Hank asked, "Are you sure her husband isn't some big shot in Riverton? Have you met the guy?"
Clair replied, "Never met the man, but she's definitely not the wife of any hotshot in Riverton, so I'd bet her husband isn't worth noting. The Reese family's been a bit rocky lately, stock's taken a hit, but they've still got their chops. I reckon dealing with some nobody shouldn't be too tough."
Hank commented, "You've never laid eyes on him, and you're just assuming he's a nobody? That's jumping the gun a bit, don't you think? I tell ya, the guy's got an aura like no other. Plus, he's got this badass bodyguard who's given our guys a real run for their money."
Hank was a tough street guy, and his best skill was sizing people up. If he said Cornelia's husband ain't a pushover, then he probably ain't.
If one want to pull off something big, one gotta get the lowdown first.
"Then hold your horses and don't act rashly. Let me get the 411 on this guy first, then we can plan our next move." Clair hung up and immediately got out of bed to look for Natalia.
After the last incident, Clair had kept Natalia at the Reese family mansion, confiscating all of her means of communication with the outside world. In a nutshell, Natalia was under house arrest. Without Clair's permission, she couldn't even leave her room, let alone contact the outside world.
Being cooped up in her room all the time, except for meal times, Natalia was beginning to feel uncomfortable. It was just getting light and she was already wide awake, blankly staring at the ceiling.
She had no idea what kind of family she was living in, why she was locked in her room, or when she would be able to leave.
Hearing the doorknob turn, she quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep. But Clair didn't care if she was sleeping or not. She yanked the blanket off Natalia, "Wake up, Natalia. I want to talk to you."
Natalia pretended to be roused from sleep, rubbing her eyes, "Why are you up so early?"
Without wasting words, Clair asked, "Natalia, you're chummy with Marc's assistant, right? Ever met her husband?"
Natalia knew Clair wouldn't look for her without a good reason. She didn't want to answer, so she just stared blankly at a spot on the ceiling, not saying anything.
Clair reached out, grabbed her forcefully, "Natalia, are you listening to me or not?"
Natalia looked at Clair, as if she were a stranger, "Am I really your daughter?"
Clair asked, "What do you mean? Why are you always asking me these heart-wrenching questions? If you're not my child, then whose child do you think you are?"
Natalia asked, "Am I really your biological child? Are you sure? Why can't I feel any love from you?"
Hearing this, Clair felt wronged, "I gave you birth into the Reese family, a prestigious family. Not only did I provide you with the best life, but also the best education. I've done my best, given you everything I could think of. How could you say I don't love you? Natalia, has someone been misleading you? How could you say something that hurts my feelings? You're my everything. All my hopes are pinned on you."
Seeing Clair's hurt expression, Natalia began to question again whether she really was mentally ill. In her room, there were pictures of her mother pregnant with her. She could doubt anyone, but she couldn't doubt her own mother, "I'm sorry! I don't know why, but I've been having all these crazy thoughts lately."
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