The Imposter Bride by Sallie Woods

Chapter 9

She flicked on the light and walked in, towel in hand. Approaching the bedside table, she gazed at the Immaculate furniture, unsure where to start cleaning

This man was peculiar. His bedroom was so spotless, it seemed as if it had never been lived in. What was there to clean?

She gingerly opened the wardrobe, revealing an array of dark shirts, black trousers, and suits. This man was cold and eccentric, even his clothing reflected a chilling aura, but she still arranged his belongings neatly and tidied up.

When she finished and descended the stairs, Linden greeted her with a smile “What would you like for lunch, Ma’am? I’ll have May prepare it.” Natalia nodded. “I’m not picky, whatever Mr. Magnus is having will be fine.”

“Mr. Magnus has stepped out and may not return until the evening,” Linden informed her, still smiling

“He’s out? How did he leave? Who’s taking care of him?” Natalia questioned, worried. At the very least, someone should have been accompanying him. If Linden was here, how did he manage to leave alone?

“It’s alright. Mr Magnus can manage on his own Mr James came to pick him up.” Linden looked at Natalia’s concerned eyes and nodded silently Natalia wasn’t as cold–hearted as the rumors suggested. She seemed to genuinely care about their master. If she wasn’t involved with Mr Lucius, she could have been a good match for their master.

Upon hearing that he’d left with a friend, Natalia nodded. “Alright then, I’ll have whatever is convenient.”

Linden immediately went to the kitchen to relay her request. Natalia sat on the couch and wondered if she should inform her friends Lexi and Sabrina about her situation. Would they turn the world upside down looking for her if she disappeared without a trace?

She ascended the stairs and picked up her phone. Dozens of missed calls and messages flooded her screen. All were from Lexi, Sabrina, and Hector

[Natalia, why didn’t you come to school?]

[Natalia, please respond. I’ve applied to study abroad in the U.S., and we’ll be leaving in a year.]

don’t ignore me. I

piled

[Get your ass out here,

[Nat, where are you? Someone’s

back, I’m going to come to your house and bang on

chose. For her father, she’d given up everything. It was her

a message from

suppress her sobs, but the sound of her crying reached the

stairs and informed Linden about Natalia’s crying. Frowning, Linden commanded, “Get back to

quickly

her eyes. She texted Sabrina and Lexi. [I’m going somewhere distant for a while to do something. Don’t look for me Don’t ask about me. I’ll be back after a year.

sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to just to survive. I’m a lonely wanderer. Thank you for

we’ll meet again one day. But for now, please let me disappear in peace.]

messages, she turned off her phone. A knock on the door broke her reverie. “Ma’am, lunch is ready,”

small smile. “Alright,

room,

Groove was the biggest entertainment venue in Melfort. Chase, the general manager, oversaw everything here, but he wasn’t the owner.

VIP room on the top floor. The red wine on the table shimmered

here like that?” One of the men on the couch jumped up in surprise. His handsome face

following Magnus shrugged, indicating he was

the couch, picked up a wine glass

closest friends. Carter was the CEO of a powerful corporation in France. Chase, his younger brother, was the general manager of Golden Groove in Melfort and also the CEO of a subsidiary of Cliff International James was the founder of the notorious Silent King, a criminal

behind all three companies and

of eighteen, Magnus had vowed to stand tall, refusing to surrender what was rightfully his. And