Chapter 172: Tears, lies, And a Heart of Fire Novel
3/3 Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place The two children clung to Natalie , playing with her for a while before she started helping them pick out a kindergarten . Baron came out of the gym , took a brisk shower , and then joined his wife and kids for a bit of playtime . Neither of them spoke about the storm quietly brewing beneath the surface . Part of it was to keep the children from worrying ; part of it was because they both believed they could handle it . After lunch together , the children were taken off for their nap .
Baron still had work to attend to , so he headed to the Ocean City branch of Grant International Holdings . Natalie , meanwhile , called Chris . " Chris , take the Stone family men and come with me to Cloud Cafe . " She had never intended to face Jensen alone . Five years ago , she had been foolish . Back then , Jensen had been her salvation ; her only light . She never imagined that in the end , she would nearly die at his hands . All the love she had poured out meant nothing to him . This time , she was determined to guarantee her own safety . After all , she wasn't alone anymore .
Chris obeyed Natalie's order without question . Yvonne was left behind to watch over the kids . When Natalie arrived at Cloud Cafe , Jensen was already there . He had been picturing what the woman he loved most might look like now . 1/4 Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place That fire had been so severe ; surely her skin had been burned . +10 Free Coins In such a short time , it would be nearly impossible to undergo skin grafts . Finding matching skin would be even harder - even with the Witch Doctor , it seemed unlikely . But it didn't matter .
No matter how Natalie had changed , he would never let her go . Jensen's gaze stayed locked on the door of Cloud Cafe , his anticipation growing unbearable ; anyone who looked remotely unusual caught his eye . But after more than half an hour , she still hadn't appeared . The old Natalie would never have stood him up . She would have arrived half an hour early , saved him a seat , even ordered his favorite cappuccino . So this was what waiting felt like . For the first time , Jensen experienced the same anxious anticipation Natalie had once endured .
Then the wind chime above the café door jingled . At the sound , Jensen's head snapped up - only to be utterly stunned by what he saw . Two rows of men in black strode swiftly into the cafe . Chris cleared the place in a matter of seconds . The spectacle made Jensen frown slightly . The fact that he hadn't been cleared out along with everyone else meant only one thing , Natalie had to be behind this . But how ? Where had she found the kind of power to clea cafe ? ut an entire As he wrestled with the thought , Chris bowed respectfully toward the entrance .
" Miss , you may come in ." The wind that rushed in as the glass door swung open rattled the chimes ; Jensen's grip on his cup tightened to the point of strain . The figure that stepped in on high - heeled combat boots shattered every image he had prepared himself for . 2/4 15:59 Fri , Sep 26 Chapter 172 Guess Who Runs This Place Not a fragile silhouette wrapped in scarves ; not a shrunken figure hiding in shame . She was a bloodstained blade wrapped in a battle cloak .
+10 Free Coins A black double - breasted coat whipped in the draft , its military - grade leather belt cinched tight to carve a sharp , aggressive waistline . A silver fox - fur collar framed her cold , perfect jawline ; her ink - dark hair was slicked back , twisted into a razor - sharp knot at the back of her head , exposing her smooth brow and two fierce brows slashing toward her temples . With every strike of her boots against the marble floor , the sharp metal heels rang out , freezing the café's air in an instant . Jensen's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably .
The countless burn scars , contracted skin , and graft marks described in those medical reports dissolved like smoke . In their place was a porcelain - white throat peeking between the high collar of her coat and ... A silver mask covering the right side of her face . Steel - forged serpentine patterns coiled across the mask ; two black diamonds embedded in the snake's eyes devoured the light overhead . The half of her face left uncovered was breathtaking - red lips curved like a poisoned blade .
When that silver mask turned toward him , thorny patterns etched along its edge stretched to her cheekbone , and beneath them faint crimson scars pulsed faintly with her cold smile . " Mr. Jensen . " The metallic timbre of her voice sliced through the frozen air . " Sorry to keep you waiting . " Spiderweb cracks spread across the cup Jensen was holding . Coffee seeped through his knuckles , trailing down his hand , but he didn't even notice . The girl who once ironed every wrinkle from his shirts now idly brushed gloved fingertips across the table .
As her sleeve slipped back , an obsidian ouroboros tattoo revealed itself , coiled around her wrist bone . 3/4 The delicate chain dangling from the side of her mask swayed suddenly , glinting sharp light into his constricted pupils . Hanging at the end of it was a warped platinum ring- The very wedding band he had once slipped onto Natalie's finger with his own hands . Jensen shot to his feet, instinct driving him toward the mask on her face .