Echoes of a Forsaken Heart novel Chapter 175

When Alden's call came through, Hamilton's expression darkened immediately.

"I'm sending someone to look for him right now. He can't have gotten far."

Hamilton's gaze flickered, his response curt and to the point.

"Once you find him, stash him somewhere discreet, and don't say a word to Natalia. If she asks, just tell her he's long gone."

Alden thought he must have heard wrong.

"What? Bro, why all the secrecy?"

"Don't worry about the why. Just do it," Hamilton drawled, his voice laced with indifference.

No further explanation came, and with that, he hung up.

Hamilton never made a losing deal.

Natalia could see Graham again, sure. But it would cost her. Like, unblocking his number, for starters. Or, breaking things off with Ryan. At the very least, she should come asking for Hamilton's help on her own.

As Hamilton pondered, Natalia's phone began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID, a flicker of coldness passing through his eyes. The name "Ryan" seemed to taunt him from the screen. Without a second thought, he disconnected the call. But it wasn't long before Ryan called again.

Hamilton's brow creased slightly. Then, he picked up the phone.

"Natalia, are you off work yet?" Ryan's voice came through, tinged with cheer.

Hamilton let out a mocking laugh, "Mr. Holzer? Sorry, Natalia's out like a light. Tired. Anything you need, I can pass on the message."

There was a pause on the line, Ryan's voice instantly chilled.

"Hamilton? Where's Natalia? Let her take the call."

Hamilton's brow arched, "Didn't I just tell you? She's asleep."

After a moment of silence, Ryan hung up the phone.

When Natalia woke up, she was in a hospital room. Opening her eyes, she saw Ryan sitting beside her bed, his face marred by a bruise. Natalia blinked in confusion before speaking.

"Ryan, what are you doing here? What happened to your face?"

Though Ryan's expression was strained, he managed to hide his emotions in front of Natalia.

"Are you feeling alright anywhere else?"

Natalia shook her head; aside from feeling weak, she was okay. The cut on her neck wasn't deep, and with medicine applied, it hardly hurt anymore.

"What happened? Did you get into a fight?"

"No," came Ryan's terse reply as he adjusted her blanket.

Natalia's brows knit together as she noticed something off with Ryan's mood.

"Was it Hamilton?"

Ryan paused for a moment. The night before, he had come over and ended up in a scuffle with Hamilton. Even though he knew Hamilton hadn't really done anything to Natalia, the things he said were just to rile him up. But still, he couldn't hold back. He didn't want to tell Natalia about it, though. It would just sound like he didn't trust her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt, Natalia? You promised me before that you would let me know if anything happened, remember?"

Natalia felt a twinge of guilt; it wasn't anything else but the fact that she might have worried Ryan.

"Sorry, Ryan. It was an emergency, and I didn't have the chance."

"Was it that you didn't have the chance, or you didn't think to?"

Ryan's tone was sharp, accusatory.

Natalia choked up. After a brief silence, she finally said, "Sorry. In the future, no matter what happens, I'll try to let you know right away."

Ryan immediately regretted his harshness. In such a situation, he knew Natalia probably really hadn't had the chance. But he still felt uneasy. There was too much distance between them. She was in trouble and he could never be there for her immediately. Yet Hamilton was always lurking close by. He felt insecure.

"Natalia, when do you plan to officially join the State Department?"

Natalia frowned slightly and fell silent. She had intended to move to the State Department right after handling her resignation. But now, due to the penalty fee, she had to sign an agreement with Mason.

"It might be at least another six months."

Ryan's frown deepened instantly.

"Didn't you say it would be soon?"

Natalia replied, "Plans have changed, but I'll try to make it as quick as possible." Once the new company with Ron Group was on track and her bet with Mason was settled, she could resign.

Ryan was visibly upset.

"Did something happen?"