The Otherside Of Love || Sadistic Billionaire

Natalie’s POV

“Hello!” I said into the phone.

“Hey! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” chimed Daniel’s voice.

I smiled. He recognized me just from my voice since I had lost my previous phone number.

I felt little embarrassed. He might have seen those videos. I swallowed hard and tried to steady my voice as I said, “I… I lost my phone and… and,” but I kept stammering instead.

He interrupted, “I was worried about you to death. And that bastard Rafael disappeared too!”

I felt warmth from the genuine concern in his voice. Sometimes I felt Daniel was more than just a neighbor from abroad; he felt like a real friend, even though I hadn’t known him for long.

“I had to, Daniel. I’m sure you heard what had happened,” I said with a sad smile, even though I knew he couldn’t see it.

He let out a deep sigh and said, “Yeah, and I wish I was there to support you.”

My sad smile widened. I wished Rafael would say those words to me, but he was cold and distant.

“Thank you, Daniel,” I said genuinely, then asked the question I had been longing to ask, “Have you found anything regarding the drugs matter?”

He sighed, “The only thing I found is that the shipment arrived at the port two days ago, and the authorities consider it suspicious. But nothing is certain. The news of the existence of prohibited items was strictly concealed by all parties involved.”

“Debbie is here to see me, so I thought I’d ask you if you found anything new before I see her,” I said as I stood up from my bed.

He paused for a second, then said, “Natalie, listen. This woman is not as she appears. She’s mysterious. I think the biggest mistake Rafael ever made was contracting with them and trusting them to manage this shipment.”

“Why are you saying this? Do you know something you haven’t told me?” I asked, feeling worried.

“Just don’t trust her, okay? I’ll come this evening to pick you up. I missed you and want you to meet someone,” he said with a soft tone.

“Okay then, I’m hanging up now,” I said.

“Hey, Natalie, wait!” he added just before I pressed the end button.

“Can you keep the call open while you’re talking with her? I’m curious about what she has to say,” he asked.

I raised an eyebrow, then smiled. I went downstairs while keeping the line open. Once I entered the sitting room where she was sitting, she turned to me. Her gaze ran over me from top to toe, flicking with scrutiny.

“Oh, dear Natalie, I missed you so much,” she said promptly, then went straight to where I was standing and took me by surprise, hugging me tightly.

“You don’t know how worried I’ve been about you!” she said, taking a step back, her hands on my shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, then scanned the room with my gaze. Perhaps there was someone else here, which would explain why she was acting so friendly now.

I took a step back from her and said, “Thank you! Please, have a seat.”

Her smile grew wider, and she added, “I’m really so happy that you’re doing well and staying strong. I thought after the scandal that happened, you would be depressed.”

“Owe,” was all I managed to say. I didn’t have any intention of discussing that with her, especially not when I knew she was scheming something.

I turned to Laura, who was still standing at the doorway, and said with a smile, “Laura, dear. Please bring something fresh to drink for Miss Debbie,” then looked back at Debbie. “To help calm her nerves, it seems she was too worried about me.”

A quick look of disdain flickered through Debbie’s eyes, then she waved her hand and laughed, “Don’t be silly, Natalie. I’m not a guest here; very soon I’ll be living here.”

I stared at her with amusement, then said, “I insist. Rafael will be mad if we don’t hospitality his guests well.”

“Oh, dear Rafael, he’s very considerate,” she said in a dreamy tone that made me force myself not to roll my eyes. Then she looked at Laura, “A glass of cold water, please.”

When we were alone, she said, “How are you handling it, dear? It must be tough with all the social media buzz about your videos. Thankfully, Rafael managed to destroy those videos within twenty-four hours, or you might have really struggled with thoughts of suicide from all the derogatory comments.”

So, that’s why I couldn’t find any videos? I felt reassured; in the end, he really cared.

I glanced at my phone to make sure Daniel was still on the line.

I was taken aback when I saw tears in Debbie’s eyes. She wiped her tears and said in a teary tone, “Rafael is an amazing man. He’s trying his best to help others. He really loves you as his sister.”

Suddenly, she held my hands and said, “Dear, you have to help him back. He’s suffering in silence.”

“And how do you suggest I do that?” I asked, wondering about her true intentions.

“I’m going to meet a friend who will help me find out who’s behind the big scheme to frame Rafael. As a member of this family, I want you to come with me. We need to support him,” she insisted.

My phone vibrated, indicating I had received a message, It was from Daniel. It read, (Tell her okay.)

“When?” I asked her.

“After two days, at the same apartment we met before. But please, don’t tell Rafael. He still doesn’t know anything about this matter. You can repay him for standing up for you all this time by helping me solve your problem before it goes further public,” she said, standing and stretching out a hand to shake mine, then turned to leave.

But she turned back to me and added with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “Tell the man you’re flirting with to take it a little easy on you, dear.” Then tapped my shoulder where there was a pale blue bruise. “It seems he’s using you. I know these kinds of men.”

I pulled her hand off my shoulder and brushed away her hand as if I were wiping off dust, then mumbled, “I really appreciate your sincere advice.”