While pretending to love them and be a sensible young woman, Vivian secretly despised their weakness. The person who had killed their daughter was right in front of them, yet instead of taking action against her, they were planning to escape to the countryside. Vivian knew she could never be such a coward. If it were up to her, she would avenge Charis.
Meanwhile, Natalie returned home to find that Brandon hadn’t come back yet. She called him to inquire about the delay and was informed that he was still working and wouldn’t be able to leave anytime soon. Natalie felt relieved upon hearing this news. She hurriedly took out the flash drive from her laptop and inserted it into her own computer.
As the computer read the data, she opened the website she had seen on Charis’s laptop earlier. To her surprise, a chat box popped up on the screen, revealing the conversation between Charis and another person. Natalie didn’t expect anything significant from the conversation, but she was shocked when she discovered the chat records of Charis purchasing drugs. Charis had somehow found a way to erase two years’ worth of memories that Brandon had of Natalie.
However, the conversation didn’t provide specific details about the drug, and Natalie realized that neither Charis nor the drug dealer knew each other’s true identities. Everything was shrouded in mystery. Unable to trace the IP address of the dealer since the website operated on the dark web, Natalie was unsure of what to do next.
Suddenly, a message appeared on the screen. It was from the dealer: “Who are you?”
Natalie was taken aback when she received an unexpected message. Confusion clouded her mind until she realized that she was using Charis’s account. It seemed plausible that the dealer was unaware of Charis’s death. Acting quickly, Natalie replied, “You sold me some drugs last time.”
Since the dealer didn’t know who Charis was, Natalie saw an opportunity to pretend to be her and gather useful information. The response came swiftly, “You want more?”
“Yes, I do want more,” Natalie replied, hoping to obtain the drug that caused memory loss. She intended to have Frank examine it in order to restore Brandon’s lost memories. However, as time passed, there was no further response from the dealer. Natalie waited anxiously, on the verge of losing hope, until a message finally appeared in the chat box.
“You’re not scared of being haunted by her ghost?” the message read.
Natalie was shocked. The dealer knew about Charis’s death. Transactions on the dark web were supposed to be confidential, with the buyer and seller remaining anonymous. Who was this mysterious dealer? How did they know Charis Turner was the buyer? Could they be nearby, watching everything unfold? Natalie’s mind was filled with questions, but she had no time to ponder them.
The chance to restore Brandon’s memory was right in front of her. She couldn’t let go of this opportunity, even if it meant making a deal with the devil. Calmly, Natalie responded, “You don’t need to know who I am. How much is the drug? Name your price, and I’ll pay for it.”
The mysterious seller quickly replied, “You are so bold, missy. Are you aware of who you’re dealing with?”
A frown formed on Natalie’s face. She could sense that the seller was not to be underestimated. While contemplating her response, the mysterious dealer suddenly went offline. Natalie hurriedly typed, “I’m ready to pay, no matter the cost!”
However, there was no further response from the seller. Natalie clicked on the seller’s account page, only to find it had been canceled. The mysterious and frugal dealer was her only lead at the moment. She had already spent five hundred thousand to obtain this clue from Allie. If she lost it, she had no idea what to do next.
Just as Natalie was about to despair, her computer suddenly shut down, leaving the screen black. Confused, she examined her laptop, feeling a sense of unease. Suddenly, a blood-red window appeared on the dark screen, and slowly, large bloody words materialized within it. Each stroke seemed like smeared blood, as if it would flow out of the computer screen at any moment.
“Natalie! You’ll pay for what you’ve done!”
Following that, the computer’s speakers emitted a chilling peal of laughter. It sounded eerily like Charis. It was as if her ghost had truly returned to haunt Natalie. Shocked by the scarlet words and unsettling laughter, Natalie flipped over the laptop and sought refuge behind the curtain, covering her ears. A shiver ran down her spine, and her hair stood on end as she recalled the scene before Charis’s death.
In that very moment, she heard the study door open from outside, and hurried footsteps approached. When Natalie opened her eyes, she saw Brandon standing in front of her. His hair was wet from the rain, and he still held his coat in his hand. Clearly, he had rushed home immediately upon his arrival.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, pulling Natalie out from behind the curtains and embracing her.
“Natalie?” Brandon continued, his gaze fixed on her. Natalie remained in a state of shock, her mind blank. Gradually, her heart calmed down as she breathed in Brandon’s familiar scent.
“Natalie, what’s going on?” he asked again. Natalie shook her head and then buried her face in his chest, holding him tightly.
Brandon guided Natalie to a chair in the study, positioning her carefully before leaning against the table. His gaze fixated on her, his expression pensive. Sensing his suspicion, Natalie quickly covered her face, feigning embarrassment.
“Oh my, how embarrassing! I can’t believe I got so scared by that horror movie!” she exclaimed, attempting to divert his attention.
Brandon pursed his lips tightly, clearly unconvinced. Unable to decipher his thoughts, Natalie nervously bit her lip and cautiously asked, “Do you think I’m lying?”
“I just don’t understand,” Brandon replied simply. “You’re not someone who typically watches horror movies. Why did you suddenly want to watch one today?”
Glancing at the laptop lying overturned on the floor, Brandon moved to retrieve it. Reacting swiftly, Natalie sprang from her seat and snatched the laptop from the ground. “Don’t move, I can get it myself,” she insisted, clutching the device protectively.
“Why are you so nervous? Were you looking at something shady?” Brandon questioned, casting a sidelong glance at the dark computer screen, unable to discern anything.
Natalie stammered, “There are… um, ghosts! There are ghosts in my computer. Obviously, I can’t show them to you!” She felt a twinge of unease as she realized the strange sounds emanating from the laptop had abruptly ceased after a few seconds. Suppressing her thoughts, she hastily powered off the laptop, determined to prevent Brandon from discovering her true intentions.
Just as Brandon was about to press further, Natalie gasped dramatically, exclaiming, “Oh God! I just remembered I left something cooking on the stove!”
With those words, she bolted out of the study, leaving Brandon in her wake. Reluctantly, he followed her downstairs. By the time he caught up, Natalie had already donned an apron and begun cooking.
As he approached, Natalie turned to him with a smile. “Honey, aren’t you tired today? How about I cook you some curry? I bought fresh ingredients from the supermarket.”
Despite her seemingly normal demeanor, Brandon couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, he stared at her intently, sensing she was hiding something.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like curry?” Natalie innocently inquired, pretending ignorance of his suspicions. “How about spaghetti then? The tomatoes in the fridge will spoil if we don’t use them soon. Tell me, or I won’t know what to cook for you.”
Natalie knew exactly how to handle Brandon—by playing dumb. As expected, he eventually relented, sighing helplessly. “Fine, spaghetti.”
With that settled, he retrieved the tomatoes from the fridge. Natalie couldn’t help but genuinely smile now, requesting Brandon’s assistance in the kitchen.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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