Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie) novel Chapter 216

Chapter 216 Different From Landon

Natalie’s POV:

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They were just ordinary, everyday details, but I couldn’t help wanting to share them with Leonardo. I’d never really felt a family’s approval before. Who knew such a small thing could earn so much praise? When I gave them the gifts, Fiona even got teary-eyed.

“Because you’re wonderful.” Leonardo’s voice came through the speaker, low and warm. “That’s why they like you so much.”

I looked down with a smile, gently stirring the pasta on my plate. The steam made my eyes get a little misty.

“Did everything go okay for you today?” he asked.

My stirring slowed. I was quiet for a few seconds before looking up again, forcing a light tone.

I said, “Everything’s fine. Even better than I expected. Landon and his father are out of the company. I did everything I wanted to do. It felt good.”

But after saying it, a heavy feeling settled back in

“Leonardo,” I said softly, “I guess I really am a vengeful, ruthless person, aren’t I? I can never forgive those who wronged me. I pay them back tenfold.”

The screen was quiet for a moment. Leonardo’s gaze stayed on me. It felt warm, like it could reach across the distance and wrap around me.

I didn’t regret what I’d done. But after getting revenge, looking at myself honestly, it wasn’t all good.

“Natalie,” he finally said, his voice carrying a hint of a smile but completely serious. “Truly ruthless people never think they’re ruthless or cruel.”

I looked up.

“You told me once not to care about what others think and that once you decide something, you shouldn’t hold back,” he continued, a trace of pain in his expression. “If you weren’t Natalie, Alexander’s daughter, if you hadn’t had the courage and strength to fight back against the Thorn Pack, they would have torn you apart without mercy.”

His words washed over me, easing that strange tightness in my chest.

“And…” Leonardo paused, then added in an almost teasing tone, “Even if you were the most vengeful person in the world, I’d still like you.”

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Chapter 216 Different From Landon

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I laughed and quipped back, “So if I ever took revenge on you for hurting me, you’d still like

me?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

But then, his eyes softened. He looked deeply at me through the screen and asked in return. “Then… if I ever hurt you in the future, would you be just as ruthless and cold to me?”

Leonardo’s POV:

Watching her sit at the kitchen counter, eating instant pasta, made my heart feel incredibly soft.

Natalie, my bonded mate, was sharing the simplest, warmest parts of her day with me from miles away right now.

She said my grandmother and Miranda loved the gifts she picked, that they praised her until their

eyes grew wet. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, warm and bright with excitement.

I’d never seen her like this-soft, relaxed, willing to open up and let someone see how much she longed for “family” and “acceptance.”

It made me want to fly back immediately, wrap her in my arms, surround her with my Alpha presence, and tell her, “You deserve all the goodness.”

Then she brought up today’s events.

Her tone was deliberately light, but I could hear the weariness underneath. It wasn’t physical tiredness, but mental exhaustion-the emptiness after revenge, the scrutiny of what she’d become, and the invisible pressure from everyone’s eyes.

She called herself “ruthless.”

I almost laughed coldly. She had no idea that in he real power struggles of werewolf society, her methods were almost merciful. If it were any other Alpha, the Richardson family would already be bathing in blood.

But it bothered her. That was exactly what set her apart.

“Even if you were the most vengeful person in the world, I’d still like you.” I meant it when I

said it.

Then she joked back, “So if I ever took revenge you for hurting me, you’d still like me?”

“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate.

If that day ever came, if I were ever foolish enough to hurt her, then I’d deserve every bit of

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