner genuinely sees potential in the project?"

Ronin didn't divulge more, aware of the sensitivity regarding company projects.

Natalia glanced at Hamilton, silently contemplating their next move.

Hamilton gave him a nod.

Natalia had a brief chat with Ronin before hanging up the phone.

"What do we do now?" Alden whispered from the side.

"Keep a close eye on Spencer. One

project won't save the Fowler family. He'll keep looking for other partners. As for the deal with Mason,"

Hamilton pondered for a moal no

"I'll have someone look into their

specific project. Later, I'll contact Caspian to put some pressure on Mason over in Boria City. If Mason drops the deal with Spencer, great. If

not, we'll have to deal with Mason too!" Content belongs to Novelxo.org

Mason always made him uneasy.

Especially since he's been squeaky clean since day one.

As if someone had cleaned up his background.

Alden nodded, then winked at them

both, "Guess I'll head out then? I' close the door behind me. And don't worry about the secretary at the front desk; I've got you covered. Do whatever you need to do." Content belongs to Novelxo.org

With that, Alden took off before either of them could react.

The office door clicked shut, and Natalia's expression turned slightly awkward with

the sound.

"I wanted to talk about the partnership."

Hamilton nodded.

"The company set up in

Scandinavia recently started spreading the word that we've gota

big energy project on the table, fresh with approval from the Landeia government. Of course, the project is real, but the search for partners is

a ruse designed to catch Spencer's attention. But getting him to bite won't be easy. We'll need to cut off his other options so he feels compelled to take the risk," Natalia

explained methodically. Content belongs to Novelxo.org

Hamilton had only heard the beginning and already knew this woman had been planning for a long time.

His gaze on Natalia was intense.

Suddenly, he felt a deep pang of compassion.

What had these three years been like for her?

A woman who had been so fragile, yet had forced herself to become so tough.

Hamilton's eyes were filled with empathy.

Natalia stopped midway through her explanation.

Hamilton's gaze was too intense, hard to ignore.

"Hamilton, if you don't want to listen—"

She didn't finish her sentence before Hamilton suddenly held her chin.

His long fingers touched her lips gently.

His voice was husky when he spoke. "Ms. Jenkins, your lipstick is smudged."