In The Hands of a Billionaire

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Natalie's POV

It had been a few weeks since I last saw the man who was making my life a living hell and I was thankful that I never caught a glimpse of him again. I felt like I was finally free, like I was finally on top of the world. I can still remember the things that came out of my mouth when I talked to him and how mad I was when he kept bringing my daughter into this. She wasn't some object that he could just carelessly toss into a fight and expect to win, especially when it was against her own mother.

Quietly sighing, I switched my gaze over towards Raigh-lee as she played with her toys on her floral mat, happily unaware of this world and the cruelty behind her own father. I wasn't going to let him lay a finger on her.

The sudden ringing of my office phone drew me back into my surroundings as I glanced around at my quiet office. Stella wasn't here today since I gave Yuki's group the day off. Humming quietly, I picked up the phone as my personal assistant spoke on the other in.

"Send him in. I haven't seen him in awhile." I stated as my assistant agreed before hanging up. It didn't take long before a knock brought our attention to the door. "Come in." I answered as the door slowly opened to reveal my cautious older brother. Unlike before, he was dressed from head to toe in casual wear. A loose yet fitted gray shirt covered his torso while long dark blue jeans covered his long legs. Quietly closing the door behind him, he slowly made his way towards Raigh-lee as his gray converses etched out each step.

"Hi there, pretty princess." He cooed while picking her up as she giggled at her uncle. I watched as he quietly inspected her before walking over and taking a seat in front of me. "So, the news finally got to me that you went to go see William." He stated while staring me down with the same light blue eyes as Raigh-lee stayed perched in his lap, playing with his giant hands. "How come you didn't tell me?" He asked, the hurt evident in his voice.

"The only people I told were Stella and Lucy because they were in the room at the time I made my decision. If I would've brought you or Dad or even Aiden, do you know how much messier that talk would have been? I'm sure that there wouldn't be any talking during that time, probably just you guys trying to fight him or murder him." I whispered the last part as he quietly nodded in understanding. "I had Lucy with me and if anything happened to us, I'm quite sure that David would know." I added as Noah looked at me with confusion clear on his face.

"How would David know where Lucy and you were if we couldn't even track your phones? Yours seemed to be off and Lucy's seemed to be way off the radar. Aiden said that he couldn't even find you two." He stated while playing with Raigh-lee's curls as I just smiled at him.

"David's line of work is known for tracking down people who either go missing or don't want to be found. Don't let his calm exterior fool you." I stated as Noah looked surprised and a little taken aback. "If he made Lucy undetectable, do you really think that he would let us be alone with a psycho like William? I'm quite sure he was near, knowing Lucy might have told him in case anything went wrong." I added while quietly laughing at the thought. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you here today?" I asked while quickly changing the subject as Noah smiled at me.

"Well, besides figuring out why I was the last to be told about the news of you going to go see that psycho, I'm here to spend time with you and my niece while I have a few days off from the office. So, let's get going. I heard from Mom and your PA that today is a slow day for you." He stated with clear excitement on his face as I quietly laughed at him.

"Fine, but let me call Aiden and tell him that I might be home late. And I also need to tell my PA to redirect any needed calls to my cellphone. You can get Raigh-lee's things ready while I make some calls." I stated as Noah nodded before standing up from his seat. Quietly picking up my office phone, I called my assistant and gave him specific details in case an emergency popped up or I was needed. After that, I phoned Aiden as he answered after the first ring.

"Hello, love. Anything wrong?" He questioned as I smiled at his worried tone. "If there is, I can be over in ten." He quickly stated as I quietly watched my brother and Raigh-lee put up her toys. He held the toy box as she carefully placed her toys inside as if they were going to break.

"There's nothing wrong, darling. I just wanted to call and tell you that Raigh-lee and I will be home late tonight. We'll be spending the day with Noah, so if you need me, just call my cell." I stated as a sigh of relief came from his end.

"Okay, have fun and be safe. I love you."

"I love you too. See you tonight." I stated before hanging up as I turned my attention back to my brother who was quietly making kissy faces. "Shut up, Noah." I playfully bantered while standing from my desk. Slowly reaching down, I picked up Raigh-lee's bag before heading over towards the door with my brother in tow. "Where exactly are we going?" I inquired as we walked out before I locked my office door.

"There's this great place that a good friend told me about while she was out and about with her little brother. She said that it's family friendly and little kids will like it." He stated as we quietly stepped into the elevator while I pressed the button for the main lobby.

"A female friend told you of this place?" I asked while raising an eyebrow and elbowing my brother's free side. He quietly adjusted Raigh-lee in his arms before looking down at me questioningly. "Come on, you can't be that thick skinned, could you?" I inquired while staring up at him as he didn't really seem to understand what I was talking about.

"If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, than no. I'm not interested in her. She's too...quiet." He stated as I looked at him like he was insane. "She openly talks to everyone else but when it comes to just me and her, she can't even look me in the eyes. It's like she hates seeing me." He added as I quietly smacked my forehead.

"You are thick skinned, Noah. Let's talk about this over lunch. Raigh-lee can't take eating your shirt any longer." I stated as he looked down at my daughter who was quietly fisting a handful of his shirt into her mouth just to show us that she was hungry.

[~~~]

Hello darlings!

Here's another well needed update that I've been promising for awhile but always got side tracked by something whether it be packing for a so called reconstruction or getting swept away into playing Stardew Valley (highly recommend).

But, I plan to update more soon. I'm working on a lot of new beginnings. I can't wait to publish them here and get to running.

Thank you all for your patience!

Andrea